En Plein Air

I am a clockmaker of fine machinery
Time pieces of various kinds; a crafts-
Man apprentice, who designs and
Precisely builds by hand
Unwinding everything; and treating
Carefully the balance spring, and the
Escapement, which advances
The clock's hands

My wife and daughter live above our shop
With me; our Giselle is eleven years old
She dreams of travelling to the stars
We nurture in her this impulse
And believe she shall go far
But quietly, in the still of night
Discuss the world as it truly is

We live nearby the university in
Montpellier, and every weekend take
A picnic, on the campus grounds
Discussing everything there is
Excepting of course, of how women
Are not permitted to attend, class

She's a smart one, my Giselle
And Anna knows her best
She asked about the men who
Emerge from the halls of the school
Wondering where all the girls are, and
Why there's no one there like her
We decided it was best to remain silent
For now, and redirect her thoughts

So closed are the opportunities
But she may yet carve a
Hole in the wall
To escape her place in her season
Making cracks, with reason
Spinning on to another world
Where her heart can grow bolder
Circumstance will change
But her core remains the same
To stream the curtain of night
Across far-reaching plains
And lift the sun to
Where no one has before
This cause is all there is, beneath
The seas of passing vision
Within channels of light rays
Harmless; and directed
Upon their course
Sprouting forth even the most
Obstinate seed, that shall
One day bloom
We are all born too early
In this handsome ballet
Of tragedy and hardship
This symphony of adversity
To overcome, with grace and ease

Giselle looks up through the trees
And wonders about the sun
Why it is so yellow, and why
The sky is so very blue
It is blue yes, for reasons that you
Have not yet encountered; however
The sun, our benevolent sun
Is not yellow at all
This is just an illusion, caused by
Atmosphere and light
At night, once it has disappeared
Beneath the horizon, pearls
Of outer space come out
To grace your eyes with visions
And fill our hearts with dreams
Of what may come from you
She falls asleep, and Anna and I retreat
To the chambers where we lay down
Without answers, to the mysteries
Of the Earth
Searching for an explanation
And trying to solve the clock
Which moves as slowly
As possible

From the town where I was born
To the place where I am now
All is destined to come undone
'Cept the truth of what was all along
Unglued from the source of creation
We fade into gentle oblivion
But do not be forgotten or remembered
As unfair, cover me in blankets of
Winterlong prayers
Near the rocky cliffside, through
The elder wood of silence
I am not alone, in this world
Of Venus and Mars

Oh dear Giselle, do not remove
Your gaze from the stars
Your force of will, towering large
Is vital to the future of the balance
Across an open glacier, and resting
In Alaskan skies, your eyes so naked
And full of hope, call us home
Where the overarching themes
Come to rest, laid bare