I absolutely adore this poem, Lisa Wathen. This is the type of poetry I seek out, with psychedelic imagery, otherworldliness, and an audacity of style. A few phrases or lines stand out to me:

“velvet breath,” for one,

“you are the nearest thing to dreams,”

“distant sound / echo of an echo,”

and “ultimate consummation” which is a hard-hitting ending.

Something’s erotic and intimate about it without being overtly so.

Thanks for writing.