Poetry of Tom Greggs
  • Poems 1
    • Fair For Any Bird
    • Untitled II
    • Old Photo / Black Luger
    • Stirrer of Seas
    • On The Stair
    • Red Delicious
    • The Occasional Poem
    • Emerging
    • Proper Use of the Scythe
    • Anemone
    • Hole in the Wall
    • Muddy Waters
    • Gauguin in Ketchikan
    • Red Tailed Hawk
    • Poet, Adjusted
    • April
  • Poems 2
    • Jack Straws
    • A Titanic
    • Unclothing
    • Counting Cop Cars
    • Cargo Cult
    • Island Bird
    • River Stones
    • Boy in Victory
    • The Difference Between Burying and Planting
    • Vietnam Memorial In Rain
    • How Relationships End
    • Clearing of the Land
    • Periwinkle
    • Surge Channel
    • An Artist Gives Birth
    • White Church in a Deep Field
  • Short Poems
    • Beach Cabin
    • Untitled
    • Short Poem 1
    • Drive Time Jazz
    • Road to Walla Walla
    • These Things
    • Short Poem 2
    • Short Poem 3
    • The Undulate
    • Short Poem 4
    • Living Twice
    • You-Me
  • Sock Drawer
    • Washaway Beach
    • A Splendid Christmas Corpse
    • Who Laid the Bone
    • Everybody's Packin'
    • She's the Next Best Thing
  • Contact Me
Periwinkle                            © 2018 Tom Greggs                                                     


I build my house of sleep
The knees embrace
A small flat pillow
A large one to my side


My head's afloat
on memory foam
a red kerchief
over the eyes


All this I wrap in fabric
And wrap again in dark--
The room void of light except
Clock numbers glowing red 


I have become periwinkle 
Larva of the caddisfly
Anchored to the bottom bed
Of a cold mountain creek


I’m encased in stones and bits
Of twig which protect against 
Fast moving dreams that
Seem to stream around me


And the lurking shadows 
—fish of prey—who may wait
Until I’m naked and at the toilet
To strike


In the morning in green water
Changed from blue and slack
I drift up toward the light
To shed my caddis case


And emerge onto land
To stretch wings and dry 
For one day at least till dusk
My metamorphosis complete















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