earth note 856

the hawk comes again

this time in the northwest sky

the valley has no reason

but to stay asleep

wearing down the mountains

folding in the distance

carrying the thermals

to a new sanctuary

--- e b bortz

earth note 855

a diner on the southern belly of nebraska

and it looks like

a sea of sunflowers as far as you can see

when the server asks us

where we headed with those kayaks

and we just had to say

as far as the sunflowers will take us

or maybe we said glacier national park

up against the canada border

hoping the rain won't be too cold

but of course it turned out

cold enough

though the lakes were calm

enough

--- e b bortz 

i'll take a handful of wandering utopians any day

on any dusty high plains western new mexico road

     spontaneity makes the road

long before birkenstock     lands end     coffee klatch

came to twitter

forever diluting the obvious or oblivious

with a bunch of slogans & logos

here's the cruelty of raise the red lantern or manifest destiny

     this is no movie

the lakes and rivers are drying up

you'll see their ribs by high noon

we coulda listened to the ancients and sages

but that doesn't make you any money

money money

this american dream should have started

and ended with water and buffalo chips

--- e b bortz 

i lived & worked in a company town

in fact more than one

but never lost sight of the

green hills and cold blue rivers

that could sweep through

coal hollows & iron rock piles

when least expected

sometimes the land

never came back to life

a slow death

minus the purgatory

and i may not be one for praying

though exceptions have their place

--- e b bortz 

red-blue-red, part 6

a red sun can wake up a storm

follow the blue jays into hiding

the inside of a hawk's mouth

is red with prey

after all in a dog-eat-dog world

it's best to keep an eye out

for your neighbor

the canine barks like paul revere

but it doesn't mean you'll be woken

i've walked the streets of key west

long before the new crop of poets

decided to move on

and leave the dusty stacks

of bent ears and coffee stains

idling in red sweat along frances street

the cemetery is always shifting blue

but the sky forgot

where the blue coral streaks have gone

the beach is only a temporary landing

carry a navigational map

next to your heart

still beating smooth

like a manta ray shadow

--- e b bortz

earth note 854

the weight of the rain

like the weight of the world

is enough to pull the maples

all the way down

touching the ground

a couple of mourning doves coo & tilt their heads

right before taking a stiff drink

flying off to find shelter

if you break ground

on the ridge

you'll eventually find

handmade brick

from an ancient kiln

the markers have been left

for the history

to be found

bare footprints are a perfect census

a community gathers and then

grows a village

long before the long rifles

of twisted tongues

there were songs sung out

in love

and reverence

--- e b bortz

i don't need two u-hauls

rolling down the avenue

heading for the ohio river

or a backup horn on a backhoe

feeling its way below

the asphalt

for a runaway section

of clandestine pipe

a lone crow struts across a flat roof porch

and you wonder where the murder is

no one travels alone anymore

the maples are doing their best

to cover up the scars

the dog has his nose in the air

but hasn't made a sound yet

lots of school buses for waiting students

and refugees

but no drivers

are you ready for another election season

--- e b bortz