Down Stream

. for public domain and Andy Goldsworthy - Leaning into the Wind

He filled his mouth with flower petals
and blew them into the breeze,
and shivered standing barefoot
on the cold river stones,
and watched the petals flow down stream.

He lay down flat upon his back,
his palms face down on cobblestone,
in Scottish rain to leave an imprint
of his body for a few passersby
to casually witness and wonder.

All passing, all natural like a child
at play in the woods, crawling
through a hedgerow by a sidewalk,
open eyes and open ears
hiding in tree roots from water buffaloes.

Tossing dust into the air to catch
a beam of light otherwise unseen.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

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Kyser Avatar
March 2, 2022 at 7:37 PM
So, I *really* like the last two lines. Tell me about the buffalo?
Coyne Avatar
March 3, 2022 at 6:19 PM
Technically, a water buffalo and elephants. The line was getting too long. The documentary is filled with a good deal more - well worth the watch. The last two lines are an attempt to offer an illuminating summary of the stanzas, and to issue a general statement of art - it takes the observer one way or another, to light or to darkness.
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