kissing her fingertips; great stone lions on the gateposts; arriving on time.

nuzzling the donkey’s nose; “Thirteen Conversations about One Thing”; a strange October light.

the old rose tree filled with sparrows; raising the tent; meeting for the first time.

planting the painted fern; the pleasure of company; singing for your supper.

reaching for the brass ring; a mountain erupting; the steps covered in rose petals.

sunshine pouring through diamond-pane windows; shedding the skin; Chachani and Fatima volcanoes in Peru.

entering through the spider web; joining links in a tiny gold chain; the heart of the matter.

your arms as long as moonbeams to hug someone far away; students; biking through the vineyards.

discovering a sage in the middle of the desert; eating six pomegranate seeds; nestled on the back of a sea eagle as it flies.

a stairway made of opal; walking inside a painting; writing a poem all night long.

taking off the armor and setting it aside; the fox returning; heading for the mountain pass.

digging up an ancient blue vase; sheltering from the storm in a chapel on the hillside; finding balance.