Distance
Coddled me into believing
Each step forward was the same,
Measure for measure.

Detachment
Led me to reason
Every unguarded move was safe,
So new, so pure.

Then all at once,
So Thirty Years' War,
Out the window
I was thrown.

Out in the garden is the place to be
Cutting and pruning the old oak tree
Edging the grass to where it should be
Hoping the sunshine will again be me.


Love Mary

I can't fit
in your
pocket,
that kind
of love
is too
much.
Such a
dreamy
coffin,
when all
I wanted
was
your
touch.

I dreamed that I had
a boat on a leash,
which was strange
because moments before,
I had it in the ocean,
and I was fishing off
the starboard side.
My nephew was with me
and he got us lost.

We dragged that boat all
over Ventura.
We were looking for
the marina.
The longer that the boat
was on the leash,
the smaller it got.
Pretty soon it was
just a toy, a poisoned
dog that we
threw in the trash.

You seem to ignore
The swollen air
That floods my lungs tonight
.
There's a heavy barrier -
An ocean reef -
That I pick at with my fingers
.
My tongue trips
On uneasy words to say
Hold me here
And we will pretend
That we are all okay

I’ve known what I should do
What I can do
And what I will do
In times to come
I know now that motivation
Is not something one should wait for
But something that must be created
With a clear mind and discipline
For without these guides
Motivation drifts and fades off
As a wisp of cloud over the sea
It’s return as questionable
As it’s brief existence