Patriotism is different than nationalism. It doesn’t demand a certain kind of obedience. Instead, it simply follows a certain order. The order of the “right” kind of choice at any point is not something that one just “know”. Instead, it is reiterated through one’s experiences, making each successive decision better than the last, closer than the last, then eventually you get to a place of complete love and devotion to the people around you.

This is patriotism. It’s the allegiance to something greater than yourself. But, it’s not the devotion to some false vastness, pretense, egos, power or materials. Instead…

The colors I choose to blend
words together are not
the ones I’m used to.
They are on the darker side
of the pantone scale.
The creams are particularly
good for shading.
They create hybrid descriptions
that give paragraphs
strengths and muscle.

What does it mean to write words
that outline a whole person?

It’s to paint the words on canvases
that are risky, writing as if you are
falling off a cliff.

You trust that your imagination
is there to catch you.
But, you can never be sure.

Standing on the borders of
perpetual danger of insanity,
you become a…

As Your Future is Mine

I’ve never doubted
that we share
intricate details
that we never knew
we had in common.

That connection
when I least expected,
when my friends
left the field,
you were there
to keep me company.

You, stepping away
just enough from
your side of the fence
to give me a hand
and pull me up.

Thanks, for being kind
and not holding grudges
after debates or arguments.

You enrich my world
with your views and
I hope that I enrich
yours.

In the end, who are we
but souls who are longing
to reach one another in
harmony…

Have you ever had the feeling that people pass intermittently in and out of your life when you come into alignment with who you are? You meet certain people at different points in your life. They leave an impression on you. You share a deep connection. But, each time, just when you start to feel that you love being with them, then one of you starts to grasp for the definition of your relationship. Suddenly, somehow, circumstances pull you apart again.

This cycle continues until the next time that you come into alignment with yourself in your life again. …

My extroverted muse is
listening intently, trying
to anticipate a gap
in the conversation
to interject with
something interesting
to say.

But, as the sun shone
on my face, the warmth
blinded me for a split
second, I couldn’t focus
on the small talk.

As important as these
words are in daily life,
and as much as I saw
smiles on everyone’s faces,
relating to one another
in a way that we haven’t
been for months during
Covid, I was side-tracked
by dancing blond babies
next to us.

As they spun around in
circles, stirring up grass,
they were painting the
cloudless blue…