Remember
the birth
of December?

the starlings pouring in over the hills
those days when we'd sprawl
across the top of Tilting Rock
counting seconds 
as they blackened the sky
minute after minute
of clouds
of fluttering calls and chirps and trills
of tiny swooping black bodies
hurtling through the wraith cold sky
sweeping down to feast on the grapes
left rotting on the vine

Orion gave me a silver bullet
even as Scorpio chased him
from Bangkok to New York
strangely enough, he had no idea I'd been bitten
but today I shot it through the vineyards
rode it purring beneath my feet
racing the starbirds as they tumbled through the air
and found the beast receding

and thug, 
swung low on the Cambodian mud
brought a baby dragon for my buddha
down from Shangri-La 
He perches on the south window
basking in the cascading light
as the sun rises through red-gold leaves
over the playground and winding creek
laughing as the children play
and the memories of Nepal soften
into clay

Sagittarius is waking
healer
truth dealer
firewise in the frost 
an escape Claus 
as the year nears death

and lovers make Leos leap from bedsheets
slipping summerborn babies
into the startled arms of their fathers

remember
the birth 
of December...

winter is the best time to plant 
the most brilliant flowers