Seen the Sea

His eyes squinted, wrinkled
at the sound of his voice
What he had to say was sour
and his face didn't lie
Said, "Boy, you've seen oceans,
but you haven't seen the sea."
Of course, they're one in the same,
but it was the context
that separated the terms
I took what I could from it,
which wasn't too much at the time
I thought I was eyeballs deep in it,
but time told me it wasn't true
And now, twenty years behind me,
I see, I'm in the midst of the sea
Drawing in and cutting down
upon my naked ankles
Yes, I see the sea,
I feel her even now

Montezuma's Castle

I remember the wind in my hair
Barreling down the blacktop,
windows down and sunroof back
When I whispered in your ear,
a coachwhip coiled in my pocket
And the smell of dampened leaves
decaying in the Chiricahuas
The mist upon my cheeks
as I wandered alone there,
among those ancient bones

You said we'd make it
to Montezuma's castle,
but we never did


I couldn't forget that trip
Some times I certainly tried
After you left us for Texas,
it was betrayal on the tongue
In hindsight, you were only
seeking your own preservation
And who could blame you?
My own instinct was obscured
beneath layers of scar tissue
and lies from her mouth,
concocted in that feeble mind
Or I'd have done the same

It just took more
for me to come around
If I sat across from you now
I'd apologize for time lost
But I'm not there now,
and Papa says you've aged,
with new ailments to tend

I shouldn't worry, though
My gut says I'll see you again,
perhaps where we never were
Maybe we'll make it this time

Dear,

You've done so much
Always the sole provider
For that I'm grateful

It's business as usual here
Everyone's doing what
they were hired to do
Well, all but me
In hindsight,
had you been honest
at that crossroads
I would have chosen
the other path
That is, of course,
had I known I was to do
your dirty work
and theirs too,
I would have declined

Now it's useless
you led me on long enough
to ensure my investment,
knowing me well enough
to consider my pride
and it's obsidian edge
You know where I got it,
that time you handed it over
All my life reminding me
about the value
of a man's word

But what about
how you said you'd
put a ring on my right hand
when I turned eighteen
That doesn't follow
I'm twenty now
My fingers remain
without ornament,
and their sizes have changed
You know I understand
You're just so busy
It's all deadlines and promises
The broken, the honored
But you took the time
for your first-born daughter
and your beautiful wife
More than once for each
I just never topped the list
No use beating myself up
Not anymore, at least
It took me a while
to learn that

I wonder if you'd ever
sleep in a trailer
I wonder if you ever
thought about that
Surely, your self-proclaimed
selflessness would suggest so
I wonder if you considered it
when you accused me
of taking your money
Though I never asked for more
than what you owed me
What you said you owed me, even
And last I recall,
you've never paid my rent
Not even hearing a vowel
about tuition or books

I'd write more,
but there's no time
So anyway,
here's to store manager,
right-hand man,
and lowest paid employee
I wish you the best of luck
I mean that,
all the luck in the world
You'll just have to do it
without me

- Sincerely, R. Blodgett

She Wolf

When the sun caught her eye
he felt he'd ensnared a she wolf
That deep, molten amber iris,
twice freckled, and honest
His blood fermented,
and he was drunk
just to match them
with those tired shades of blue
This was unmistakable:
She walked alongside him, and
it was the best he'd ever done

Make Sure to Tell Her

She had waited up for them
Seated on the couch,
ears tuned for the sound
of footfalls on the porch
or the clatter of keys
But they appeared late,
finding her asleep there

Her eyes opening laboriously
and the delight in them
when she saw her son's love
was something he'd remember
The embrace that followed
affirmed his apprehensions
Her desperation he could feel
from his fingertips, in his blood
the same as hers,
and it quieted his hopes

I wish I knew how to help
but it seems she's beyond it
and that's a harsh judgement
for a woman already cast asunder
Papa says I should keep an eye,
make sure to tell her I love her
But God knows,
he ran too

Philip Roth

Those around her noticed it
in her removed mannerisms
This she considered often:
she wasn't whole anymore
Thought she needed someone new
to balance the equation
A beautiful face to see
right through her old damages
Truly it was her own mind
that had really betrayed her
She was whole from the outset,
it was the love that fractured

Forest Runner (edit)

He ran, for he could not
bear to move gently there
He had something within
hurling him forward at
a pace unmatchable

Proud, he tried regardless

All there was, urgency
Bending the forest's limbs
brutalizing others
At sporadic moments
leaping down the hillside
to slide upon the leaves
No destination known,
just pursuing a void

Water forced from the clouds
came down upon the earth
Bits of forest matter
adhering to his skin
His hair ensnaring twigs
Mud, leaves, moss, and lichen

Their decomposition

He could smell its richness,
and ever so slightly,
tasted it on his tongue
He wanted to become
some small part of it all,
absorb it through his pores
until he would rupture,
unfurling in a spout
heaving fungal decay