REVELATIONS

When
was the last time you saw

something you'd describe
as beautiful? He asked,

as he puffed his cheeks,
looked up at the sky,

started counting clouds
passing by.

He then picked at his toes
then at the grass (Japanese, not crab).

Finally, he just stared straight ahead.
We all have different ways of recalling.

Faces contort, hands smooth out hair,
fingers play air instruments --

Signs of nervousness,
of being revealed.

I
could talk about sunrises

over Kilauea
over Kilimanjaro

over any mountain.
Silhouettes take shape,

breathe color,
finally burn with dew

as the sun trudges
over a ridge,

a crag, between ravines
inventing outlines

against the roundness
of the earth.

I
could expound on the delicacy of a hamstring

poised.
I held my breath, instead.