Are you surprised, too? — I listened to the words rushing past me, Unwilling to wrangle with and challenge wiser ones Until sea dragged me under to cold, silent Depths where others swayed arms in welcome. In the quiet, I could think thoughts that didn’t Race on hamster wheel, dance sinuous grace, Share delighted snorts at absurdity…

I dare to leap — Trace of a road not taken appeared When I scanned the trail for way To cross complacent stream Sparkling welcome rather than threat From surging ice-cold snow melt. Branches whipping my face, Boots sliding on untrustworthy leaves, I spot a way to cross the stream, Guarded by moss-covered innocents Tempting the bold and…

Can we be friends? — Summer reading is following rabbit down rabbit hole, Plummeting to different worlds through words, Soaring to the stars on the wings of pigs, Plunging into deepest, most profound blue ocean, Returning with treasure beaming from grin Of one who has traveled hard, learned much, Returned to insist when the things you have feared For so long…

What happens to me? — Let’s pretend I don’t ask questions Hunting for answers I won’t know Until the one that fits best clicks into place So other questions can take their turns Baffling easily amazed, aching-for-amused me. You imagined bears dancing in bright costumes When I described artful plastic-leaved topiaries Poised on the busy street corners…

You used to love me — John Bender didn’t stand up when I walk into his office. No rebel gets up for a woman. Not even if she’s beautiful. Especially if she’s me. He pointed at a chair in front of his massive desk. His pen slashed furious marks on a form. “I’m waiting.” I said…

Seeing is not believing — Answers are not the same as knowing Just as seeing is not the same as vision: Eyes may perceive, but the brain Filters what arrives through sieves: Expectation, experience, and desire. Stars are always shining, indifferent To upturned faces seeking answers In darkest nights when questions Lurch from day’s bright sunshine To quieted…

They teach me what I want to know — There aren’t many of us that I know about, Hiding our differences in plain sight, Disguised as ordinary and forgettable So we are freed to wander, roam, do the dumb things That confound, surprise, and infuriate The others who aren’t like us. We are the ones who babble weird, who…

Poison ivy tries to hide — Dangerous twines with everyday ivy and vinca Smothered by glorious, ambitious conquest. This didn’t happen overnight, nor even weeks. It’s been years of seeing what was expected, Tending the howling, obvious emergency While knowing larger, deeper, scarier horror Insinuated roots and shoots with beguiling smiles. When gardener me approaches, ivy…

Possibility shimmers its magic — There was no way to plan what happened When I babbled to everyone I met Last night from bookseller to reader to writer — Except barista with downcast, red-rimmed eyes. I’d done this adventure for years: Going to meet authors in their natural habitat Of bookstores, libraries, and gatherings To hear them…