CHAR'S CHANGES
(1890-1960)

Crossing the boulevards

drinking in a cafe

hearing kitchen chatter

and the clatter of knives

wanting to ingest juices of justice

in a powerful mirrored room

in an imagined mind on voices

higher than Autumn's tall trees

from a shadows understanding

a violin plays Franck's sonata

you buy a single rose

from a wandering flower child

you imagine fronds, ferns, palms

descending on Braque's zen garden

walking by the Seine
with a black umbrella

a child with a star is not safe
in a bird's nest

during the Occupation
your bristled heart knocks about

for the right passage to safety
for you and her

will join the partisans
with the wind on your heavy backs

cradling freedom
like robin red breasts.