A January Afternoon With -- George

His body has failed him.
Shut down
around a mind that is still
yearning to express,
to experience –
His body has -- failed
him.
And I stand here
trying to find words to
rattle off about my day
so that I can fill the -- stilted
silence,
while he is trying
struggling
to -- communicate --
through the tangle of failed nerve synapses
or whatever it is
that has -- so cruelly --
imprisoned him –
He is trying to speak to me
and I know the words he is trying to speak
are words
of interest, words of
love --
and I cannot,
I can not
handle it.
But I cannot
not handle
it -
so I stay awhile
wanting to
but -- unable
to cry.

Makes You Feel Right At Home

Part 1
I sit on
moss covered rocks
watching
as the water
flows by
dead trees
laying perfectly still
on the shore
waves
crashing
on the rocks
the sun setting
over the water
I wait
for the next day

Part 2
I stand
at the helm
of a sail boat
sailing along the coast
of Vancouver Island, Canada
the water
being so great
I am one
with the boat and the water
gliding through it
effortlessly
powered by the wind
in the deep blue sea
going towards
our next destination
at the end
of the day
we go into port
and I say
I miss you open sea
I miss you all powerful wind
but all I can do is
wait for the next day

Part 3
In the morning
the inside of
the boat
makes you feel right at home,
get out of bed
move to the tiny kitchen
and cook
eggs and bacon
for the family
and then
head out
to the deep blue sea
going to San Juan Island
to take a plane ride
to Seattle

Part 4
In Seattle
I sit back down
on a moss covered rock
watching the water
waiting,
just waiting
for the next time
I can go back
out to the deep blue sea

-Burns Duncan