Wednesday, May 25, 2022

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

Monday, May 23, 2022

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 

Saturday, May 14, 2022

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 

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

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 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

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


Friday, May 06, 2022

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

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

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