David Sam

Awakening What dark flamesbecome our dreamsvapors that mean usinspirations hardto breathe as flowers The rain dazzlesin mud reflectionvoiced by birdswho hide themselvesas green leaves I am unreliableas a map of wanderingthe electric brightmeaning behindthe humming of daylight Under the horizonnothing waitsbut the unseen moonmade of reflectionand gray dust Becoming the Light The jubilance of the chickadeeparades from the maple—that is how the world will sing. The unforgiving eyeof the hunting redtailscans from the highest oak—that is how the world will hunger. The soft padfoot alonga slim trail walks the foxout of the shadows into surprising sunlight—that is how the world will move. The rise and fall of tidesand steady roll of wavebrings starfish and seaweed ashore—that is how the world will tell time. The spring faith of trout liliesrises out of last season’s deathand the humus of a hundred years—that is how the world will worship. The splatter of rain againsta canopy of leavessizzles with August heat—that is how the world will bathe. The red hueing that surprises morning—the loom of black when sunsets prematurely behinda wall of stormvoiced clouds—the uncertain colors of the billion stars—the glimpse the owl sees just beforeit launches into the silence of flight— That is what the world will bewhen I have become the light. Uncrossed Frontier I scrape cold clawsagainst the rainthat warps my eyesfor windows Late sunlightgems these beadsand I am handspraying their emptiness Gray with wantingthe worldI miss how neweternity has become David Anthony Sam has written poetry for over 40 years and has two collections, including Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves (2014). He lives in Virginia with his wife and life partner, Linda, and currently serves as president of Germanna Community College. In 2014-15, he had poems accepted by American Tanka, Artemis Journal, The Birds We Pile Loosely, Carbon Culture Review, The Crucible, FLARE: The Flager Review, From the Depths, Heron Tree, Hound, Literature Today. On the Rusk, Piedmont Virginian Magazine, The Scapegoat Review, The Summerset Review, and The Write Place at the Write Time.