After All Hallows

Porches dark - candles burnt down

The spirits linger

 It’s Halloween eve

The original tricksters

Howl in the desert

Scintillating leaves

Sunlit Mexican village

The Monarchs return

 When it all goes wrong

That is when adventure starts

Raw and unforeseen

the whorl of colors 

summoning the revenants 

families rejoined

Ofrenda of alms

 The scent of the marigolds

Old souls awakened

The perfect stillness

Soft silent sessions of sleep

A child with no dreams

 Those who heed the gods

Have they ever considered

Do the gods need them?

This sudden morning

The birds start calling too soon

And drown dreams with song

 I’m in the green now

The shady side of the hill

With crickets and moss

 What color are you?

I'm blue but would prefer green

Without the yellow

 Guitar and drum kit

Mandolin and stand-up base

Tunes about tryin’

 Balance of my life

Not measured by biding years

But each precious breath

With the gate open

 An escape velocity

Ran cross the dog’s mind

 When the pavement ends

And it turns to dust and ruts

Folks wave on dirt lanes

 It bugles to the sky

Blood hastening with the rut

The cry of pursuit

 The seasonal flow

Coursing down forested hills

A river of elk

 Cold October rain

Leaves that would flutter fall dead

Remains of summer

 Beyond all the words

Most in our lives is not said

Nor does it need be

Frosted with moonlight

A squash still bound to its vine

Ready for harvest

A relentless will

Hoodoos shaped by desert winds

The sand creates sand

In the warming soil

The first crocus will decide

And spring will oblige

 remnant of the fog

dew hangs from the old man’s beard

a hummingbird drinks

 Diné matriarch 

Robed with silver and turquoise

Sun-faced and constant

 Shall we not forget

To remember together

What liberty means

From what other cloud

Can such flaming rain descend

To color the day

 

In pursuit of pride

 Is the game worth the candle

Can decency win

 Beyond equations

A darkness we cannot see

Force we cannot feel

Beyond what we’ve built

 Harmonious proportions

Balanced in nature

Begrimed and musty

Clothes that suffered the hamper

Rejoice laundry day!

Aspens shed tired leaves

 Squirrels make their arrangements

Geese are in the wind

It’s out of control

Undocumented migrants

Squatting in the park

As it falls to earth

The simplicity of rain

Belies its blessings

 The rain on my face

While soaking in the hot tub

The best of both worlds