known quantity

there is intellectual satisfaction in
getting the right label, the right name or title
for any given person or situation

but the limitations created by that act
are tangible
and yet without the category
we float aimlessly with no landing gear
nowhere to land.

letter to his spirit

what words can convey this energy of wishing
this pure desire for merging
this wanting so much
for a new way to be in that intimate space
what words can convey these messages
how i am equal parts cynic and romantic
who can appreciate the heights and depths to which i would gladly go
for a reciprocity of the utmost sincerity
yes there is impatient poetry
pressed between my lips
insisting i let it out of the cage of my heart
yes there is desire beaming from my eyes
like undeniable light every time i see you
what am i guilty of if not letting that light spill
a little too carelessly?

unfolding

the universe is so forgiving
that ocean water was made to taste like tears
just to remind us
we are that vast
we are that deep
we are that diverse
the universe is so forgiving
that each day you can wipe your face
on the sunlight
and lift your fears to the stars
when people let you down
you have a rope to forgiveness and it reaches for you
as you reach for it
what all in that pain
is beautiful if not the very fact and essence
of you unfolding
creates waves in salt water
knowing a presence of mind
can grow into unforeseen colors
when night falls

get clear

the truth i need to tell
is the beginning of an unwinding spell
the spell that has been cast on the past

unlocking this will release the hold the self created demons have

I am the one who will light my own way

people move in and out of my life like so many starry nights
focus narrows and truth spills like light from a hole in the wall
not knowing which way to point
pointing everywhere

tables filled with dust
and conclusive rust
cobwebs gather i would rather
get clear

in the first place

wings

the feathers are sullen until they are golden
they have some rhyme
they have some reason
they even have a season
spring summer winter fall
wings with feathers from ancient eras
these ancestors blessed you with them out of gratitude to you
for carrying the torch
do you carry their torch?
do you take the wings and insert them into your back
and trailblaze them down your arms and prepare for lift off?
can you see the earth from that view?
these ancestors lent you their DNA
so you may choose
when and how
to use
your wings