vows

I’ll present you with a section of dried honeycomb;
     and a necklace made of shells
     and antique bottlecaps;
And a stone shaped like a dragon’s claw.

And in return receive from you
     a guitar riff, jasmine-scented;
     a handful of bison fur, shed in spring;
And two matched star anise pods.

Then intertwining fingers, spin around three times;
     the birds will conduct the ceremony,
     with the joining being announced
By the roar of a lion that echoes in the sound of traffic.

Honeymoon we will, balancing in your pickup truck;
     full moonlight on bare legs,
     the bottoms of our feet still moist
From slow-dancing on the gravel mountain road.