That Zinn Reading

Is the past the same as history?
Knowledge differs from experience
A collective memory
Shared and shaped
Serving a purpose far above
Simple 'membrance
Unknown multitudes lay hidden
Not waiting to be discovered
But permanently languishing in
Shrouded eternity

Where'd You Go?

Apologies for the dearth of new posts....that's a my bad. Will write again shortly.

Last Night of Freedom

Well...school begins tomorrow. It's weird to think that tomorrow is the day I consider the start of the year. Anyway, never a better time for poetry than a time with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.

Starring through the rain
Drops on the pavement
Splash, plop
Each drop encasing a memory
Enough fall to the ground
And a small river forms
Thoughts blend together
Many different ideas move along
Forming a single stream of consciousness
You sit down
Peer into individual drops
See reflections of time
Long ago
Suddenly a new spout opens
Same water, different direction
New river flows
Winds in and out of the old
Swallows it up and redirects

Where Am I?

Without needing to ask
Could you figure out why
I called you tonight?
No? Good, neither can I.
Without direction, sometimes
Poetry takes you places
You don't wish to visit.
Starting with one idea,
but finding another
Before pen even meets paper
Anger, pain, sadness, joy
All flow without prejudice or price
Words arrive, thoughts left open
For interpretation, for misuse
A poet's gift is also a curse
Lacking definition, words undefined
Can be twisted
And in the end
You look back
And can't seem to find
The path you intended
To Travel.

Wet Word Play

There is grace in the world,
Lying unseen in the clouds
Flowing in channels underground
Like floodwaters, rising unexpectedly
Sometimes threatening to drown us
Second chances pour from the sky
Confused, you stumble
Searching for a source, a cause
A reason
Knee deep in forgiveness, you start to swim
Powerless, you are carried onward by the current
Minutes, hours, days later
You find your footing
Standing, you look around.
The hills glow, soaking in the beauty
Rained down upon them
Smile cracks, and you begin to laugh.
You run, you dive into the current
And let yourself be carried away
By grace

Life is not the Movies

Life isn't like the movies. Stuff doesn't always happen as part of some master plan. Stuff doesn't blow up as you walk away from it. Things aren't always black and white and sometimes there isn't a happy ending. Sad things happen to all of us, but they don't have to detract from the good things that happen. For my Movie/Life, something sad happened recently. (Full disclosure: it was entirely my fault.) But things aren't all sad in this moment. I have come out of it with a wonderful best friend. So there is a good that has not been lessened by a bad. My movie doesn't end with a dramatic explosion or with a romantic kiss in the rain. Mine ended on a porch, on a calm night. No explosions. And now the cast is free to work on another project.

Happy Llama Time

The Captain has Turned on the "Fasten Seatbelts" Sign

One of the coolest things about flying is that you can see shadows from the clouds. Most of the time, we don't even notice them, but from 24,000 feet they are easy to spot. It's a neat metaphor for changing perspectives. When you travel, no matter how much of yourself you bring along in your bubble, you still encounter new things. Sometimes travel can be good because it helps "open your eyes to new possibilities." That sounds like something on an ad for a travel company, but it has some truth to it. For me it doesn't mean that just because I flew across the county I will have an entirely new outlook on life. It might for you, who knows, right? But for me the travel gives me some space, both physically and mentally. Space can be good. While being close to a topic can make it easier to understand, space and time is needed to process and reflect on things. For me, two weeks in California away from almost all civilization has been really helpful in reflecting on my past three years. Now I feel (a little) more prepared to dive into my college essays. Hopefully 24,000 feet is enough space for me.

Posted from 24,000 Feet above Colorado