man on next hill 5

the evening she comes to me
I am in my tree
as is my custom on my hill
the slopes around me run away to slow valleys

far across the waves of grassy stems
beyond a broad river
on its way to the same ocean as me someday
a speck in my eye is my brother
in his tree
as is his custom on his hill

when the overloaded moon sinks
taking its cratered eyes beneath the edge of the land
I strike a flint that sparks may signal him


the evening she calls up to my branch
I am naked beneath my woolen white robe
but for my sons who departed
for their own trees on their own hills ages ago
my seedless speech is idle and unsown

my daughter & one time wife both carve
loving letters into my trunk
with deep knives

David Rizzi is a poet / drummer / composer living in Seattle. He reads, performs, and facilitates poetry workshops around the Pacific Northwest. David was the winner of the 1st WordStorm Poetry Competition held on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and a winner of the 2008 Jeanne Lohmann Poetry Prize. He currently performs with a musical / poetry collaborative group, Band of Poets.

His first poetry collection, vibrant city of Bones, came out in 2006. Since then, he has published two other collections: Conversations with Jack, and Declaration. His latest project is a five volume epic tale that deals with a succession of physical and spiritual journeys, and eccentric adventures told from multiple perspectives.