Horseshoe Bowl

After driving the Subaru Outback from the east coast
to Breckenridge, CO, I've been staying at a friend's home.

My last two days have been largely skiing days.
The peaks 7 through 10 have been providing plenty of'
challenge, in addition to the brisk winds and cold
temperatures. The snow has been great, though.

I've met interesting characters on the chair lift rides, and picked
up a few fallen skiers, along with their equipment.

The terrain is high, with the tallest peak topping out at
just under 13,000 feet and I've been to the top on a clear
day so am able to state with conviction that the view is
amazing and unforgettable.

The snow in Horseshoe Bowl has been the best I've skied,
so far.

driving in my car

driving in my car
nobody knows who we are
passing streets with no name
accelerating
then turning around again
watching all the people riding their bikes
mostly satisfied,
but with personal dislikes
in the shopping aisle where they've stopped for a little while
indecision
is keeping them from making a selection
this is the intersection
no one can pass through the red light without a pause
Lady Gaga is on one side
on the other Santa Claus
in a watchful mood
his bag is full with bags of food
looking at all the singers with their book
giving him all his jolly look
but nobody knows who we should be
the Sunday dancers praying to be free
all their barricades falling down
Mondays explosion the only sound
many day rats rushing in a blinding maze
in a ceremony guaranteed to amaze
in an old fashioned wedding gown
facing forward not looking down
this party is getting started and you're invited in
as soon as you're ready we're gonna begin
driving in my car
nobody knows who we are
passing streets with no name
accelerating
then turning around again

Xmas eve

It's Christmas evening
and somewhere people are still singing
Silent Night and holding glowing candles.
Thoughts of love and peace and hope for
Man's salvation are strong.
Someone tomorrow will be gifted
Texas' best pecan cake from
Eilenberger's bakery, which is located
in Palestine. How cool is that?
God bless the entire world.

heart tattoo

red canvas sneakers
waiting on my bedroom stair
and a hungry wolf
escaping from the hidden lair
her hair hanging down like Goldilocks
white and tight
knee high bobbie socks
a gentle laugh like a friendly ghost
her baby smile
i love the most
and she wrapped her arms around my waist
asked me for a simple taste
so, i took a little bite
and i found it quite alright
but i didn't know what more to say
i found blood on my teeth today
and on my neck in black and blue
the outlines of a heart tattoo

red canvas sneakers
resting in my limousine
and a hungry wolf
escaping from a romance dream
her breath heated like a winter coal
light and bright
shooting up my soul
a gentle laugh like a friendly ghost
her baby smile
i love the most
and she wrapped her arms around my waist
asked me for a simple taste
so, i took a little bite
and i found it quite alright
i didn't know what else to say
but i found blood on my teeth today
and on my neck in black and blue
the outlines of a heart tattoo

Linda

Linda
you lost your man and now you're feeling sad
going through his clothes, throwing out the bad
looking at pictures all those fond memories kept near
hanging on your bedroom wall but he's no longer here
Linda
friends spend all their waking hours on the phone
and taking you to dinner so you don't have to be alone
you've reassured your sister you've made new plans
cried with your daughter so that she understands
Linda

you're a very strong woman walking on the widow's wall

you've kept your head high, not afraid to fall

saving the pieces of a life with your late best friend

but cooking new ideas so it doesn't have to end

Linda

you've looked around and grabbed that bull by his horns

there can be no meaning for the woman who sits around and mourns

you're not re-inventing while spinning on the floor

but dancing with good memories and demanding from them more

the climb down

i climbed down the rock wall and saw the fire
but i couldn't find the ground
in the darkness i looked
i couldn't hear a sound
i made my escape from the mountainside
tumbling to the nearest shore
a wave covered my eyes
so i couldn't be sure
the posse started chasing after me
in random circles we ran
i saw you throw a kiss
so i came back again
a certain ghost with a brave heart stopped me
asked me who i thought i was
the judge threw me his book
'cause that is what he does
and i couldn't escape the rabbit hole
my head was trapped in his space
i had to get a drink
but couldn't find your place
there was only an empty chair for me
and i had no time to stay
and if i saw you there
i don't know what i'd say
maybe i found a really good story
the book reads like a sad tale
searching for happiness
man finds himself in jail

a broken string

i don't seem to understand anything
and i know i can't fly with a broken string
now or later on a mid-week morning
a knock on the door came without warning
and an early light became a heavenly blue
but i saw no rising sun or you
no champagne bubble inside my cup
i couldn't find myself so had to give it up
there was no heated drive on the boulevard
'cause loving you was really hard
i played my best damn poker card
and every hand and song i tried
and every time i went inside
that light was gone by three in the morning
a knock on the door came without warning
and you had a very lovely face
wrapped all in black and tight with lace
i couldn't maintain your playful pace
i don't seem to understand anything
and i know i can't fly with a broken string
now or when you're shopping in a store
when your bag is full and you still want more
watching men and they're watching you
wondering what you're gonna do
and an early light became a heavenly blue
and an evening light was a prairie moon
and it feels so good but then leaves too soon
like your empty voice in a shopping cart
i'm pushing a piece of my broken heart
i don't seem to understand anything
and i know i can't fly with a broken string

but i love skiing

unclicking, i was free of my skis.
watching the blowing snow cover them,
i leaned to the hardpack
and grabbed'em,
brought them higher,
slipping them together
base to base as i did so.
the bindings met and held, sort of,
as i carefully placed them over my left shoulder
in preparation for the 45 minute hike
to the summit of Imperial Peak, sitting
at about 13,000 feet.
i looked down valley, seeing route 9 leaving
the mining town of Breckenridge, CO,
slipping towards Frisco, past Lake Dillon
and the turn-off to Keystone and A-Basin.
up valley, i knew Blue River was past Peak 10,
near Quandry, that beautiful 14er i climbed.
Baldy was directly across, impassive.
Steep. Cold. Exciting.
the trail higher was a vertical series of ice holes
previous skiiers had smashed into the
mountain, each step above the previous one.
hiking at altitude can cause problems because
of the thin air and it certainly felt thin, if by that is meant
that it's hard to find complete satisfaction with an
inhalation. as I struggled, my body working, i needed,
indeed demanded, fuel, oxygen. breathing came in short
snappy movements as I kept ascending. i would stop
more frequently than anticipated, every few steps.
but it was cold, so moving was essential. i was passed
by other people more accustomed to the climb. i also passed
people who were resting. we were all traveling according
to our own timer, not racing: we were participating.
my skis became heavy. i changed them from shoulder to
shoulder, trying to accomodate their apparent increasing
weight. occasionally, i'd glance at the top, where the
small figures could be seen. it always seemed so far,
as though i hadn't really made much progress.
damn! i wanted to get there. and it was cold
and my skis were so heavy and each shoulder
was sore and i couldn't breathe properly.
but i love skiing.

Dog Company

Dog Company
hidden winter snow
frigid breath and sharp
the frozen throat
the foreign screams
the bugle blasting mortar roar
a jeep exploding in the tense Korean air
a tank a tomb an unnamed narrow ravine
off the map the hard dirt an incendiary dream
charging knives mad thrusts of senseless steel
hot hungry bullets ripping cold flesh desperate
men like flies from the northward river Yalu
hordes of orchestral sound pounding south
into a crazy wall of heavy American jazz
hectic notes irregular strangled syncopation
where rivers of doom splashed and splintered
where crazy men shit pools of blood and membrane
unsure of where to sleep of how to live and breathe
every eye and soul in tune to watch a stranger die
a riot and a roll and a thunder and a cloud
exhausted men collapsing without sound
holding the line
holding hope
Dog Company

rainbow

my cat's name is rainbow.
rainbow is hungry most any hour,
day or night.
she has dreadlocks, uncombed,
and is a dreadful sight.
one significant clump of hair,
matted and piled,
sits high on her back and
makes her look wild.
but she's an old cat
looking for food,
so when i feed rainbow
it improves her mood,
and she arches and purrs.
she lives outside in a little house
where everything is hers.
one eye seems infected.
it's mostly white and sad,
but when i ask how she's doing,
she tells me she's glad.
i feed her the best food:
twice a day i fill the bowl.
i admit watching her eat
is good for my soul.