Saturday, February 26, 2022

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 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

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

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

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 

Sunday, February 13, 2022

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 

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

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

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

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


Tuesday, February 01, 2022

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