First Thing in the Morning

Sometimes

nothing is

so sweet as

silence.

Only the

sound of

my deep,

gentle

breathing.

No noise

from the

television,

the radio,

the cars

and the

neighbors.

The sun rises,

the birds

chirp and

sing.

The breeze

jangles the

wind chimes

and rustles

the leaves.

And so

I lie there

in my bedclothes,

supine and soft,

savoring

the silence

of the dawn.

LIFE RAMBLE

I’m alive, yes.

But I’m not living.

The thirst for adventure

For change

For excitement

Is too great.

I need to walk

And talk

And fuck

And relish all of it.

All of this magic

That I possess

And the love I have

In store

Is useless

Without anyplace to

Put it.

I need to travel

And see amazing things.

Macchu Picchu. Everest.

The Great Barrier Reef.

The Grand Canyon.

My fear has held me back

From my life for too long.

I have sat on my ass

And watched the parade pass

Too many times.

Before it’s too late,

I want to hold your face

In my hands and

Kiss your lips

And mean it.

I want to dive

As far as a man can go

On a single breath.

Satori.

The need to touch

The beard of God.

No more fear.

No more shame.

Getting naked.

Screaming.

Swearing.

Sweating.

Until I am exhausted and spent.

Freedom from everything.

Uncompromised, unfettered love.

Life without death.

Ecstasy without embarrassment.

Life.

No more waiting.

No more watching.

Time to live.

Juno in Bali

Sitting around the bonfire in Bali

Watching the tribe dance and flit

Invoking the magnificent gods.

Suddenly a peacock appears

At my feet.

Where did he come from?

He didn’t just wander here.

I turn my head

And to my right

Juno is seated

Right next to me.

My heart grows miles big

And I want to tell Juno

A million things.

But she understands them all.

I haven’t had to say a word.

And while the tribe sings and dances and drums,

Juno’s heart tells mine,

“I’m proud of you.”

Then she wraps me in her goatskin cloak

And I feel divinely protected.

The things we don’t have to say to each other

Sing louder than the voices around us.

Juno disappears.

Her love does not,

And never will.

They Came Home

They came home

After being away for a year or so

Fighting in a faraway land

And keeping us safe.

They came home

After staring the devil in the face.

They lived to talk about it.

I’m sure they were so scared.

They came home

After seeing such horror

Not even an angel

Could fathom it.

But they came home.

They came home

To a mother

And father

And friends that loved them so much.

They came home

And they would never be the same.

Now the biggest hardships

Could be tossed off with a shrug.

Once you come home

After seeing such evil and such need

Everything is different.

But sooner or later

By hook or by crook

you do come home.

And they came home.

THE LAIR OF THE GODDESS


Here
In her lair
Is where life thrives.

Here
In her lair
Is where time ceases to be.

Here
In her lair
Is where truth lives.

This is the lair
Of the Goddess.

This is where
Her power grows
And flourishes.

This is where
Magic happens
And spirits sing.

The fortunate few
Who enter
The lair of the Goddess

Find themselves
Forever changed.

The Immaculate Love

To Sarah and Lily Belle

There may not be

A love quite like

That of a mother

For her baby.

It is an immaculate love.

Clean and pure as the

Falling snow.

Solid and strong as the

Tallest, thickest wall.

The newborn’s whole hand

Could fit in Mommy’s pinky

And it is the tie

That binds forever.

Baby’s eyes lock on Mommy’s

And the connection is deep

And permanent.

Their love will never fail

And never wither or die.

For it is absolute and real.

It is an immaculate love,

That of a mother and a baby.

Unspoiled, inalienable, and holy.

Human words quail in its face

And sadness is easily defeated

By its beauty.

The smile of a newborn babe

And the wonder of its mother.

Form a bond and a love

Like no other.

Valley Forge

How he longed to be six again,

running through the meadows

at Valley Forge

Holding a red balloon

as he skipped and pranced,

Smiling the untroubled,

innocent smile of a

child unwrinkled by life.

Coming to rest under a big oak tree

and lying in the tall grass

where a wounded Continental soldier

may once have.

He wished he could have relished

those carefree days

Now that he spent all his time

before the computer

in his office.

He wished he'd never let that

red balloon go

that perfect day

at Valley Forge.