“This Spanish wine

has all the dryness

of rattlesnake skin

abandoned between the forked thoughts

of an Arizona moon.

Moon

tinged with bruises

on one side.

If this wine

truly is a snake

then it has silk scales

and the warmth

of a deep kiss

pressed by a complete stranger

against the lips of last night's dream.

This wine wears a loose fitting robe

while she writes

of loneliness

on pages made from parchment

and pearls

in her adolescent diary.”