What do you do with the last
Three dollars in spare change
That you are carrying?
-Place it temptingly on the sidewalk,
Next to where you have made bed
For the night-
Hoping that no matter how desperate,
Or deranged, a person is,
They will steal the coins, instead
Of your blood or flesh.
-White collar criminals toast champagne
When a member of their Board
Dies, goes insane, or is otherwise
Incapacitated.
They had been stealing from him for years,
And now, with him entirely out of the way,
The profits he earned can be divided,
Squandered, and hidden from his heirs.
-It seems to me, if spare change can
Keep you safe enough in order to sleep well,
That the millionaires who act like their blood money
Is holy water, have forgetten at least one or two
Of the basic princibles of Humanity.
-But, those kind of people rule the world.
Who am I to question them?
7-
You asked me for a blanket-
I had to pause, not instantly
Remembering if I had a blanket to spare,
Or not.
What I wanted from you,
Was much more complex- Possibly,
Impossible for you to give now,
Or ever.
I wanted your story- To know
How it was you had ended up
Sitting where we were- Cold,
Tired, and disheveled.
I don't think, at some time in the future,
You wouldn't mind discussing
Where you were from, what happened
In between, and how you had ended up
Here.
But, you were exhausted- So much so,
I excused myself, to go to my car,
Roll one more cigarette, and fetch
For you the small fleece blanket,
I remembered I had, and hardly used.
It seemed to me, you needed a lot more
Than just a blanket.
Since, I had given you the only one,
I did not use regularly, I hoped
It was enough to keep you a little
Warmer, and safer than you had
Been before.
-In the morning, I trekked back out
To your camp.
-You were almost invisible
-At the trunk of a tree
-An aura of confidence, and security
At your back.
-And, you were sleeping so well,
Not even my clumsy trodding
On the ground could wake you up.
-That made me happy, so I left
-Feeling safer, and more secure for myself
Because you were.
8-
Little Karmas
Pushed out into the night
Excuse the sun's morning rays
For revealing the existence
Of the Garden Spider's trap.
The Lady Killer borrows other predator's
Web for a few hours
-To rest, feed a little on the Widow's remains,
And, prepare for journies not mapped,
Or written.
If a human can read nature symbols
Well enough to know when rabbits
Feel safe, and birds are angry
-Then hovering through the miniscule
Designations of where we have allowed
Nature to exist, may grant you safe passage,
At least.
-I found a Wasp's nest underneath
The dirt next to a few shade trees.
-So, even the Wasps have found
Solitude in the dirt and mud
Beneath grass and gopher trails.
-It amazes me that most people
Feel safer in their car, home,
Or even on a city street than
A canyon or park nature preserve.
-But, I have stood five feet
From a Coyote, and I knew
If I did not threaten him,
He would not harm me.
-The Lady Killer can walk
Right out of the grass into
Your bathroom if it thinks
There is worthy prey there.
-The Wasps can come out of the mud
And nest above your front door.
-Snakes often find shade underneath
Patio chairs and tables.
-Even Squirrels, and Sparrows
Are known for intimidating
People out of crumbs of food.
-I laid to nap before sunset,
In the shade on a hill facing
East. Leaves crackled and fell at will,
Ants made a temporary home in my socks,
A scared little Rabbit came out to say "hi,"
And then disappeared into a bramble of spiney cactus.
-I awoke from my nap suddenly,
Not distracted at all from nature,
But because two other humans
Had found my trail, and were walking
Noisely above me.
-But, just like me, they were only
Looking for a place to rest away
From everyone else.
