the price

painted steel & wood frameworks arch high into the blue
rush of wind and whirr of rollers on twisted tracks

the masses curse the length of hot sweaty zigzagging lines
that they paid the price of a dozen meals to stand in

i want to lose my voice screaming
but not while a child loses her voice permanently!

starved

& her mother's parched vocal cords no longer can sound the pained melody
of the mourning song
you could barely hear it,
the city's rumble-grumble of greed
drowning her out

along with me, and you, and the screams
the click-click-clack of the coaster track & rush of wind
drowning her out

pushing past the site of her grief
to secure our place in line
for a thirty second thrill

rolling to a halt all dizzy and just in time
to buy a ten dollar sandwich and curse
the price.

may seven

the river flows buena onda
smooth beats the rhythm of my essence
and sprained ankles can still tap to the music...
living, it's a flow, it's love
it's a piano played for the audience of the universe with nothing but joy the reward
it's laughter & desire, thanks
to the spirit that moves in me and you and her and him
makes us all DANCE
holding hands in a rainbow circle of the soul green grass in our toes...

freedom comes from the inside
it's what bows the violin of an Auschwitz musician
it's the pen of the drafted poet in boot camp
and every man seeks what he has already
deep inside

some say that the effect of closing one's eyes is a temporary blindness
but the truth is
to look within is to zoom out panorama widescreen
and the whole world lies in a single human heart

my heart aches

to be with those with whom i have once connected on that soul level
the ones with whom i've shared beautiful moments, beautiful but fleeting
be it weeks, days, or hours, our time was short
and one or both of us was forced by circumstance and distance to return to our separate lives

CJ in Harrisburg... you became like my sister in only two sleepless days and nights, living radically to save lives, walking around in the city barefoot at 5AM & laughing
Diana G, wherever she is... music & the love of life brought us together the evening of valentines day
Abi, [insert higher power of choice] knows where you are, other than in my fondest memories, i wish we were still in argentina reveling in freedom and joy, snowboarding, drinking local beer and dancing to reggae
George from ? who I talked to about life on the Capitol steps for hours in the middle of the night... you told my your stories and i told you my plans and we smiled because we knew we were kindred spirits even though i think you're thirty years older
Johanna... i miss laughing deeper than anything with you & protecting you from guys twice my size in the club, and hiking up Cerro Otto & i know that you are my second sister
Heloisa in Brasil, peaceful teacher and soul-mentor... we danced and meditated and shared our wisdom and love in broken spanish & it was so beautiful...you welcomed me into your home and heart like none other...

all of these hold pieces of my heart & they are scattered across the globe. of course there are those with whom i am still with geographically, and those with whom i have been able to commune with for years of our lives, and i do not discount them in the least... however, in this moment my collective yearning is for these beautiful people whose physical existences were aligned with mine for only a short time...a flash in the vastness of time and space but each moment was a star a shooting star and may it be that we may see one another once again and dreams of stars will turn into smiling eyes.

connection is magical. when we feel so ALIVE and everything is beautiful because our souls reach out and hug each other's. we know the truth of life without knowing or needing the words for it.

and now i will hobble back to my room resting in the knowledge that it wasn't all a dream. every wonderful experience, transcendental moment, loving encounter, beautiful life-filled time that i have had has always seemed so surreal when looking back on it, almost unbelievable like i saw a movie through my own eyes... and it's always accompanied by some kind of pain, i suppose because what was once is no longer... it's a good pain, it's the ache that reminds us we are alive and it's buried deep in the chest where our faithful hearts keep pumping the blood that lets us live on for another day of seeking life & love & a soul to connect with.

and if we are Lovers of Life

we will take care of our mother the earth
we will love our fellow man without inhibition or fear
we will rejoice at the color in the grass and they sky and give thanks when the winds stroke our hair
we will open our minds and hearts to all
we will give of ourselves and what we have with joy
we will do everything we can to help the unfortunate, dry tears and save lives
we will be driven by passion for all life sentient and non-sentient, preserving, sending love into the atmosphere
we will fill the earth with positive energy
we will be free radicals never saying no unless it endangers love or life
we will never stop learning of others, their cultures and what makes their souls smile

we will sing and dance and lie in the grass because this dirt and these trees, friends and beasts and our very lives are all one