Cinnabar Oysterling

Crepidotus Cinnabarinus


Against a landscape of decay,
any small particle of color 
stands out like a flame.

Isn't that how you arrived
in my life, an unexpected
burgeoning I did not know

how to account for?
The sharp edges of your collar
smelled of soap and the memory

of their last rinsing. 
Long ago, it was possible
to bathe in rain and not burn.