Wednesday, May 06, 2020

i've come to this voice


mostly by accident
from mean & gentle streets & highways
it cracks when wind overpowers mountains
leaving only the chill of lake ontario all year round
the city parks are just over your shoulder
find the sycamores for your bearings
find the aspen when you're about
to give up hope
it'll carry you to the next dimension
find the rush of the cuyahoga before it goes afoul
find a window rock before you lose your sight
follow the rio grande in all of its tongues
let your hands reach out to deaden the pain
find the confluence before the whitewater
takes your breath away
find the perfect snow to a frozen wetland
search the stumps and count the rings
place your stones and say kaddish
if you still have tears
gather them in your beer glass
find a body on a steamy august
find a body before the pipes freeze
give the marigolds a reason to bloom
give the phlox enough ground to spread the gospel
find a trail without a trail head
find a desert that hasn't given up
pick up trash before the river eats it
don't take the first words
or even the second
like it's an epitaph

--- e b bortz

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