The day you left
I thought of you -
all afternoon -
and practicing handstands
I played in the woods

Put your teachings in practice
and smiled
but it was mostly so
that I wouldn't cry

I have cried
many times before
once for every reason

but never
in my life
had I cried of freedom

I thought I'd pick a flower
in the woods
and post it home for you

but when I saw the soft bees buzzing
and smelled the lilac scent
I thought instead I'll write a poem
later in my tent

to tell you there's a flower
in the woods
I almost picked for you.

Feeling audacious
For I feel
A new feeling

Come avvolta
da una nuvola grigia,
sento il calore del sole
al di là

Mi lascio scorrere
sotto lacrime
di pioggia

E le labbra s’increspano
In un sorriso
Salato

I trust it

We cruise rattlesnake bends.

Once in, you
find phantom lakes;
I - a full moon
over mountains of clay.

Sitting at the wooden table
the sun rises to my right
and the mountains become blue
under a grapefruit-shake sky.

My hands are *****. My lips
dry.

Again, I don’t want to sleep
and I lie
awake in the rusty boat

This time
though
there is no fear

the smell of your pillows releasing
endorphins in my brain

The thin air
of the alpine meadows
shortens my breath;
it deepens my mind.

I dreamt I was wide awake.