earth note 729

take your infected body politic

to the summit

the trail has no markers

find roots that are still alive

gather rainwater in your boots

spit out the toxins before succumbing

i know the land is unrecognizable

and you still have years of wandering

--- e b bortz

sometimes the words just stumble and fall in the street

peeling away at first light

context is just another word

for you've run out of excuses

sublimating your low continuous moan

into the background

maybe this is your new voice

down the avenue broken glass

lets in an aimless snowfall from the mountains

you've set your sights

for the rock falls

acknowledging the weight of gravity & history

--- e b bortz

red-brown-blue

as a bare hand digs

through many movements

there is no direction

to the gravel

blood dries

then moves on

the sun leaves

a residue

every tone

will deepen

the river bottom

becomes your anchor

only the sky

projects a zenith

beyond the treeline

there's still a witness

--- e b bortz

earth note 728

barelas, albuquerque

a battery powered wheelchair

down the middle of the street

at six forty-five in the morning

the dark finally collapsing

beneath a heavy coat

heading downtown

before the snow

climbs over the mountain

rolling in like loose sagebrush

     alone

--- e b bortz

huevos rancheros in the rail yards

barelas, albuquerque

photos by

Sandra L Hazley

the mural holds back nothing

broken windows face the tracks

our big decision today

was how to get to the peace rally on time

which we did

the passing traffic was curious

and mostly supportive

the green and red chilies

finally got everyone's attention

we live in a firestorm

sheet metal buildings speak through morse code

no one understands the syntax

--- e b bortz

earth note 727

a high desert drifter caught in the lens

might be a mirror through your cornea

there's always another line of sight

if you keep an open mind

dust covers everything by sepia

coyotes gather     speak out like a nervous crowd

like dogs barking before sunrise

the river tries keeping up in a headwind

--- e b bortz

earth note 726

albuquerque

the rio grande is hanging on

to its small pools of baby tears

when the road outta here

is too dry to make you weep

you can train your eyes toward california

& the glitz of every rose bowl stealth beach town

where you lose yourself to the freeways

you might as well shed new mexico cold

for the new concrete

not so much a shelter but a tomb

i've already forgotten what it means

or how to walk that straight walk

sometimes the feet find their own way

shake you out of your boots to barefoot

there are things i need to relearn

     now

there are only so many sunsets

to imagine      so i continue to imagine

consider this something of an apology

certainly not an atonement

the land will eventually make you cry

& then lead you home

--- e b bortz