The Axel Vault

In September I see boots before
the first rain, vast migrant flocks
flying before the last late sunset
threatens: a strange, nervous pox
which might never find a certain cure
where the stricken fly in nervous flocks

In September I can't focus, I
am estranged, staring out
at the passional sky so proud
to be falling so many
dreams happily dying and by

I thought to buy you a trinket
to express the warmth in my heart for you.
Some small token that might find a home
next to your bed.
There were toys, lawn-gnomes
and rocking chairs
swaying in the cold April wind.
This life falls short of you
in my fleeting paradise beneath the spotlight
I remain incomplete. There is more
to my dream than was planned
I did not mean to love you

I work on Sunset now
where dreams die and take shape
where highways are twisted at the throat
of the green that once was
sometimes with more choice
comes less freedom
more sugar in place of food
sirens for a handshake
bright lights casting longer shadows
soon the earth will erupt
and reshape the landscapes
in her likeness
to invade the invaders
with mountains for fingers

A dog barks at the morning prayer
and the sky remembers everything

the smoke-filled houses
leaned against each other
the wild green hand of nature
clutching at humanity. Go ahead
and die, says the world
we will not find you
in your toothpick temples
eating rice and leaves. Your children
are not lucky enough to feel
the breath of medicine.
There is no love to spare.

thoughts of pale colors
faded with time
secrets written with hope
this sacred routine
shines like a dull penny
and I feel a new gravity
beginning again.
circles collide and it is
not an illusion
only one road
with infinite scope
I exist
to feel the pressure of love
like a hunting bird circles
before the kill
is it now?
said the mule
looking up
at a shadow

I have wanted so much
from today. To see changes
from a distance,
not like this
with my own flesh
beside the furnace.
And what
of the paths we dig
in the earth, sinking
every day
to our knees with habit
carved into our faces?
We were born to love
to cry
but not to hold our breath
in the dark embrace
of circumstance

today we make the promises
tomorrow we keep them

Wine
I spent too much on me
Last night
I felt your body breathe
Your heart
Burning next to me

So
Here we are again
Fireflies
Lighting up the fence
You spin
Further into me
We’re at the end

I’ve waited here for someone
Who peels herself an onion
With the hand of patience
If I stand in your favor
It’s a gift I’ll open later
Like a flame burning backwards

Somewhere in this chaos lives good fortune
Perched beside a campfire
Breathing in the stars
Without numbers
I feel these forces move through me
A lover’s rage and a lonesome hunger
My true north and my blessings
Contented for now
And the flow of these images
Spirals of patience and love
As I drag my possessions behind me
Scraps of mortar and blood

I build myself a landscape

I can’t concentrate
When the day yawns
and through this glass door
I see the outside
A haze over the canyon
A wet mask held in place
These are just glimpses
Some other system of faith
Help me remember the way
That I saw this cold rain
As falling jewels
Littering the sky
And in my troubled sleep
I am a witness to the morning
Bright fingers around the earth
The science of summer

Life in slow motion.
I always made mistakes
Forgive me. Truth be told
I have been weak for some time
But you know this. We believed each other
And it was beautiful
Until the weight of my own darkness
Touched your shoulder. Silence
For me is passion
Passion for me is
When you come
I wish a thousand blessings on you
For not hesitating
For bringing me closer
All I have to offer