open is a circle closed in upon itself

like a god-eye begging for punctuation

or a hollow cave asking for penetration

open is a trail made by a buddha

between two trees growing from infancy to forever

under the blue of dragon + bird + sky.

i take circles closed + hemmed about

+ wear as bracelets immensely proud

pulled tight, + like all circles, demanding blood

girls of menstruation are obvious + numb

showing with subtle grins their open souls

until they close their soft goodbyes to ovulate

i cannot fashion eggs. + so, as a man

i am left to take the soil + dragons

+ convert them into blood of my own.

august 5, 2003

banff, ab