Today

Been so long
since I
held you

in my heart
and squeezed
a thought
that mattered
teased a wish
that might
please
my soul

been so long
since I
felt you

in my hand
and used
a song
that I heard
fused a dream
with the
muse
in my brain

been so long
since I
knew you

in my mind
and pulled
out the truth
to be
lulled by faith
to the
dullness
of my days

Been so long
until today.

My Little Friend

Her voice wavered as she

cried out to me.

It grabbed me and

 led me across

the smoky threshold.

Pulling my shirt over my

mouth I inched my

way toward her cries.

It was too dark to see

and the wood cracked and hissed .

Relief washed over me as I

reached a room with a

pink sticker on the door

And heard a faint

whimper.

She sat beneath

The desk and I knelt

and easily lifted

her tiny form.

The way out was hot

And I could feel sweat dripping

As I walked through

And back out

Into a day filled

With sunshine

I passed her to

The paramedics

And drank

And drank

And turned to see

As the roof collapsed.

Today they said my name

and the mother she

stepped forward to hug

Me

As they presented me with

A plaque of honor

“You’re a hero.”

They said in quiet awe.

But I

Can only sit on this stool and

Stare at this drink

And remember her cry

I am no hero

A hero saves a life

And  my little friend,she

died anyway.

Swimming toward Forever

In one white hot
moment
of deciding on forever
the real journey would begin
and your lips would
draw me
close
and keep me
coming back
to taste more dreams
and hear
more truth
than
I knew existed

In one white hot
moment
of affirmation
without hesitation
I would jump
in

Both feet now
wet with
devotion
I walk through
the shallows
ready to swim
when it gets
deep

Stepping Out

I wear this invisibility cloak

Nearly everywhere I go.

And though I don’t remember

Choosing it

Or creating it,

There is no question that

It is mine and defines

my style.

Adrift in a sea of irrelevance,

I tried to find

matching shoes

but

the sparkle of sequence

on my heels

 could not be  

 masked

beneath the folds of

my cloak.

So, though I stood

in the corner

when you

walked by

and

thought certainly

I’d remain as always, unseen,

you stopped

and looked down

long enough to hear

my whisper.

“See me.”

I begged.

And you smiled

and reached out your

hand to me.

So, I stepped from the corner

and let my cloak

fall away.

Never Will You Be Gone

Never

will you be

Gone

From me

For you were

Made in my marrow

And housed in my flesh

And in the halls of my heart

I heard your footsteps as

You walked there

 before

You could breathe

And there you will

Stay upon the timeless

Throne of  my love

That was built for you

The moment

My soul knew

I would be

Your Mom.

Up late

When I'm up late don't hesi-
tate or even wonder
if I should write
a word that
makes much sense
intense,
intent on finding truth
beneath the frame
of words
and conventions
too unrelenting
and unforgiving, no
time for crafting I'm only drafting
this piece is magically
tragically
obtuse, don't set me loose and free
falling from the highest peak
the mountain I would never climb
still I'm
standing
on top
of the snowcapped
wishes that the
fairies left
behind

Morning Walk

Out of the corner of my eye

the brightness of the morning sun

peeked through the trees

white light tickling

the leaves

promising to wash away

the churning twists of

not quite good enough in

my gut

but …I just couldn’t seem

to turn my head.