Poem: What Was Once Big Became Bigger

When I was young
Confined to the playgrounds of youth
The world seemed so large
Full of wide wonder
As I grew older
With the opportunity to explore
Instead of growing smaller
The world now at my fingertips
Continued to grow with my curiosity

Poem: Breaking the Distance too Impossible

Out here on the edge
Where moon cast shadows
Marks the passage of time
From yesterday to today to tomorrow
In that space my thoughts wander
Where I think of you
I think I can see you

Poem: No More Trains That Go Nowhere

There was a time when you could escape
On trains headed west as far as the rails could go
Dropping you at the edge of western civilization
Now all the rails end at metropolis bright and buzzing
Full of all the colorful people that populate this world
End to end to end with all of their full color lives
When sometimes all you want is the black and white

Poem: Shepherding in the Pastoral

Before highways there was the shepherd
Tending to his flocks on the verdant green
Then the pavement and cars came
Rushing by him without ever being seen

They came and flattened the hills
Carved the mountains into dust

Poem: Walking Down an Old Pier Still Changing

Walking down the old pier at sunset
In the shadows of twilight I see
Ghosts sitting at the waters edge
Toes dipped into water cool for May
The heat of summer still months off
Still they linger with toes going numb
Talking and laughing over cups of coffee
Hoping the caffeine will keep them going
Until the earth eclipses the moon

Poem: Filling Up the Essence of Emptiness

The coffee cup is empty
as I am, I can refill
the cup
I’m less sure about myself

As someone wise once told me,
nothingness can be useful;
in the cup
nothingness gives it purpose

Poem: Open Mic Night Connection

She looks out at the darkness
Extending past the spotlights
Beyond she can hear chattering
Clinking cups and shuffling chairs
Impatient throat-clearing waiting
Taking a big step she walks out
Stepping out onto the stage

Poem: Same Coffee as it Ever Was

Truck stop coffee in a styrofoam cup
Idling on a burner late into the evening
Has a caffeinated timeless quality to it
Much like the elderly lady at the register
Who watches wearily the wandering aisles
Of road dusted bodies pouring black coffee
Into white cups that cost a dollar and change
No matter where in the country you are

Poem: The Situation as it Stands

Two packets of sugar sit between us
Coffee gone cold like the conversation
Neither raising what we need to discuss
Each being held back by reservation
This an unfamiliar hesitation
When we loved each other we loved freely

Poem: A Lonely Drive with Memories

As I drive these winding mountain roads
With an empty passenger seat
My mind goes to all my travels before
In every memory there’s always girl
Riding shotgun next to me laughing
Singing at the top of our lungs to a song
Windows down and hand on her thigh
Knowing there’s a destination ahead