weird how something so impermanent
can feel so permanent
weird how laying in bed all day can be so tiring
weird how the afternoon was made for naps
weird how the rise and fall of your chest
can make the ocean feel jealous of such flawless movement
weird how these memories still remain after years of abandonment
weird how we never knew we'd end up here
weird how the winter winds brought me to tears
weird how you are everything and nothing
weird how i now have nothing

the distance
between obsession and obligation
can be amazingly
short

lucky is the family
that can celebrate
more birthdays for their living
than for their dead

it takes us years
to find out how our body works
what it can feel, smell, touch, see, hear
how we can move its limbs
what hurts it, what makes it feel  good

more years are spent
discovering the fathoms of our soul
from murky depths to lofty heights
the scales of feelings, pain, excitement
     love, joy, jealousy, despair,
all our nuanced sensitivities

then we explore
the layers of our mind’s infinite potential
its constant work of making sense
    from the reports of all our senses
so we believe we understand our worlds,
imagine new ones, phantasize about the old

when after all these years
we harbor some illusion
our long experience might be enough
     to straighten all confusion
chances are good we recognize
that all we are is knowledge-misers

we have grown old, but not much wiser

Watching with bird pride
Working the cliff-side
Looking for noon fare,
Freezing in mid-air
Hovering, sharp-eyed
Swooping, he nose-dived
Spreading a wide wing
Sweeping, his claws cling
Avoiding a sharp beak
Emitting a high squeak
Running, a small shrew
Avoiding the next cue
Missing , the bird soared
Pulsating, his eyes bored
Trailing the same line
Waiting for next time.
Predatory Kestral
Doing his best.