Category Archives: Poems

Three from 1977

My oldest poems swing between love and loss. I’ll spare you the bulk of early efforts, but these three still appeal to me. mjh

I’ve cried and I’ve laughed
I’ve loved and I’ve lost
and yearned for companionship,
whatever the cost.
And through all the learning
and loving and living,
I’ve wanted to balance
the taking and giving.

Fall 1977
– – – – –

October Fourth

I need to hold a pen all night.
I need to hold a lover.
I need to hold a friend all night.
I need to hold some other
some other one to comfort me
to cuddle and embrace
someone to be here next to me
and fill this empty space.

10/4/1977
– – – – –

Your scent has left my skin
following your warmth.
Your taste has left my tongue,
now dry in my mouth.
You’ve gone
and taken the things one can’t
leave behind for long.
Gone from my senses,
you remain in my thoughts,
my thoughts that tumble over each other
in search of ink
only to dry in my mind
before they reach the page.

05-25-1977

rise

Like a monk rising before dawn,
I am unalarmed as claws clatter in the hall.
He stands by the bed
to call me to service.

I perform my ritual,
bowing my head over his bowl,
murmuring my prayer: “good boy.”

If you are troubled,
rise quietly before dawn.
A world growing brighter
will lift your heart. mjh

11-20-07

cool

High in the mountains,
I wish I could
absorb the cold clear air,
soak up some snowmelt,
capture the rush of the wind
and the sudden quiet in the pause.
I wish I could
take all of this in
and carry it home
to the desert.

I’d invite over friends
and breathe out a cool wet breath
drop ice in their drinks
and let them put their heads
to my heart to hear
the thunder of waterfalls.
And each in turn would look into my eyes
at the light from the top of the world.
Cool, they would say,
Que cool. mjh

06-10-03 in Colorado, of course