55

yes, that's how old i'm going to be tomorrow.

i will go to see a movie,

herzog's cave of forgotten dreams.

today i had a phone conversation that made me think.

and an email, too.

and while i am celebrating becoming older,

a friend i never knew has said good bye,

leaving stones.

~~~

yesterday i walked in the old meadow and woods, down to the stream.

i found a tick on my sleeve.

back home i checked for more.

i showered and shampooed

remembering that little crab scrabbling up my arm.

it wasn't a deer tick, but it was a tick.

i've never seen one here before

~~~

and that is how life is, changing,

always changing,

the great cave holds mystery, or graffitti?

does it matter?

what matters is that fabric

called life

which can break and be mended,

it may be dark or light or dense or gauze

this making and wearing a life

is essential. it's light

like feathers

like milkweed in the wind

and heavy, a stack of army blankets.

dense, worn, used.