There's the long
and the short-
the high
and the low-
the near
and the far-
the rise
and the fall-
the right
and the left-
the strong
and the weak-
the faith
and the disbelief-
the noise
and the quiet-
the hero
and the coward-
the narrow
and the broad-
the seen
and the invisible -
the finite
and the infinite-
the present
and the past-
the light
and the dark-
the clarity
and the obscurity-
the winner
and the loser-
the seller
and the buyer-
the pretty
and the ugly-
the success
and the failure-
the hate
and the love-
the enjoyment
and the annoyance-
the peace
and the restless-
the gentle
and the rough-
the gentleman
and the rogue-
the temptation
and the resistance -
the going-forward
and the stepping-backward-
the cold
and the hot-
the fertile
and the arid -
the wise
and the stupid-
the poor
and the rich-
the generous
and the parsimonious -
the contented
and the greedy-
the healthy
and the sick-
the liquid
and the solid-
the opportune
and the untimely-
the tangible
and the ungraspable -
the entry
and the exit-

for everything
(this is the truth)
there's the 'is'
and the 'is not'.

Have you ever just wanted to eat sugar straight from the bag?
To open your mouth wide and pour?
Not stopping for air.
But gasping for more --

Sometimes I have these cravings,
galore --

Sprout of a leaf,
listen--
a thousand wings of applause
shatter the quiet,
rising like storm breakers.

Sunrise, breaking
Is like a distant friend
Returning
From a long sojourn.

I have done things
To myself
So slow and incremental
That it could not be noticed

The path was
Uneventful
Not much drama
Or neurosis

The dulling
Of the faculties
The tightening
Of the lung

The salt
That swells
The eyeballs
When the funeral
Song
Gets
Sung.