A BUDDING THESPIAN

I see you 

baby persimmon

behind the veined curtain 

of your tree's leaves

like a young actor 

in the wings

readying yourself 

for your big scene.

Vanity is not yet

in your repertoire.

That will change though 

when you become 

more seasoned,

when the fruits

 

of your labor

are on full display

and the true thespian

in you

 

takes 

center stage.

UNCOVERING THE INNER CRITIC

Empathy is the small brush.

Fear is the fossil.

Slowly

patiently

I dust away the dirt

from the ancient remains

like a paleontologist

at the site of a dig.

MAKING CONTACT

after the beat

and rhythm begin

after the breath

takes root in the body

as stillness

or movement

after trust and touch 

arise as appearances 

and apparitions

after intimacy and play

expand and contract

after sensuality transposes

into timidity, then evasion

after authenticity

gives way to awkwardness

ease to discomfort

connection to decoupling

after the boundaries

are traced and erased

again and again

after all this

belonging extends

its hand to me 

and we dance 

our way into being

into partnership

into love

PLUM PITS

like the lies

of thieves

we carry them

inside, they are

the stories

we tell

that free us

from our 

darkest dungeons

they are the seeds

to a justice

we deserve

that we must

steal back

like a birthright

from those 

who stole it

from us

when we let

our guard down

when our trust

was as pure and fresh

as herbs on sale 

in an open market

*based on the traditional Asian folktale, The Old Thief

ONE POEM

1. Notebook*

That treasure trove you carry around with you

that notebook, where you record 

your precious thoughts and ideas

close it, secure it 

with its worn rubber band 

and throw it like a Frisbee

deep into the chaparral.

In other words…Stop doing 

what’s most familiar.

Put down all your best thinking.

Instead, sit somewhere and stare 

at the shadows of leaves.

Get to know the tree this way.

Get to know yourself, this way.

2. Bricklayer

Burn the house down.

Now, demolish 

the foundation. Fire 

your last bricklayer.

Return to clay and water.

Begin there. 

Build from this place. 

From clay and water.

Contract 

with them.

*Inspired by Carlos Castaneda’s, Journey to Ixtlan