I have come to lay my head
on green hills, to lay my body
in verdant valleys, to let my
fears dissipate like grey smoke
from distant camp fires. I have
come to be among the pine and
dogwood trees, to let the apple
blossoms soften my sadness.
The sinuous White River speaks:
"Deliver unto me your heartaches
and tribulations. Let my tributaries--
the creeks and streams, the rills
and rivulets--wash away your
worries. I shall brook no sorrows."

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

I have come to walk
among mountains,  
meander among
meadows, sit among
clusters of wildflowers.
I have come to taste
the sweetness of blue
air, red skies, the orange
of the sun. I embrace
the fullness of rivulets
and streams. I eschew
silence and shadows:
I listen to and watch
monarchs flutter their
golden wings. All this
I soak into my soul.

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

How did you like the movie we never saw?
The popcorn, buttered and lightly salted,
we never shared, the sodas we never sipped?
How did it feel not to feel each other's hand,
your arm against mine? What was it like not
to hear the other's laugh or to cling to each
other when the movie we never saw scared
us? What did you think of the leading actor
and actress on the screen, because the screen
was never there? The drama, the plot, the
characterizations, the denouement, because
there were none of these? And the hug we
never hugged and the kiss we never kissed, as
we left the theater that never was there?
How did you like the movie we never saw?

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

I think I want to help,
but how heavy?
I think I want to be there,
but where?
I know that I like people,
But how many?

I will let the coffee brew.
I will pause to think it through.
I will help in time.

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

What does a "wild man" look like?
Does he have long hair and a beard,
or does he look like Ted Bundy?
Or does he look like a Catholic priest,
because he is one, who has spent
most of his religious life molesting
boys? Or does he look like most
fathers look who systematically
**** their daughters as they are
growing up? Or does he look like
dictators who abuse from a distance,
ordering mass slaughters of civilians
as easily as escargot from a five-star
menu? What does a "wild man" look
like anyhow?

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

The words give me their
poetry;  their melodies play
in my heart, their musicality
rings in my ear. I reach for
nothing. They come to me
of their own volition,
making gifts of their inherent
grace. The place they dwell is
sacred, their provenance sacro-
sanct. I am but the blessed
receiver of their beauty.

Copyright 2019 Tod Howard Hawks

Pardon me, sir.
May I borrow
your squalor
for a photograph?

I love
the repetition
of those wrinkles in your brow.
Hold it, please.

The contrast
of your brown skin
against the white plaster chipping
is marvelous.

When I
get them developed
I'll send you a print.
They'll look great in my portfolio.

Thank you
and your wife
and your eight kids
for this pose in poverty.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS