You read to understand,
Not
To prove or disprove,
One opinion of a matter
from another,
All stories that take their place in our hearts
and transcend time,
Are told from the soul

Curved branches and winding vines
Impose it's corridor
On the surrounding woodland,
And readies my heart
To see you again

As I walk,
The surrounding trees
Drop the last of their leaves
But your presence
Turn fall into an arboretum

The silence of the woods
Grow dense,
And the chilling wind
Cuts through me
As we near one another,

But I am warmed
As you stand
Waiting for me,
My sweet lover

Back home,
The roads blend into the hills
Across long stretches of countryside,
Twisting and turning,
Amidst sweetgum and southern pine woodland,

Blue wildflowers and dandelions
Decorate our fields and backyards
That make sweet snacks
And wishes
When you spread it’s feathery parachutes,

The summit of Shades mountain
Elevates our historic town,
Above former native territory
And the outlying railroads
That carry steel out of Birmingham,

And hearing the distant trains call of arrival
Over the vast stretch of woods below,
Accents the whispering trees
And calms my soul,

The affections of home
Remain bittersweet,
But my absence and return
Have unearthed in me,
Where I belong

I have to let go
Speak truthfully
Listen carefully
To God in me and all things

The hard lingering truth
Hides beneath the tongue,
           strangling your words,
Time,
Will strengthen its grip
And **** the spirit

After all this time I'm still looking,
Which is good,
Depends on what you're looking for
And how long you've been looking,
Unless you've been waiting

My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of
     universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I
     reach my hands and play with pebbles of
     destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs
     reading "Keep Off."

My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive
     in the universe.