Purple Gray

A storm comes
at the end of day.
Heavy and dark,
it stops me mid-thought
with a deep,
Balrog like roar.

It threatens
and it grows,
consuming every vein
of light
until the sky
is one flat mass
of purple gray.

The lightning
is like gold wire
strung haphazardly
across and down.
It is within its flashes
that the the dense layers
wrap around.

It is amazing
that such phenomenon
still strikes me
with wonder and fear,
as if I were a child
mesmerized
by one of Nature’s
biggest reveals.

100 Miles

My feet are knotted and becoming numb. there is a blister on my heel that threatens the logic of shoes.

The inclines have been merciless, stony and steep. Downwards is not better. I fear my knees are close to collapse.

But I move on. Somehow, there is still a part of me willing to relish in the pain with the goal of completion in mind.

I’ve had no sleep and my stomach has turned on me. The blood rushes silently to the muscles pushing my body foward.

When my mind can spare the space, the surroundings are beautiful. The glowing green of the foliage and the elegant grey of the peaks. I pass through and over them, savoring the short meetings.

There are others out here with me. Some even more determined.

But I am not here to win. This is a test of my will and endurance. Every step is all for me.

A lot of people have asked what awaits me at the finish. Has the hard work paid for the suffering?

I still don’t know the answer nor what emotion may overcome me. I am both excited and anxious to discover the ending.

The Beginning of July

A red hot punk
lights the fuse
and the sound is like missiles
screeching through thin air.

Another follows
with a rhythm like an automatic.
A thunderous boom before a cackle,
and the air sizzles with iridescent color.

A dog howls
at the mayhem in the sky
while smoke fills the city
echoing the history of its making.