Quill #43 - Whither (2000)

West of the Westward Arch,
Past Giant Muddy,
Under pines on flint hills,
Cranes stand watching me.

Sitting on fallen trunks,
I feel the Turtle
Channeling rich black mud.
Its spirit calls me.

"Let flow the grave regrets."
"Leave tearful endings."
"Shower the world with bliss,"
Manitous whisper.

"Someday this ache will end."
"Pain is but fleeting."
"Your heart will fill again;
All will be mended."

Still I sit silently,
Questing to hear him,
A voice I'll never know
On this world again.

I want his comforting;
Need his caresses.
My hand goes out to him,
Catching a zephyr.

Can he come back to me,
One of these moments?
Will he hold my soul in
His strong arms again?

Out of the woods beneath,
Katydids stop,
Calling me back from deep
Echoes of longing.

Where has he gone, my love?
Will I soon follow?
Tears drop upon my face;
The sky is weeping.

Tree splits before my eyes.
Lightning has struck it.
Low thunder mocks my cries.
I run to my car.

Safe in my sacred space,
I turn on static,
Waiting for messages
Sent by the storm god.

"Don't look into the past."
"Live in the moment."
"Enjoy the happiness
Gathered on this day."

Nothing is coming through,
None of the lessons.
Living is such a chore
Till this tempest ends.

I hear him call my name;
From river dirges.
My cell phone chirps to me.
Which song should I heed?

I see a ray of light
Flash through my window.
I know who should guide me.
And then, I follow.

Quill #8 - Planetfall (2003)

Every object carries a world.
Books fill my house, floor to ceiling, remaining empty until they're read.
I devour a story a day but the stacks grow higher.
Husks surround me, beckoning,
"Make me real!"
"No, me!"
"No, me!"
Calling for attention like corn stalks that have grown too tall.

I give them all away,
Planting seeds,
Hoping for fertile minds,
Toiling against the blindness of strangers,
Taking comfort in a future crop.
A mere farmer, who listens when the wind speaks.
Sometimes I talk back,
Never saying the right charm to control the weather.
I am buffeted by faceless storms,
But the seedlings remain safe.
My failings won't stop this rain.
These worlds belong in someone else's hands now.