sticks and stones and broken bones

sticks and stones and broken bones

silver and shining

they swim the black

flecks of light breaking the night

from beneath the blue I watch them

blurry stars bleeding in a watery sky

i imagine falling into the darkness feels like an october lake

diving headfirst into the cold, into the blindness, into the not going back

white clouds like sheep walk the mountains

cresting like cream

breaking like paper

stringing out across the desert as ghosts of the sun

the wind carries words i strain to hear

hazy light, moving shadows, and the smell of sage

we say "there is no time in the desert"

drink beer like water

and call out to each other "i found susan"

in my pockets i carry what we find 

sticks and stones and broken bones

...they swim but they don't know where they are going

mlb 5/12/17