On days like this
cool, with little winds
desert birds forage for sticks
they build nests perched in cactus
some build green in palo verde trees
always I think of baby birds in spring
hatchlings, the fledglings that fly
I travel far beyond the noise of towns
watch the movement of cooling clouds
the roundness of rain upon the ground
the grey banked scurrilous skies
of hurried birds, their silhouettes before a storm
daisies that close, cold amid the stones
beneath where snakes and lizards go
slither and crawl in this landscape of saguaros
and I, ever tethered can only dream to fly.

i don't know how long
it has been
since
i shut myself
off from the world
around me

i reinforced
old boundaries

closed the gates
to new acquaintances

stopped talking

i see myself
stepping away
from some old patterns
and people

only the pattern
is
me

Even the darkest of nights
Ends with dawn

As I take this long drag
On my cigarette
I remember and contemplate
What has come before

The loves and losses
Past jobs and bosses
Success and failure
I touched all bases
Before hitting home

Through it all
I am still here
And I am not bitter
But better than before

My experiences have helped me
To better my ability
To understand
And truly see
The truths that are in front of me

I understand now
More than ever
The world isn't fair
Some people
Just don't care

Even when we do everything right
It may not be enough
It will challenge your self worth
And can break you
After losing a battle

This is a truth
But nay a reason
To give up hope

The point is
To keep fighting
Be tough

Learn to love
In a way you never have before

I love the way you move
I love the way you walk
There is a certain grace about you
In the air that surrounds you
Even in how you talk

Your smile lights up a room
Your touch makes my heart
Burn with desire

Just being in your presence
Is time well spent
Feeling that my heart is safe
In your hands
Is priceless

You are the source
Of so much inspiration
It's difficult to explain
You make me want to better myself
Because you deserve the best man
That I can be

You "get" me
And I "get" you
I've never felt more
Understood or appreciated
For just being myself

You make me feel thankful
And I don't take that for granted

I love the way you move

These cats
With their paws
As upside down
Teddy bears

I resisted for so long
I did not value
Your ability

I admire your soul-searching
And determination

You are a creature
Of both great design and desire
You constantly quest and take
What is yours

There is much love
In your heart
Always living in the moment
To this, I relate

But you, kitty
Live as a fierce realist
As do I

Blowing silence
like a bugle
to announce his dismay

he got set
to make a statement
without speaking for a day

but his mother
just assuming
he had nothing much to say

sent her silent
revolutionary
son outside to play;

outmaneuvered
in the kitchen
by his mother's disregard

for campaigns
of wild muteness,
the rebellion fell apart

to the sound
of scuffing shoes
and the grumble in his heart

'cause silent protest
tends to lose
when no-one's listening very hard..

Will falling in love
Ever make sense?
NOPE

Someone comes along
Logically, you get stupid
They will change
How you feel about everything

The fine lines you drew before
Won't be as fine anymore
The only thing you will care about
Is loving this person

Love does make you blind
But that is okay
It makes you blind to the *******
And says yes to happiness

I used to to wonder
As a child
What type of man
I would end up becoming

Now, as a man
I wonder where the child I was
Went to

Every instance of my innocence
That was abused
Taken for granted
Lied to or fooled
Ate away at the inner child

I know now
Of the man I've become
But sometimes
I miss the child I used to be

I'd rather hold onto
the memories of people
gone than try to untangle
the broken strings.
I've never been the best
at delicacy or alusiveness.

I have this friend
She's quite a bit younger
Much more inexperienced
Yet
She understands whenever
I talk about real things

Emotionally,
Her shape has sharp edges
Not knowing how to handle her
Will get you cut

She is a fine art
Not to be appreciated or understood

Only the professionals will know her worth

She is my friend
Who holds her weight in gold