A Single Drop
Sometimes
a single drop is all it takes
to make a rainbow
Window
On the bottom half,
Kissed with mist
Everywhere I look through
I see reflections of blue
Yet try as I might
Whenever I watch the water
Straight on
All I see is light
Spooky Night
Over low moans, cries from a distance
the rusty iron gate
to the graveyard squeaks open-
grasp my other hand tightly
as the only sign of warmth…
Are you scared, dear?
Well, I am too;
As brave as I can be,
so can you;
on this spooky night we two…
Blue ghosts adrift in the leaves
speak of our names in other lives; the shadows
take their hands and play
in a dance at the edge of death and life;
Tombstone teeth smile atop the hill
where tolls the old broken bell,
where moss is green as abandoned fields,
where the marshy thickness swells;
Are you scared, dear?
Well, I am too;
As brave as I can be,
so can you;
on this spooky night we two…
A Set of Wet Footprints
That’s how it is:
When you read someone else’s work
There’s a certain permanence
The words acquire on the page,
And we accept them as they are
As they will always be-
In fact it helps if the author
Is dead and you don’t personally
Know them-
You understand those words
Are a memorial, a last testament
To will, effort and grace…
Our own work however
Is often a wildness of uncertainty
A canvas of mistakes
A display case of unsaid things,
Unreached achievements
Missed targets strewn over
A field of busted arrows.
And the occasional perfect or perfected line.
For us the words
Are what’s left
After the journey, a set of wet footprints
Leading down toward the sea, the reason
We came.
Let It All the Way In
Let everything way in
Let the way in
Let it all the way in
Let the fresh grass cut you
Let the cars roll all over you
Let the sky rises elevate your head
Let the bag lady’s quiet cries of despair
Tear at the backs of your eyes
Let the season of everyone’s weather
Align you which way the wind is blowing
Let anger be cold dignity
Let lies be testimony
Let truth be self-evident
Let One Way arrows point into you
Street lights shine inside you
Let your frailty and fear be overwhelmed
By the reservoir within
Without you
Let the trees draw the sun
Down to the roots of you
Let the white lines be themselves
Let the danger alight on one shoulder,
Wondrous beauty on the other
Let distances expand you
Let every moment of potential romance
Be every moment
Let a harsh word destroy you
And a compliment burn away the ashes
Let every decision bear its full weight upon you
Let your mistakes shine brightly
Let your shame be hugged
Let your deepest wish merge
With where you are
Let nothing stand in the way of everything
Let everything in
Let it way in
Let the way in
Let it all the way in
And you will know
Who’s been writing this poem
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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