Present Echo

no fooling age in nature
conceived in it you never
leave behind plants animals
web of process and relation
you are either young or not
anyone can see the situation
so much lost or left behind
forgotten realizations of self
faintly echo into present time

Like Germs

language is like lumber except
every board is different "sprinkle"
more robust than "drizzle"
or the other way around

words are like germs except
they don't replicate
and you usually don't get sick

This Is How

closing my eyes I dissolve
into a field of stars falling
weightless and transparent
to the touch the sound of
silence singing in my head

this is how it always is now
waiting as crystals form I'm
ready to pounce imagining
someone behind the scenes
preparing to be the new me

metaphysically speaking I
used to know more how to
respond to a night's beauty
not just notice all is lost or
fading gracefully into dust

Life Itself

the void is now
clear air again
exposes possibilities
action in the letters
can be life itself
like Bach's music
mopping scrubbing
mowing not enough
sufficient exercise
and healthy habits
keep me strong
to what end

About Feeling

sorry
I
don't know what you're talking about
each his own secret language of feeling
words
slip out from under me
as I drift and dream

Still Young

Must I buy into this narrative of decline and disintegration? It's true of me personally, but people can still be young. Can't the world?

Must I pay attention to disaster and chicanery thousands of miles away? It may well affect me, perhaps destroy my life, but there is not a thing I can do to change what happens at a distance. Here I can mow, clean, do laundry, cook dinner and wash dishes, plant flowers, and water the garden.

Must I feel implicated in the cynical worldview of our hopelessly corrupted leaders? I am an idealist. I think we should all be happy. Much must change to make that possible.

Isn't it obvious that competition for dominance, maximization of short-term gain, exploitation of resources, and reliance on growth are the wrong priorities, setting us at odds with each other, destroying the planet, and sending us all over the waterfall? Not all. The rich and their toadies will preserve their privilege and watch the rest of us drown.

How can I be more open, loving, generous, accepting, and light-hearted?