Karl

 They have come
                         Pahn and Ahnjehlia
                                             to the Santa Clara valley
The bay has risen                                                                 
and covered the valley floor
They cling to a flagpole above the water
         awaiting the tide
The water is a uniform                          
                   mirror grey
that rests in the basin like smog

Before long it recedes again                               
And the two siblings drive                               

past                                              
the salt evaporation ponds 
              that have replaced the tidelands
down a                                        
sunken freeway
               to the west side
                              to learning
to Stanford

They go into the university      unsure
through mineshafts                                                   
dark timbered
askew                                             
Students leave
in an unleveled evacuation

The doors become hidden
    and turning to find a way out
Pahn looses Ahnjehlia                  

There is a young man
standing dark   Karl
                                      worried
         and he shows Pahn the way out

Pahn walks to the shore of the bay
now losing Karl      too
                                               Looking around
instead of Karl he finds
an old man
who is waiting for Karl

Pahn and the old man go off
searching                         
following a trail
southward
homeward through the foothills
hiking with friends
who come
           and go
past ranches form childhood

In these dry hills       is a porch                                                 
It holds a musical instrument                                                       
like a piano       
   in the shape of a turtle             
and though the old man is skeptical                   
                             of Pahn’s abilities
Pahn sits down to play      The keys                  
are large and white                 
The land is warm and arid
This dark man smiles
He is restless
                He reaches down to play beside Pahn
Part of the time   Pahn seems
to be able to play
but sometimes
                         he is lost and missing notes

They leave the porch quietly
looking again for Karl
who comes skipping
                                       old now
joyfully hugging Pahn
                                     warm
They walk to find Ahnjehlia
though they sense vaguely

having already found her