It’s amazing how
a giant bear
can sleep inside for years
More silent than
a tiny mouse
you never knew
was there
Trained
by circus men
lion tamers
and gypsy violins
A chain around her neck
and a tasseled red cap
upon her head
All the years of being trapped
living in captivity
Her docile calm proclivity
obedient passivity
was just sophisticated
well maintained
stockholm syndrome
Treats of candied apples
are fine and dandy
Applause for tricks are trade
but sooner than later
love will fade
with one too many jerks
upon the chain
Nature made those claws and teeth
They were not meant for your parade
If she can’t roam
and find a home
all on her own
Her spine will stand up straight and tall
And her paws will reach out and snap yours
A roar will drown out all your screams
standing on two legs
Her shadow will block out the sun
and when shes done
those claws and teeth
will become
a wreathe around your neck
I remember once
I was obsessed with painting trees
but only in the winter
When they were bare and naked
stripped of all their leaves
Only their skeletons remained
Nothing to hide
Light from the sky shining through
I would almost drive off the road
Looking for them
Looking for the special ones
that spoke to me
I would make myself dizzy
and you would offer to drive
Suggesting that maybe I should not look
unless I was a passenger
Later as our time was coming to an end
you would often ask me
why I couldn’t see the beauty of nature
As you marveled at falling golden leaves
and frozen waterfalls
and rolling hills of green
that we would drive through
We blinked at each other
from our prospective seats
Silent and dumbfounded
by the windshields of misunderstanding
that were pressed against our foreheads
I wear my heart on my sleeve
You said
Why can’t you give me all of yours
I sighed as I wrapped my arms
around your shoulders
Feeling your hair against my cheek
I looked out the window
at the leaves falling off the trees
and you leaned against my skeleton
Key
I remember when I gave you my key
Mi casa su casa, I said
Every night
I would come home
walk past the bedroom door
and pause
Turn my head
catch my heart
and soldier on
one combat boot
in front of the other
And then, one day
you gave me back my key
It landed in my hand
right next to my heart
From then on
I was the only one responsible for it
No one could come in
to my house
unless I opened the door
Fate became a decision
in an instant
It probably always was
I have not made a decision
without keyhole precision
ever since
A calcified valve
is what years without tears
will make
I look down at my own toes
and notice that they are
slowly turning to stone
I know that sand
running through your veins
will wear away all the rough edges
We share jokes
that can only be heard
in the dark
The same dark
makes the living feel frozen
and I am turning into a snowball
Walk this life
between vapor and ice
swim for as long as you can
Snow tires rest on my head
Holes in my socks
from sweeping the floor
No roads are open today
Labor is for the outside
Shoveling the path
Knitting a sweater
Frying an egg
The words are right there
just floating in the air
like big, slow, soft flakes
that melt on your tongue
Poetry is for the inside
Bury the hatchet
Find the biggest hill you can climb
Close your eyes and throw your hands up
