I had something to say,
Yet because I did not write it down,
I forgot it
In the shifting of tabs
And the passage of time.

Stretched out on the roof,
Staring at the stars,
Torn between terror and awe
As one foot bleeds,
The knees sting,
And fireworks in a cacaphony
All about the neighborhood.

Forcing out the words
That I can get better,
Stay in shape.
Maybe these poems
Will fall on their faces
And I'll be embarrassed
I ever put down these words,
But when I write
A better poem,
I'll be glad
I practiced now.

I love the summer sun.
While I might not love to be outside,
I love the way it warms the soul.
It's heat remains long past the night.
It overwhelms beyond belief,
But drives us on.

Too much desperation
To clamp down
Each time I think
Of returning to school

Do not fall in love
With poets,
Or even half-formed ones.

They'll leave their trace
On everything.

Just when you think
You're clean,
All the memories
And daydreamed visions
Roar back to you.

What's worse,
Is to have loved and lost one
And to be torn apart
Trying to find another.

Ode to the I-80

You are the road
That leads me home
No matter which way I go.

To head west,
To follow you all the way
To the Pacific Coast,
Is to follow you back
To my past,
To lost peace.
You lead me to what I lost
And what I'll never have again,
Though if I had the time,
You could lead me
To something new
Out of the old I buried there.

You are the road
That leads me home
No matter which way I go.

To drive east,
To follow you to the lakes,
To what feels north,
Is to follow you ahead,
To the future,
To loves yet undiscovered.
You lead me to friends still forged
And lived to be learned,
Though I am mainly taught the past.
You could lead me
To something ancient
Buried in sights still unseen.

You are the road
That leads me home
No matter which way I go.

Whether east or west,
To follow you to the fields,
To lands between,
Is to follow you constantly,
To family,
To a place I am always welcome.
You lead me to hearthfires, beds,
And meals kept warm just for me,
Though I cannot stay.
You could never lead me
To something permanent
For I buried that chance long ago.

You are the road
That leads me home
No matter which way I go.
I will follow you through
Snow and wind and rain.
I am always waiting,
Always yearning,
To travel your paths again.