I stand / waiting for India’s return / sending missives into the air / empty words and thoughts / as the flute sings without me / as I stand alone Washington DC 5/1/18

The petals fall slowly /
As the spring winds brush away the dead /
And the misty rain clears the sidewalks

I saw her once before /
Her sister was dead /
A bullet to the head /
Fallen from the sky /
With no target in mind

She sat empty /
As we all looked on /
Trying to show how we cared /
For her /
Her family /
And all that happened /

And now /
She does not know me /
Telling how it all happened /
Casually, distantly /
For the first time /
And I pretend to grieve again

Wait for me /
I will arrive /
With the wind /
And the breath of life /
That waits a night /
For the coming dawn

My dear poets/
I love the courage in your verses/
The cadence of your verbal rhythms/
Injustices that spring out with anger/
Pushing the crowds into shared indignations/
Lifting an unspoken amen to my lips/
Leading to the birth of these words/

If only I actually listened to you/
I didn't/
My heartburn set in before I arrived/
I've been looking for a beer/
My wife just sent me a text/
And my ass had grown sore/
Sitting in this hipster chair/

As you sing to us/
Only little fragments stick/
Pushing through my ADHD mind/
Slowly displacing the muddy mind/
Like the brave plants/
Living in the corners of the subway/
Somehow clinging to life/

Find me now /
My poetic soul /
That knew me well /
Fought the night /
Filled me up /
Until the dawn

When the road end / What do you find / Who meets you there / What do they say / What happens then / What stops you / From turning around