1. Thinking Of You

I saw an old man sitting
listening to his radio
and I think of you
how you never had a radio
and how you never had someone take
you to the coffee shop.
I saw an old man sitting
and a younger man went up
to him, shook his hands
and I think of you
how you had so much friends
how you taught me to be kind and approachable
and how to move slow in a
fast, spinning world
like the old man that you are
see the beauty
only the slow could see
and I saw you.

2. My Body Is A City And It’s Not Burning And I Am Afraid

most people fear the fire
there’s the burning
the suffocation
the losing
who wouldn’t be afraid of the fire?
You.
when you reach that dark alley and
decided to make a left
when you skipped morning coffee because
you’ve had too much wine
when you felt so heavy-hearted but scuffled
upon approaching your favorite bookstore
so you just go home
cry over all the wrong decisions you made
stare out the window, see even
the smoke has already cleared
and now there’s nothing left
in your city
in your body
this, is when you’ll realize
it’s not the fire
that you fear.

3. Orion

I see smoke each time I look in the mirror
Perhaps this is God’s way of keeping me safe
He knows I’m tired of seeing dead birds in rusting cages.
Last night, I called the wind and asked
How she taught the dove to fly
“the sky is a map if you know how to look”
She said.
And I looked at my skin,
marked the places I cannot love.
There are mountains in spots I want rivers to flow
Scriptures buried on the ground where trees grow
I guess my skin is a map,
There are stars hanging and the moon is painting constellations
Someday, I’ll find my way through.

4. Dance Me To The Tune Of Small Survivals

Hold that white flag close to your heart
And pluck the orange from the sun – it is setting
Let it set on your palms
Let your shaking bones beat like djembe drums
Let your surrender fall to the ground
So it can hold this tiny blue earth together.
There is an ocean inside of you and
Its waves come in unnamed colors
Waiting for your fingers to submerge itself
In it one by one by one
As your breathing follows the drum beats
As your hand paints over the white nothingness
This is creating
This is tiny human in tiny earth
With so much inside of her
This is freedom
This is keep going. With tiny feet, keep going.

5. I Will Tell

On nights when you feel like your mouth
Is filled with scar tissue
when your fists are heavier than your clay heart,
remember the broken that does not
need replacement
remember the lungs that pound air in a body
too tired to kiss the sun
tell yourself you are still working on it
say healing, say taking my time
say patience, dear heart
say revolution and revelation and rising
say love,
love
love.