For Mrs. Baby

Blessed Candy
for Tina: Christmas 2009

pristine designs, follow
the leader, the Michaels,
the Raphaels, the Saucelito slims—
Mary, Maya, Liz—
digression is your splendor,
the splendor of derivation,
invigoration,
anticipation, Jesus calls,
brother man, dreamholder,
all the casual fluff
a life can bring, rippling
down the ribcage
through the heart’s
expressways, kisses listed,
joys enumerated,
this dream you hold
holds you, this hold it has,
you have, this river
that flows, flows you
dreamland asks for
nothing less than
that you dream its
trees, its paschalian
bacchanal, its
times within time
joy
joy to be
joy to be near you
vagrant munchkins
could do no less than bless
this candy
your heart’s hands
will do nothing less
than bring your plenty.