Licorice Business

Gossamer spiderwebs
wrap around the toes of upside-down
leapers, who, given the chance,
will run off with your milk

So the spiders have a steady income
And I, a full milk belly
But what of the milk-makers?
Who whispers gossamer dreams
through their grazing minds?
Who paints their whooves and
ties their bonnets?

The milk spiders, of course,
Soothing the troubles and woes
Leaping upside down through toes
to tongue-tie frogs and toads
who crave a full spider belly

I dreamed the sweet cow dream once
Or I was the grass being eaten
We bent and swayed in that lonesome prairie-
I asked for Divine Communion
so She bit my head off
Leapers soared over

Your Spindle Through the Thread

I am collecting slick-back pebbles of you off the coast of memory.

A derelict moss sauna, we drank to get drunk
The air bristled, the wood haunted
We drummed and crossed into the Night

A sweet tune plays what only water can carry
A girl with a shift-eye mirror, steam in her hair
She burns her fingers and sings in the trees

On nights like these
We chase the deer on muddy feet
And lock arms to keep from floating

Earlier still, I soared across starlit sand
The ocean and sky should have swallowed us whole
Naked on the edge of joy and decimation

How could I forget? A deck of cards spread on the grass,
coffee and ants in it, veins and bruises
A perfect Green wood, the grotto of
One long morning, the same one as always, the only one we’ve ever had

~

Joshua Harris is a creator, approaching life and art with love and curiosity. He likes to breathe light-heartedness and sincerity into his work and seeks new approaches to tell stories and connect to his experience through the communion of art.

Featured image: Joshua Harris, 2022

Author’s Note: This is a couple of pieces written in the last six months or so that I felt connected to the theme in their own way. This idea of “searching for light” is one that resonates with me personally, and I feel as though these works offer their own light in one form or another. I hope you enjoy them and that they make you feel, and call you somewhere, maybe home.