Between copper ore and turquoise,
a symbiotic relationship exists.
A counterpart to copper,
turquoise appears
alongside copper minerals,
blue veins
spinning a spider web
in a matrix rich in iron.

In arid regions where turquoise forms
through weatherization and oxidation,
copper, aluminum and iron
pool into an opaque to semitranslucent
blue mineral.
Southwestern landscapes,
noted for the brilliance
of multi-faceted blue skies
and contrasting red mesas,
mirror the unfolding of turquoise,
percolating underground.

Just as a sky
fractures
by lightning bolt,
so too fine turquoise
shatters easily,
brittle as glass.

Copper coincides
with turquoise
like a honeybee
among blue flax.

Who pollinates the brilliant
blue of turquoise?

As snow melt trickles
onto the copper clawfoot
of a coatrack,
rain falls
onto the backs of a pair of lions
guarding the art institute.
As copper oxidizes,
golden fur tarnishes,
then turns green.

See the molting green
on the clawfoot
of the Victorian coatrack!