earth note 832

the leaves are grudgingly

turning color

the avenue is in a morning rage

everybody seems to be drying out

for the weekend

crazy as it may seem

the lilacs are still blooming

--- e b bortz

earth note 831

bluster moving up

from the park maples

late afternoon yesterday

the crows had a sense of it

all heading toward

the furry south side slopes

where freight cars rattle

beneath the trestle

where the river winds

everything up

like the wind

screaming

--- e b bortz

earth note 830

i don't know where

the turquoise trail

begins or ends

if you follow the stone

the sky will eventually

show you the way

there's no heaven

hell

or purgatory

along the way

what is genuine

needs no polishing

a garden of the gods

has no private property

--- e b bortz

earth note 829

on a day

when the greentree water tower

visibly blends into a reflection

on the ohio river

moving as it does thru a transitory

big bend

north by northwest

there's clearly enough sunshine

to spin the electric netmetering

green wave

in your favor

--- e b bortz

an empty night comes to morning

even after an eastern rain

leaves you cold

looking from the outside

to what warms you inside

the avenue stays quiet

through the dark

when you reach the hilltop

there will be woods and trails

under the overcast

a seed begins with a purpose

in itself

no explanation needed

--- e b bortz

earth note 828

dark gives way to morning

the mist hangs on for a few more hours

these are simple exercises of the imagination

it's still too dark to know for sure

a large pear dropped yesterday

with a worm hole fully embedded

worm 1

human 0

the wind turbines out west

are growing by leaps & bounds

a lot of gas wells are frozen

in their own rust

every tar sands oil pipeline

will leave a new trail of tears

you don't need to believe me

but don't trust anyone over 30

--- e b bortz

earth note 827

new mexico route 4

the mountain crust

became the stone

of thousand-year

communities

artisan hands

multitudes of free people

before the invaders

every tree growing up

with its own sacred lineage

the web of life is no catch phrase

to be expropriated

in gold coins & crosses

if you listen closely

there's a language of survival

speaking only

through the silence

--- e b bortz 

a country with the fog of war in its eyes

photo by Sandra L Hazley

winter wheat

will be the savior

on a road 

looking for good samaritans

--- e b bortz

earth note 826

thirty-six east to hannibal missouri

1.

came out of the bottom of a cloud burst

it's been said this was a long time coming

the hills restless

twisting & turning

a mad rain

raging down just to get even

leaving some of the big rigs

& wide loads

desperate for a wide shoulder

to cry on

2.

a few days earlier

on a new mexico dusty gravel road

all aboriginal land jicarilla apache nation

eventually leading to pagosa springs colorado

the new mexico / colorado 'state line'

was suddenly noted

in a woman's voice

maybe blond on blond

with a tongue in cheek

'welcome to colorado'

3.

sorghum should be the name

now known for kansas

from northeast africa

to the great plains

without chattel

without molasses

let the sunflowers grow

--- e b bortz