A Nonet

Yuba Lake State Park, Levan, UT, May 2021

Moving across the waters' surface

Soft breeze dancing across my face

Little birds singing their songs

Sun rising in the east

Come sit with me

Beside the lake

And listen

Let go

Be

I Want to Live

I want to live

Where I don't have far to go

To just sit in the quiet

Close enough to seclusion

That I could escape the hustle and bustle

Where I can bask in the silence

Feel the healing power

Of a world without the loudness of machines

Television and social media

Just listen to the birds singing

The critters shuffling

Water flowing

Wind blowing

The sounds of nature

Versus the sounds of man

At the Lake

The deep tones of the water

As it moves towards the shore

Crashing against the rocks

The soprano chirps of the birds

Singing their morning tunes

The sun rising higher in the sky

As the minutes become hours

And the morning ticks by

The breeze blowing through my hair and over the lake

Making waves across its surface

It's quiet

But the lake speaks louder

The longer I sit

"Though you feel your life is in tumult,

You can have peace in this moment." 

The Dancing Maidens

By the light of the moon,
On a cool, cool night,
Young Johnny Locke took a walk
Down to the old lake.

He’d not far to go
When his eyes caught a flash.
A glimpse of a maiden’s face,
Her hair flowing down her back.

He paused his late night venture
And puzzled, “Have my eyes deceived me?
“What maiden would brave the forest
At a time such as this?”

Young Johnny shook his head.
Surely he’d imagined it.
He continued on, in no mood
To worry about such things.

He soon came to the water’s edge
And set himself on the sand.
No particular reason to be there,
Just enjoying the calm of the night.

T’was then that he saw that maiden once more,
Walking not far from where he sat.
He rose to his feet quickly, startled,
And watched as she came to a stop.

She stared up at the moon, the gentle breeze
Wrapping her locks about her face.
She stood like a goddess, her beauty unbridled,
Her presence beyond mortal reach.

A rustle nearby and Young Johnny turned
As one by one more fair maidens appeared.
They too like goddesses walked
Down to she at the water’s edge.

He tucked himself behind a tree,
Away from the light of the moon.
He looked on as the goddesses
Formed a wide circle.

Their bodies began to sway
To what tune, he could not tell.
Young Johnny Locke from his hiding place watched
As the maidens began to dance.

They raised their arms to the heavens
Then slowly brought them to hang at their sides.
They took a step towards their center,
Their eyes watching the skies.

They continued to move with such grace, such beauty,
That Young Johnny couldn’t tear his eyes away.
It was entrancing, their movements across the sand,
And he could feel the world around him slipping away.

A sudden jolt as the ground rose to meet him.
Had he somehow fallen asleep?
He looked around, trying to get his bearings,
And was surprised to find the sun slowly rising.

He turned back to the lake.
Were they still there?
But much to his dismay
The shoreline held no occupants.

Young Johnny Locke found his way home
All the way puzzling how it could have been so.
How could he have missed them? When had they left?
He tried to recall the last thing that he saw.

Maidens dancing on the shore,
Was that really all he could remember?
There had to be something.
There had to be more.

Home at last he was surprised to find
The villagers, his neighbors, all gathered ’round.
Upon seeing him his mother cried out.
She dropped the spoon in her hand and ran to embrace him.

She scolded him for sneaking out
For putting her into such a fit.
He tried to explain, to tell her what happened,
Of the lake and it’s dancing maidens.

No one would listen,
They thought him to be ill.
He tried and he tried
But it was just no good.

As the excitement died down
And the villagers returned to their homes,
An elderly gentleman approached him,
And asked, “You’ve seen them, too?”

Coffee With Hades

She sits at the table sipping her coffee,
Periodically checking the time.
Impatiently she taps her foot.
Her drink nearly finished now.

Just before the final sip he arrives,
Black suit and tie neatly pressed.
He spots her and waves.
She scowls.

"You look lovely as ever," he says,
Pulling out a chair.
"Spare me your flattery," she retorts.
"You're late, as usual."

The waitress walks over.
"What can I get you sir?"
"Coffee, no sugar or cream
Just a spoonful or two of cinnamon."

She glances at him.
"Cinnamon?" she asks.
"Yes, a whole spoonful or two."
She nods, then walks away.

"If it is usual for me to be late, my dear,
Why bother expecting anything more of me?"
"I honestly couldn't say.
You are a god after all."

He is clearly offended,
though he keeps it to himself.
He smiles pleasantly.
"So, what do you have for me?"

She reaches for her bag and
Pulls out several folders.
"These ones," she begins
"Will be seeing you within the week."

He takes the stack and begins flipping through.
"Within the week? You are awfully confident."
"I've bee doing this long enough
to know when the end is near."

A few folders in he pauses.
The file is of a young child.
She watches his face fall.
"You're sure this time?"

She nods.
"Nothing more to be done."
He closes the folder
And places it in his bag with the rest.

"Not going to look at them all?"
She eyes him suspiciously.
"Like you said," he replies, standing,
"You've been doing this a long time."

"Do I detect sentiment?
I thought you gods were 'above' us mortals."
Time seemed to stop
As the god turned to face her.

"My dear," he remarked,
His voice full of something dark.
"When you've been doing this as long as I have
sentiment is an unfortunate result."

The waitress returns.
"Your coffee sir," she says
"Thank you," he replies smiling
Then proceeds to empty the cup

"Until next time."
He says to his companion.
He tosses the empty cup
And leaves without another word.

She sits alone for a moment,
Finishes her last sip of coffee,
Leaves a tip for the waitress,
Then carries on with her day.

The Places Where I Fit

On the couch or in the bed

With a little fur baby

Curled up next to me

Sitting around a table with friends
A lady knight in a world of men
Rolling a d20 for "Intrigue" or "Sword"
Annihilating opponents left and right

Cutting wooden boards with dad
Nailing them together
Sanding and staining
Sitting in my living room
Admiring the shelves we built together

At Texas Roadhouse or Olive Garden
Playing trivia games around the table
Eating good food with friends

In a classroom
Surrounded by two year olds
Listening to their babbling stories
Giving hugs and smiles
Softly singing them to sleep
Filling each minute with love

Texting my nieces and nephews
Asking about their days
Getting the "tea" on their lives
Lending a listening ear
Giving advice when needed

In a crowded building
Cosplaying with friends
Taking pictures
And talking "nerd things"

Arms around a friend
Who had a bad day
No words
Just an unspoken show
Of care and love

Game nights with friends and family
Laughing at our shenanigans

In a book of my choosing
Following the lives of characters
I am meeting for the first time
Or revisiting after time away

On stage playing a character
Telling a story
Or behind the scenes
Making sure it all runs smoothly

Under a canopy of trees
Or in an open field of grass and flowers
Standing in the cold winter run off
Water seeping into my shoes
Freezing my toes

Sitting in the quiet of a holy place
Feeling the love of my God and my ancestors
Receiving confirmation and inspiration

On my laptop
Stringing together letters to make words
Words to make stories, poems
My thoughts tumbling forth
Like a rushing river

Soldier 557

 Inspired by The Odyssey

Gone so long
I just want to go home
Ten long years of fighting
Our hope on the horizon
A simple voyage turned nightmare
A fearsome creature
A wounded eye
An act of mercy
Our demise
Wrath of a father
Fury of a god
The cries of comrades
Cast into the sea
My own voice joining theirs
As I am pulled
Beneath the damning waves
We followed you, Odysseus
Faithful through it all
You said you'd get us home
Promised on your life
But we are the ones lost
Gone now, forever
We cannot go home