3 by Gary Lawless

Entering Slovenia

Hills where the bears wander,
mountains moving into mist,
three bridges over the river.
Take the path through to
new land, in autumn light.
No one invited us here.
No one knows where we are.
We could drive south to Trieste, Venice or
disappear north over the next ridge.
It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.
The wind blows through us,
rests on the fur of the lynx,
blows away.


If, in Montefalco, I
cannot say
That I have you in my heart,
Do not be alarmed.
Here, St. Chiara announced that
She had manifested the
True Cross in her heart
The Church, not taken with
Metaphor, cut open her
Body, searching her heart
For evidence of the cross.
They now display,
600 years later, her dark
And fragile body.
Above it, cut open and
Dried, her heart, and the
Three gallstones,
Announced as representing
The Holy Trinity.
In this town
I dare not speak
What is in my heart.


Dinosaur National Monument

lizard on rock in
bright sunshine
we are moving
carved into the overhang
we are moving deeper
into the canyon
in love with the Yampa
flowing down
deer by the river this morning,
sheep in the scree,
moving deeper down
to Utah or some
nameless canyon where
deeper, we are moving where
river carves into canyon,
lizards in love with the
bright sunshine moving
we are moving
we are moving
deeper, deeper and
down.



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