Reality
7 years
i cheered
for football
and basketball
was co-captain
junior year
and captain
senior year
but they never
once
saw me cheer
in 7 years
i had to beg
for a ride
to the games
from neighbors
and others
and catch a ride
back
dreading
what was waiting
…
behind the door
TL
Damage Done
the constant
crack of cans
opening
each one
thrown out
the back door
a collection
to crush
on a concrete floor
empty cases
of silver bullets
and then it begins
…
in the glassy eye
slurred speech
wobbled walk
spitting on the floor
spewing vile and hate
evil raging on a red face
things escalate
the feeling of doom descends …
everywhere
monsters are made
at the bottom of beer
cans
and hard liquor
bottles
alcoholics have no
recollection
of the destruction
but the child
in the corner
cannot forget
no matter how hard
they try
they cannot
forget
TL
Walking Away …
growing up
i took a lot
of walks
especially
in the flame
of summer
it was a way
to think
my own thoughts
and let go
of the breath
i’d been holding
as if i were under
water
walking was different
than running
i loved running
‘cause it felt like flying
but sometimes
i didn’t have it in me
to run
walking didn’t require
much
i could drag my feet
along
if it was too tough
to lift ‘em
off the ground
i’d take off walking
to each dead-end
sign
and turn back around
yearning for the quiet
of trees
there was no screaming
or constant cussing
no slamming doors
or flying objects
no broken glass
or violent fists
no silent tears
streaming down
the mirror
or seeping into the pillow
there was a stillness
in the grass
the wing of a bird
brushed against the sky
a pasture of horses
across the street
that knew me
knew somehow i needed ‘em
they’d stand out there
withstanding the worst
of weather
i’d watch ‘em
out the school bus
window
bracing for impact
whenever i took a walk
my walking always
led to them
and whenever they’d see me
coming down the road
they’d stop
whatever they were doing
and move toward me
in a graceful gait
they’d let me pet ‘em
on the head
and feed ‘em apples
they belonged to the people
who lived in the big ‘ole house
in the middle of a lot of land
edged by miles
of wooden fence
i would makeup stories
in my head
‘bout the folks who lived there
and they were always …
happy
i was a daydreamer
my whole life
no matter where i was
or what i was doing
alone or in public
i was daydreaming
it was a way
to cope with chaos
like all those walks
i took
down that long stretch of dirt
from one dead-end sign
to the other
and back around
to the pasture
where the unicorns
were waiting
for me
TL
Too Late for Tears
t
h
e
y
who go
unnoticed
unchecked
unhappy
behind
small smiles
they live their little lives
in an imaginary
world
created in the cracks
in the eruption
… the interruption
of childhood
p l a y
they never had
a chance
born into
traumatic
circumstance
too young
to get in a car
and drive away
too scared
to speak up
and say
too conditioned
to accept
the way it is
children don’t get
a chance to choose
how they are
raised
some get lucky
and make it
out …
but some
never get to leave
the black box
….
laid to rest
in a meadow
down
that knows no
walls
no doors
no locks
the wind blows
through
and through
TL
Avalon
snow in the sea
it glistens
like the rain
through the trees
a breath of frost
on the ground
high on the hill
the bells are ringing
an eternal spring
TL
Golden Boy
he felt
the earth
beneath his feet
along the rugged
trail of trees
each step
drawing him closer
and closer
to the center of his soul
as he climbs higher
and higher
to the summit
of a sunset
he is not alone
an Eagle flies overhead
beckoning him further
along
whenever he grows weary
he stops
and rests on a rock
a butterfly lands on his hand
resting, too
he can hear the chorus of birds
chirp
the squirrels scraping
against the bark
he listens to the quiet
of deer walking
sees the sunlight
dance with the wind
he makes his way to the river
and bends down
his cup runneth over
he watches diamonds
wink on water
the whisper of wildflowers
on the bank
a yellow leaf drops down
and floats on by …
he watches it
‘til it disappears
from sight
he feels free
happy within
he continues on
his path
he needs no map
at the crossroads
a little boy
looks back
stops and waves
before he takes off
flying
TL