Watching the frozen water vapor,
Ice crystals, falling from the clouds,
Towards, the cold hard ground,
With a strong wind, blowing, in every direction,
Spinning them in circles, all around.
One of nature’s most beautiful sights,
As they arrive for their landing, so gently,
Never making a sound.
When the sun shines down, on everything,
Covered in white, it brings a hypnotizing, trance,
With it, in the air, everyone always stops,
Their day, taking a few minutes and stares.
A snowfall, slows the pace of life, for everyone,
To experience, enjoy, and see, as it covers, all
Generations, reminding us,
The most beautiful, wonderful feelings, in this life,
Come naturally, simple and free.


The original: Tom Maxwell © 02/17/2024 A.D.

Wrapped in a worn-out blanket,
it feels eerie that I have an unsettling vibe from this blanket,
but somehow it offers solace and retreat;
with its fibers gentle to my touch.

I detest the way I vividly recall,
the frowns mapped all over my foe's face;
the obnoxious smile carved at the edge of their lip,
indicated inkling of contentment upon puncturing my heart.

Roaring wind violently gusted through every pore of my skin,
intended to knock me down.
Amidst the stygian dimness,
I caught a glimpse of penumbra.
"Where does this wavering gleam comes from?"
As a glimmer of hope lingered from the moon's soft glow.

For my fortitude was uncovered in the same place where my heart was wounded;
creating a force that embodies resilience and fragility.

It is unfortunate I could not keep the blanket from embracing me without allowing it to engulf me.

Saw an old man down by the riverside, lookin' 'bout half past dead/

Gave him two dollars and a penny, for to get a bottle just to cool his head/

Turned around to hand it back to me,  and I looked at him like he was mad/

Swept his gaze up to my eyes, and he gave a single shake of his head, /

Said "I've been here for a long while, and I'll stay until I'm good and dead,"/

"It's been a many year since I've sat here, and I'll stay 'til my kingdom come, /

I didn't know just what to say to that, so I asked, "Hey, mister, where you from?"/

He took a minute,  thinking 'bout everything,  and I thought he was dead/

Gave the biggest smile I have never seen,  and he turned to me,  and he said:/

"I come from over yonder, where the mountain starts, and the river ends"/

"The first thing I saw was the water; it'll be the last thing I see again, "/

"Yeah,  I came from the water, and if you see a friend of mine, "/

"Tell him he's still got a brother,  who won't let him get left behind..."/

from the fifth floor you can see better how people
grow older, you can see or choose not to see
the world like an eruption
in the night I sing and bleed a little
I explore the memory of light on the skin
there is pain and an envelope of laughter
there is the concrete shape of things and the shape of babel
the other-me rehearsing faces, bodies. alphabets, the taste of love
who decided we are human some believe love is like a full stomach
i would love to remember when i was a single cell
a coded fullness hallucinating me, hallucinating you
she has a beautiful smile when it's winter
and you love her. the story encircles you
we can choose to see the world with sincerity
my ashtray is full of dreams and I won't stop dreaming
you'll use the same soap as her and you'll even write a memo to yourself: love can be so hot in the middle of the day
I'll write in my diary: let's see what I can forgive myself for
somewhere inside there is a feeling waiting for another feeling
there are words waiting for more words, for only the words
can point to something much more free

Back home,
The roads blend into the hills
Across long stretches of countryside,
Twisting and turning,
Amidst sweetgum and southern pine woodland,

Blue wildflowers and dandelions
Decorate our fields and backyards
That make sweet snacks
And wishes
When you spread it’s feathery parachutes,

The summit of Shades mountain
Elevates our historic town,
Above former native territory
And the outlying railroads
That carry steel out of Birmingham,

And hearing the distant trains call of arrival
Over the vast stretch of woods below,
Accents the whispering trees
And calms my soul,

The affections of home
Remain bittersweet,
But my absence and return
Have unearthed in me,
Where I belong