Bradley Hoge

did i say love
Alluvium

 

did i say love

did i say love
when I meant chemical
interaction intercourse
when i meant
tectonic upheaval
did i say i do
when i meant
biological imperative
prerogative
when i meant
operant conditioning
did i say good night
when i meant
i would die for you
to ensure continuation
of my genes
honor and duty
when i meant
the only meaning
in this world
is the chimera
of childhood

Alluvium

As a geologist
I know it is inevitable

Mountains must crumble to beach

But I was hoping to hunt
For seashells on the mountain

With my children

Before the advance of time
Hoping to show them my parents'

Passion

Before the advance of ages
Glaciers are meant to melt slowly

Rivers to meander

Sand enough
To measure the hours

Bradley Earle Hoge lives in Spring, TX with his wife and three children.  He teaches natural science at the University of Houston – Downtown.  He has had two chapbooks anthologized by Plain View Press and his poetry appears in over 100 journals and anthologies. His most recent poems appear in Tonapah la, Wild Goose Review, Tertulia, Elegant Thorn Review and Chronogram.