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When It Seems That (Poem)
nothing can happen nothing can change
the morning will always be
the blast of the train before it blocks the road
and the crows sharpening their gaze
remember how heavy time hung in the air
in the hot afternoon of childhood
moments dripping like limp leaves from the mimosa tree
disappearing faster than that one cicada brood
every labored breath took me forward
every fall a type of momentum
early lessons that any route leads somewhere
even for the dead
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On Reading Li-Young Lee (Poem)
and when you walk down the street
that one line so sharp incisive
piercing your heart your gut the base of your spine
you leave a bloody trail
memories blending with viscera in your wake
you don’t even realize this until you stop
then cannot reach for the door
you are missing an arm a leg a rib or two
but still stand lost in wonder
the beauty worth the unseen cost
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Here I Can (Poem)
walk across a rainbow street
without looking both ways at once
for a truck that will speed to hit me
eat rich garlic ramen
so spicy that my mouth goes numb
and I grab for the can of cool jasmine tea
dress up down shave my head
black leather vest
sardonic gaze and confident gait
go to a club a bookstore a tea house
any random shop
welcome without personal regard
I can just I can just I can just
be
