Deep in the woods of Appalachia
where the pines whisper,
a boy takes his last breath.
He followed the cold wind,
chasing secrets
through skeletal trees.
Could not outrun creatures that watched him –
silent, half-shadows.
Like Icarus, he flew too high,
a fire in his chest,
a mind that would not rest.
But what goes up,
must come down.
And the earth opened her arms
without a sound.
His downfall came quick,
a boy swallowed by myth.
I joined a Ponzi Scheme
I’m a rescue
Don’t know who rescued me
Don’t write a check to whoever did
just send love to your heart
it began in darkness
blue glass beads found
in an antique chair…
shinnering in lamp-light
a poem in my hand
deep inside
blue glass…
magic
Tachikawa Air Force Base, 1955
Off base, a quonset hut
partially covered with grass
five Japanese boys, three girls pose
on top of the curved roof
beyond a fence are barracks—
long, two-story structures
it has been ten years
As the ice breaks on the pond
on a warm February Sunday,
the air delivering
floral hints of the future,
you and I stand and wait
for the car to arrive
that will take you away
to start your new life,
even if you do find a way back
for a visit, driven by nostalgia,
or a hope, it won’t be the same,
the cabin weathered by harsh dust
the grand maple gone.
I’ll have changed, too,
when you spot me
walking up the steep hill
to the road, so slow
and old by then
you’re sure to mistake me
for somebody else.
the breeze swishing the tails of curtains
I sleep with the windows open to let the earth say hello to the house that has been built upon its back
thank you for that
