Saffron
Saffron dust sprinkled with verdigris
Under the fleshy microscope
A desert with sparse crumpled leaves
Flown in on mechanical shipments
From an angry Pacific Rim atoll
Where the crowd moves languidly
Onto the jutting reefs and lava flows
Drip, drip, dripping into the dust
As the petite pond pushes new banks
A cyclone whirl from bamboo reed
Mixes saffron and verdigris into goldenrod
The marshland on a palette landscape
Treated muslin a new frontier
Waiting on bristles to dance
Dot, daub, dribble in two steps
Mark Salow