These short poems were written from 2006 through 2010.

Tall Spine

Staying upright
so the light can enter my eyes
from behind

Rhythm

Time away again
massing weeds
the pleasure of clearing

In

A vibration
close and below

A spring sit

Dark towering cool
elm wood shade
filling my lungs in May

Colossal quiet

A long silence
held my breath
this morning

Up there

This morning
the sky fell into my chest

White sight

Seeing through
the winter trees

Crisp white

An empty snow
day today
and nothing to say

Ascetic

I meet a wandering monk yesterday
here in the middle of Kentucky

He was crazy in love
and telling everyone

Sleep under

Dog paws bringing earth
to my pillow again
rooting my dreams

A grumble

I didn’t write yesterday
it was a lost day
hollow and conventional

Gray bark

Crazy armed tree
impossibly long limbs
meandering

Work

Silence is the only rigor
that brightens
these words

Dying

October elm tree
glowing from the inside

The walks

Born
once or twice a week
again

Many times

Death will be
the vertical lines
in an aurora borealis

Good paintings

Trying to tread
the boundary

its why late nineteenth century paintings
are so good

Sleep

Weak ghouls
they flee
so easily

Home

Mornings
The fresh darkness
At my kitchen table

Under

Silence sinks deep
stitching organs strong

The Sunday

My toes are cold
this Sunday morning
hot tea in hand

Moving

The clouds
are always moving
my persistence

Cream

I must be still
if the cream is to collect
in my head

Fall again

This is exactly what I need
and yet I wish and dream

Many

To death
again

Solidifications

All I have is my response
and even this is tainted
by a million lifetimes
of prejudice

Garden

Quiet my mind
grow my heart

That was

I slip into selfishness
again to remember
my forgetfulness

Chill

Early fall chill
just a few walkers
in the dark morning

Wealth

Illness, heartache
and poverty
the blessings

A prayer

May long dreams and soft skin permeate

Simple

I dream of monasteries
and lives lived
in simple love

Thoughts

Pencil in hand
solidifying thoughts
to share

All day

Aspiring every morning
reflecting every evening

Ties

A railroad thick with weeds
passing poverty

Crystals

There are crystals
covering the landscape
this March morning

Tea

Enjoying the company
of poetry
in these early hours
before work
sipping tea

Trailing

Walking is an endless poem

Alarm

Morning again
alarms calling
my wife to wake

Door

Slow is a skeleton key

Inhale

I am in love
with the cold wind
and dark early walks

Opens

A poem a day
is a breath set free
as easy as oatmeal
with butter and honey

Poems

Foolishly wasting
their secrets
to generate
my name

First thing

Bright and early
digging through
a forest of thoughts

Beans

Simmering beans
warm nutritious
prose

Dark

The sun is gone
this hour
in my electric light

Wealth

I am a rich man seeking wealth
let me sit a silent day instead
to notice only

Sleep

My insomnia is deep
I forget reality as soon as I see it

Demons

I was attacked by fear demons last night
they were singing death

racing my heart
and sweating my bed

I crawled in 
their gullets
easing peace

Mulch

Broken open
wet yolk spreading yellow
openings and dry soil
like mulch fungus
whole forest fungus
feeding a million trees

Circles

I dream of circles
of soil

of discipline
growing wisdom

of secrets in this
daily work

of compost that
rich change

of awakeness
late and early

of dissatisfied lovers alone

Ignorance

I am not here
my ignorance
grows these
structures and
masses

Growths

A large emptiness
to share
in rooms
in soil
wandering through
my vessels
entering toes and crown
growing lesions and tumors
to mark the dead ends
steering me through
dark forests

Giving

Waiting for you
and your whispers

Pail

Mysterious again
this morning
the dark pail
of riddles
to shake and rattle

Light

It travels down
empty streets
and silent thoughts
a million poets
eager to share
its light

Heat

The long thread
of my sweater
twisting amongst
itself
fooling heat
to stick around

Soil

I live in rich hummus
a million beings
covering me
with whispers
I misinterpret

Two legs

Discipline and eagerness
two legs
treading lightly

Air

Flowers and trees
on my wings
my sweet, sweet dear

Sing too

Compose this day
to sip wisdom
from each measure