to peel an organic orange

running across America without any shoes

hearing the darkest news

shedding my coat

but still wearing the blues

wondering where it has all gone wrong

humming a sad song

about indifference

then jumping a border fence

and a wall

rivers wide and ten miles tall.

all my pants are torn

wondering why the richest people born

without a picking thing to do

wander around without a clue

in retreat or full charge

aiming at the world at large

are hitting the bull's eye

with mother's milk and warm apple pie!?

well, their crumbs don't fall far

it's too bizarre

to be a comedian's joke

staying asleep while acting woke.

thousands of workers looking for work

an auto mechanic or a retail clerk

with beautiful land underfoot

on shifting sands or staying put.

i think it's strange

my home on the range

just passing gas or looking for a buck

thinking bad company or wishing good luck.

i know i love you

but often what you do

needs further review.

it's half-time or quarter-time

out of prison or committing a crime,

i'm risking my life

sharpening my knife

to peel an organic orange.

you took a ride

well, you thought i was free

but it was simply your twisted memory

because you see, i've been walking

to escape all your talking

and that road is long

without my favorite song

since you don't know the score

so i'm trying to ignore

what you said

when you jumped me in bed

oh, it was long ago

just before the winter's snow

and that spring was hard

you caught me off guard

i wasn't your little boy

i didn't want to be your toy

but the stars in the sky

heard me cry

when you took me for a ride

thought you were a bride

wore white

every night

wore white

held me tight

took your bite

thought it was your right

to satisfy an appetite

well, you thought i was free

but it was simply your twisted memory

because you see, i was walking

to escape all your talking

and that road is long

without my favorite song

since you don't know the score

so i'm trying to ignore

what you said

when you jumped me in bed

as WE soak in the baths of infinity

I try to welcome myself,

and I seek for him:

maybe in Singapore?

or Lahore?

by the seashore?

perhaps on a mountain top?

between the moments of a ticking clock?

or within the lines of a haiku?

all the while,

while noticing the essence of YOU.

I am aware, though,

that within it ALL 

balance or stumble

I sometimes feel unwelcome,

and am greedy,

and unwise.

but it's no surprise.

I am standing on my hind legs,

sniffing the air

feeling the wind in my hair 

while I fly

among the stars in the sky

temporarily here

and there

recovering my health

from the corruption of wealth

hoping for a choice

listening to an inner voice

welcoming me

after all

loving me

before the inevitable fall.

so I stand

holding out my hand

and my heart

asking YOU

always 

for a continual restart

each and every moment

as WE soak in the baths of infinity.

with my tiny wings

i cried at night

and in the daylight

standing on unsteady feet

knowing i should eat,

there was no appetite

in spite 

of losing weight.

and when i tried to draw a deep breath

it came out small,

matching my size

as if to sympathize

with my growing concerns.

a friendly doctor said i could be dead

or perhaps not

but it all depended on what it is i've got,

and i had something

in my lung,

and being no longer young,

there was a good chance

i had attended my last dance.

Cancer?

but I'm a Virgo!!!

and i didn't want to leave,

YOU!!

my memories are not as important

as the here and NOW:

we sit 

sipping a dry wine and

our eyes shine.

you ask and I reply:

i want to wash dirty dishes in hot soapy water 

and thereby clean

my fingernails,

and ride the open highways and rails,

singing songs remembering Johnny Cash,

and then set a world record in the 100 yard dash,

while remaining humble,

writing a four line poem

which explains how the Rocky Mountains

became rocky,

and how our scars can be healed by a kiss.

let me be healthy,

to see the tiny hummingbird spin its' 

even tinier wings

all the way to the sea of Paradise and return

with a flower in its' mouth.

i want to hand you a flower, too,

with my tiny wings.