Avoiding Attachment

You wade out in the shallow water
wanting to let go of the ground
as your eyes swim toward me
and we kiss
I wonder now
if you were already letting go
of me in that moment
but it's ok if you get attached
I won't let you drown
though drowning in shallow water is possible
we'll both move on and find other people
because that's the nature of these things
regardless
we're not so important
I love you and your touch and the sun on my skin
and I hope you love something

Sharing Lunch

You know, we are actually having a lunch date
?
I'm eating lunch as we text
Can I have a bite?
Sure
[image of forkful hanging over salad bowl]
Yummy
Thanks!

Up and Down

There is comfort in up
the sun rising each morning
looking up to the boss
of this elite high-ranking firm
even though I stroke his ego
to keep him from falling on me
because up is like sunshine
like light
and I am down here
swimming in freezing cold water
in the dark
there is a crack of light
but I'm terrified
you will close the door
and I'll be left all alone
in the dark
with myself
not even seeing
my own reflection
so I close the door
I don't trust you to save me
I cry because my light will never shine
and my tears drown my torch

Dark Lady to Mr. Shakespeare Sonnet I

He thinks he loves me but he knows not love
For if t'were love he would not so complain
I keep him from himself, be speaking of
My countless faults that he deigns to disdain
If it were love he'd look me in the eye
Our cheeks would redden and our hearts would melt
As our lips fastened and the world went by
The wayside, no more caring how we felt
To me he is a God, a gentleman
More than a God, a kind and glorious soul
A courteous lover and a brilliant man
Lacking but the gift to love me whole
He knows love. You can see it in his plays
Would that this knowledge my poor heart allays

Occupy Wall Street

Money is only worth
what people will pay

Power is only worth
what people will take

So many people
wanting

Seven Princes

Seven princes went to woo
Seven princesses decked with jewels
One gave his bride a diamond ring
Another a diamond mine and jeweler
A third gave his bride a land rich with gold
With milk and honey and fields of wheat
Another an army all equipped
To conquer any land she desired
The fifth gave his bride a university
Where the brightest minds knew no earthly bounds
The sixth said my kingdom is all yours
I bow to you
The last prince said
I need your love

Garden Sanctuary

I wonder for a moment if it was a dream
tall green canopies branching overhead
water steaming off puddles in the sun
trees shaking cool raindrops on my warm skin
the smell of wet leaves and fresh grass
maybe the silence reminded me of this

Second Spring

The plants are happy
this Indian summer
like a second spring
warm sunshine on the muddy trail
cold seasoned buds unfurling
new green leaves
butterflies

Albany Beach

City half covered with fog
Sun shining on water
Waves tickle the sand
Dogs, pelicans, people

Kissing Gate

Like meeting for the first time
and finding in each other
a long lost friend or lover
as though we could kiss forever
without words
words come to me in dreams
you are my flower garden

Dancing

Dancing we become like stars
stretching out to our full potential
like a hand filling a glove
or a glove fitting a hand
shining separately
joined by mystical constellations
is it any wonder we forget our names
at the weekly picnic
when we have forgotten ourselves
and remembered what we are

Anatomy

Now I have a system
for thinking about
potential movements
of the human body

Flexion, extension, rotation
muscles and joints

Can I make a system
to classify
movements of the mind?

Question, reflection, recollection

And how would I define
a leap across the unknown
a grand jeté
a cartwheel
a handspring?

I leap over your shoulder
to hand-balance on your thigh
assisted by another.

Change

Leaves tumble across the quiet street
Majestic clouds swarm the clear blue sky
hurling rain as though
the old must be washed out
to make way for the new

I wish I knew
how to work the magic in the air
it hovers there
just beyond my reach

Fallibility of the Infinite Monkey Theorem Applied to Online Dating

You might think the internet
makes the improbable
merely infrequent
by increasing
the number of encounters
but what if
I wanted Shakespeare
and all I get
is five pages of monkeys
repeatedly hitting
the letter 's'

OkCupid

Our loves like the Greek Gods'
fleeting infatuations
between different species
I was so naive
to think we could all be friends
maybe it doesn't matter
what I write at all
just that I'm out there
and you're out there
Do I want you to read my mind?
Do I want to read yours?

Hot Pool

The hot water soothes my body
as though it were aching
makes my heart beat faster, stronger
I must immerse myself fully
push up on the side to sink my head
blow bubbles
come up slowly
I sit on the ledge
waiting for the world to stop spinning
so I can go lie on my back and cool
seeing stars that are not there
a cosmic orgasm
splash in the cold pool
and do it again

Warm Pool

I am so happy in your arms
floating in the warm water
the world melts away

facebook

facebook has erased my mind
dissolved me in the cyber out there
like a thousand million others
i float aimlessly
on a sea of meaningless but briefly meaningful
images and snippets
where did the time go?
where was my body?
where are my friends?
where is my iPhone?

Autumn in Albany California

My narrow bike wheel crunches through
a patchy frosting of tawn leaves
along San Pablo Avenue

The ornamental pear tree by my door
is prematurely reddish brown

But oh for bright red maple
yellow aspen orange chestnut
real cherries, apples, pears

Not this confusion
of manicured evergreens
with species existing only for
their unscented spring blossoms
and so as not to make a mess

Teaching Yoga

I should have a plan
but I'm just subbing
at the last minute

We work on hip openers
and balancing

You can never get enough

Life is a path
between openness and poise

We rely on each other
for support
but ultimately
we must go alone

I gravitate to soothing words

Notice your breathing in your belly
Allow your body to sink into the floor

as I let my voice briefly
meld into silence

Life as a Game of Chess

Beginner's mind
is no use
only tried and tested
openings will work

king pawn two
a silver spoon

The chess Cinderella found in foster care
made it to the tournament
but didn't fit the crystal shoe

She says she is a diamond in the rough

She wants cutting and polishing

Does she know diamonds cut glass
and stalemates are quite common
between grandmasters?

Leaving

Even if you go
there will still be
nothing

I always knew you were going to
That was the only promise

What if your mum has cancer?
We all leave
sometime

Nothing

What is this nothing
in my head
no feelings, thoughts, ideas
like the grey sky
outside


Where is the horizon?

Words
                     fly

                                                across

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