Tangled in the woods

Is a heart left cold,

But it thrives in the bark,

Feasts on the flora, and

Nourishes the worms

And the fungi that

Communicates change.

The heart is not alone,

It is the foundation

Of corners preserved.

When the sky is a sea,
And planes are ships
Chasing clouds that act
Like whales

Pushing through the open air

And sending its waves
Crashing to the dry
Life below its stretching tail,

Are there islands we can
Land on?
Are there pools that will swallow
Us into nothing but the light
Of the cheering sun?

It's a sea where we will
Never be,
Much like the ocean below,
Mostly unexplored.

We have a note from sheltered places,

Begging for us to retreat to the gratitude

Of a wood-burning stove and a *** of

Tea—peppermint—with relief smoldering

In the coals that hold our stare.

With love, you'll grow tall,
Like the mountains that kiss clouds,
Like the flocks of geese that soar
For warmth away from dark days.

With love, your eyes will share secrets,
Like the passageways that vein
Through treasured homes,
Like the meanings in lyrics meant for
A single soul.

Ten minutes to the end—
What do you do? What would
You do if in ten minutes you
Would churn away, to dust,
With Death's hand on the crank?

She awaits your ashes to sprinkle
In her garden but you may
Not be ready. There's plenty to do
In ten minutes I suppose—though
I think most of us would

Hold our breaths until the churning
Started—hoping that Death would
Be merciful and give us something
For the pain.

Will you be there
When Mercury falls,
Stripping her of smiles.

Will you be there to
Bandage wounds, some
You may have caused.

Will you be there—
Will she see you—against
The world with her.

Will you be there to
Understand the meaning
Of it all?

There could be a knock on the door
But I may not be home. It could be

That I'm out in hiking boots,
Getting lost in thought and on trails.

It could be that I am inside—

Maybe I'm too weak to let anyone in
And I sit in the dark, hearing the pleas
But I let the knocking continue
Until it stops and I'm left alone.

This could be what I want—an open
Door leading to the woods, away
From the struggle of knocking.