BACKYARD TOWN

an open window,white curtains attempting to escape windward   below, a dirt alley between wooden shacks   a train yard, open empty boxcars, idle iron heat, miles behind, miles to go   lumber to be loaded, men with caps sit shaded like tumble weeds waiting for a wind of orders to move

NO PLACE SPECIAL

morning motion,city traffic, cold in summer, a moment not to be judged by the ordinary   outside unfolds, steeled faces fear unseen dangers, yet find safety within it   like birds appearing to have no where to go

MORE THAN A DREAM

top pocket dreams,close to the heart, paper drop tears on unsent love letters as I look up from beneath at the crossroads of life, wondering from below the moving parts above, in the shape of shadows and whispers, while   rose pedals and magnolias drip onto my shoulders with unexpected mercy, placing me within the … More MORE THAN A DREAM

THE FABRIC OF MOVING

bundled,estranged souls, streams of wool and cotton, buckles and brocades traversing streets and sidewalks, stepping to stairs, lined at doors, waiting at lights, journeys day and night to safety, to escape, to arrive, as the circle continues unafraid of reaching the end  

CLEARLY

he sits, sipping his tea on a porch before meadows and mountains familiar to his voice and supplications, under stars and bright sun, considering dreams, some real some reminders  of a good life with songs brightly sung and poetry, the puzzle of words, that some plainly grasp, but for a few, the message remains deep … More CLEARLY

TOP OF THE STAIRS

candlelit shadows collide as hands reach and then withdraw in the room upstairs soaked with comfortable aromas and layers of dust where men with rough shirts and weathered hands toss dice at the crease of wall and floor smoking cigarettes speaking softly when the dice bite back or rise for the moment with luck

LET’S DANCE

spinning, parts of being together, captured grace defying gravity, bending with sound within the dance and beyond in steps and turns opening all sides to a place achieved of unspoken language transcending seasons with hope and the chance you’ll always be there

BURIED

pressed under dunes are ancient paths, rocks and skeletons lying beside evidence covered and then recovered, preserving the voices where they remain absorbed within disorder and perfection, uncaring of seasons, while forever protected within ancient layers

PARK BENCH POET

he sees ghosts and speaks to clouds while sneering menacingly  at people and dogs church bells nearby ring out praise and guilt clouds knit together, breezes circle salvation walks backwards sometimes retrieving the innocent while rejecting the poor

COUSIN

oh cousin, I know the depth of your heart as the tides swirl within life’s indifferences, as you salvage a smile, with two steps forward, shouldering strength in the evidence of good works, blessed to you to give away, with so much more stored within the engine driving your soul