40

for Catherine, my daughter, on her birthday

Muhammad was 40 when archangel

Gabriel gave him the Quran’s first words,

the Muslims believe. Christian legend tells

how Jesus fasted 40 days, then heard

the devil’s tempting voice, but didn’t bite.

Jewish men must reach 40 to study

Kabbalah: seek eternal and finite

connection. It seems spirit’s history

revisits this sacred number time and

again, like your eternal return to

spirit’s light in your art, love’s sacred hand

sculpting inspired vision of all that’s true

in every being and object your age

and sense reveal…lead you to the next stage.

Roger Armbrust

August 21, 2012

WE WHO CONCEAL LIGHT

We who conceal light deep in psyche’s vast

hidden canyons. We who hoard secret fire

with trembling hands denying desire cast

as dancing shadows on walls of empire

ruling erupting hearts. We with inner

eyes glancing exploding stars, exploring

each parallel universe of peace where

conscious minds intermingle, imploring

all yet refusing to stay. We who burn

yearning incense in false prayer, raveled arms

paralyzed to reaching toward ancient urns

boarding prancing candle flames, chancing warm

possibilities for our fingertips,

shaded kisses to our quivering lips.

Roger Armbrust

August 7, 2012

"WEIGHTED WITH HEART’S CURIOSITY"

for Elizabeth Weber

It’s never black and white. It’s always deep-

ocean blue and scorching gold, landscape like

a breaking wave by night, hoping to keep

memory of sun close through brash matchstrikes

of moon, breaking crest always reaching out

toward light, seething hint of mouth gasping for

air or praying for constant passion, shout-

ing to that rippling fire to flood soul’s core.

You can see it now through morning window,

the way summer sun careens off oak leaf’s

surface straight to and past your eye’s lens, glow

piercing through your psyche to where stark grief

and unbound joy somehow meld into this pure

identity, like an artist’s signature.