she told me
that when people get missing,
it makes our spirits
weary
and then she yawned
and i knew
that she
would
never
stop
searching.

i was thinking
of the ways that jam
and people
are similar to one another........

they both can spread themselves too thin
and sometimes too thick.....
they're both colorful and shine when the light hits them.....
and although no one would ever have thought to pair them with nuts,
when they are,
the effect is delightful

some days,
it's all i can
do
to
be
the horizon
line
in this
vertical
world.

even the strength
of rocks
can be broken
into little
pebbles
if we're not
careful to try
and
keep
balanced

it wasn't until
she
stepped off the plane
that she
truly began
to
fly

it was hard to discern
between
the fireflies
that lit the warm summer's night
and
the twinkling in her
happy,
shining
eyes.

i'm stuck.
but not the kind of stuck
that's
between a rock
and a
hard
place.
but
the kind of stuck
when you discover
that you have gum on your shoe and you don't want to take another step
until you get it off so you don't stick it to anything else.
the kind of stuck
when you're finally all comfortable and peaceful
in bed
and then you discover you have to go to the bathroom.

the inertia kind of stuck.
the barnacle on a boat.
the clog in the drain.
the bogged down,
wheat pasted,
cemented
kind of stuck.

i'm in the midst of being stuck.....
which,
if you think about it...
is really action in and of itself...
the action of being stuck.
so....
maybe i'm really not stuck at all...
right?
or maybe not....

you intensify
the light of the sun
when you smile at someone,
when you laugh,
when you
love.

they say there are seven natural wonders of the world,
but for me,
by far,
there are so many more.......

the way a tree arches into the sunlight
and throws its shadow
across the landscape.....

the impeccable design of a bird's nest,
flawlessly executed.....

the dreamlike beauty of a
little girl
twirling in a pink
fluttery
skirt.....

there are so many more ways to wonder than seven.

isn't the irony
of saying
"i have nothing to say"
such that
by saying
"i have nothing to say"
you in fact,
say
something?

she told me that she
always wanted to stay up in her head
because
that's where all
the
good
memories
were.

every time i turn the corner
on this
restless place
there is
more
restless
place

growing up,
i was always told
to wipe my feet
when coming
into the house....
but i always
felt
that if i didn't
leave a muddy
footprint or two,
my mother would
never even know
i
had
ever
been
there.

my rearview mirror
has a sticker on it
that says
objects appear closer
than they really are.....

i find that to be true
except when it comes
to people...

for
they are usually much
farther away
than they appear
and i can't seem to find a rearview mirror
that will make them
come
any
closer.

he wasn't as
broken
as he thought he was.

he had just
forgotten
to take the bandaid off.

i met a man and his mustache.....

his take on the world
through the viewfinder.

embracing life
and people
passionately and compassionately.

patrick

this is
how to
do
being.

because,

there
is beauty
in this magical house.
and

there
is magic
in the beautiful woman
who owns this house.....

this
house
on ocracoke island.

be

ten things that will happen while i am away:

1. i will not say the following words: routine, mandatory, scheduled, or necessary
2. i will not hear a xylophone alarm at 6:30 am or any other time of the day or night
3. i will say that i am well when asked how i am and i will really mean it
4. i will forget what day of the week it is as well as the current month and year
5. i will not experience the following emotions: frustration, impatience, shame or intolerance
6. i will allow myself to take a nap if i am tired
7. i will look up.....often
8. i will feel the power of the earth beneath my feet and the ocean before me
9. when the sun rises, i will be there to watch it
10. i will remember this time always

be well.
see you in a couple of weeks.
ox

dear raspberries,

thank you for being made so perfectly for
each of my fingertips.
you taste even better
when
i can pop you right into my mouth
off of each of my fingers......
one
by
one.

love,
dawn

if i could be any place at all,
i would want to be a windowsill.

but,
i'd only want to be a windowsill if the sun shone on me.

and,
i'd only want the sun to shine on me if i was adorned with flowers in small glass jars.

but,
i'd only want flowers in small glass jars to adorn me if they were wildflowers picked by little children's hands.

and,
i'd only want those wildflowers picked by little children's hands if they gave me a big hug to go along with them.

i'm not picky though....
because
any big hug from little children's hands will be fine by me.