The land moves
Waves of soil and asphalt
Break at my feet
Transport me
To a distant beach
And the love I shared there
I imagine the wind
Carries wafts of brine and low-tide
Amid the many scents of you
Across this rolling sea
And a beckoning highway
I reach out for a hand
That cannot be here
Every sunset
Leads to night
Every night
Leads to sunrise
Ever the flow
Of darkness and light
Equal parts land and sky
A gravel grid takes me there
And then afar
The dust kicked up
Wind whisks away
An expanse left sparse
For what good seed may raise
The prairie, where sight lines end
Only at the infinite
Through the gloom
You reach out
To offer light
And energy
Orb in a red sky
Landscape a glowing ember
Spirit set aflame
When the paths to exalted places
Seem paved with broken asphalt
Through blighted landscapes
I am left to wonder
A test of my resolve
To achieve exaltation
Or testimony
To the destination’s character
In the calm of a lakeshore afternoon
Even the gulls fall silent
Light breezes reveal in relief
Where ripples swath the glassy smooth
Warm exhalations condense in the chill
With measured breaths
Close eyes
Breathe in the peace
Distant buzz grows
Hull thuds against the lake
Casts sprays of white noise
Laughter rises in several tones
Then slowly fades away toward silence
Until the wake finds the rocky shore
Splash
Splash
Another splash
Now stillness
But for the breeze
And my breath
The infant Earth
Burps up her core
Lays down a shield of stone
Comes the ice
With crushing force
Carves relief into the shield
Finally, life returns
In league with time and weather
Draws detail upon the lines
Here I stand
On ancient land
To capture nature’s beauty
The day’s last rays
Fall on rocky shores
Of some
Forgotten cove
Alone with thoughts
And seabird cries
A rush of waves
Fall against the shoal
The errant noise of restless brain
Soon enough is quelled
As nature sets her subtle pace
Gentle on my soul
Sun hangs low on the horizon
Light subdued behind cloud bands
Tide well out
Yet still receding with haste
Earth’s exhaustion
Feels equal to my own
So I amble back to the trailer
With daylight’s final ember
Sizzling out
On the muddy shore
Long days on the road
Have eaten away
At my reserves
So the tide may remain out
For a few days yet
While my inner sun
Recharges
Under the wan light
Of stars in a new moon sky
Pix to Words 