Mad Hatter

you
are
street traffic xylophones
curious pigeons on window sills
a gum splattered sidewalk
who thanks
strange feet
for giving their souls
to him

lightning teeth,
you are brave
to smile so freely.
storm cloud
tap dancing
silly wind
wrestling.
what does it matter
if they look and don’t understand?
you are paisley patterns
on formal attire
never marching to beat of drums
you move to heart patterns

the first time we ever spoke
there were traces of poems
rimmed around your glasses
I knew you understood
that squares could be stretched
into stars
there is gravity
in the way you
offer friendship so freely
I wanted to call you brother
just to share dna strands with
a man as fragile as you
who wears compassion for shoulder pads
and skinny jeans that leave no room
for false pretenses
I wish more beings
whispered truth the way you do

rules don’t exist in your world
just hands and eyes
that know
what it feels like
when it feels like
truth

and
the click
of a shutter

a button press
a simple yes

to being awkward
to being free
present
to this moment
this place

a panoramic view
and your crooked hat
wild card
tucked into the brim

kaleidoscope friend

blue moon of a man
I wasn’t watching the skies
the night that I met you
but you found me
standing alone
kite in hand
thunderstorms
tearing right trough me

what a perfect story you are
but you don’t believe me
say I will grow bored
the way other adults have

but my answer is this:

I do now know the rules
But I sure do know
What real friendship
Feels like.