finding nowhere

nowhere seems a good place to go –

the sort of place where you could dip your feet
in the creek and finally come up for air

where the silver underbellies of leaves
roll upwards to welcome the rain

where the first creature I might see
might be a solitary raven

and no one but he would even attempt
to talk to solitary me

nowhere’s as good a place as any

to look for the things that don’t ever
intend to be detected,

which is all right since nowhere’s only ever
in the looking and never in the found

rise up alight

these troubling days
(exhaustive)
have made it difficult
to flare up –
to keep on rising up
raging

somewhere closer
than you’d think,
someone’s mother
huddles down
into a smooth pew,

clutches sanctuary
(final hope’s
most sacred flower)
against the black-boots
coming for her

coming for her,

for her
I cannot be afraid
of the coming fire
how could I dare other
than to rise up alight
and blazing