Practicing flute

he wore red shoes
his hands palm a basketball with ease
I could tell he had been in the sun
when he wasn't in a claustrophobic
practice room where his gelled hair
brushed against the ceiling.
we talked philosophy
and psychology
how practice helps you find
your weaknesses and strengths,
how the air expelled from your lungs
helps you find yourself.

Reckless

how dare you ride your bike down the street
without looking, so involved in your life you
didn't even see the car door swing wide,
so wide it caught your right leg, tearing
across your skin, your book bag, fully loaded
skidded across the pavement, your shoulder
melding with loose pebbles,
how dare you interrupt the well planned
day of this driver, who was busy looking at
his cell phone, so careful not to miss an
important call as he swung open his car
door wide catching you in its arms,
not the warm welcoming arms of a mother,
but sharp edges of someone who could care
less.

No place like home

we're out tonight walking the dog,
the moon hangs in the sky, a crescent moon
in a clear sky after a week of overcast
beautiful Oregon skies, there is no piece
of sky so wonderful as this
because it's home.

Crawling into Green

The branches hang low over the water
stabilized by massive trunks reaching up towards blue
sky and clouds, not a textured dark russet or
cracked walnut brown bark, soft threads
of green drape-like fabric beckon me to
rest in a multitude of green.

A Man and His Dog

under overcast skies, the ball follows a perfect trajectory up
towards the raindrops gathering in the clouds, down into
the hungry waves of a grey ocean.
a tan, white and black face, all dog grin, emerges from
the waves, ball in jaw, racing headlong toward
this man standing alone on the beach, smiling
at his dog, a man and his dog,
happy.

Mother, Twin and me

I noticed he looks just like her
for the first time this morning, those eyes framed
in grey whisps around the round face,
the same teeth straight on top,
crooked below, the nose,
the smile.
maybe I never wanted to see it before,
their closeness always hurt too much it would
be overwhelming to see that they even looked alike.
now, I can stand with them and maybe even look
a little like her myself. 

L'Atelier

celebrate
money in hand, vacant and sold
clean carpets, a crack in the front stoop
on to the next student, a parent writing a check,
for us, a glass of wine in hand, cheese spread across
the perfect toast to us, honey, heirloom bees wing across the plate
we're free finally to pay the bill
no worries.