David Chorlton Verse-Virtual 2016 July

July 2016

I have lived in Phoenix since 1978 when I moved from Vienna, Austria. Born in Austria, I grew up in Manchester, close to rain and the northern English industrial zone. In my early 20s I went to live in Vienna and from there enjoyed many trips around Europe, often as an artist working in watercolor. My poems have appeared in Slipstream, Skidrow Penthouse, and Poem, among others, and my Selected Poems appeared in 2014 from FutureCycle Press. http://www.davidchorlton.mysite.com

"Silver Peak, Late Afternoon" by David Chorlton

Dawn to Dusk

The shadow cast
at first light slides
into the gap between the two
white rock formations
below Silver Peak
where junipers and oaks
absorb it.
Hours flow
downslope while grosbeaks
sing in the ash tree
and the slowly circling vultures
rise toward noon.
Lizards' minutes
run across the rocks
as time drips deeper
into the mineshafts
whose mouths open among
sparrows and scrub.
Sit a while
in the yard among oranges
where tanagers come to feed
until the mountain
glows as if the light
comes from inside it,
before
the calm snaps
when the skunk grubbing
for insects with his tail
held signal high
runs between your legs
as you manage to grab
hold
of the dog intent
on chasing it.