A thousand thousand steps
to a bliss I’ll never know,
across lush valleys
and bilious little towns.
I imagine all the lives lived
in full dimensional grace behind
lit windows like beacons
but I can only see one,
a far away warmth,
kept like a timepiece on the mantle.
It’s getting colder now
as October has its way
with all creatures
of time and night.

He won me over

with a roundhouse kick to my heart

in the form of ice water and a hawk.

The signs are there for anyone

who bothers to research ancient symbols

and biblical double-speak.

We can all have a cheese Valhalla.

I’m an every-girl, twirling my curls

while munching pencils,

and I wished someone would

cross my toes with just the right force.

Little did I know I’d be asked to fly

without seeing.

Was empty the timeless wakening

too much mist for stars to align

no ceasing no beginning

picking up threads and dropping them

along the way to nowhere

a shuffling through dust and seed.

Straightening out a nonlinear barrage

emotions mislabeled tucked away

like wings or socks but it’s growing late.

It’s a life so short, but the days stretch

beyond what is comfortable.

Too tight or not tight enough, too warm

with no sense of warmth.

Much time is spent imagining

and then forgetting

because pretend things are painfully distant.

I’m as empty as hands cupping river water.

I am minutes in a sprawling galaxy.

The wall was perfect.

Green. A little weathered.

The brick nearby loved how

the fading sun gave way

to hanging lanterns swaying gently

on the Indian summer breeze.

I rifled as many memories as I could

and he filtered all but a few,

which wasn’t quite enough.

But it didn’t matter.

Words flowed like a familiar touch.

The empty room listened.

It was like a world unfolded

inside open arms. And it was warm,

a smile we could wear.

And then he laughed

and I watched his eyes watching mine.

We danced -across the table.