is a small green lizard
who lives in the pathos ivy
on the front porch
some mornings he comes to offer counsel
as I water the plants and give
my green children kind words
he answers my questions
with questions and leads
my thoughts to a place
where they will not be harmed
from time to time
he enters my dreams
together we ride a river
in silence and he shapes
the clouds into what
can never be said
he will not tell me his name
he says that where I am headed
no one needs them
in fact, he says,
as he twitches his head
into a connected wisdom
what you need cannot be found here
hidden in ivy leaves
on a cool autumn day
who lives in the pathos ivy
on the front porch
some mornings he comes to offer counsel
as I water the plants and give
my green children kind words
he answers my questions
with questions and leads
my thoughts to a place
where they will not be harmed
from time to time
he enters my dreams
together we ride a river
in silence and he shapes
the clouds into what
can never be said
he will not tell me his name
he says that where I am headed
no one needs them
in fact, he says,
as he twitches his head
into a connected wisdom
what you need cannot be found here
hidden in ivy leaves
on a cool autumn day