In the Coal Mine

The light

is neutral

just now

the sun is low 

only touching the higher branches.

Down here

along the stream

it arrives from nowhere in particular.

The breeze 

from the sea

is the only compass.

My canary

Tony

meditates this time of day

He fluffs up, sitting

Buddha-like.

Once I was reading 

and

I could feel his solitude.

His presence.

I stood in front of him.

He said, ‘I have a larger self ’

and he showed it to me.

I said 

‘Yeah

me too.’

Then we chirped back and forth.

I riffed a little – playing with the air over my tongue

like Coltrane might have 

and Tony kept to a simple bass line.

In this way our friendships grow,

in quiet conversation.