the color of the grass
on this side
of the fence
still waiting
for this mountain to move
wild mustard seedlings
back of my apartments
the same nothing
I found in the mountains
I reach down
and awaken
an old piano
out of
a deep sleep
day moon
I imagine
the longest kite string
a million stars on the beach
the riptide
steals them back
end of summer
these warm apples
that taste like sunset
how bright these stars
when I stop to listen
to my heart
your bluebright eyes
still flickering
with flashes of storm
basement window sun
empty mason jars
filled with fire
dirt on the window
where the rain
was playing
flames of black susans
burning down
my neighbor's garage
eyes closed ears underwater
I listen to myself
disappear
my old teddy bear
tells my grandson
all my secrets
this morning
the sun bent down
to pick me up
when I thought
no one was ever happy...
morning sparrows
part lie
part sunshine --
love
flame of moon
burning from the wick
of a pine tree
afternoon sky
no boundaries
but me
butterfly tattoo
fluttering in the moonlight
as we make love
the crackling sound
as the sun falls through branches
to the ground
afternoon pond
watergliders sliding
across the clouds
grasshoppers and I
playing leapfrog
through the weeds
deep within the tree
the shadows
of the shadows of birds
ocean of violets
we float in secret
hidden by waves
crack in the window
where the sunrise
tried to get in
happy sunset
even my autofocus
smiles
these soft pillows
and this blue moon
you were waiting for
on a dead tree
a hundred black leaves --
crows
juniper tree
a cardinal sings
while he packs his bag
middle of the day
these dreams of you giggle
and jump on my bed
my poem
tells all her friends
I don't understand her
then God colored
the silence blue --
empty sky
high up in the leaves
further than the cat can climb
September wind
the tail of my secrets
slips through the fence
and disappears
I find myself on a leaf
and hold me
in my hand
in the closet
my restless
winter coat
ferret
gives me
a lapdance
when I was the rain
and you were the first tongue
I found
the mud on my shoes
that remembers
being a mountain
a spider and I
dangling
from the strongest nothings
the sad things I write
she smiles them
upside-down and inside-out
just as I was giving up
a dog with three legs
drops a ball
at my feet
and stares
the woman who couldn't cry
painting
in watercolors
when you stopped calling
and I was
just half a secret
walking you
off my mind...
how these street lights blur
last one
out of Summer
turns off the fireflies
the glowing embers
of deep red roses
as Summer burns away
I write a haiku
and stir it
into my coffee
the sound
of grasshoppers
going home
making love in the garden
a little dirt caked
on your tomatoes
rainwater birdbath
a bluejay dries his wings
with the sky
when you picked up the pieces
and forgot the one
that was me
coal sky
new moon
crushed into diamonds
my mind
weaving
in traffic
the pastor's dog
playing in the church
of sun and trees
no explanation
from God
just sparrows
I am
a heart-stringed
instrument
no reason at all
the sky
the leaves
and I
change
the brightest shade
of black --
new moon
drunken night wind
lonely
and angry about it
butterfly petals
hanging
from the wings of roses
one Autumn breeze
and Summer
goes airborne