THE VERDICT


The stars--

In a hundred years some woman writes The Stars

The empty courtroom
is lashed by rain and wind

The stars leaking down her cheeks

Curled hair licks a fingertip

I absolve you of responsibility, is not a thing a person actually says

The jury with their endless eyes all rise . . .

So these are redwoods, I whispered

Sea worthy, shadows falling in columns of silence

The stars in a stream on leaves

Her red toenails