Damn the ebbing

these constant waves

I know the reason now

the desert always returns

after the heaviest downpour

after my hand pushes through

to almost reach out and touch you

everything then withdraws

everything retreats

it all pulls in

within

and then blooms

once again, very slowly

into the garden we have known

into the splendor of the sun we share

into the moments we have longed to know

to again slowly fade from our view

trying to make a memory of you

when you were there so real

so present, so very true

burning deep within

until the wave...

Cardinal

he whispers in

a presence alight

in the reddest ember

to catch any eye

amid the blackbirds

the mask he wears

gives rise to his air

and dashing spirit

he's a ruby rose

that has found 

lightning essence

and the vehicle

in which to fulfill

his wish for flight

 

Supplication

let me tremble

when your hands

touch my face

let the divinity 

of you meet the

divinity within me

may we melt as wax

that carries the flame

into the endless night

may our heads rest

on each other's chests

listening to our drum

let us reach through

the mirror of our souls

to whisper our desires

let your burden be

upon my shoulders

may my eyes always

rest on your presence

may our heart ever

beat in its own time

let your blue flow

into my verdant green

and let your thoughts

slowly dance with mine

Reflecting

I watched you

walk down the hall

past me

your eyes glanced

my way

and the slight breeze

you stirred up as you

went by stirred me

it was all a reflection

as perfect as the ones

that stood in the glass

behind me

in that moment 

as you passed by me

in another place

in another time

 

Sunning the bull

always a push

and pull in this

for after I reached

outward all signs

are pointing inward

but the glimpses

I have been given

the very thought

of your laugh at

something I've said

makes my soul warm

visions have returned

turning inward into

the halls of our heart

all the bones of our

first conversations

yeah they remain

but the evolution 

well it continues until...

Enough said of bread

there's bread

in the back yard

again

little fluttery flights

getting too caught up

in their bird brain

drama

it was just one

the one bird who

thought,

"I don't give a flock"

and took off with

the chunk of bread

for itself

it was chased down

over my back yard

where fear took

over flight 

and bombs away

another bread crust

bites the dust

 

Tricky kits

I leave these little

good luck charms

in the garden

on all fours

and intact

instead of on keychains

though the price

may be a cherry bush

decapitated tulip or

nibbled foliage throughout

I've found their

tricks are much better

than any breakfast cereal

When our eyes meet

sometimes the silence

sums it all up

sure the small talk chatter

is the energy of the stream

flowing over the rocks

so many noises to expel

into the otherwise void

the deep conversations

is the energy of the waves

that assuredly come

and go as aquatic cymbals

for the shore to strike

but stepping back from

these flows of emotions

inland and inward 

the silence awakens 

and settles between two

sets of eyes that need

nothing more to do

than to soak in the silence

 

Split dream soup

there was an overgrown

field where he stalked

he was always distant

and I knew I had to keep

him exactly in the distance

I couldn't let him closer

I couldn't let him get by

and my presence was enough

the dilapidated house

was good enough for

a meager existence that

was all that could be

afforded in the sunset

of the couple's lives

and somehow no roof

was good enough to

let the light shine in

if only for a few more

the overgrown field returned

and yes, off in the distance

beyond the goose which might

have been thinking the same

I just need to keep him away

and my presence is enough

Jumper cables

it was a simple moment

where the mis in misled

was more of a hit than a miss

and the motivation for us

was found in helping another

the universe asked not once

but twice for me to show up

I provided help not because

that's a Good Samaritan's duty

but because it was the whole point

sure my goal was something else

it was hopefully a meeting of us

but I followed regardless

and was there nonetheless

in the intention of connection

and that was fulfilled and I...

I was fully content in the lesson

 

Damn it

your voice I

heard clearly

your face I

saw clearly

your breath I

felt clearly

but in the dawn

your voice faded

your face vanished

your breath silenced

and clearly became

something to forget

House of extractions

I knew her once

and found her

in a secluded home

tucked in the rolling

hills of the plains

I knew what she was

and her kiss came

as a great surprise

I wondered how she

could overcome

her primal instinct

and resist the impulse

to bite instead

her guests were many

and just as she was

and vanity seemed

to be the only topic

of their conversations

I found myself somewhat

giving freely what they

wanted from me as they

took it from my neck

with a syringe again

and again in my agony

a clear liquid they extracted

in between my shrieks

but what else should 

I had expected in 

the company of vampires

 

North from Woodlawn

vulture circles emerge

and waltz across

the morning sky

they have waited

for the sun's glory

to have faded

from the clouds

these obsidian aviators

are methodical in

their morning maneuvers

more so than their smaller

cawing counterparts

who take more joy

in their chaotic spontaneity

Ten ten

will it be too cold

the first part of October

will the sun be out

or will the clouds

crowd the sky

will I still melt

when your hand

reaches my shoulder

in the cool Autumn air

will you still ask

what we've rehearsed

in endless winter nights

will the trees have held tight

to their falling glory

will you also hold me tight

oh these stupid questions

 

A mid-April night

my heart never

belonged to me

it was always

meant for you

my soul has

outpoured all

the beautiful words

that have been

said between us

in the silent moments

of the night

those words escape me

like sand falling

through my fingers

but I know I will

find them again

when I look

into your eyes

And then there are tools

so many distractions

these clowns that

wear masks

who truly are

the teachers you

search for

and they may show

you the way of

what to do

or the way of 

what not to do

either way they

are there to show

you the way

and whatever trinkets

they are selling

in the long run

you will find

they become the tools

you will need 

to learn that the only

tool you will ever need

is your own heart

 

Alarmed clock

there's something

to be said

about being roused

from sleep

at 6:30 am on a 

Sunday morning

from a voice

that simply says,

"Hey!"

it pulls you from

possibly touring

a collection of items

you may have

once possessed

in a former life

or wipes away

visions of your grandparents

who came back

after their funeral

because though that

may have been

a big event for them

that wasn't all there

was for them

they have more lessons

to teach you

but instead that voice

echoes through your

ears as you lay awake

suspended in not knowing 

who exactly just said,

"Hey!"

Hail to pay

pea-sized hail falls

sounds worse than it is

just like the silence

that echoes between us

sounds so much worse

than it actually is

it's not a test

that we can endure

it's not a punishment

no wrong has been done

just a shift in it all

in the connection

maybe even to bring

the inner out

to pull the moisture

out of the clouds

and shift the rain

to pea-sized hail

 

Smudge

it's the third day

and mid way through

whatever this spell

is supposed to

be for us

the sun blessed me

and I hope it

kissed you too

there was a moment

when the smoke

from the neighbor

burning trimmed branches

wafted heavily

in the feral winds 

this afternoon

in that moment it

felt like time was

being smudged

there was a clearing

of this silence

and I gazed hypnotically

at the sky while

caressing your ring

Into the dark

my feet fall on the sands

they have led me out here

into these endless dunes

after this recent shift has

shaken our world again

voices have fallen silent

lights have been blown out

and off into the dark we go

in the distance though beats

a drum in steady true rhythm

a drum beckoning through

the winds wailing over sand

it beats through the shadows

that surround us right now

it's the homing signal calling

out beyond the night of the soul

these sands will yield to these 

winds that will blow away

the beating drum will draw so

close it will plunge into our chest

but for now the path is desert

the company is biting winds

and the map is the beating

of each other's chest drum

 

Modern Greek prophecy

the raven carries

the tip of Eros' implement

in her shiny black talons

to the east she flies

carrying the promise

of reunion within her

imbued with the accuracy

of the Moirai's sight

the Great Lover's tool

pierces both hearts

when eyes cast their

visions on each other

among the splendor

of Gaia's joyous warmth

harmony and balance

find the Taurus twins

once again, once again

Dream houses

finding yourself on a road you once knew

but now your memories deceive your reality

or better yet your dreams

and dreams not of your choice

but those trips your subconscious

is in the driver's seat for

the dust was kicking up

in the rearview mirror

and the gravel road had

an upcoming sharp fork

a lover once known

threw the steering wheel left

and the pickup spun out

into a field of dried soybeans

a draw laid ahead in the road

where two remnants of grand houses

were barely hanging onto the world

found at the hearth just inside the door

was an uncle once despised but now pitied

this blowhard had now deflated

as had the life that surrounded him

no satisfaction was found in this

merely disconnection, so sublime

 

Wado

to the image that

reflects back to me

to the person I look

at in the soul mirror

to the one who sees

me when I see you

I am ever grateful

for your existence

you make me want

to be better than I am

you hold me in the cold

singular moments of life

you encourage me to

always keep reaching

for the stars high above

to appreciate the joy

in everyday routine

and to be proud of

what I have survived

I hold you sacred

in the depths of my soul

and share the beats 

of my heart with you

Invitation to an ancient god

the soil turned over

easily as the shovel 

blade ran through it

tiny roots were already

very impatient in the

early April morning

green necks of allium

both garlic and onion

were vibrant in the sun

spinach leaves from

last Fall's planting

showed resilience 

lines were drawn in

the turned wet earth

for the eager tiny roots

while one line filled

fully with onions the

garlic filled only half

bones of former trunks

of castor beans filled

the trellis for the vines

squirrels chased crows

from the bird bath but

nothing was achieved

a lonely dragonfly flew

past as a reminder of

a friend of a former time

the early green planting

was watered in for the

wet earth to wait for God

 

White butterfly visits

pieces of the sky

fell upon the grass

they stood up into

a pair of slight wings

fluttering away to the

place they were from

the sun reminded me

it was warm enough

for these little ones

to be out and about

but in the same time

solar rays caressed me

imposing clouds sailed

across the cobalt vault

clad in all the shades

from white to graphite

sporadic drops of rain

flicked my flesh as 

the cooling downdraft

invoked a blushing red

while the layers danced

high above my sight

my soul took flight to

join the primal forces

in their sudden horde

Drawing out

my apologies

for inevitably 

spoiling the surprise

but you should

know it is difficult

to keep things from 

my eyes

of course we had

agreed there are

to be no apologies

between us

after all we have

been through

in navigating this

hall of veils

but truly I am sorry

for choosing

to reach beyond 

one of these veils

though the image

does not come close

in holding the glory

of your presence

 

Embedded

sleep within me

lay your head

upon my heart

and rest yourself

within my soul

close your eyes

behind my own

to drift off into

the warmest dreams

from my mind

sleep inside me

curled up in my chest

let my pulse lure

you into slumber

and stillness

slow your heart to

count my breaths

listen to my voice

to trade your thoughts

for calming peace

lay your worries

at my my feet

climb inside me

to surrender and

find your release

Mmmmm

mmmmmight 

the cold wet

out in the night

be coaxing us

beneath blankets

mmmmmust

the clouded moon

cast such notions

of nocturne motions

across the bed

mmmmmeant

in this moment

between two souls

halves to be full

of each other

mmmmmore

calls out for more

in cold wet night

and clouded moon

stretched across the bed

 

Of the South Wind

relentless winds

of my arid homeland

wail as banshees

within my soul

the cusp of energy

is a dust storm

raging in my psyche

this torrent is clearing

a path before me

all the tangled briars

of long ago loves

the twisted vines

traumas have cultivated

the stone mountains

that have formed

from iced over oceans

of emotions never revisited

all these are being swept away

to leave a smooth path

of Zen attuned sand

in its wake

upon the sand Fate

writes the way

to you

Pep-deck talk

sometimes a heavy heart

must be thrown overboard

to keep from sinking the

vessel it floats upon

what is this anchor 

you've tied yourself to

at the bottom of the sea

in those dismal depths

you'll never reach where

you want to go if you

keep this weight of safety

around your anxious feet

the stuck is bad luck

you must let it go and

then you must let it flow 

row, row, row your heart

 

Under the April moon

a heart is given

a heart is taken away

a heart is misled

and then finds its way

through centaurs

and crabs nestled

in water urns bearing

the royal beast

the set of bullish twins

have finally been balanced

and march with

a parade of pachyderms

under the April moon