earth note 843

tapi river southern thailand

silt lands on the riverbank

reaches out in desperation

and clings to it

sun dives through a hole

previously known as sky blue

prayer wheels spin

and hope for the best

if you get lost

learn to use your guttural voice

don't let the wind look past you

--- e b bortz 

earth note 842

drizzle pulls me away by afternoon

like a funeral from a lonely hollow

but i'm not giving up

the moon may still

come out early

i just heard a great bluegrass version

     of

for what it's worth

followed by a live 1979 leonard cohen

so long marianne

     with a long violin solo

there were times when we all knew the hymns

kent along the banks of the cuyahoga

far back into the archives of maj

and daniel thompson

and lang

and so so many more

it hurts to say

i didn't listen close enough

didn't hear

the fleeting space between the stanzas

the drum beats

of each breath

waiting for an answer

the tears

never accounted for

--- e b bortz

recovering notes from the deep, part 26

you've turned the inside of your arms

towards the sun

exposing them

finally burning them

like an old folk song

left on the highway

five hundred miles

is a long walk

never liked the idea

of leaving a place

and never returning to it

it's like leaving a piece

of yourself

there's a migraine

that's taken the lead

in a footrace

there will be no winners or losers

& no one's looking forward

to the finish line

could just fade away

a vanishing point

where excuses come easy

or not at all

after all

the song

is the journey

--- e b bortz 

today there's talk of football & war

yevtushenko opens the trenches

his own included

never to be covered

     babi yar

the painters will make murals

before the death knell rings

old men and old women

take to their posts

there are superbowl commercials

that must be aired

ukrainian & russian biathletes

tempted to lay down their arms

just do it

jewish souls wander

trenches speak louder

than words

     babi yar

--- e b bortz 

earth note 841

new mexico route 4

at the peak of summer

the mountain grass

still feels cool to the touch

     like autumn

immersed by secret springs

only the original people know

hard rock canyons leave their echo

when you step into them

a trail full of hoof & foot prints

eventually fade into forest ground cover

a sign announces a vista

after the fact

train your eyes for the long view

     nothing else has changed

--- e b bortz

earth note 840

gray cold just above zero

snowflakes fall listless

you're looking for a shortcut

of a couple thousand miles

to a square grouper

but then the barracuda speaks

and it's best to leave the perimeter

every predator has a price

you're in no hurry to pay

wait for the ocean to go flat

follow the manta ray shadows

as they grow toward sunset

you never expected to hear

a jimmy buffett song

but you will

about an abraham lincoln brigadista

--- e b bortz

earth note 839

snake river

when it's rushing

the sound will mellow

muffle your eardrums

sometimes you'll see

a trout glistening in sunlight

nipping at the air

most often there's a cold wind

that wants to join in

winding up & down the valley

picking among the big pines

just shy of the tree line

     to find

mountain heather

--- e b bortz