earth note 291

so much of the world is in decay
leading to conclusions
that this is a normal life cycle
but why with all the pain
do cherry tomatoes
still ripen
though it isn't like
living off the fat of the land
     that was stolen
     that we venture
or endure
past the cities and seascapes
looking for the quiet
or a new illusion
in a thousand
maples

--- e b bortz

 

with arms raised

the heat of the pavement
hangs in the balance
a heart can only skip so far
a community comes together
to ask another question
only to answer it
themselves
with another question

there is no court

of public opinion

worth saving
a blind alley
has no windows and doors
an edifice
is not an answer
for justice

--- e b bortz

(published in opednews.com, Aug 21, 2014)
 

it all starts by wandering

if you get close enough
to the water
you can leave footsteps
in the sand
     to mark
     your own face
     takes some courage
     to expose oneself

when the tide comes home

your personality
will have new dimensions
it won't be what you expect

if only

there was a way
to capture every wave
     and remember it

--- e b bortz

ideas are infinite

just when you thought
the compost barrel was empty
another being
crawls out
and begins
a new round robin

you just may not

know
the language

or how to read

between the lines

--- e b bortz

 

you sit down to write congress about gaza

and the only thought
that sticks
is of the injured picking through
bombed-out broken buildings
looking for belongings
and fragments of family members

and for now

the tanks are withdrawing
soldiers returning
clinging
to their iron dome facades
their twisted rationalizations
intact
more blood money in-transit

shell-shocked hospitals and schools

and displaced humans
are the face
of dead civilians

tell the world their names

--- e b bortz

 

earth note 290

morning brings
mourning dove
a flat roof
with small puddles
gather perfectly
for a drink
the dove pecks the water
like sampling
a reflection
of the trees

--- e b bortz