I'm too afraid to say it
'cause that would make it real
I don't want anyone to worry,
it's really no big deal
and if you get concerned
then don't ask me how I feel
because I am choking on summer sun much too hot,
and I am dying in Arizona on a Sunday night
and I am dancing on a tabletop in a bar
and I am stealing a drag from secondhand smoke
and I won't say the word that I know is true
It's too big a mouthful
And if I can't handle it, how could you?

Wash my face with cold spring water
and my hair still smells like your cigarettes
sleeping under moon and alder
for once, I have no regrets.

Caught you in summer
by fall I'll be ready for the chase once more.
For now, let's just be gentle with one another
let us play upon the lakefront shore.
The sky and the expanse of a reservoir
reflections of a perfect sunset, lilac hue
it's hurts, it's true
in the end
I'm always coming back for you.

Fire ignites where it wills
fighting against the black of night
wrap yourself around me
take away my chills
be my burning light.
Dark and amber bottle
makes this twilight seem all the longer
we reach out for what we can still see
and in the dark we wander.

Nature has no master
But neither does she
Perhaps it is a futile endeavor which men have attempted for centuries to no avail,

To gather her water
To fight against a stone fence as it returns to the earth
Or keep drought from ravaging crops

Can she be had?
To tame her would be a self ruining task
As destructive to the settled as the settlor

Can nature be courted?
Gifted crowns of daisies and garlands of lilac
From her own bounty springs forth more and more
What is there to give to a source of such abundance

But her winter is ruthless!
Taking the young from the flock
Sweetness cannot exist without the bite
That dull void she harbors within

And when summer comes,
She leaves sweat trailed amongst the harvest
With golden wheat stalks strewn about

To tame the wheel of seasons would be futile
Those who came before were swept along clinging to her spokes

So, does she appreciate hesitation?
The willingness to relinquish control
The embracing of uncertainty

Or will she carry on
in her infinite self-assured
forward momentum
Awaiting the next

Nature's summer is close to come,
Meanwhile my spirit is still in winter.
This injury, when will I overcome?
To finally become a winner?

Do not look at me with those empty,
Trying-to-see-through-me eyes!
Without them I am so unhappy!
Without them I feel my body dies!

The day will come, and my cold body
Will not be warmed on summer rain,
The day will come, my dear buddy,
You will not see my smile again.

It is a cool summer night,                                                           ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­
fireflies are in flight,                                                          ­                      
                                                                ­                                                    
  stars like fireworks so bright,                                                          ­                    
                                            ­                                                               
    mosquitos with hearty appetites                                                        ­        
                                                        ­                                                        
There's a slight breeze around,                                                          ­  
                                                                ­                                                          
a moist dew on the ground                                                           ­                                 
                               ­                                                                 ­                      
A bonfire & cold beer,                                                            ­                      
                                                                ­                                                  
I'm wishing you were here                                                             ­                       
                                         ­                                                                 ­      
Kids playing with flashlights,                                                     ­                   
                                                                ­                                          
all camping out till daylight,                                                        ­              
                                                  ­                                                          
wading­ pools filled with grass,                                                           ­                                                   
                                                                ­                                                  
  the day faded so fast                                                             ­                 
                                                                ­                              
Marshmallows are grilling,                                                        ­                        
                                                                ­                                        
everyone is chilling                                                         ­                           
                                     ­                                                                 ­              
It's a perfect summer night,                                                           ­                 
                                                                ­                                      
  everything is just right

the colors were still bright
and i could hear the sun
and draw my deepest thoughts with chalk
i didn't want for anyone
hop-scotch on the driveway
chasing runaway ***** down the hill
hide-and-seek 'til we got called in for lunch
then right back outside to chase a thrill
the most i feared
in my younger years
was being kissed by bumble bees
mixing potions with the berries
we picked from climbing trees
if we missed a knot and skipped a step
a cartooned bandaid would pay our debt
or a push-pop from the freeze
we were reckless with our hearts
and our minds got off with ease
the worst of it
that we might get
was strawberries on our knees