Tired body aches. Long walk on starry night -
ears attuned for bear at creek, or cougar.
Nothing, not a doe.
                                    But that afternoon
came upon a healthy young buck in a meadow.
High up. And a hawk left a feather for me.
Old, old stands of lodgepole pine, grey bark
like wrinkled hides of elephants. Thick carpet
of dead needles.
                              Thirst. Sit at snowbank
for an hour eating snow. Burn tongue.
To soon after stumble upon a pond and the place
that a creek springs from the mountain. Water
indescribable. Eat ravenously and drink deep
gulps.

Climb highest rocky peak at dusk. Razor-back
ridge. Mother hawk scream nearby. Must
backtrack and then go straight down near dark
feet fall through layers of scrub pine, hands
grab for the live stalks only support against
broken bone.
                          Choose steep narrow bed of loose rocks,
surely waterfall in some other season and descend
on *** and all fours, feet first always fearful
it will end in an uncontrollable hundred foot drop.
Trickles of water nearing bottom.
                                                         ­  Cracked hands, raw
behind, cross final snowbank and attain road
along Snake Creek.

It is tomorrow as I stray solitary
and walk myself awake, standing
on the grass that grows the greenest
on this here higher side
where the moon sleeps on the shadows
above your mud-cloaked body.

This silver orb, so tempestuous,
upon it still can always be relied
whilst here feet find, to be at its fullest elevation,
grass glowing silver and stones a sibilant, sacrificial grey;
as the gravity of that oval brightness
diminishes all other light.

My bare feet ***** down the flora
that grows hopeful from your skin
and up I turn, looking for comfort
in a bare and barren sky
where even the brightest stars,
those thousand sharpened shards
of brittle glass glimmering,
fade too into blackness

as here, cloaked in this shining dark,
I am reminded
that the full fury of the sun rests so still now,
held blind beneath my weary feet.

He said close your eyes,
then make a wish?
But you are my wish ...

So, She looked up to the sky
The stars where all aligned
It was The kind of night that takes your breath away
No, it was not love, not like in the movies
Neither the best of friendships
But It was you...

And for the first time she's daring
dancing in the sand
with hair all over her face
The kind of dance you do when you're little and free,
with your feet bare

and for the first time
She didn't care what was gonna happen
So she rolled the dice and risk it all

Her mind was in Hawaii,
Dancing under waterfalls,
Wandering through rainforests,
Picking tropical flowers and
Braiding them into her hair,
Simmering on sandy beaches,
And gazing at the stars.

Her heart was in Normandy,
Eating crepes and sipping lattes,
Strolling through spring green fields
And along lazy river banks,
Kissing the walls of castles,
And scooping up scallop shells,
Soaking up French syllables.

Her hands were in her pockets,
High-fiving friends and
Running through her lover's hair,
Sewing, cooking, washing,
Punching, tearing, scratching,
Caressing and confessing,
Catching the very first drops of rain.

Her feet were on the streets of Seattle,
Tapping to the rhythm of the bass,
Shuffling in and out of the rain,
Dodging puddles and strangers,
Observing art and sculptures,
Chasing down a taxi or her dog,
and embracing the crisp autumn air.

Her lips were on the edge of a soda can,
Singing along to her favorite songs,
Whispering sweet nothings into the air,
Empowering the impoverished
And scorning the injustice,
Kissing a forehead, lips, and hads,
And stonecold silent as her mind does the work.

Her eyes were fighting back frosty tears,
Swallowing scarlet sunsets,
Painted in yesterday's make up,
Tracing your stoic silhouette,
Rolling like thunder before the storm,
Lapping up dizzying moonlight,
And buried in words, and words, and words.

Her body was in Los Angeles,
But, she was on a metanoia,
Breaking free of past and future
To find herself a presence
That would always be worth fighting for,
To reach sophrosyne, namaste,
And to put her frantic body to peace.

you keep tripping on eachothers feet
and I'm just watching, wanting to fix it all
but my solution is merely mine, not your intention
and as we dine, you look in her eyes
this is the part that I despise
and I can feel the heat, every tap, every beat
my racing heart and my ice cold glare
breaks you two, eachothers stare
you fall to pieces, the tension so strong
you know I've held on way too long

and you're just tripping on eachothers feet
so much confusion
my desire is not her solution
and you feel my cold stare, my dead eyes
breaking you in two
to think that it could have been just me and you
I crack your voice as I interject
you see me tearing
so you fall to pieces, the tension so strong
because you know I've held on way too long

and you two keep tripping on each others feet
tripping as I watch
wanting to dance into my sense of defeat
by her I've been beat
and her satisfaction now tears me
her satisfaction is what wears me
and you know I feel it, you feel it too
so then I run, grab you, and sob
and before you said goodbye
I watched you try to grab the dinner check
but your cash went short
so you only covered her meal
and I swear this mustn't be real
and by now I'm trying to hold back, no more tears
I almost did crack watching you two
this was my biggest fear
because I wanted to dance with you
or simply the clarity that this is through

The bright city lights remind me of the nights we spent so young

The fall air reminds me of the days we spent cheek to tongue

The memories take the life out of me and the man I wanna be

If I could I would let it all go, I would

But my heart just brings me back to the day when I begged you to stay but there you stood...

~ D.P. Shoemaker

here I sit
grounded
speaking of who I now am
I am a worker

I will not get off my wall
these hands that shake, fearfully
they will work until they are sore

you can try to pull me down
or shake my foundation
but, no, not me
not this time

its at this moment
when I realize this wall is only for me
the one who knows the truth
who knows the way and life

you can try to climb my wall and join me
but no, that's not how this works
you will crumble
crumble into a pit of endless ruin if you do this alone

don't come to me for help
come to him
he will start a new wall for YOU
you are a worker now

you will work until your hands shake
fearfully
working until you are sore

It was a love like no other

until he saw her feet.

That's when he turned and walked away.
She didn't cry, cut, or even ask him to stay
because that's when she knew
*that it wasn't love at all

The soil recognizes
the vibration of your
soft soul and soft soles
when you walk around
the garden's edge.

Grounds from every corner
of the world hasten
to be underneath your feet.

Twenty dignified, upright,
and humble footsteps
from the lilies
to carnations

and much of the earth
is covered.

I've got a craving
A craving to feel the ground beneath my feet
To cover as many miles as I can
I've got to get out
get away
Distance the only measure of progress
Detach and disappear
Clean break
Amputation without a phantom itch
So tired of this steel and glass cage
City structures and the suffocating stench of decline
I feel it in every pore and cell
Run
I feel the decay devouring me
Get out of this poisonous atmosphere
Before it kills you