A Man Playing the Flute from a Cliff Above the Pacific

Indigo true purest blue, a man on a cliff waits with open hands and closed eyes to receive a breath.

The Pacific lies before him shimmering he lies back heart cracked, almost in half but he does not care, he waits so willingly.

And then, his lips touch wood in this most delicate kiss: hesitant, blushing then pressing, flushing every breath down this perfectly carved canyon of sound.

And the breath is transformed into a melody an opera a symphony it comes.

This tune spills forth down rocks worn away across sands trying to stay where they are: a battle they have lost for centuries.

They all watch this breath this song as it stretches finally unbound: like the open hands of Lazarus.

Joseph Ross directs the writing center at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C.

Copyright Sojourners Jul/Aug 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved