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roots

I was the funny guy, laughter incarnate
But somewhere along the lines I lost track of life
Death ran away with my soul—my heart
Leaving in his wake a world of strife

The hot, incandescent ball of fire (the sun—life?)
Shines down into my eyes as I strain to see the beautiful
crystal
blue
sky
Tears swell up, not of my own making
and dribble down past my snot-running nose
It’s a beautiful day

The scraping of metal to ground—dragging, snapping twigs
it's music, really
Autumn colored leaves, with bits of dirt, sticks, and assorted anonymous insects
coexist in the same pile
And with a squeal of joy—ecstasy breaking the sound barrier
(the universe cheers)
I leap as high as I can
hands stretched vertically
body slanting obliquely
I fall
down
down
d
o
w
n
Leaves scatter
dreams shatter

Bundled in a thick cotton-padded suit, I’m ready to take on the world
I whip the front door open, push past the swinging screen door
the white oasis awaits me
I run—or waddle—as fast as possible in 10 pounds of clothing
I dive
I swim
I love my winter wonder land
With a satisfied grin a half hour later
I lay snugly by the warm, empty fire

Breaking away from the cold, life changes too fast
Springing forward without hesitation, no time to look back
Yet all around new life begins
spreading a maternal love
that I have long forgotten
As I sit in the grass, picking dandelions at my feet
I rip up the ground and look underneath
and without warning, ideas start swarming
I finally remember my
r
o
o
t
s