Cold Shoulder

There is a tension
a growing glare
clouds gather
The back of your head
is all I see
I'm running and running
but I don't move
Wind begins to blow
I am frozen in place
by your icy indifference
cold shoulder
stinging rain
sweet release
I've been waiting so long
the drought had me hopeless
now I am free
lightning empowers me
I move forward
lunging with determination
I tap your shoulder
but you are an illusion
my hand falls right through
and I fall, too
down into the darkness
thunder in my ears

"Harmless"

The lake looks calm
peaceful
harmless
glittering in the sunset
It is tempting
I know exactly what I want
I want to swim
I test the water
It is cold
but I know I will get used to it
So without a second thought
I plunge right in
I can stand on the rocks
and the muddy ground
until I get in deeper
I can swim
but this lake
is foreign to me
The first time I go under
it is exhilarating
I sink into the murk once again
I cannot breathe
I can no longer swim
I am floundering at the mercy of the water
just like that
things changed
I underestimated the lake
and it spurned me
unseen fish nip at my ankles
as I gasp for air
A cold, slimy hand
grabs my leg
pulling me deeper
I am dying
I am dying

Slow to Trust

You retreat to a dark place
I cannot follow
I see you slip away
I reach out
but you are so far already
A coyote
turning to run
fleeing in fear
I am just a human
clumsy, slow
incapable of understanding
What's worse
I look like the hunter
a human as well
He has hurt you so many times
You are so slow to trust
so slow to trust that not even
those who try to protect you
can earn your trust
Slow to trust
Quick to run
You don't trust anyone
They want to keep you in a cage
and you know that
So you continue to run...

Surrounded by People

Surrounded by people
you are silent

In a crowded room
you are alone

You are hardly
the boy I know

Not quite the same as the boy who
walked down the street with me

You are cold and distant
not the playful guy
who surprises me from behind

The boy who tickled me the other day
is gone
replaced by a stranger

A tired, worn soul

The hand I used to hold
is slightly out of reach

Leaves

the crunch of leaves
beneath my feet
I can feel
that autumn breeze
hardly makes a sound
lifting leaves off the ground
spinning around
this quiet town
your hand in mine
we've got all time
while the sun still shines
not a thought in mind

Sunset Boulevard

Take me back down Sunset Boulevard
Large houses with glass walls
midday sun gleam and reflect
Field of gentle pink flowers
A road to the end
the end of the state
or the end of the earth
Red lighthouse
a beacon
Shady trees next to searing sand
Birds with long necks and legs
An adventure
a journey
in a place I'd never been
but I look into your dark eyes
they hide so much
but not now
for now we are children again
there is excitement in your eyes
You grab my hand
lead me through the trails
at the swamp by the sea
and I trust you.

Grandpa's Stones

They say you can’t have a rainbow

Without a little rain

But you knew a secret

A pretty little crystal

And a ray of sunlight

A rainbow indoors

On a sunny day

You also knew why the sky was blue

You would tell me every day

Every morning you would find the little rainbow

The one on the wall

You would show me your other rocks

The ones you made from salt

The ones that looked like gold but weren’t

The smooth multi-colored ones

The slice of colorful rock

Not everything is as it seems

Rocks that fly on the ground to play a game

Certain spot it lands, certain amount of points

I never really did understand that game

And when it rained

We would get an umbrella

And continue walking anyway

Nothing could stop us

We would go hiking in the woods

Across little streams with glittering sunlit rocks

It became a collection

And then while we were at the park

A rainbow might make an appearance

You would point up at the sky

Smile on your face

Marveling at the little miracles of life

Maybe real rainbows are made with rain

But you knew a secret

I still have that pretty little crystal

Now it makes rainbows on my kitchen cabinets

A little piece of magic

A little piece of you