The sun rose this morning at 3:14
Everyone was quite surprised.
The lavender was caught near the wisteria
with its pants down.
The lemon was so astonished, given how slavish
he is to schedules, that he burst immediately
and all over
into bud without any blossoms at all.

That’s how it was when we lived alone together
in that big house.
The only way you could love was sideways,
by surprise, catching me unprepared to receive,
throwing a full-speed pitch at the catcher
still struggling into uniform.

You taught me to be vigilant.
Your lessons tutored me like a ninja:
how to become invisible,
how to go away in plain sight.
I have no desire for hoods and swords,
but they are still here just behind my skin.

ANd now, when the sun rises at 3:14am
I nod and look around while the roses blush,
and I struggle not to draw.