shifting, shifting, apparition,
sideward sliding shade magician.
mist and myth of shadow rhythm,
swathe my hills in cotton.

whirling, spinning, spirit image,
ancient pathway, vaporous vision,
web phantasm, aged musician,
dreams stretch through the fog.

echoes, tones, arpeggio.
athenaeum of the soul.
dance in stillness
with a flow,
that’s gently showing all.

phrasing, chants, and syllable.
tracing shapes on stone.
searching symbols which descry
an effervescent light.

apparition, shade magician,
move between my lines.
fleeting phantom.
fading dancer.
edges,
pools, and glade.
drifting cool,
gone on fringe,
float…

and slip away.

[Written for the cloud formations at Grandfather Mountain in Boone, North Carolina, US]