Humans

What I fool I was

and continue to be.

Bodies of Water

Does the rain ever wonder

where it's going

as it falls from the clouds,

landing here,

there, and who knows where?

Droplets gathering together en masse

become pools of water

on pothole riddled roads,

splashing as cars rumble through

unaware of their presence 

on ill lit roads on dark nights.

Do they find peace

within placid lakes

reflecting coniferous bodies?

Do they marvel at the creatures

moving within them?

It's hard to say 

how the rain feels 

as they turn to bodies of water

spread through the earth,

or coursing inside

self-aggrandizing primates.

Checking In

It had been some time since

we had checked in with each other.

Steve died the day before Mother's Day.

We reached out to see if the others

had heard about the news.

Turns out we all knew.

Last time I saw him

was hanging out

at a bar just down the road.

He looked a little worse for the wear

but seemed alright 

all things considered.

He was in a halfway house he said.

I thought I'd see him again.

I thought the same thing

years ago the last time 

I saw his little brother

before he overdosed.

I thought of their mother.

Her grief at losing another son.

I didn't know her well enough to reach out.

I hope their little brother is ok.

I sit here alone

listening to jazz-

thinking 

of who has been lost

and how much more

there is to go.

Compilation

The days don't feel as bright without you around.

How can the sun shine without your smile beaming in my face?

I vastly underestimated how much I've come to love you.

I worry. I worry so much my worries have worries

and those worries are thinking about therapy.

My mind is often caught between reality and possibility.

What will it take to calm this anxious mind?

One cannot live like this indefinitely.

Better angels must take over.

Bask in NOW

and take care 

of what must be taken care of.

Good Morning

Don't be surprised 

when I tell you

I feel better 

when you're around.

How familiar we are

with one another-

I feel better 

when you're around.

I want to wake up

every morning 

with my arms

around you.

I want this life

to be our life

our happily ever 

after for good.

No fairy tale can

ever be unending

doesn't mean 

I don't want to try.

Kiss me when I wake up

Kiss me just because

Kiss me to say goodnight

All my kisses are yours

The Worry You Carry

The worry you carry

is a weight

you can unload

if you stop 

to rest 

along the path.

Wind, sun, and sky.

Feel it within. 

enough

Your voice is the balm

easing me into rest.

Closing my eyes

your words are comfort.

The world grows small

enough for two.

Reprieve

She's home

and you're so tired.

So happy to hear

your mother's voice.

Soft yawns.

I tell you

to go to sleep.

You need to get up

early for work.

We say our

I love you's

I miss you's

A distance of time

and tiredness.

My eyes tear up

from exhaustion.

So I think.

Oh how I miss you

Oh how I miss you

Continental Divide

Oh, I miss you!

Yes, yes I do.

Do you believe me?

I hope you do.

This longing,

must we endure it?

For now.

For now. 

Change, My Darling. Change.

Who are you becoming?

Do you still recognize yourself?

Are there many grey hairs?

Do you dye them or let them be?

Can you hear everything ok?

Do your thoughts ever get muddied?

How long does it take you to find the word?

Is that the right word?

Are you becoming kinder

and more patient?

Do you tell everyone

I love you

whenever you have the chance?

You should do that no matter what.

Cold winters,

hot summers,

a spring caught in between,

birthdays and holidays

marking time,

letting it wash over us,

knocking us into the surf,

looking for our new glasses,

knowing the sea has claimed them

The Writer of Average Skill and Intelligence

My drinking was the least interesting part of me.

It consumed me for far longer than I would have liked.

How many people believe the cowardly myth

of the great genius alcoholic writer alone with a bottle, 

their troubles, and a writing tool of choice, on those

long and lonely nights of drinking towards ecstasy?

The only creation was a dark void I kept feeding.

What was the point of those years? What did I learn?

I never want to be a great genius alcoholic writer.

It was killing me. I was never a genius to begin with

and I am certainly not one now.

The Professors

Waves moving in and out

The steady pace of water

Darkness enfolding us

Hands and bodies entwining

Lights disappearing into the darkness

Breath painting over windows

Lights approach and pull alongside

Told to move along 

We laugh nervously

Finding more seclusion

Only to be approached again

We laugh at our fortune

What song was playing 

I'll never remember

The Obsession

How much beauty must I consume

until I have been sated

Taut young skin

Lustrous locks

Eyes that pierce deeper

than a bow

Graceful gestures of the hands

covering obscenity

Obsession renewed 

generation by generation

Propagation the endgame

Nature enduring

Vessels for life

Beauty in decay

A rose dried up

in the vase

The Weight

I am a poet of no particularly grand vision

My imagination goes forth in spurts

feeding off of memory- 

embellishing here and there

My concerns for my loved ones

weigh more heavily than the world

How much do I carry

How much have I let go

How much more will I lose

Everything

in time

Tenderness

Days before Valentine's

88 degrees

You tell me how nice 

the weather has been

It's in the 40's over there

Your father is doing ok

considering the circumstances

with your mother-

still in the hospital

for a few more weeks

We're all hoping for the best

My attention span

isn't what it used to be

I'm trying to keep it straight

I'm no ruler

not even a plain straight edge

though I keep things

ordered in ways 

I think about the day before

New Year's Eve

your Mother in her wheelchair

brush in your hand

combing her hair

the two of you unaware

I'm just out of sight

watching a moment

more tender

than the heavens 

could allow

I, Vampire

Who was I then

Who am I now

reading through

old words

thoughts

and memories

The self

cannot see 

the reflection

in the mirror

Does the self

now feast

on human blood

For Maggie

Living   breathing

caught be tween

light   darkness 

                 and light

Winter's fingers grip

a little while longer

Temporal

I drift in the sea

between continents.

Calmness

caresses me.

Blue softer

than sky

above us.

Those who 

love us

carry us

into the future