moments enjoyed when
the house is softly quiet

no sounds to be heard
yet this stillness speaks to me

calming my spirit
removing agitation

sleeping nightly deep
becoming safely encased
within strong arms of quiet

the west embodies
the simplicity of dry

dirt. dust. sweat. bleached bones.
open spaces. strong angles.

weathered skin. pale wood.
abandoned mines. strong contrasts.

scrub brush. deep shadows.
unforgiving lands. ghost towns.

hard light. endless sky.
lighting strikes. wild fires. veiled springs.

dry wells. windswept paint.
tumble weeds. rusty barb wire.

cracked paint. endless roads.
crumbling lonesome wind towers.

canyons grand and slit.
mountains. peaks. vistas. plateaus.

the west is simple
the west is bewildering
a simplicity of dry

how will it all end
under ukrainian blue

of an ancient land
freedoms are dust on rubble

dreams, hopes, place, and lives
lay shattered among glass shards

only wanting their
country for life and culture

how will it all end
under ukrainian blue

how will it all end
on ukrainian yellow

after countless red
has been spilled upon its soil

death in destruction
has been brought upon its land

scorched, burned, barren lies
a once rich, plentiful land

how will it all end
on ukrainian yellow

by a crazed bald bear
its land brutalized, swallowed

normal life becomes
mass graves, running terrified

its people scattered
among four distant corners

how will it all end
under ukrainian blue
on ukrainian yellow

outside wicked things
like manatees and dragonflies
truly lurk about,
tricksters known for much no good,
tickling little toes
walking on little noses
messing with your hair
buzzing all over your ears
splashing faces wet
with forceful tails, wings and fins,
manatees love to sneak
a kiss, so watch out they have
a muzzle that is
abrasive beyond belief,
learned trust not those that
are of restless heart and soul
such as these lively
manatees and dragonflies that
dart endlessly point to point

a few days after
graduation i was gone,
many miles away
working a summer career
engraving horseshoes
upon a tourist island,
four years of college
a job in another state
finally back home
eleven years absent,
but this home, this world
and i separately changed
gone were childish dreams
replaced with bills, marriage,
and responsibilities

books, papers, journals
too long, too messy, too much

short, simple clean lines
minimalist writing style

in the barest words
using one sheet of paper

longer than ten words
no sentence needs to become

nonessential words
simply are abstract fillers
corrupting the true essence

today, august first
in a month september first
not accepting this
ninth month an omen of cold
aptly named as much
beginning of four “ber” months
that time of year when
conversations begin with
brrr, cold enough for you now

deep into the night
enjoyment is the stillness,
with a single light
undertake this time to write,
good, bad or so, so
i care not, joy just matters,
known this is not my calling

a sun disappears
behind a low horizon
summer solstice ends;
starting tomorrow six months
of shortening days
ending in long winter nights;
cold winds have begun
cutting deep into my bones
a frostbitten nose
ice fingers around my throat;
soon summer is spent
then another year has passed
our final winter draws near

achieved the art of
becoming extremely quiet

achieved the art of
never wishing to engage

achieved the art of
wanting to be left alone

achieved the art of
becoming a wallflower

achieved the art of
wanting to be overlooked

achieved the art of
dreaming of things never done

achieved the art of
comfortably holding back

achieved the art of
observation, listening

achieved the art of
living as an introvert
with peace of heart, mind, and soul