#ancient memory

Bashful rays beaming between branches

My head resting

in the sanctuary of your shade

Sweet scented willowed locks

I dreamt of giant cactus trees

holding hands in a prickly row

against an azure sky,

with blades of iris all green

sticking out of

their barking heads.

There was a river down below

so I jumped and flew,

breaking through the ice cold

clear waters of the night.

The land was glassy black

with rolling stars as far as

my eyes could see,

as I watched

the bristling sun rise

up from under a

April 30, 2026 He did not resist when they approached him. There was no reason to. He had been sitting on a bench near the edge of town, watching the land the way he always had. Not as it was, but as it had been. There had been more water once. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was the absence of cold. It had been colder then. Not always, but long enough to matter. A vehicle…