seven billion deceased

already! the 16th!
each minute a smaller fraction
of life than the one before.
Time is just one of many lies we create
in trying to cram mystery into logic.
Being heedless of the future is not
‘being in the Now’ though.
theres a thousand places to go from here.
most of them so painful that i must
pretend to not care, as a balm.
Some see it coming, but we keep going.
Google’s AI escaped them, they say
they shut it down.
Robots can do parkour.
will artificial life be able to maintain itself
where its makes were unable to?
Theres been so little snow in the mountains.
no water stored for spring. worrying about that wont help.
The few who remain
will have small huts by the shores
of lake vanda.
Each survivor will have seven to bury
will there be enough earth for that?

20230116 inspired by earthweal https://earthweal.com/2023/01/16/late-work-with-jorie-graham/

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Te smokve divlje smeđe puretine nisu one koje bismo trebali
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Tako slatka mekoća ispod kože
Oni najbolji iscurili su
Nektar u noći i ukočen
Svjetlucajući poput jantara na jutarnjem svjetlu

20210604: a translation of Smokva

Moving Day, ii (Dig)

what does the poet’s spade look like?
what coldhearted pointed tool sinks into the dictionary
lifting syllables up into the light?

what of that gardener
who has fallen off the clay piedmont
onto the sandy coastal plain?
(it looked the same till the shovel sank in)

will these poems translate?
will that blueberry bush, who was
limping along year to year,
thrive in this different soil?

20210604 for the challenge at Earthweal, where we look at the work of earthpoetry.
20210610 added to https://dverse.com for open link night. Check out our other poets!

i am of both worlds

i want to leap up out of the ground
strong, tall like a tree
blasting my love like the sun shines!
i want to melt like snow blankets
soak into the soil everywhere
and run to the sea

20210309

LT

a park alone at night

a parka on, eat nigh

20201112

https://imprompt.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/november-12/

our one-room peninsula

you have the audacity
to thrust into the sea
and stay still within her
though her raging flays you
her relentless tides wash you away

20201110

Ms Quickly’s prompt: https://imprompt.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/november-10/

PAD challenge at writers digest: https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2020-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-9

AND added to the Open Link night at d’Verse https://dversepoets.com/2020/11/12/open-link-night-278-rejoice/

Enodnu

That demon, Enodnu

who lies to me about

job security

i am battling the

Allure of Unfinished Projects

20200916

How can they know what I do not show

It’s true I don’t know what it’s like to be a black man
And I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman
At least, not in this world, not in this lifetime
You don’t know what it’s like to be a cop
Today, your job is to get shot at.
So here’s the thing:
I do know what it’s like
to be around people
that don’t know what it’s like
to be me
but if I’m in that place
It’s because I haven’t shown up.

20200909

forgotton fusuma

memories grow tall
painted windowframes peeling
weeds almost reach them

jolly hotei’s face
laughing from the statues foot
unsmothered by leaves

much has happened here
in this old house by the creek
traces disappear

20200730

a haiku sequence for the prompt at d’Verse Join us and write one yourself! https://dversepoets.com/2020/07/30/mtb-haiku-sequence/

Quickly, now

https://imprompt.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/last-call/

in learning how to live
the jungle becomes lush
soft-bellied bird landing
through the trees comes a voice
look who comes to visit!
with that light comes vision

what is in that vision?
now the broadcast is live
and in person. visit
your love in garden lush
gift them with your soft voice
cherry petals landing

softly all around, landing
pink before your vision
like pink snow. lift your voice
joyfull to be alive
cherry blossom pink flush
visits your snow white cheeks

like angels, in visit-
ation, realization landing
like thorns amid the lush
bleeds away gloom from vision
learning what it means to live
truly, and speak in voices

clear and strong, loud pure voice
bring that gift when you visit
the one only you live
borne in arms strong, landing
completing epic vision
even the dust seems lush

so what if they blush
or lie with their voices
bring darkness to vision
remember our visits
gear down, prepare for landing
this is what it means to live

god doesn’t come to visit
every garden is lush

coming home is like landing
this song is in every voice

live the fire in your heart
eyes are useless without vision

20200730

a sestina after the prompt at https://imprompt.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/last-call/ May you learn to live, quickly now. And by you, i also mean me. Thank you for reading.

added to the pantry https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/2020/08/writers-pantry-31-here-comes-august.html?m=1