Just About Dark

Cathedral Water

Paint spattered muck boots on the porch

next to a blackened crater 

where I nearly burnt down the cabin 

260 nights ago 

not watching the grill 

concentrating on beer

then the porch flaming and me raging 

at the injustice of a cruel universe 

to set my porch on fire 

Here I am

240 days sober

choosing to get 

my shit together

the backyard is a disaster 

but by now I feel better

at home again  in my skin

swatting mosquitoes 

sitting at the picnic table 

tallying up what went wrong

figuring out where to start 

spring cleaning

There is my wet suit drying on a nylon cord 

strung between two cherry trees

my diving mask slung on an amber sapped branch 

I’ve been to the cathedral this morning

neoprene vespers wrapped tight

my face protected from her harsh embrace 

breathing through a tube

the holy will kill you 

if you forget the rules

mother water I worship

shafted beams emerald green pale jelly buds

serene sculpin barnacle feather everything moves

together under the water

one rhythm

one dance

the ten thousand revelers  

every white tipped breaker

a solo performance we all follow

moon induced lunacy 

beneath the waves

saturated with salt water 

I’ve brined away 

the sourness

from my tender pickled heart

Drifting in time’s tide

with a dry mind

no longer befuddled or befouled

just another grateful guy 

who found salvation

floating face down 

on the sea

of me.