Nephesh

From unknown knowingness

indistinct beginning

such jewels begin to color

pathways of paradise.

Jade and ruby motion

gather time from nothing

through air to light

across this brief respite

from shadow.

Out By The Equator

Out by the Equator

there’s one o’ those places

all ex-pats go.

Crowded between streets

packed with motor bikes

the food carts pushed

by vendors shouting

special sauce

maybe a souvenir

hawker or two

waving postcards

or carved wood

dicks equipped

with bottle openers

Yeah, this place

it’s not too big

and a shout

will fetch an exotic look

from the bartender

but that beer arrives

after growing a pair

of legs with a smile

like California sun

and a heart like flint

so you and the few

talk how things

have changed

since tourists

found the old

hangout.

Now expat A

and expat B

commiserate

in their vodka cloud

how the natives

just don’t behave

anymore.

Happy Hour

Happy Hour was days ago,

         that bottle of rye is empty.

All the glasses are clean,

         the ice long gone.

Then you smile,

         and I am drunk again.

The Watching Earth

The watching earth

releases words,

mouthed by a corpse,

telling of the Far-Away

where no door,

bolted and locked,

shuts out
foggy truth.

From a Harbor of Pleasant Aspect

From a harbor of pleasant aspect

         exploration began,

a search for an end of horizons.

Decades with spice and tales of exotic sex

         return with a tide

flowing with fragile secrets.

Such thoughts hung in a dark vault,

         together with journeys,
Far from the weight of noon sun.