We attempt rescue, unable to bear
the stardust-coated dragonfly
beat, beat, beating
frantic on the glass.

We entice him to perch
on our extended lifeline-broom
nurse him in a box, where he flutters
quivers, lies quietly blue.

My son cries bitterly
as we place a minute cross
upon the dragonfly grave
while intoning our final goodbyes:

We honor those who have fallen victim
to this fatal architectural trap, lured
by skylights of enticing white-light death
and the paned illusion of freedom.

In admiration of winged determination
and perseverance in the face of futility
we carefully tend the fragile, curved bodies
lay them here to rest under the mock orange.

years of gauze-weighted detritus
swept beneath these ponderous shrubs
a reminder - what seems like freedom
                                                         ­           often isn’t.

I decided to ride the slide sideways

Letting my feet hang over

And one edge guide my neck

I went straight down for a second or two

But with my eyes to sky
I didn't worry

Rather, I just enjoyed the view

Every once in a while
Every one of us should
Take time out to give thanks for
All in our lives that is good,
To truly appreciate
Just how well off we all are;
How really we have it great,
Could be much worse off by far!

Sipping mixed vermouth
Light meditation
    on love and truth
Conjuring lines of ancestral breaths
Wondering which crossed similar tests
My grandfathers
    who labored the same
My brave grandmothers
    conquered no fame
Whisper now
    'cross space-time's gap
It's the one we share
    reach over, tap
You must live quiet, in my heart
If just a small bit, a tiny part
Your blood goes on, in my veins
Beats remain, while others refrain
You're a buried memory
    a forgotten voice
I'll listen to you now
    if I had the choice

I'd befriend the obsidian sky...
   I'd shower it with a bounty of praises.
  So that it'll welcome my nightly gaze,
     without threats from overbearing clouds.

     I'd impress the twinkling stars
       by serenading them with songs unheard by most.
     So that when the time comes,
  they'd cast their votes in my favour.

I'd whisper to the nighttime breeze.
   I'd cavort and giggle at its slightest touch.
      So that when I fly my flag,
   it'll catch it in full billows for her to see.

Then finally...
  I'd woo the twilight moon...
     For she is the prize
   my heart had sought to pursue.
    I'd court her
      with the fiercest blaze that burns within...
     In hopes that she'd forever
   remember me as the suitor that had
fallen helplessly.

staring out windows
her calloused hand in mine is
all i can think of

I feel like I'm just watching life,
Like an ocean trapped within a picture frame.
Then, there are those sometimes
When the sea breaks free of its frame
And swallows me whole.

I always knew it in my heart,
That so beloved woman wouldn't wish for me,
to grieve endlessly,
But to the contrary,
Celebrate the beautiful of life,
By keeping her gift alive in my healthy half.

But I saw myself derailing,
So many hours,
So many days,
So many weeks,
So many months,
So many years,
and spiraling,
Out of control.

Today I make a conscious choice,
Instead of thinking about that hurt,
And fueling my own pain and misery.
I invest my efforts into doing good,
Putting smiles on people's faces,
I enjoy it, as it uplifts my soul,
And feeds my peaceful faith,
To love beyond my own voice.