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
From afar
I am drawn
to this mountain.
I step on his feet,
climb his knee,
over his hip,
and run along his long spine,
up between great shoulders.
Ahead I face the summit.
From his crown
I look down
and around
and around.
Here near his ear
I listen to silence
and breathe the cold light
as a flea on a giant. mjh
1/4/2005
Listen to flea
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
Look East
to watch the setting sun
reach across the miles
to brush the mountains pink
with one last caress farewell
as they blush
rose red at nightfall
and sink into gray
waiting for the moon to say
“Hush, be still now.
I am with you til the dawn.” mjh
2/9/06
(with a tip of the hat to Jon Knudsen)
Listen to Blush (22 seconds)
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
The roar of the ocean
the heartbeat of the earth
the sea pushes up
the land, pushes up
the mountains, pushes
me home to the desert
to the still dry blue
a parched landscape
thirsty enough for seawater
ready for beaches
waiting for the tide
to rise again
as it will mjh
06/2001 ?
Listen to waiting for the tide
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
Look East
to watch the setting sun
reach across the miles
to brush the mountains pink
with one last caress farewell
as they blush
rose red at nightfall
and sink into gray
waiting for the moon to say
“Hush, be still now.
I am with you
until dawn.” mjh
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