I have always found

solace in the forest

bountiful earth

beneath my feet

meet and greet

of Mother Nature

funny that, finding

you there,

amongst the evergreen

sheltered, withered but

so vibrantly shining

still, in spite of it all,

winding roots tall

makes this heart swell

and time does tell a tale

of how much we can carry

(on)

Check the mirrors for heat

and take the whole road

for yourself

-more than often to forget than

remember

though every mile made is

a look forward and back through

your time

the time of your dead

the time of your mistakes

and the time in front of you

-more than often let it out

push the engine

wide open

fuck your demons

burn yourself

clean.

Driving the highway

back from the store

sun-dripped,

feeling gold

watching the sky burn over

Mexico in dusk

the music on the radio is

a lovely static mixed with words I can't understand

the voices of the past burning

in the rearview, the sunset.

strange birds and small rodents

dart across the road while

I take a swig of water

and remember the eyes

of old love

the horizon behind me

wraps around front

in a claw of color

of warm orange sky

blowing back into a

filament of purple

with a pink bulb smeared

across the top of the

Mexican mountains

can the Tahitian sky of

milk be as beautiful,

can the last trace of light

crashing into Athens

mean more than this,

this bizarre feeling

of hope.