A Conjugal Visit is Fine

Oh, a conjugal visit is fine,
But in this timed sentence,
Give me solitary.
Give me the one room cabin
On the back side of the mountain,
Where even the bighorn won't congregate.

Give me a pack on my back
And a lonely plum bush to sleep under,
And I'll come to town when I need to.
When I must hear the hum of electricity,
And the buzz of idle chatter,
When I get too full of quiet,
The grimaced faces of hurry
Will quickly empty me,
And push me back to my unfenced confines.

Let me take a vow of silence for a year
And listen--
To the mighty rush of water,
To the hush of transient snowflakes,
To the wind that speaks it's wisdom
From the tops of cedar trees.
And when I overflow with lonesome,
May my eyes shed drops of treacle
For my brothers and my sisters,
And the stark serenity of all Life.

-jenn long