I watched the quaking Aspen,
Shudder next to the swaying red Japanese maple.
Same wind but the green flashes shook 
My will 
And the red whisps lulled
My heart
A mirror of turmoil
A contrast of duality
Nature presents 
My insides
Displayed with full color
Texture and depth.
I watched as the wind carried me off.

Is it the heat of passion
That propels the heart
To heal wounds that tear
One apart?
Or the tears of life’s
humanity that reveal
Our internal rife?
Scorched by the sun’s rays
Birds cower, flowers shrivel
under a leaf’s shade
an umbrella seeking a drizzle
Temporary relief from burning issues
A reprieve of the mind
That cries for rescues.
I spread my arms out wide.
Shadow wings flap
Circular currents of energy
Encircle the wind, unwrap
The knot that holds me taut.
Off in flight
I soar without a thought.

Know my name,
For I am here
waiting in silence
to be acknowledged.
I belong,
but without a name
I don’t exist.
Know my name,
for I am of you
and you are of me.
I belong,
with shared needs
I voice my will,
so you can survive.

I see fish and birds as one
Mammals that walk and swim
Leftover body parts
Remnants of how we flew or swam.
And how we’ll take off in flights.
A monkey tail to twirl over head
Epoch leaps fossilized.

Close your eyes and spread your arms
Swing your hips and turn around
Let the music take you to the clouds
And beyond the stars.
Defy the pulls of gravitation
The serious matters of societal pressures
Two-steps, and dosie- does, tap to lift off
Where the air is thin, and the horizons extend.
Beyond the know
Is wonder
Elegant leaps of faith
To the impossible
Pirouette in revolutions
That spin ideas of imagination
Let the music cushion your return
A slow dance to ground you.

I mask my feelings
With a smile that doesn’t extend past my lips
I brush my eye lashes with dark mascara
To accentuate my openness.
I mask my insecurity
With simple words that sound profound
I twist my hair into a high ponytail
To gather my courage.
I mask my love
With blankets that warm the core
I curl in along your length
To calm my heart
And still death calls
With a baritone voice that trembles
I ride the notes, a breath at a time
To be in tune.
My mask is unveiled.
A forgery that fools no one.
I swim in naked tears
To smooth the way
Until the day I can reveal
My raw self without shivers
I dream of caravans that carry memories
Past the present to the future.