Willow
Awestruck and curious Willow
rubbed her dazzling eyes
with her small fists.
She saw the world change
at the hands of man.
Water: taken and secluded
in pipes.
She gracefully approached
the daunting, man-made monstrosity,
Looked down at her feet,
and fell through the slivers
of open air.
No stench or absence of light.
Instead, a pipe full of colorful voices
from an urban crowd.
In the sewer world:
Animals: fabricated, not created;
stone-cold and chiseled;
not warm and fuzzy.
Wise and experienced Tortoise
said to Willow,
“Listen, young girl: you mustn’t see
one or the other; instead,
see both at once.”
A deep howl and a tumultuous bark from Dog
opened a stairwell that led back home.
A new set of eyes,
young Willow found.
Home was stuck in
an everlasting hug with Tree.
“You were right,” she whispered.
And then she woke up.
Tears from the Sun
And the sparks
Trickled down
Like tears from
The sun.
For the damage was already done.
Bare branches,
Sickly spines
Bent over
From the aches
Of the axe.
Pale petals,
Brittle bones.
Stems bowing down
To the greed
Of the tyrant.
Empty eyes,
Muted mouths.
Longing to live
In that world
Once again --
Our landscapes
Glazed over
Like paint
On a wall.
A noxious
Fume:
The smoke that came
From the minds
Of those
Who were thinking
Too hard;
Those who
Saw their
Reflections in
The waves
Of the water;
Distorted
Perception.
Stewards, not
Tyrants,
Of the
Precious world --
They sat in
Their chairs
As the world
Fell apart.
And the sky,
And the ground,
And the air
And the water
Fell along
With it.
And the sparks
Trickled down
Like tears from
The sun.
Like the Sun
Like snow, you will fall.
Unwanted, bitter, cold.
A hazard, an obstacle.
A nuisance, annoying.
Like snow, you will fall.
But like the sun, you will rise.
A sign of a new beginning.
An array of soft colors.
A sliver of light at the break of dawn.
Like the sun, you will rise.
Like grass, you will be held down.
Stepped on and not appreciated.
Taken for granted.
Discarded carelessly.
Like grass, you will be held down.
But like the sun, you will soar.
Upon the throne of the sky.
Above everything.
Dancing across endless landscapes.
Like the sun, you will soar.
Like the precious air, you will be used.
Ignored, polluted.
Underrated.
Thrown around rashly.
Like the precious air, you will be used.
But like the sun, you will give.
Comfort, reassurance, warmth.
A promise of life.
A source of light.
Like the sun, you will give.
And like the sun, you will shine.
Full of pride.
Blinding, resplendent.
Burning with passion.
Astounding, breathtaking.
Magnificent in every sense of the word.
And like the sun, you will shine.
four wine glasses
Photo by 
brown wooden barrels in a room
Photo by 
white and black labeled bottles
Photo by 
Menu-printed board with brown frame on table
Photo by 
people tossing their clear wine glasses
Photo by 
group of people holding footed glasses
Photo by 
Photo by 
Photo by 
pink and white flowers with green leaves
Photo by 
person's feet on seashore
Photo by 
Photo by 
Photo by 
Photo by 
Photo by 
golden retriever on gray rock during daytimePhoto by 
woman in black t-shirt and brown shorts sitting on brown grass field with white dogPhoto by 
adult golden retriever with cookie bone on nosePhoto by 
a woman kissing her dog on the cheekPhoto by 
golden retriever lying on floorPhoto by 
golden retriever in water during daytimePhoto by 
golden retriever puppy on grey wooden fence during daytimePhoto by 
golden retriever biting white and pink ballPhoto by 
selective focus photography of short-coated brown puppy facing right sidePhoto by 
man standing near Golden Labrador retriever viewing bridge and high-rise buildingsPhoto by 
golden retriever puppy on focus photoPhoto by 
