trees

silhouettes standing
barren
before a fading winter-blue sky
hold a promise...

...a Colorado-blue sky day

how long have you
been blowin thru the trees
like some unspoken message
rustlin in the leaves

when we first jump into a stream
we may splash around wildly

strugglin to swim
to find our bouyancy
but,
when we find the current
we are carried along
effortlessly
the current does the work
we can let go...

I've been lookin
for the girl with the purple socks
and funny shoes
she walked away with my heart
at 43rd

The promise of Saturday morn
is a wunderful thing
every week is re-born
on Saturday morn

I used to have a shirt
that said something cool
now
I wear it inside out
so I know what I'm about

David died
he didn't die
he was murdered
in the midst of all the insults
the world can hurl at the homeless
that we can level at each other
David could make us laugh
at ourselves
He was outrageous
a murder, a theft
we've been robbed
a light beam of sanity/insanity
has vanished...
David died

She's all smiles and glory
eye-poppin joy
but ain't she devious?

Radiant...she all radiance too
but ain't she devious?

she lives life
the way it spozed to be
she got Innoncence
a mind Natural and Free

Watch out
Though!
She's gonna git to you

She's gonna git to you
with a mind
Natural and true

...she so Devious!

the bus is full of characters
liars, cheats, charltans
yet
just like society
it keeps rollin along

but the bus has babies
it has momas and papas
its gotta keep rollin along
just like a big red balloon
on a string...

my treasures, my fortunes
lie in the quiet security of my heart
I walk among the doubts
illusions, delusions
without
my strength comes not
from good fortune without
but from constancy within
what could dislodge my trust
not the rain, cold, or wind
nor the aspersions cast by man
if you are with me Master,
solidly I stand.

a bad dream
can be
the Trickster
in our mind
trying to direct attention
from the Divine

sometimes
the Perfect Union
is only a step or two away
the Garden of Eden
obscured
by the mist, the fog

one side of my face
warmed by the overhead sun
the other
cooled by a gentle breeze
what pleasures
whose gifts
are these?

I know some folk
that fly a sign
holding out their hand
for every nickel and dime
but me,
I never saw the sense in it
I'd rather walk in the woods
out by the lake
gaze at the sun
filtering thru the trees
or gleaming off the water
like a thousand stars in the sky
and savor a spiritual fulfillment
undiminshed by consumption

I had a dream last
night
in it, I was filled
with abundant joy
the feeling was real
tangible and memorable
as I became more familiar
with the joyous mood
inner certainty mounted
proclaiming exuberance
as mine own natural state

Joy as a fluid substance
made more real by its lack of materiality

a young punk rock girl
black on black
strugglin to free her bicycle
from the clutches of the Metro bus rack
and
an elderly gentleman
seated in the disabled section
nervously gets up then sits back down
unsure of his destination
both
tryin to keep their respective
worlds together
other passengers seemingly oblivious
as the capitan of this ship on wheels
gets it rollin to the next stop
where
with hydraulic hiss
spew and sputter
the scene replays itself
endlessly...

the street is full of throw away people
no one wants them anymore
at sometime, somewhere
they might have meant something
to someone
but now they are
disposable
their only hope
salvation thru destruction
self-destruction
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

when I look at you
I want to see past the surface
of what you seem to be
into
the essence of your soul
I want to see you
as you really are
When you look at me
please don't linger on appearances
but come in
come into my house
have the courage to look at me
Our inner beings are beautiful
and divinely made
why get caught up in the shallows
dive deep...

Did you ever wake up
and after a few seconds
not know where you were?
perhaps several locations
situations
ran thru your mind
before you pinpointed your existence
those few precious moments
from the time of waking
to fixation of place
are so intriquing...
exciting even
its the "not knowing"
that gives that time frame
its uniqueness
if we could take that
not knowing
and the sense of awe
that accommpany it
and extend them
apply them
to the rest of our day
our experiences would be richly endowed

a tired, lonely pilgrim
was I
walking a long dusty road
half starved, half naked
then
I came upon a Gathering
others
similiar to myself
and one kneeling
among them
yet, unlike them
He said:
"Therefore I tell you
do not worry about your life
what you will eat;
or about your body
what you will wear."
I kept on walking
obvioiusly
the group had neither
food or drink
Many years later,
under similiar conditions
I sat with the group
I was hungry for the teachings
of the Master
As I looked around me
the faces I saw
were of children
happy, carefree
except for one...
out there...
on the dusty road
one who kept on walking...

I keep a black plastic bottle
of Hershey's syrup
in my pack
when I get an undefinable yearning
for an unamed something
I take a swig from that bottle
and carefully put it back

things are what they are
and then
things are never
what they seem to be

Saintly Sarah
with a feint smile upon her lips
got a new pet today
a goldfish, bowl and all
She gathers her plastic bags
and fish
and struggles up the hill
Now Sarah can pour forth her love
freely
to her new companion
without fear this time
she won't be battered or bruised
or otherwise abused

In stillness
there is a Peace and Joy
that exceedes all worldly pleasures
the price--
a discipline that can tame
the restless heart

the path I walk
follows an Ancient Riverbed
sometimes there are tracks laid in a distant time
otherwise
the only tracks left behind
are mine
destination unknown, unimportant
the path emerges
one step at a time
its not wise
to look ahead
or behind
one step,
one step at a time

on the streets of austin
many a wanderin soul
has lost his life
the old must die
that the new be re-born
sumtimes its painful
sumtimes done in the blink of an eye
on the streets of austin
there is no why or wherefore
just do and die...

letting go
Now there's the rub
how to
just let go
to paraphrase
Not to do it!
sittin
doin nothun...

SCHZOID

The wheels on the bus
go round and round
round and round...
The man on the bus
talks to himself
talks to himself...
what's that line?
"only drowning men can hear him?"
now I'm not suggestin
that all who converse with themselves
are responding to the divine call
But what prompts one to converse
(with himself)
may be the Primordial Echo
the message may be garbled
but the meaning is Pristine
Someone is out there
and the word has been spoken.

The wheels on the bus
go round and round...

Pauline culda been a linebacker
extraordinaire
I'd put here up there with the Great L. T.
In the soup kitchen line
she'd bull rush to the front
flaying elbows, bustin ribs
leaving a wide path in her wake
but now, Pauline is sedate
she sits slumped
broth drooling out her mouth
she's better now
she's taking her meds...

Perfection
unknowable in the material world
brings blessings supreme
a Joy that pervades all existence
Perfection is spiritual

no clock do I own
but the street keeps time
early in the morn
great grey garbage trucks
come rollin with a thunderous clap
upending dumpsters
and slammin them down
with brakes squealing
their 4am alarm
echoing like great whales
workin their way thru the alley ways
of downtown

a spiritual warrior
adapts his tactics
to that which he stalks
in stillness
there is movement
it is not the hunter
that moves...

SOFTLY

quietly I wait
doin nothin
silently watchin
my breath...
mindlessly
waitin for that Ethereal Light
Softly
like moonlight
on a cloudy night
She lays her mantle upon me
How Sweet
the Comfort
of the Spiritual Companion

Beyond all movement
beyond all hearing
all seeing
there is a stilless
that waits...
so must we
become still
and wait...

ECHO

The echo of Spiritual Reality
rings true
Gathering
thoz of kindred spirit

Among the reeds and rushes
A Call
Strikes a Joyous Note
heart strings
unite
to an invisible sound
a bond of mystical contact
a bridge to the unseen world

here I sit goin thru my pack
sortin this and sortin that
the less stuff we have
the more control
we try to exert over it

no Yesteryear
no tomorrow
only moment to moment
the Eternal Moment

The truth of the matter
lies not
in freudian shadows
or stalkers of the night
or demons of the psyche
Yet, we are not alone
Spiritual Reality
Awaits our discovery
we are as
3 men blind
no matter...
Joy Abounds!

"if you want to live life free
take your time go slowly
step by step stone by stone
heartfelt things are holy..."

somethun I heard

a rainy night

it rained in Austin town
last night
I lay with my back hard-presed
against the doorway
of my "downtown suite"
the finest in sidewalk accomodation
rivulets of water swirled around and under me
my cardboard mat turned to sponge
remembering when rain on a tin roof
was a luxury to sleep by
my eyes shut tight
searching
for the beauty
in Austin rain tonight

RULES OF THE ROAD

A preppy-looking girl gets on the bus
she doesn't have a token or exact fare
she offers a "dollar for a quarter"
the black girl sitting next to me
eagerly makes the exchange
the preppy girl stands in the aisle
for the duration of the ride

STUCK

Its 3am and the streets are deserted
Tui, a street-hustler,
high on crack
is "stuck" in the middle of the street
he looks both ways on a one-way street
but still can't move
we walk out
and talk him across

Safe, on the sidewalk
Tui rants and raves
cursing
the "ghost drivers"
who highjacked him...

Homeless is the heart...

WATERLOO PARK

All's quiet in Waterloo Park
the Oaks spread their massive limbs
over a few huddled
wanderin souls
asleep for the nite
yet I lie here
gazin at the stars,
distant...

N. LAMAR STREET-WALKER

In the damp twilight hour
unzipping her overalls
she reaches into her halter top
and hoists to her lips
the last of Friday nites reverie
taking one last pull
tossing the empty bottle aside
the N. Lamar street walker
sways on her heels and toes
as she attempts
a sober-line walk
In passing
she smiles
a gap-tooth grin
as she fades into the dusky morn

RUNDBERG LANE

On my way again
down Rundberg lane
finally,
on my way...
Amidst the rush and roar
white solitude
on Rundberg lane

Taming the beast
stillness
sets in
down Rundberg lane

John the Baptist
standin on the street corner
shoutin 'bout redemption...
Jesus walks up to him
in a Haloween costume
and says...
"Peace brother, Let it go!"

HOMELESS MAN

Homeless man sits on a park bench
matted hair
and grease-coated clothes
smokin his cigar
readin the financial section

We grow wings
when stride and step
breath and heart
work as one
All along the hiker's path
In the trail's beck and call
a sacred harmony
awaits us all

Exercize Divas

You can spot them comin
roundin the jogging path
down by the lake
Blue-eyed blondes
ponytails swingin
They all same models...
just different sizes and shapes

Webberville Rd.

I was sittin at the bus stop
on Webberville Road
watchin all the fat women ride by
sittin, thinkin
winter's comin on...
a fat woman is better than a blanket

sittin on Webberville Road
waitin for the bus...

OFF the PATH

Today I was walking by the shores of the Mighty Colorado
but I strayed off the path
Invisible lines I followed
pulling me along
their sacred way
vines sprang up from the ground
and attached to my hips
guiding me,
making me feel my power
I walked in a sacred way...
off the path
crossing under the water
I got to the other side
where the wind gods
carried me into the blue
tossing and turning me dry
and when I looked down
I saw that all paths
lead to the Sacred Mountian

AUSTIN TOWN

Mad-dog crack ho's
and street-wise hustlers
5am sixth street stench
rises like a dank fog
its dark secrets belching
bums lay in doorways
alley reaks of piss

I make my way down to the River
the Colorado flows
a taste, a touch
of my mountain home by-gone

But for Colorado
Austin wallows in its own decadence

SPIRITUAL NEWS BULLENTIN

This word just in...
The Kingdom of Heaven
CLOSED!
until further notice
none can get in
until all can get in
All must be saved first...

STAINLESS STEEL DREAMS

Lying here
looking up at the bottom of a stainless steel bunk above
Dreamin...
Just dreamin a Rocky Mt dream
You and I huddled together
to stave off the chill of an Aspen dawn
the fire is banked, embers glowing
Red-tailed hawk soars on currents unseen
Reminding us
to pursue our heart-held dreams

Dreams come true--
the promise of the Earth Mother

CONCRETE and IRON

Cold concrete floors
and a hard metal bunk
a cell-mate moans
another sighs
the sounds of despair
slowly
silence stills the nite
treasured images of times-past
play on my mind
but I slam shut and bolt that door
a prison wirthin a prison
concrete-bound
none escape...
none live--

I carry this backpack everywhere I go
it marks me
an untouchable...
incommunacado

You can't get there from here
here, weaves a web, entangles, deceives
You must leave here behind
Then, you're there

CONCRETE CORRIDORS

Walkin the nite away
among the concrete corridors
no hollows, buffalo wallows
to lay my head in rest

ridin the midnite metro
2 hrs 50 cents
travellin with no destination
homeless...again

walkin...ridin
passin the nite away
waitin for the sun to break distant horizon

homeless in the city
my life, inside-out

FREE DRIFTIN MAN

a free driftin man
rollin over the modern day pony trails
crossin the Texas pararrie

a stage, a coach
pulled by the mighty grey dog

rollin over modern day pony trails

makin the stops at stations along the way
corner stores, outposts at lonely crossroads

but where have all the injuns gone
rollin over modern day pony trails

the wild ones...fierce and free
their images fadin, fallen into the dust

rollin, rollin
over the tracks of warriors
long past

ridin modern day pony trails

SAINTS AMONG US

There are saints among us
swinging the mop
washin the windows
at the Greyhound bus terminal
sashaying...swingin
mucho trabajo

She stands dignified in black
juts out her hips
hat pulled low
65 years or so
...a queen

at the Greyhound bus terminal

waitin on the bus
Saints among us...

of loves past
and tenderly remembered
why...
this moment
love's cradle rocks barren
of all hearts that longily aspire
union pleading to conceive
what glimmer, what ray of light
burst forth in love's delight?

CAST YOUR FATE...

we cast our fate
to the wind
and in Eden awoke
Beauty and Truth
in natural splendor array
numbfounded...
we did stumble
into an earthly paradise
so bathed in magical delight
we shook our shackles free
and spirits did soar...

BRAZOS RIVER bottom

clouds low and gray
huggin the earth
a lowland prarrie
kina day
fields red and brown
lie in winter rest
Brazos bottom land
fertile...
fed by a deep cold well
of living waters

TREE OF LIFE

Why a man
nailed to a tree
a god to weak
to enforce his will?
or
is there a strength sublime
that pervades
the course of mankind
slowly
bringing all to Perfection
time as its instrument
ignorance...
but a footnote

DARK HEART

wise in the ways of death
a young maiden beckons
a youth
his passions run hot
responds
but her black heart
yearns
for an end that begins not
with the consumption of desire
a spark...
jst a spark of light

the wind
echoes
in the desert of my mind
emptiness rumbles
and the serpent
rises

a River Runs

the depth of her soul
shone thru her eyes
transfixed
by that unblinking stare
boundaries of space and time
dissolved
and she took me
down by the river
submerged
we walked on its sandy bottom
its waters flowed thru us
carrying us out into space
beyond galaxies
and we were dissolved
back into the primal mix
one, again

CRYSTAL CLARITY

We lived on the edge
we three
tested the icy depths
but only I
remained submerged
frozen
icy dagger
plunged
thru my heart...
can't abandon
the perfection
of
crystal clarity

JOY

Joy is jst joy
no matter what the illusion
delusion
it's all but a dream
anyway...

HEARTS FULL OF DESIRE

All of man's doings
undone
All hunger
All wars
All rape
of both man and earth
All hearts full of desire
if we but open to the Light
our hearts "runneth over"
the world as we know it
stops
Peace on Earth