I want to live barefoot

I want to live barefoot.

I don’t want to bother with

shoes and socks

or woolly hats that

tickle and flatten my hair.

No more heavy parkas and

leg warmers,

or gloves that make it

impossible

to handle a camera.

I am sick of heavy grey skies

that leak constantly,

and barely 6 hours of daylight.

That hot water bottle

that keeps me warm at night,

- it has to go!

I want to sleep under a canopy

of palm leaves

and walk barefoot on a

secluded beach

wearing only a sarong.

I want my body to be

kissed by the sun

while I sip Piña Coladas

and wade through turquoise water.

(The poem that became a verbal vision board)

Sometimes I see you

Sometimes I see you flying over me

on naked wings,

your elegant neck

gently bowed towards me,

beconing.

A new flame of clarity

reveals your message

as I look inside 

and see my own wings

You blow away the world.

I follow you over the plains to the river,

and in the red light of the first dawn

all we ever wanted comes true.

Weeping willows

Weeping willows 

shelter a pierced soul

while crusty earth soaks up feverish tears.

A brittle soul on the mend

still wears the unbearable loss

like a constraining sheath.

Every day gentle breezes 

charm up memories

that in turn explode,

rustling the sheath 

tearing up old wounds.

* * * * *

With Giddy Clarity

With giddy clarity I listen to my own breath
as I venture out into a bitter, tumultuous world.
Step by step I practice my breathing,
and within me a fire awakens.