The Memory of Elephants

I remember tropical rain

thundering in,

tangles of mesh and lace and

netting

and me and you

in it together,

those thick semi-opaque threads

protecting us

from on-lookers

and the insatiable appetites

of mosquitos

.

dusk brought

with it the most

undisciplined

giraffes

caravanning

across open savanna

dashing in coats of pumpkin spice and spilt coffee

with circles of cream

nibbling at the splendid table the earth

laid at their feet,

the wild ones never deigning to bow

their sculpted necks

to anyone

.

nightfall awoke

pack animals,

wolves and their naughty spirit animals,

who came alive with dusty hunger

skulking,

two by two, to our eyes

painted specks, mere silhouettes, vast

against

lamp black landscapes

we had yet to investigate

let alone master,

but how we yearned

to drink in

the scattering of star light splintering its

dying amber fire

snuffed out beneath

caressing blankets

of purples and oranges and molten reds

surrendering into blue-black twilight

.

a million fragmented days, weeks, years

have passed away

in the waning of time

and yet

my elephant’s curse

remains a mixed blessing:

long memory

of you

keeps

pavilion over my deserted aspirations

giving me

you

and me and you

when we were

obnoxious and

daring

and young enough

to live to chase the dream

of elephants

wild as herds

free as spirits

roaming their ancestral plains

magnificent as the last great innocents

perfects as a triumph of endless mountains

we hoped never to know

like the backs of our hands

***

Copyright © 03/25/2024 by Christy Munson. All rights reserved.