In comparison to the universe
I am minuscule
A speck of dust on the slide of a microscope
While nebulas are being magnified
But down here my heart is huge
Able to ease and comfort
All those who lay their burdens on my doorstep
A single ant may be expendable but when looked at as a whole colony...
                  
              *They could move mountains.

Mist moves through early morning
Swirling a top the remaining craggy Gods
Standing tall to form the Appalachia
PawPaw trees hang heavy
Laden with fruit, ripened by Eastern sun
Precious ecosystem sustaining what shouldn't grow in this hemisphere
What's left that has not been removed
By blasting coal extraction
Towers above us still, breathing deep
Guarding us in silent repose
Footsteps weave to and fro
Sweet grass brushing sensitive skin
My laughter echo's through the Old Oaks
Honey bees gather pollen
Buzzing happily by my side
We must protect this special place
Turn away from stripping her of her glitter
Of her shine
Clean air, healthy soil
She can recover, she will survive

Morning. Afternoon. Night.
Our days compartmentalized
Of all of the things we wish for
Riches. Power. Wealth.
We rarely think about what is most precious
That which we could work our whole lives and never earn...
                                       *Time

I just don't know any more
Born with the thirst
My apathy competes with it daily
You bathe in my joyful countenance
Never splashing further but surface deep
I know you are hurting
We all are, in some form or another
I do wish I could ease your pain
Please, just once, refrain
I call you up to cry
Twists  into all about you
Words of solace tumble from these numb lips
Stretched thin over a veneer of caring
The hard part is always the swallow
How do I get around this goose egg
Closing up my throat
Defense mechanism meant for strangers
I don't shed tears for the self-inflicted
*At least you have a choice

By Sverre G. Holter and Brook Ilges

I turn, giggling
Your fingertips just out of reach
Of my sensitive ribcage
Running full blown three-year-old style
Down slick hard wood hallways
I can hear your steps catching up
I grin
      
You turn, giggling
A cloud of dandelion seeds
Floating between my fingers; a
Handful of fog
Mocking me unmockingly with
Every echo thrown like the frisbee
That entertains the puppy
Until its teeth finally sink into
Slightly elsastic plastic that
Doesnt's mind the feeling
Of sharp, little fangs
Breaking what could have
Been skin, but isn't
When I catch you
(When you let me catch you)*
I'll growl and shake you
So hard you'll laugh
Until you go limp between my
Teeth
Lets us never, never ever be
More serious than
This