Often thoughts, words and even full writings come to me while walking. This was written during one of my daily walks just about a year ago. The words appear almost completely unedited from when I hammered them out on my phone as I walked. 

I like to think of it in the form of how I hear one of my favorite bands (Silver Jews). Their writing and cadence of delivery was in my head as the words flowed.

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with these steps the song will be written

that barking dog doesn’t scare me anymore, there was just something on his mind

now weathered and unmarked, roadside posts no longer lead the way

these endless right turns have you dizzy and ready to move on

roads ahead are unknown, but circles never reach tomorrow

red with beauty, winter berries hung upon the weeping shrub

drawing my gaze were orange shutters framing the mustard home

what is the wish of the oak as it envies the redwood

chimneys choke down yesterday’s forest while chasing away winter’s blues

stone walls stare down the seasons, sharing no secrets

raging passion, not anger carries the fight to defend

tattered flags wave farewell as the wind takes troubles away

those manicured lawns tended to by the busy mind cannot hide the pain inside 

refusing to face these problems has you slipping in place 

a lone hawk stands upon a barren branch as a distant spring stands in delay

some Silver Jews faves to get you acquainted

the house is quiet

gusts rush in

have you met the wind

ears perked, perched at the sidelight 

fear announced with  a low grumble

have you met the wind

on this winter’s evening it drives right through

carrying pellets assuring you feel the sting 

warm and singing in spring

wrapping our skin in hope of new beginnings 

summer winds have a deep calming voices

rarely around the rain this time of year

an autumn wind owns the season

wafting young sugary leaves from and plants hunkering down 

have you met the wind

unique to the season

letting you know what’s at your feet or approaching

carrying away what we don’t hold tight

have you met the wind

I have 

so have you 

did you hear me calling out to you

     a whisper at first

     growing to a scream

     returning  to a whisper 

did you see my hand reaching out to you

     maybe you could not see

     in the darkness behind the tears 

     it was there

did you feel my heart beating for you

     unlike the calm beats when you sat by my side

     now anxious erratic thumps and pauses

     you control the pace,  it hasn’t stopped

did you see me fall

twisting, floating 

graceful, not in fear

I was not yet browned and brittle

that came with time 

now I sit among the pile

will I be gathered and discarded

or will I travel in the wind

to feed the earth of who I was

a perfect summer shower

she is

the smell that rises from the warm concrete

the reflection that shimmers in the shallow puddles

the soothing droplets slowly trailing down my skin

she once

let me see all her expressions

let me hear all of her words

let me feel all her emotions

today

my heart yearns for the rain

my senses searching

I only feel cold

yearning to be at sea 

not needing a direction 

peacefully bobbing from wave to wave

at one with the elements 

no cares in the undertow

uneasy being at sea 

without clear direction

slapped from wave to wave

unaware of tomorrow’s fate

feet outstretched in search of seabed

sunstruck by the truth held in the rising sun 

that returns even after the darkest night

branches effortlessly cradle the fresh snow 

until the day’s warmth releases it to the blanket below

seeking enlightenment from a tangled web inside

I am upon this fence for you

struggles lead to freedom

like winter leads to spring

my walls are not crumbling

years of fear and false confidence have built them strong 

in mirror and and light

i’m taking them down piece by piece

our weaknesses are not crimes

last words are not only for the dying

Responding to each other like a perfectly matched echo, this writing is authored by two people falling in love.

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you and I rooted in winter

our mettle reflects our hearts

coming rains and warmth 

will feed our souls

I’m ready to reap with you

New life, a new start

It bristles at the wind

Whipping steadily, circling

At times it hopes to rescind

It’s arrival to the air

And then the sun on its face

It stretches and arches

Toward an open, quiet space

To free its leaves

Fan out its petals

To shine toward the sky

And solidly it settles

Amidst the wind,

the ice, the cold

It stands steadfast

Clear and bold

it is not the glistening shine that sits upon the eyes

there is no appeal to another’s sadness

but it’s been said there is beauty with tears

perhaps it is a cleansing of the soul

great strength is revealed with aching vulnerability 

inside the moment, it’s difficult to see

emotions become buried in the heart

allowing others inside unlocks the pain

stretching intimacy’s horizon 

shedding tears only in solitude creates a wall

those that love you want a door to walk through 

not a wall to scale

the tattooed summer appears more clear in the rising sun

under gentle currents, wishing folded sunlight to carry what I cannot

worn and tired from spinning within a space of no control

lilting upon ocean waves is where I reside for today

footprints disappearing in grains of sand

reminding that timelines have ends

you can lose without knowing

if you are asked to dance, take the hand