Forest

The sleepers to be woken The dreams to be broken Dawn is coming and the world will start anew.

Graveyard at Sunset A bus passes, The line number lit the same color as the sunset. Orange dusky sunset shines through the tree trunks like blank sheets of paper. Birds chirp and swarms of gnats are lit by a rusty halo. The egg yolk reflects in a marble gravestone Next to a quietly rustling flag.

A Walk in the Woods             I felt like I was dreaming. There’s something timeless, intriguing, about the way that the woods are wild. In this world where we hold tight to control so much, the woods are the one place where that control is released. Gods rule the woods, not man. As I stepped into those woods on that day, I shrugged the weight of the world from my shoulders, but conviction, the feeling of purpose, stayed. I felt like I was dreaming, the green leaves shifted and light cleared the shadows from a space in the path.  I felt like I was dreaming, my eyes seeing and my ears hearing, but from a distance. The gentle trill of birds, the subduing rustle of the leaves, and my heart beat cold and slow. I stopped in front of a bench along the path. The gross stamp of human dominance. I sat.             People go to the woods to escape. What was ...

Give Up Street lights bleed Road so smooth I’m floating, Slipping. Cold cars never touch and if they do It’s the touch of death Crunch and noise and color. Give in to the the inevitable: You will hit the ground. Looking through the windshield I already feel the noise and I already give up. Reactivity runs out, you know. But like breath, involuntary, I pull away. Get angry. Fight back. Wake up. I shake my head and blink. No. Think . --- Soft so soft you want to put your lips against her warm white fur. Her chest and nose stretch forward Eyes ahead, attentive. Searching. Does she see what I see? To that stone, does she calculate the jump as I do? She sits back and looks back and gives slack Gives up. I watch and call my kitten again And wait. She looks, calculates and jumps quietly over clear cold water. Her white fur gets wet, and she licks at it.

A Lifetime Ago You may only live once. I make a million lives and live them all right now. Every droplet reflects the light and sparks a thought Thoughts enough for a million lives. I start running and I never stop This and that and there... This work problems to solve questions to ask. That sunset through those leaves Picture perfect, I take a picture. A word there and I clench my fists and breath out. Yesterday was A lifetime ago as today goes down with the sun.

White and Red   White granite counters The cleaning lady is coming in the morning. The fridge door opens Girlscout cookies. The fridge door opens Triscuit. White light from the fridge. Small glass fish tank Stylish and you-guessed-it white. The fish is large and orange It's head is white with pale pink blood, face half eaten away It sits listlessly. Suddenly energy wracks its body And runs its head into the white again.

Wanderlust I flip the cap of my hand sanitizer The scent fills my brain and the world turns white. I tense as I am thrust back a month ago Ghana. Lemon sweet tart sanitizer on my fingers Eating fufu plastic chairs dirt floor warm water in a bowl. And I fly on the beach on Promise the horse she runs away, runs away, and naked children scatter. Cafeteria food Talking high schoolers. I am where I am and my chest pangs. “Radio,” says my German teacher with an accent. I breathe in slowly as the world turns white. A month ago, Germany. I stand in the feed room alone, swaying to the radio, mixing grain. Dirty linoleum floors and barn cats. The radio crackles and sings The goats and pigs waiting impatiently in their stalls. Clicking pens Shuffling papers I am where I am My head aches.