most of the time

there's nowhere to go
to block out
the boredom & powerlessness
of the present

i retreat

not from fear
but from monotony

& find solace

in words
& the imagined

--- e b bortz

 

if there's a ticker tape from greece next month

let it be a beat
from the bluest
of the aegean sea

fearless facing the storm

alive in the tradition
of ancient mariners

where the surf

offers up hand to hand
courage

where the shipwrecks

& outmoded machinery
are scrapped with every illusion

--- e b bortz

there's no pattern here

never was
in every recipe
there's embarrassment
of the obvious
like a steady rain
for hours now
needs the freedom
to keep going

& when the wind

shakes the bowels
don't believe it
until all the dues
have been paid
a promise
is nothing but another schedule
that can change

scribble down everything

remember nothing
every answer is really a question
pick through the remnants
& if the thrift store closes early
keep your backpack empty
the sidewalks
are still open

--- e b bortz

earth note 349

colors of the soul
drip down
just after dawn

with a cluster of red-brown leaves

burrowing in
a leafy green maple
across the avenue

as the rains come

& the traffic slows
the withering ones
     weep
& try to cover their tracks
worming inward 
drooping lower

a steady crawl towards the body

     where the trunk
     does not flinch

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)

earth note 348

the planet records
an endless toll
on everything & everyone
who speaks her name
in vain
never forgetting
the ornery fool
staking a claim
& recoloring the forest
     gray

--- e b bortz

running out of excuses

hearing the phrase
ego is exploited by the system without your consent
can be confusing
free will via madison avenue evil lesser
is beyond your control

assume

in an average lifetime
the bed you make
repeats itself
thirty thousand times

even the ration books

have been sold off
to the highest bidder
& you've known that
many thousand times

you still have the word

     no

--- e b bortz

in the raindrops

left last night
is the original sin
brought to the shores
of a misnamed rock
near a forest
without borders

this is not an answer

nor a hypothesis
the great minds
have all forgotten
since it may have been
beyond the pale

a manifest

of innermost logic
self-fulfilling prophecy 
has no challengers
     but the river

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)

earth note 347

assateague island

mosquitoes picked up

our tent
as the flap opened
& buzzed right up
our asses
as we headed
to the pit toilet

telling all of this

is like giving up
a pound of flesh
blood & all
& the secrets
of the goddess
of self-identified
nature know-it-alls

rolling

in the wind
kayak calm
finds a marsh
& crab landings

--- e b bortz

earth note 346

assateague island marshes & beyond

on the third day

just behind a cluster of trees

the wind calmed

at peace with the water

spots of sun bouncing upward

finding a pair of herons

circle the bay

     as one splits off

     leaving the other

to fetch in the high grass

to the north

at the town inlet

heat & commotion grows

at the breakwater

gulls glide

just above the spray

before heading out

     to open water

--- e b bortz

earth note 345

assateague island

if there's such a thing

as a light gale

     lots of wind

     & a little rain

lifting the sand

off the beach

like hard-hitting dust

on a lonesome highway

     it was last night

that i brushed back

the memories

of that journey

morning solar panels

soaked in wind & salt

with only a touch

of sun

in the old part

of the ocean city boardwalk

the old carnies are long gone

but the millennials

     or maybe generation z

still have a representative

in the space balls girl

sitting behind

a fading shell

     a slow day

     a faraway stare

--- e b bortz

earth note 344

mount 'elden', flagstaff, 1980

the boys were ready

to take on the world
so we settled
for climbing a mountain

each step

up the trail
volcanic rock
crunched & released
a faint presence of sulfur
& as we left the trail
digging into the steeper parts
a calmness opened
as we gazed the valley
the manic highway
in the distance
the snow capped peaks
     the original holy sites
     of the original people
     hopi
     navajo
     zuni
     apache
     acoma
     havasupai
     hualapai
     yavapai
     & so many
     more

aspen hugged the range
in the distance
leaves waiting to turn yellow
while the pine
on our shoulders
& in our shaky grip
were still black
in their recovery
     fire a few years earlier
     had marked the land
     indelibly

where the footpath ended

& the outcrops protruded
our steps became
most deliberate
     entering
     the purity
     of ancient water vessels
     shaped & painted by many hands
     broken by upheaval
     & time

we still search

for your pure waters
     now

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)
 

 

earth note 343

out west
floods wash over
every precursor ignored

a tornado by any other name

is still a bad place
to bet the farm

the crows have left

a parched field
without a trace

when the wind

sings a new tune
it'll already be too late

--- e b bortz