Two by Brian Hughes

Beauty:
as in being chauffeured
down the west side highway
finally
as newlyweds.

Beauty:
like a fortunately composed piece of
music which
silhouettes moving celluloid.

Beauty:
this cigar,
this present moment which
finds these words being
written in spite of myself.

Beauty:
the luminous glow of
flames from the eyes of
an arsonist.

Beauty:
the spine line down to
your ass.

Beauty:
the grain of sand planet
Floating in darkness;
you and I
loving each other inside it.

Beauty:
what couldn’t save the
20-year old model from
taking her plunge to
the Water Street pavement
below.

This one is dedicated to her,
but most of all-
to my wonderful wife;

And to all the horrors and joys of the world-
and the beauty
that lies
comfortably
between
them.

*******************************************

For these reasons, we will make you

The welcoming lights of your city
your town-
your home-
after having been away for some time.

The lovers that will
lie in wait
for you
as you exit the shower

The poetry and miracle of
Improbable moments
In sports, in music,
In the genes of us all.

The humbling concept that
we all suffer and experience joy
together
on this grand sphere floating in the dark.

The enormous self-satisfaction
of a job well done, and
that others may
benefit from that work.

The scrumptious, palate-exploding
foods others will
cook for you,
or perhaps will happily cook for yourself.

The smell and feel of a
really important book, and
the words that will
inform and reverberate in your subconscious.

The heartache of love departed and
the rapture of that
unexplainable connection
when finding that someone
you will spend the rest of your days with.

And yes …
the child you will create with that someone,
whom you both will show off proudly to friends and family, and
Perhaps create a glorious poem about.

For these reasons and
so many more too mysterious and
numerous to mention -
will we
make
u.