Shells

The curve of your ear

Lobe

Invites me in to peek,

Where fluttering eyelids

An inch away on your face

Indicate

Your slumbering presence.

The rising fall of your chest

Evenly punctuated

By the nickering that

Escapes

From within

Cracked open curves

Slightly.

Earlier this morning you pointed,

Called me to the window with excited chirping songs,

Chrrrrchrrrr chrrrrr chrrrr,

There creeping out from behind

Stately poplars, whose branches intertwined,

Raised up to the misty sky,

Haloed cups awaiting full filament,

There were ten turkeys

In

A

Line

Stepping

Out

Of

Shadow.

One two three

They came

Four five six

They came

Seven eight nine

Ten!

Into the light yet not bright space

They shook

Their feathered finery

Finely,

Stretched their necks

And fluffed

Until fully satisfied

Then wandered away to peck thistle seeds;

Made much ado

About the still

Waking day.

Ambling past where mint and milkweed had grown

Where now husks remained, husks and hollow

Stalks marked the terrain,

Here they crossed over to the other side;

The stragglers lagging behind

Eventually

Caught

Up

Until

Ten turkeys climbed up the leaf littered hill

And entered the woods in a line:

Pine woods, the blue green needles and spiraling branches

Gobbled them up

Then they were gone

Out of sight

No more.

We watched together

Then

You turned

To me

And pointed with a breath

Making questioning sound

Fogging the window

Slightly

Acknowledging that we

We saw something happen

Together.

Where do you go

Lying beside me flat on your back

Eyelids flickering,

A smile,

A rising fall of chest,

You rest

Fingers curled over palms by your head,

While I

I keep peeking

Into

The curvature of your earlobe

Marveling at that excellent shell,

It invites me in like no other.

It invites me in like no other.