COLTRANE IN A DREAM

Hearing in a jazz dream
the sax riffs
from Coltrane's album
"Village Blues"
in the snow clearing
waiting up in Vermont
with my eager dog "Dodger"
leaning over near me
waiting for the fog to clear
under a ruthless wind
on the narrow plain
near the Green Mountains
devouring a croissant
my great aunt baked for me
as a one night lodger
in Montpelier
at her bed and breakfast
as I'm listening
to the radio news
about a missing child
now drinking at a fountain
with a flock of sparrows
and blackbirds
out of a trembling cup
as a foraging deer
from the woods
is passing by us
and a lost scout
from a local chorus
is gathering forest foliage
to sleep in the harvest barn
near the Elm
screams out loud
with many words
heavier than from any child
I've ever heard
as my map locates
for him where we are
clearing his head
as he recovers in a nap
once under the stars
now the sun shines
as he wakes
to sing a hymn for me.