Joseph Bottone – Two Poems
Lone Cormorant
Big Sur coastline
dismal winter clouds, grey halo midway between
leaden sea and sky.
At the horizon, a screen of charcoal mist.
At the verge of the cliff
like a young god
the brilliant green cypress stands undaunted.
Closer in, at the roadside, eucalyptus trees
long spindly curtains stir
scent the air.
No one here, no division
between the observed and observer but the cold wind.
Waves chafe rock and sand, and the lone cormorant plunges into my soul.
Walking The Redwood Grove
It is the inward topography
that interests me most
though what I see in correspondence
takes me there
a welcoming portal
where blue jay and hawk shatter the air
though muffled.
In misty light
the periwinkle begin to blossom
on the green hillside.
Under the redwoods fern tremble
under mist dense fog and rain I stand silent in the gloom
Oh joy! Oh sweet!
Author’s Statement on Beauty

Joseph Bottone has been a poet in residence at Camaldoli Hermitage Big Sur for 3 years. He now resides near Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has published in Paris Review, Malpaia Review, Abraxas Review, and a number of other publications, including the Grapevine Magazine Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. More at: josephbottone.com.