you loom so old
above this humid town
your wrinkled skin
folded along the center of this island

such a deep emerald
like that of
dinosaur and avocado skin
your plateau

peaks and valleys
shout of mystery
like the woman
confident

in a room full of people
relaxed in the corner chair
content in the presence
of her own silence

and in that silence I want to
shake out
the blanket of your
skin

just to feel the
heaviness
in the texture
of that green

you must rain
from the inside out
to be
that lush

have you swallowed
the storms that swirl around you whole
or are you an envelope of life
inspiring others to be as beautiful

copyright – Christina Adler – 13 September 2008 – Kailua, Oahu, USA