Small Wings

small wings
big enough to carry my few ounces
that can still float off to dreams

little wings, feathers of sparrow's plight
capable but to their task only
with baggage downed, they soar

in my life

birds
flying underwater
fish in the air

me in my life

snails
out of shells
sluggish

me in my life

purified ocean water
salt in the tap
chrome crusted calcium

me in my life

a gravel road highway
going somewhere not very fast

me in my life

old wood
no longer spared by a roof
standing tall against the sun and rain
grayer every april

me in my my life

laughter of desperation
cutting but not mending
tension
heavy in light shoes

me in my life

dented glass jars
just fragments of what they meant to be
but sharp as ever

me in my life

an empty freeway
going north or south
cutting east and west into different lands

me and my life

toast at tub side
electrifying
in so many wrong ways

me in my life

friendly fire
I guess there is such a thing as friends too close
or one's competing selves

me in my life

all ears and eyes
mind worn flat

me in my life

stars in the ocean
cooling down
dead light still in transit
to the bottom of some end point
or my eyes

me in my life

birds surfacing
with their catch
another mouth fed
for how much longer

Modified

Six ears
for a buck

Looks like corn
smells like chicken
tastes like fish

zaps its own bugs

I'm unsure
if the rest of the meal
confused things

or maybe
they're just clear

like the juice
in the kernels should be
before serving

From a Distance

from a distance
diamonds
and shards of glass
sparkle
all the same

may you find
me
at the right
distance

may I strike you
as beautiful and not
abrasive

may your feet
be calloused enough
to walk on
or stand
all the same

and praise
for the sun
that puts the right light
on this all

sparkle

this
may we have

this
that those
at curb's length
can admire
no matter how much
or how little
they know

Something Here

I have
fallen

and I have
started free

with the whole world
ahead

and I have fallen
from the highest climbs

and the shortest stools

always
nearly unable to start over

so one
with what I have lost
I am

and I have stood
still as the wind
and life goes swift past

but today
I am not sure
what to do
or say

the rain
the leaves
the work

the preoccupation

should all be the
perfect fodder

but too many others
already fell this short

and became
life already lived

and I
I am
looking for help
not repetition

there
will be
something here
before I die

something
here
before I
die

something
here

and maybe
not much

I just hope
I leave a few pearls

in this rocky
and sandy
abrasion
that is
often the fill
of my days

Lost Coastlines

so many
smiles
and kisses

so many
stood here

or just out
where here
used to be

stood
here
and watched the sun
kiss good bye

while they
kissed
hello
and for always

their rocks
now
are at best
a beach below

indestructible

so many
find their final graves
but all
were once at love
and at odds with ever wanting to die

so many--
add all the days together
--have stood here

or well
a bit
further out

where I see the ice plant
and asphalt fall away
was a parking lot
a road
and a side walk

and many memories
once firm

even some houses
and all the life made whole within

so many
watching the sun fade away
and having a kiss

a kiss
that leads
to love
and family
and all sorts of years
intertwined

so many
smiles
stood just here
here

here
for their moment
in memory

kisses
shall they
live long
and sow love
from beach to cliff
to any heart
and all

chalk

you drew
a circle

I cut it open
with a slash
of a smile
and dashes for eyes and nose

the chalk
will fade
color to sun
and substance to rain

but for now
a small piece
of how we
want the world
stands out
on stone