Posts for June 8, 2023 (page 10)

Louisiana
full moon over cypress swap 
I believe in ghosts 
Uncle Zeb’s cigar-shaped fingers
reach out of the restless marsh

Their presence fills my rooms, stories vying for attention,
providing pauses to reflect and remember
some stories fading to misty gray vague whispers.

LHM 2023

I gazed upon you only once before
and before I knew it
you were rooted in my garden
a weed stuck so firmly to the earth
even the toughest of prodding and pulling
could never get rid of the evidence
of its destruction

Those eyes
blue to most
but if they looked closer
they would see the dark turquoise waves
rippling through a sea of cornflower blue
dotted with little flecks of gold
like your eyes could hold the oceans and the suns
in one small elipse

That crooked smile you flashed me
brushing by my shoulder
I’ve never seen it replicated before
like you held no secrets
as if your heart was sewn on your sleeve
beating and beating for everyone to see

A flutter of eyelashes
more delicate than the batting of butterfly wings
a dark contrast
like rocks in the ocean waves

Your hair
shining in the sun
so bright I should’ve closed my eyes
but I couldn’t because I never want to miss a second
of your movement, of your laugh, of your second long stares
so soft I wanted to reach out and touch it

That short moment of accidental contact
meant absolutely nothing to you
but will you ever know the sparks
that started in my shoulder
and lit up my whole body
return at every thought of you
that the vision of your face
is motivation for me to get out of bed each morning
because I hope and pray every time I lace up my shoes
that I’ll run into you again
and that you’ll remember me

Four huskies relax in the grass –
a pup, a juvenile and two adults –
on the sloped bank in front of the house.
I feel comfort being part of the pack.  

Children approach, disturbing the air,
little dust devils prone to tease animals.
My huskies don’t understand meanness.  

I run my huskies inside, surprise my wife,
dismayed, dog hair and all that.
But we won’t lock them in the bathroom.  

I know all creatures are human, like me,
but my tribe plays the speciesism card
and gets away with murder.    

Halfway down a southern foothill above town,
Over the century old high emptied school’s rooftop
like feathered angels whiffed by spring winds, 
Danced
Ghostly spirits– fragments of students past:
Skipping ropes on gravels at recess,
Swinging way too high to the edge of the steep drop,
Shuffling bored feet under wooden desks,
Chewing voracioulsy on mustard-cold hot dogs at lunch,
Turning Shakespearean sonnets, around in their heads, a few,
Mostly, 
Stretching youth dreams to Leave
Over the the deep blue valley below.

I bring you my worries, my concerns, my pain
I load you up
You take it
Calm, dignified, you convey a consistent message:

Keep your mind, your thoughts, your lifestyle alive
Keep your soul quivering with shimmer
Keep living, no matter what, right up to the brink
This life is only the beginning
Each  moment is serious, fresh, frivolous
And oh so much to be enjoyed.

At the beach you might be heard to exclaim:
Oh how I love the botany of the sea oat.
Sketching over there in the dunes
While calling out to everyone and anyone:
Quiver with shimmer.

You swim in the lake the ocean or the pool
Whatever is available and with whomever will go
You hike, you cook, you entertain, you clean up
Water colors on cards for thank you notes proclaim:
Quiver with shimmer

But your genius for life and love
Does not neccessarily  include the capacity
To conduct a love affair
Thank god for that

The greatest gift you have ever gotten is the black hole inside of you,
the intensity of gravity pulls inward but the immensity of your expression pushes back too.

Happy go lucky on the outside, with thoughts and emotions that vary and accrue, you’re attracted to questions that arise out of the blue,
isn’t it obvious that uncertainty gravitates towards you?
Do you consider the absurdity of the weight that you pull through, or are you just happening on queue?
And isn’t it maddening that hue? Enough blackening for two.

The heat emanates from sun and street
Heating scalp and soles
In the absence of shade
I am warmed above and below

The atmosphere has grown thick and humid
The scent of fried food and sweetness fills the air
A band plays on a portable stage
It’s time for the summer fair

The crowds gather, and just like atoms
Exposed to radiant heat
The people excitedly move
From rides, to treats, to streets

While I may endure for a while
I’m dreaming of retreat
I’ll take the next bus out of town
The greenwood, I’d gladly greet

I’d rather be found in the cool of shade
By fresh, bubbling brook
Alone, or with a few friends,
Known by our bare toes and books

The June sun still peeks through trees
But here it’s not as harsh
We slow to nature’s pace
And peace, she does impart

Mother sits  

in a rocker
on the porch,
no cliché  

as sincere
as the wind chimes
over knockout
roses needing pruning.  

I retrieve clippers
stored on shelves
between terracotta
pots, a plastic
watering can,
overflowing
ashtray and  

deadhead as she speaks.

bin a din ba boo ti ti
saba waba too ni ni
ippi bippi foo li li
ah ah ah ah doo

inwa binwa too wi wi
flaben rabin zoo pi pi
wewo dewo koo mi mi
ah ah ah ah you