Which Is Where We Are Now

I go to the edge of a Great Falls cliff. I go past the velvet crowd rope, and climb.

I climb up and to the right. It’s hard and fun.

Some children stand from where I left. They want to follow; their mother needlessly objects.

There on the next cliff are the feet of a ne’er-do-well. A green sofa chair supporting a baseball capped loafer gradually comes into view as I reach up my hands against the pull of the cliffs and gravity; he casually leans over and lends me a hand.

As I regain my footing, I find myself in a wooden tavern and get a hearty meal for myself.

Rock Climbing At Great Falls Into a Relaxed Tavern

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27 Jan 2010

scurrying about
 “I’m Lost,” he said
He tripped
 field to field
 countryside to countryside
 galaxy to galaxy
“Here I am: lost,” he said

There a garden grows

I Knew Him, Once

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21 Jan 2010

blue book

…

Riding my bike down a tunnel near a stream. Another bike comes up beside mine. It leans into my path. I veer closer to the stream. It cuts into me. I fall into the stream. The bike rider is a baby elephant. A lost baby elephant.

I tread back, with bike in tow, towards the beginning of the tunnel in order to climb out of the stream. It’s going to take a while. I’ve forgotten how long I happen to have been biking in the tunnel. And the baby elephant, it needs to be taken care of.

Baby Elephant Biker Crosses My Path

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20 Jan 2010
Went skiing with Brian. It was a pretty good time.

I tried some of the black diamond hills… umm, glad I made it down alive, but it wasn’t that bad.

We ended up finding a great hill “the sidewinder” pointed out by a veteran skier. Made a poem out of it.

We happened to go the evening that did there own winter Olympic’s opening ceremony. Just as we were deciding to call it a day we walked out and into the preparations for it. It would take place at sunset. We got to talk to the organizer and cameraman beforehand. The organizer alluded to the person who wanted to do it on a bit of a whimsy and build the 1 story torch device with his special knowledge of pyrotechnics. The cameraman was a laid back victim of circumstance of duty. Long lines of volunteer skiers holding torches from various hills took a long, peaceful time getting down their hills. Once they all got down, the main torch was lit.

Overheard:

“You suck the fun out of everything: Funsucker!!”

“Monica, overcome your fears!” (In a tone implying she should be excused from braving it) “I already did.”

Skiing with Brian, Overheard

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19 Jan 2010

I blow upon your pinwheel soul
The cattails bunch and swoon
 gently, easy
The lone sailor upon your vast lake
 delights in his full sail
The clouds hurry across the sky
The mountaintops
 receive the lightest touch
  of icy precipitation
Meanwhile, the fish
 swim, pondering your depths,
  undisturbed

Blowing Upon Your Lake

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19 Jan 2010

blue book

```
Oh, Joy! My broken piñata heart
```
Treasure

–––––––

19 Jan 2010

blue book

Black forest
creek churning neath your roots
encircling me with your lofty reach
 toward the heavens
the lavender cloth
 of the universe
  revealing your tender touch
the high–vaulted ceiling of your branches
 wreathed in the fairy–lights
  of the cosmos

Numinous Twilight

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18 Jan 2010

blue book

Upon the advice of the sage
 Who under–valued himself
I followed my instincts
 to my grandparents’ graves
The largest orange ball I ever saw
 lingered, staring, sunsetless on the horizon
I found myself in a vast tundra
 snow anonymizing the headstones
and realized I would never find them

I found myself amid the shrubbery
 Gazing at a statue
 Some ode to summer
  I first thought of Daphne
   the cruel beckoning of innocence
Her regal repose, fully human
 rump reclining atop a vined column
 a jump–rope of flora in her hands
  changed all that
   I thought of Fragonard
Where snow buries graves
 Here, it was petals of the season
  accentuating her flowers
  As white stone escaped
   from the black barnacles of time
    in spectacular bare shoulders
     and graceful arms
Oh, gorgeous stomach
Oh, flowing, robust curves
Oh, folds, enfold me in every part
Oh, neck, throbbing with life
         whose pronounced crook
                        speaks the truth
                        take me

Instincts

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15 Jan 2010

blue book

Walking from home to ??, I come into a neighbor’s yard. There’s a pleasant, blond, young mother and a couple of her children in the yard. Also here are some dressed-up monkeys they are playing with.

The humans’ gestures welcome me to interact with them. I gingerly acquaint myself with the a monkey or two. One of the monkeys bite me. I smart for a second. The mother nonchalantly approaches me.

“That will be $25,” she says. She points to a sign posted on the house.

Monkey Bites

Nip $5

Nibble $10

Bite $25

I reluctantly accept this. The mom escorts me across the small yard to a small guest house/office. There, a brunette young lady, perhaps a college student paid a low wage for this job, proceeds to ring up and ask for 25 dollars.

Embarrassed, I dip into my wallet and fish out a 20 and 5. I hand it over.

As I’m leaving the little hut I find myself starting to say “Scam.” The brunette gives me the evil eye. She threatens me.

“Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam,” I repeat, louder and louder.

I feel the neighborhood has been alerted to me. I realize the whole neighborhood is in on it. Little golden-haired boys with large water-pistols petal on their bikes in a desperate attempt to stop me.

“Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam. Scam.”

Biting Monkey Scam

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14 Jan 2010
Went to Rock Creek Park. Took my bike on the metro. It was nice to see the snow on the rocks in the creek. Nice big creek. Good to see dogs off leash and having a good time scampering next to the river. Biked past the police station on Branch Road.

Took a walk next to the river. It was fun to see the animal tracks in the snow. Raccoon tracks? Maybe just squirrel tracks. Larger tracks. Maybe just dog tracks. Then the tracks went onto and across a nice big bark-less fallen tree: Raccoon tracks.

Got up the nerve to go onto the tree. I stepped on and proceeded slowly — shuffle, shuffle — half-inch by half-inch. It only felt right until I was dead in the middle. Looked onto the river coming down for a while. Turned, hmm, looks pretty good. Slowly turned and looked at the sun-laden river flowing away from me, various eddies swirling near and further down stream. Nice.

Then I knew the moment had passed and the journey was over. Took forthright steps off the log.

Rock Creek Park, Raccoon Tree Overlook

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9 Jan 2010

Monkey Bites
Nip	$5
Nibble	$10
Bite	$25