Phylum Genus Species

for Jason

Meet beneath the Hawthorne portrait.
Western Red Oak
Rhododendron.

Murder ballads,
yellowtail suns.
Blurred taxi skyline,
Tropical gum.

The best cat in the world.
"She is," he says. "I'm not joking."
Write cursive Fiji.
Leaf prints in concrete.

How many times has your heart been broken?
A shaft of light on red hair.
Theme: missed trains.
A door opens into light.