Photograph

i've seen the red sky
painted with pain
drops of peace 
trail across the windshield
rugged roots drip brown 
where gold promises are planted
grace grows, green and vivid

you found me gray;
i was not born this way.
i am a photograph
let all those colors
bleed into one river
and wash me over.

shut one eye
through the lense
find my smile
film unwind
unfiltered
watch the wild watercolor
eyes overexposed
technicolor glow
no words
just walk me home.

Castle

your photograph is color
youngest face
could not dream of pain like this
expecation is wide open arms
and when disappointment came 
for a one night stand 
it was safe to land
and you never let go.

if you find pain in the journey,
look it deep in the eyes
name it and stay up late in the fight 
then send it on it's way.

if you find beauty,
invite it into the castle's keep
to come and go as it please
to clean out the dust
to tell the children stories
and sit at the table,
hold hands and say grace. 

Foxes Field

ink on my wrist
blurs in my mind
and your words
like small swords
stick in my mind
each battle to win
with a death of some kind
so i spin to the music
watching your eyes

i hear the grass growing under my feet
i hear the earth breathing a sigh of relief
i feel like the blue sky is waiting on me

your hand holds tight
the blade that you built 
in some earthquake or fire
and i swing 'cause i have to
(my brother taught me how to fight)
and the blade between my ribs
makes me feel more than alive
and if i die i should be
barefoot
on the growing clover
in the foxes field
beneath the white oak
in April.

Awake

swallow the morning 
sing in the stillness 
the quiet beneath us
unplowed earth
wild wheatgrass 
bows to the wind
and all this begins
i lift my eyes up 
and greet the dawn

Across the River

beneath it all is a little kid
so full of stories
don't close your eyes, don't turn away
i'm not too much, i'm not enough
small shoes on stepping stones
across the river
follow me, i'll show you
all the days that you missed
all the faces you would kiss
all the reasons for this

do our days bleed into one lifetime?
or have i lived many lives
each chapter it's own
to open then close
or part of one book?
is there a map of the landscape before me?
these pages so specific i can't see the story
i can't see the forest in the trees
i can't see the tree inside the leaves

the stars spread majestic
hung across the sky
we don't have to travel
to find new things
dance around the fire
stargazing on the river banks
watch the colors change
from night to day
you know i'm here to stay.

Crickets

this is real
i am here 
face to the glass
the night blurs past
i see the trees
where crickets cry
to the sleeping stars
trees touch the sky
and we fall apart
crooked outlines
branches reach high
and we reach higher.

New Sky

don't hide your face
i cannot see you
where you used to be
we pack our things
to find a place
that can't remember 
anything
no yesterday
soft pink sky
cool pavement
spring nights
laughter in your eyes
new things
this is now
don't leave me here.

i run to feel the wind
the blue above, the grass beneath
i turn my face to see the sun
forgetting all the former things

Breathe

do you see the blue mountains?
consuming the sky
red earth burns bright
the river cutting wide
a trail through the valley.

sharp rocks below 
remind me that pain
makes me look at the ground
and not the sky

let go of the words
that echo inside
break those promises
make new ones instead
untie the ropes
open your eyes
breathe deep, 
and i'll breathe deeper.