Winds soar sway and sing
A farewell song to the sea
Heavy clouds hang low

I remember the day
you borrowed my pain
“Take it,” I told you
no need to explain

It’s shopworn and battered
each scar duly earned
Its weight a true burden
of prophecy spurned

Then when you’ve finished
the torture complete
Find a new soul
to will it discrete

But no matter what happens
or how much you cry
This loan is forever
—forever goodbye

(Haverford College: January, 2024)

rising
from an ocean of obsidian blue
i spy consciousness,
blazing brighter than a billion suns,
fine tuning all it touches.

the blue god is neither awake
nor in slumber
but in a meditative trance.
in his effervescent presence
time turns to ice,
as an orange-lotus blooms
deep within me.

© 2024