charleston

i think i knew you before

the water lapping at your skirts

the sun in the winter

falling haphazardly

on cobblestone streets

iron gates

opening to eden

a rainbow of color in spring

you are a contradiction for me

a luring to be

yet an uncertainty

a comfortable porch swing

gazing at marsh grasses

shimmering golden green

but a history discerning

who lives free

do you flow with the tides

or hunker on the dark side

somehow

i knew you before

and our mystery

in a whim

comes off the sea

for a moment or so

blows through trees

sadly recedes

i am not there

and yet it looks for me

— patty

“dawn’s early light” oil by jacki newell