We were born in the forest,
Living in the shadows,
Clinging to our loved ones
In the dark, under the trees.
Life was good then,
We had picked fruit from branches
And swung on them for joy.
And there was no greed
Or jealousy.
Over millions of years,
We lived in harmony,
Until the forest changed;
The garden shriveled and
Faded away as we watched.
Our lives were rearranged.
Some among us ventured out.
Giving in to our sin: curiosity.
We turned the grasslands
into pavement and stone
And we endured pain to walk
Down in the street, surrounded
by canyons of concrete and steel.
The powerful gather now
and hoard what was once shared.
Hors d’oeuvres are served,
Placating the hunger of the omnipotent,
that is never stated;
They will keep taking from us
As long as we allow it.
Even as they wallow in wealth,
They plot to plunder riches
and destroy the world,
scraping the land
and scouring the sea.
But one day, some loner, a rebel
May emerge from the shadows,
Dark-clad, filled with inchoate rage.
He will find like-minded souls
Who use the new machinations
To topple the oligarchs,
Empty their accounts
And give them to the world.
Chaos may follow,
But out of it a new humanity
Might arise.

For years they grew,
Unharmed, pure.
A forest of pristine, perfect trees.
Until I turned on them,
Scrutinizing and fearful.
I cut them down,
Chopped off branches
And ripped them from the dirt
Because they weren't good enough for me.
I rejected the sun
Because I couldn't see the light.
I denied the saplings room to grow,
Afraid of being okay again.
And let the parasites of doubt and fear and worthlessness to grow bigger,
To take hold instead.
I severed the ties of root systems,
Leaving myself on my own,
Solitary.
I refused them rain and fresh soil,
And carved lines in their bark instead.
But even as my forest withered,
And I longed to destroy everything left,
As the sky grew darker and the air colder,
I realized that even through the darkest nights
Stars will shine.
So I made constellations in my head.
I let the roots grow back
And made new connections.
I let the bark heal and replenish the soil.
I help new saplings grow, and nurture the ones that hid,
Safe but invisible as disease raged on.
I work on killing my demons, the parasites that still try to haunt me.
But I am stronger now.
So I let the sun rise
Over the healing landscape of my mind

trudging further into dark wood,
    far off the beaten track,
shrinking deeper beneath this hood,
    purposeless to turn back.

no bread crumbs, for they can't follow,
    I can't make any room,
in this; my dark lonely hollow,
    solitude; set in gloom

I'll befriend a woodland creature,
    like a badger or a shrew,
but my forest cannot feature;
    a true friendship with you

we could try to do some hiking,
    or camp under the stars,
yet I know these trees arent your liking,
    thick trunks will turn to bars

delicate moths wish
to kiss
  your oxygen-eating fingers,
   as you gently consume
    sun-dried limbs
     of monster-trees.

     your dear children,
    born of the plant flesh
  you disintegrate,
dance on the whistling breeze.

should one of your young
  dare to tiptoe
   on brittle blades
    of winter-deceased grass,
     she will grow
      more impressively
       than you,
        her mother.

    she will indulge
   in tender gluttony,
  softly swallowing whole
the homes
of woodland denizens.

conceived of woodpecker houses,
  her own daughters
   enter the world,
    spread their mother's warmth,
     just as your sweet baby
      did with yours.

and forever you burn.

Hopscotch
Sasquatch
Let me see
Let me smell

Walk,
Run,
Fly through my pain
Who cared once

I am but none
Dizzy, as the world
Shaking, as our edifice
Let me hold, Caris, on fiery arms

By nothing I’d swear
If by the love I feel
Like electricity
A shock to life, and my engines are quiet

I’ve burnt my fuel
Rather, it’s been burned by others
I gather wood before
Only a few musty branches

But you, I find
Deep in the dark night of the woods
By a huge, dry oak
“Would you like some?”

I can’t tell
If you can’t chop it on your own
Or you want to share it with me
But I could use an oaken heart

To burn together
To make a fire of wonders
To warm up the night
To cuddle, rest our lips together

Where does the road
In the forest go
How many fires will we light
How many nights will we lay together

Maybe the forest will be
A kind home with you
Or maybe we’ll exit
And find a riviera of gold

Wherever we are
Wherever we go
I’m glad to share the fire
I’m glad to share our selves

There is music, coming from afar
Can you hear it?

The frogs of the forest
Are seldom silent.

Their croaking resonates,
Moving the air like liquid.

Other animals are forced
To listen to the tiny tyrants.

One of the frogs hesitates
Before saying,

The frogs of the forest
Are seldom silent.