so why choose

before i was the desert

i was the snow

and how satisfying

it is to have been

so many odd little things

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

 within

every rustle of wind

every breath of birdsong

behold

each one is

a divine work of art

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

 this late summer moon

you will never know

how much i delight

to dream within

your gentle glow

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

restoration

it is a rose

a distant galaxy

what beauty there is

in removing oneself

from the clash and clamor

of this heated world

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

 like a feather

there are things

i want to tell you

such as the way

you move mountains

even the ones

i dared not even climb

but instead i will tell you

the sun seems brighter recently

or that i feel

a sudden lightness within my step

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

 here among the stars

even the ants know

that this moment is sacred

and yet no more special

than any other

i say

when the grass floats

in a river of wind

listen as the oak has done

for thousands of years

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #26

 in closing

may you not succumb

to the encroaching darkness

but instead

shine brighter

than you have ever shined

in your entire life

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

read it until you believe it

you

are not a secluded river

or an island surrounded

by treacherous waters

you

are connected to all living beings

and have the power

to heal a critically wounded world

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

 my heart is

the warm spring air

the feel of a ground

so fertile

roses ache to sprout

between my bare toes

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

 consider this

if your mind

has a tendency to break

i believe

it is safe to say

you have a very big heart

in a very broken world

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

 at the ready

the night is quiet

and my home is completely dark

but oh

how i wait

for the effervescent hymn of stars

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

untitled with love

for every person

who feels they are not beautiful

let me tell you

i could revel in your gaze

and for every person

who feels they are unloveable

let me wrap

my arms around your ache

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #25

 lost

when i don’t see

the lyricism in the steady

march of ants

and when i don’t feel

the expansiveness

of a night without a moon

then i know

i have lost myself

in the fray of this

modern world

*

a quick prayer

to breathe in

this rain-soaked night

before i rest

in the arms of grace

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #23

 beneath the covers

a bird trills

then a rumble of thunder

responds

this is

my favorite type

of morning

*

from above

like a streak of lightning

pummeling its way

through sodden clouds

your voice

transcends the darkness

of my boiled thoughts

*

come here

a poem

is a safe space

in which to open

up your heart

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #23

 awake

perhaps i will sleep

another day

another day when

the moon isn’t

so full and luminous

and the blackbird isn’t

so sweet and beautiful

*

where truth resides

in the pause

between your voice

and mine

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #23

 honestly

in the end

i can assure you

i will not fret over

my lack of kale consumption

or the dollar amount resting

in my sundry bank accounts

instead i will ask myself

if i loved

if i lived true

to the pullings of my soul

and if i dedicated my life

to pursuits worthy of my time

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #22

 we need you

from plankton to galaxies

and everything in between

you are

and always will be

a necessary component

in this vast circle of life

*

and so i listen

to the wind and rain

the mountains and leaves

for the whispers of my creator

to once again fill

my ever-ready heart

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #22

gratitude

while watching

flakes of snow fall

i am thankful

to be here

to witness

this beautiful life

*

oh this makes me smile

during winter

i like to imagine

spring flowers

waiting patiently

but eagerly

to see us again

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #22

warfare

no one asked me

to be perfect

not even God

and yet here i am

demanding of myself

what no one ever wanted

*

over darkness

if you woke up today

held your head high

then you

my dear friend

have claimed victory

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #22

 eternal

speak to me

in the language of rain

sweetly, gently

in the language

of a time without end

*

darker roads

so often

i am the night

covering the earth

with an ache

even i

have yet to name

*

reversal

i want to be

the snow that falls

upon your breath

to know you

as i once did

before dusk

ruled day

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #22