Tides

Tides

I believe in anarchy

seed catalogs

cashmere and hair dye

black orchids

the Good Humor truck

and Popsicles,

especially the red ones,

The New York Times crossword puzzle

reading juicy novels in the tub

while listening to Italian opera

I believe in sharpened pencils

knitting yarn

sepia photographs

and stop watches

every twitch, flinch, and failure

spelling bees

brash whispers and the angel of death

cubism, sling-backs

and magic potions

and the never-ending tides

in the oceans of women’s tears.