When a man jumped
off the roof of a thirteen
story building, he yelled

S
o

f
a
r

s
o

g
o
o

I never saw a peacock fly
before I saw one on my roof
and though I haven't seen
that many, I thought I
had seen enough

To speak with some authority
about the way that peacocks
travel, which as far as I knew,
always was on sand and gravel

Their regal nature and the beauty
of their plumes make them one of
nature's wonders, and whenever
I see one, I always stop and wonder

I guess that's why I thought
that peacocks just don't fly

They don't need to hurry,
and never seem to worry,
so they parade along
and let their admirers
marvel at all their splendor

So I was surprised to see
a peacock on my roof,
it surely didn't climb
and there was
no rope or ladder,
but then I heard wings
flapping just above my head
it was another peacock
who went to join his friend

I guess they liked the view
and I learned something new

That even though I would
surely fly, instead of walk,
stretching my legs to
strut my stuff
might be better
if I were a peacock

An empty shell
can hold an ocean
if you get close
and listen
to its quiet roar

Empty eyes
can glow like sunrise
if you get close
and find
who lives inside

And an empty heart
can beat with passion
if you get close
and hold
where it was torn

They stand for centuries
these bricks of clay
in walls and streets
in wind and rain
they never stray

From their formations
destinations cast
by fate

Molded
into shapes
designed to
keep them in
their place
encased in mortar
adding permanence
to finality

Yet from the same
patch of earth
there are grains of clay
in clumps or on their own
that refuse to fill a mold
or be confined in ways
that rob them of their nature

They are empowered
by the blazing sun
and use its heat
to set their fire
as they become
the smoke and flames
that scorch the earth
and ride the wind

The airplane
is not one of God's creatures
but it might be serving
a heavenly purpose
by making the world seem
a bit smaller

And though
it is not an actual
time machine an airplane
can take you from
a place as primitive as
prehistoric times
to another place
as advanced as
modern civilization

in a matter of hours
or even minutes

But to take an airplane
almost anywhere
you usually have to go
to an airport
where you usually
spend an hour, and often
hours and hours,
going nowhere

other than the parking lot
or the rental place or the bus
station or the taxi stand
and the check in line and
the security line and the
food line and the bathroom
line and the shuttle line
and the gate line and the line
to take your seat and the line
to take off and then the airplane

usually has to land at another
airport where, unless you
took a direct flight,
you usually have to spend
an hour, and often
hours and hours,
going nowhere

"Nice Car"
said a man in a Lexus
to a man in a Ford
with just enough sneer
to show that he scored

Then he turned and
heard himself mumble
"Nice Car"
to someone who just
made him feel humble

"Well, it's transportation,
my helo's in the shop"
said a man in a
Lamborghini who
thought he was tops

But then a Gulfstream
roared overhead and
while two grown men
looked up and drooled
the man in the Ford

Drove off and left them
to be schooled