all the goodbyes
i refuse to say
hang in my heart
on bits
of knotted thread
and wrinkled ribbon
swaying
in a barely moving breeze
wrought
from distilled smile
and cornered
memory
i refuse to say
hang in my heart
on bits
of knotted thread
and wrinkled ribbon
swaying
in a barely moving breeze
wrought
from distilled smile
and cornered
memory
the super sweet blueberries dropped into oatmeal
the smell of lilacs, just outside an open window
a new loaf of bread popped in the oven
a robin, a cardinal, a chickadee
a messy house, a messy garden, a messy life
in need of sorting, cleaning, scrubbing, tending
waiting to be torn from disarray
and pasted back in perfect place
as i sit here
contemplating nothing
sipping tea
and mostly,
smiling
.
.
.
.
quickly now
tell me what you love
who you miss
how you
survive
if the rain makes you weep
if the stars make you shiver
if the ocean brings you to your knees
quickly now
show me the heart
that’s fallen from your sleeve
read me your mind
from the book of deep night
tell me the story that races
through the tunnels
of your soul
quickly now
.
. . . . .
.
.
the changeling
post-mortem
and i’m still standing
here
in front of
scarcity
just the way
i did
when you
were
more
.
. . . . .
.
.
ample
what is enough
when you have no pantry
no cupboard
no shelf?
what is too much
when you have
empty rooms?
.
. . . . .
.
.
if you need to bleed
let it go
if you need to weep
if you need a river
if you need to wail
if you need to shiver
let it go
if you need deep silence
the despair of solitude
if you need to repent
or the bliss of belief
let it go
if you need to laugh
if you need a mountain
if you need to howl
if you need a fountain
let it go
if you need to bleed
let it go
.
. . . . .
.
.
remnant
from the upstairs window
a glint of light in the back field
driftwood?
i thought
as I walked back
to discover
a large pair of wings
white
with some grey
but mostly:
empty
silent
pristine
.
. . . . .
.
.
life is a poem
we forget
;
each breath
adding song
to existence
.
. . . . .
.
.
liberty
i can walk forever
(and some days i do)
but never really
get
anywhere
.
. . . . .
.
.
delivery
a walk to the mailbox
late at night
darkness makes me feel
my way along
and these stars
so bright and silent
i can always find
north
orion
cassiopeia
those dippers
a short walk
to
lost
and back
again
.
. . . . .
.