In the Arms of Dionysus

I sat on the rock wall
my eyes stinging from the salt in the air
the Aegean showing off
below me

Demonstrating its force
throwing itself against the rocks
for any or all who cared
to see

Like most things of great beauty
the showy display is seen
as stunning and
not simply

attention getting

As I watch
the shades of aqua and azure
swirl and pound and foam
and whirlpool

I understand

the awe and powerlessness
Ariadne must have felt
while in the arms
of Dionysus

Missing Pieces
(for Paula Slavicky)

Her smile leaked out
through her feet
her voice
dead
in her throat

standing in a puddle she
hangs up the phone
leftovers of joy
slowly sinking in
to the beige wall to wall carpeting while

on the other end
a friend
has to pick herself up
piece by
piece, as though

someone smashed
a treasured family heirloom

smashed
beyond recognition
pieces missing

Pieces
she holds in her palm
sharp edges cutting yet
not a twinge
through her numbness

tucking them in her pocket
saving them
to be put back

together

someday

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