Rising Sun (+1)

Can we ever own

anything

that won’t own us back

Can we ever say

anything

we’ll never retract

Can we dream

in the future

while freeing the past

Can we give

without taking

not first ever last

Can the reasons

become us

excuses be damned

Can fidelity

triumph

the truth in demand

When sleep

reawakens

its light shining through

Today and

tomorrow

— forever anew

(The New Room: June, 2024)

Calling Out

A rainbow on my shoulder

as storm clouds lie ahead

I stop and wonder ‘why go on’

the rain beyond my tread

Halted from my wandering

a stillness reappears

The world to spin and trap in place

surrounding me with fear

My rainbow slowly dimming

its pot of gold has gone

And in its place a darkness comes

the shadows growing long

But far off in the distance

the sky a new portend

Calling out in vibrant hues

— to walk that way again

(Dreamsleep: June, 2024)