The pan hissed in the sink
Rotten stalactites of teeth
Chewing on an ice cube
From the misty prisms of a drink
Sentences ferment in the cheek
Oldest sister giving flat Coca-Cola
To an infant through a plastic teat
The armoire told a story
Of your bête noire
Father in the driveway
Warming up the car
The fruit of wild orange trees
Spoiled by highway diesel fumes
Run of the finger across the persimmon panels
Like a needle in a groove
A star anise broach
Firefly pinned in your hair
Waltzing with the deportment coach
Over chipped porcelain teapot
Curious tensions diffuse
Equatorial tea and pears
Eyes tracking a naïf muse
With skin pumice smooth
Mosquito net as a fortress
For the black joy of sleep
Amongst the creaking bamboo.