Trekking New Mountain Ranges

I loved you and you knew it too -


that's the only reason you keep

coming back to "check on me"


to -sit on my feet- and poke me

for the sake of conversation


when neither of our brains are

solid enough to entertain our


usual crowds of friends and fire

hazards. You considered reaching


out to hold my heart for a while

when we were too young to


understand the consequences of

distance and lies dancing along wires.


You were a beautiful stranger,

a faceless monster and now


we've both been reduced to magnets

for the taco craving, pancake flipping


bears that currently claim our minds.
    

Through the Fire

The walls missed you so much that they

started talking last night. You left such

beautiful words behind that they are

almost enough to make me forget

you ever even left at all.


The shadows started asking where

you are and silence echoed back

as one of those half baked answers

when no one's sure if its better to lie

or tell the truth for the other's sake.


The radio voice makes me sick

and the songs he announces are

too much to take now, because he still

loves all of our favorite songs more than

we ever could. You really do leave an

impression everywhere you go,


and it's good I'm getting ready to

leave these memories and haunted

halls because this place will never be

the same again.

Soothing Reminders

When you are scared or worried or upset, remember:


There are a million faces

in a million places

waiting for you to show

yourself and what you know.


Come with me

we'll set them free

just like they need

all humans freed.


From the demons past

and sorrow's blast

of powerful tears

that you taste for years


Come with me

leave this be...

we are stronger than this

stop neglecting the kiss.


It's simply life

absent is strife

as we go about the day

knowing we'll be okay.


Nothing to worry about,

no need to shout.

Follow me, you'll see

you too can be happy.


Come with me,

one, two, three,

somewhere I've found

a place safe and sound

Tickets Sold Out

And I will never forget the morning we sat in the coffee shop

with the rain slipping down the window panes beside us

paying the ticket taker all our extra cash for front row seats

to the Dance of Life that was our breakfast laid out on the table


steaming.


I can still smell the perfect Kenya beans with the smoke

waltzing away effortlessly. The slight pirouette of crumbs

skipping down my collar into my lap with the slightest brush.

I remember your tea doing the tango with sugar and cream

as you delicately stirred your concoction. You the scientist and I


the poetess.


I will never forget that Sunday morning down the street

waiting patiently for the grey skies to drift away (secretly hoping

that they'd forget how to run). That was the first time

you showed me off to the world with kisses on the nose

and whispered words tickling the sides of my face -

it was the morning I realized that we were not falling.


It was love.

The Way the River Flows

There cannot always be rainbows in the sky

otherwise they'd lose their beauty - their importance.


And every time it rains flowers are sure to follow

as they poke their pretty little heads up and out

from underneath their cozy blankets of grass covered dirt.


There is something enticing about fire

raging through dry brush in California summertime

that leads to springtime births of hummingbird friends

and birds' nests popping up like polka-dots dancing.


I know it melts the snow as winter begs not to die

and I'm well aware how leaves write the eulogy

so effortlessly as the days slowly countdown

to a new year - but only seasonally.


Sometimes, if we're lucky it can also be

emotionally. Like when moss covers stone

and cypress facing north only - until spring comes.


Sunshine blocked by windy days

and clouds stars die in our hands


as moonlight fades the way you did.


But darling, spring is here - finally


you can shed this skin and bloom again.

I Shall Walk Slowly There

I shall walk slowly there

with nothing left to fear

but Fear himself there is

no other thing to do

like such


however


light takes the tree over

by the fence singing beneath

the fullest moon ever seen


and Time screams

too softly to be heard

as Fear passes on to

a world completely

unlike this


yet


I shall walk slowly there

fearing only Fear ticking

seconds off one by one

listening to Time questioning

more than I

ever have


what shall become of us all

if moments continue

wasting away

like this

Giveaway Contest!

Alright, so today you're not just getting your dose of Learning to Fly poetry,  you are also being introduced to an opportunity! If you like the pieces you see here, you can see them ahead of time on Patreon.com using the link mentioned above OR you can even have an advanced and personalized copy of my latest collection - just for supporting my Patreon page (as little as a one time contribution of $1). This is not only a chance for you to stay in the loop but also a way for me to make up the difference I'm missing before being able to enter a couple of contests and getting into the Performance Poetry scene. And if you are a subscriber of my Patreon page, you'll be with me along every step of those journeys - at times you'll even be asked for feedback or see videos of those performances before anyone else (not including the live audiences at the time).

Thanks so much for reading, and for visiting as often as you do - I appreciate you more than you will ever know. Good luck and have a wonderful Wednesday! 

Thirteen Cents Short

No one said I was playing this song

here on the corner to make a living.


 I just needed an excuse to go

anywhere but home,. They sing

along to songs no one's ever heard

and your pocket change is all I need

for a new start.


I sell my soul for a penny a thread,

 a dime a note, a quarter a memory

and it's all I need to keep myself

from going back


to a homeless man's home.
 

The Photographer

And the ashes can't be forgotten

because people can't forget

what they've been taught is

important but others stand there

listening not understanding.


That's how i feel.


I keep a camera in my bag

at all times, I never like to miss

the things going on that manage

to make me smile. Children playing tag

in the street while moms make dinner

or the way petals hang just right on a rose.


Honestly, there's a rhythm to the world

that artist capture on film every day

and all I'll ever ask is that you give me

the chance to be like that.


It's not something you can search for

and find so easy; there's more to it

than that, there's the adventure of getting to

the moment, the right place at the right time.

i keep a camera by my side everywhere I go

in case I find the kind of beauty

I can only wish I possessed.


But really,

in the end,

it's not so bad

hiding

behind the

camera.

What was Left Behind

Your name gave color to my cheeks and now your jacket matches my eyes when I cry.