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Inviting Calamity

I keep reminding myself
tough times wring out diamond days
and that I'm forgetting to
welcome calamity to breakfast every Tuesday
and I'm shying away from the promises that poverty
can't keep about the simple life,
and she knows it... remember, remember, remember
that only sun and sky honor the rhythms holding
this place together... capricious is the rest of creation.
and maybe I've noticed
enshrined in the coils of a bristlecone
lie the secrets to longevity
but I won't seek them now...
not before I can dream one more time of Pollyanna
in delusions of safe and sound...
with her tales spun like
ultraviolet rays that nourish my freckled hide -
and not until I can muster up the bawdy amazon,
with quiver full and bow string taut,
ready to defend this November night,
against darkness that deepens
blood belly red - exacting its price
to the penny, and come Tuesday
daylight dawns purring around my ankles like
some calico and breakfast suits us both
just fine.

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