Untethered

I like how you see your sister whenever

you happen upon the majestic hawk

who is wise and free

like her

I had a dream I was flying

It felt more like falling

and  I woke up shaking

My fate is unknown

out of my control

and the only guarantee

We see her soar above

the swamp-green lake

beautiful in its familiarity

I can't understand what it really is to fly

Is it a flight for survival?

She must spot the swimmers and the scurriers

more easily from up there

Is it a flight for enjoyment?

If she was tethered, it'd be the no-need-to-pedal sensation

after the climb of her life

I hope all living things experience awe

It's hard to imagine not

from way up there

when we get to experience it down here

just looking up at her wide wings

wondering

Making an Investment

You've taught me a lot about

the importance

of a sturdy pair of shoes

and since I'm on the subject

of making an investment

(sore feet is a price

none of us like to pay

since it keeps us off

the trails

the court

and the pavement)

Tucson, almost spring, 1985

to Rabbit Mountain before

the next unwelcome snowstorm

mucking up our streets

March 16, 2022

Two children who love you too much

to ever leave you out of anything

one in London with a pretty girl

and one just counting down the stressful moments

until her next margarita

Thank you for the sturdiest shoes.

Thank you for wearing them, and

thank you for tying mine.

All of the Beautiful Places

When it's early spring 

and people flock to sunny

slabs of rock,

I think about how truly we all

want the same things.

I think about the man who said, "There are

too many people,

far too many people,"

and how he was one of us,

easing out of the darkness

of winter,

seeking some picture-worthy adventure,

or hoping he might be

the only one who needed

to see something beautiful.

I like thinking about all of the beautiful places

he must have seen in his lifetime so far.

I realized

I love sharing

with my fellow humans

whether I know them or not.

I think my biggest hope

is that we all see something beautiful

every day.

For example,

in the canyons there are 

emerald rivers that flow to towns where 

people smile and 

take the time to care

for one another.

I'm so thankful

for all of the beautiful places.

Purple

 I'd like nothing more than to tell another

story about you

instead of drawing the bare-wintered

Whomping Willow

listening two chapters later than the time

you yet again said something so cleverly

defensible it stopped me in my tracks,

laughing

You apologized because you knew

I never thought of it that way

I wished you didn't feel the need to

apologize

carrying with you the charm

only a student can bring their teacher

for steering the narrative in an actually

interesting direction

What does it matter admiring someone

if you attempt to control their narrative

gatekeeping longed-for letters

spying from the bushes

violet pudding on the floor

trapped in a home that's not a home

all in the name of security

keeping someone safe

who just wants to be free