The Earth Forgets


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they buried their elders by firs and pines,
but the good earth has sucked back their bones,
washed the soil clean.
they who came from the umbilical cord
of the Earth, the lap of the Mother,
her sacred songs, salty eyes
and holy mouth.

they painted watchful faces on river rocks,
spirits and guides to protect
in life's dim light and long journeys.
they danced, beat drums, wheeled
through the sky on their ponies
while they paddled the great waters
that made up the world.
they crossed slick snow
that held mountain ghosts
and hid dark disordered souls.
they who loved prairies and wolves,
who rode the sacred groves,
wandered the green Oregon valleys,
across the fertile lands,
and into the craggy Steens and Wallowas.

today the land touts big houses,
timber yards, glass factories,
cowherds, industrial stacks,
asphalt roads, restaurants, and hotels.
rivers host jetboats.
ski lodges offer up hot toddies.

Earth forgets with ease.
auctions off sorrow for so little.
but for these first peoples,
the morning mists sing it choruses.
young and old dressed
in ancient robes and feathers,
ally themselves with the grasses,
the thirsty sky, bears, chipmunks and the angels.
their spirit hangs in the tranquil arms
and gracious voices of their long gone elders.
they sit by eroded rocks and red dust and pray.

the vast lands have forgotten them,
though they not the land.

I'll Love You Till

sharks jump
out of the water, dance
and tell me what life is like  
beneath the seas.
crooks return all they stole,
and you and I
never have to do laundry again.
so hang on
for a wild ride
in this small and beautiful world
on the wheels of a great love.

  

Heavenly Hot Chocolate

when we pass on
and reach the heavens
a sacred room awaits us
it will have a table
and two hot chocolates
there we can continue
where we left off