I whispered your name into the inner
twisting curl of a conch shell, hoping
an echo from saltier waves would carry
it through shadow-rimmed currents until it
flowed softly along the shore, like my breath
settling across your neck

I ate all the stars last night
every single one
Then I had a comet cone for dessert
Now I have starburn
and I'm burping up rays of light
that sunburn my throat

The comet cone was too sugary
So I let it spew away
Now I have to learn
all the new constellations
And of course
it's all Confucius

I'm afraid of airports
Not because of flying
Or security

But because when I enter
There are so many emotions
Sadness happiness fear nostalgia

As soon as I pull in
I can feel all of it.

The heartbreak of a loved one leaving
Never to return.

The happiness of seeing a long lost friend
You'd feared you would never see again.

Some people make a trip
Just to remember
The one time they said good bye
And not hello again.

you are like a book to me
with pages torn and missing
yet you never fail to show
the mystery and beauty within

the dusty smell of your pages turned
reveal a soft and fragile state
while your cover is hard and strong
but still withering away

i really would not mind
spending the rest of my life
finding your missing pieces
and reading the words in your eyes

Minnesota winter
This lake, that lake
The lake around the corner
Frozen, wholly
Catching fish through
Holes in the ice
Frostbite
Layers of snow packed deeper
And deeper
And deeper
Like an unsightly
Ice cream cake
Snowmobiles leaving traces
Of minus 40 races
Breath freezing to faces
And icicle trim laces
Something is serene
Though the air
Kind of smells like
Freezer burn
And hypothermia