That Dream Again

Awake after that dream about you

Navigating the immediate emotions in the gloaming

Hurt at your absence

Realizing you're not really here  

Uncertain of my tenuous footing

Your brief presence countering the reality

That you were so close

We knew each other's touch

Encountered instant revival

Now, the longing persists, refusing to dissipate

You didn't have to go .....

September 2022

This dream was felt deeper than any others. Almost like she was within reach. When I awoke, the emotions stayed for hours. Not the usual rapid fadeout of dreams.

Old Man

Old man
Stooped and damaged
Your reluctant handshake lacks strength
Not as aged as you appear
Box of memories all that remains
Blinded by the loss of youth
Shivers and trembles
Out of place in today
Cynical towards society
Refusing to change and adapt
Resides in his dreams
Rooted in half a century ago
A journey shaken in lost faith
Wasn't always this way
But stamina worn down
By one soul numbing dagger at a time
Old friends faded from relavancy
Old loyalties lost meaning
In the onslaught of disrupted hopes
And repeated denials of love
Resigned to the final call
An empty distance in your gaze
The last of your lineage
No preperation for the sole survivor
It was you dancing on that forgotten corner
You seek shelter in each alley and shadow
Away from the chaos
Until voices conjure forth echoes
You appear for a moment, then fade ......

November/December 2015

Sudden Summer Rain

The rain arrived unannounced
Most of us appreciative of its appearance
Rated as a passing shower
It realized its fifteen minutes of fame
So despised in winter
But this day, mid-summer
Sparking elation and celebration among excited voices
You'd have thought we'd never experienced rain before
........ In western Oregon
Or that it rivaled designated official storms of the century
Maybe we should have named the event .... Randomly passing shower Edith
Or assigned it a "feels like" number
Like meteorologists tend to do
People come running to witness the event
A chilling breeze distributing the mist to all covered corners
Altering stale attitudes
Providing hope for a refreshed tomorrow
A previous recent rumor had failed to materialize
Never given a life
Even those who crave summer have grown weary of the relentless heat
Anxious for a change
Those folks, would be poor excuses for Floridians or Arizonians

August 18, 2015

Two Thirds Gone

Two thirds gone
Elevated expectations became empty years maybe better forgotten
And half-hearted hope in wishing for one more day
One more chance to get it right
To feel the fires of young again
If just for an hour …. or a brief moment
Or God willing, maybe what remains of a lifetime
To know the thrill without the fear
To revel in glory …. or is it fascination?
To be without cares
And shout joyfully in silence into the night
Reclaiming elusive fragments of short stories
Or giving life to random occurring dreams
The last encounter, I remember it vaguely
But still feel the warmth
Distant but present
And regrets in the ending
I used to face your horizon and send notes in the winds
Unscreened messages between the north and the south
Attached to wandering and reluctant stars
Unsure of destination and wary of translation
Over a waning and chilly decade ago
Could it be time for resounding renewal
Time to reopen forgotten possibilities
And recall the molten rarified air
Before being assigned to infinite oblivion
Before its life possibility grows any shorter

November 2014

Looking back at a life, wondering if it's too late? Wanting to feel again but afraid to feel again. Are the risks too great?