Glide in on a star that’s slipped from the sky I’ve got something stuck in my eye Wake from wildflowers to roam rose-tinted streets From 9-5 write reports and stay in your seats Dance to an ancient hum from the trees It’ll be taken from next month’s salaries Trace the veins of a leaf And see your own heartbeat There’s another recall on three types of meat Rest in the rhythms of laughter and light Cover your eyes when the bombs ignite Wrap yesterday’s wounds and believe in tomorrow Do you have a few bucks that I could borrow?

Where does your heart go When you fall asleep at night It beats next to mine To some far off tune While I lay and whisper to the moon If the sun hung just a little lower Still rose each morning, only slower Could roses bloom without their thorns And could I in laying on your chest Give racing thoughts a place to rest If earth waits to turn When we’re still on a page Could we stay bound to the moment Before it turns to stardust Could then a heart plagued by fear Turn to one filled with trust In knowing that impermanence Need not shackle the soul So as time stands still We have a chance to feel whole Maybe one universe over Maybe three lifetimes away The stars are sewn with a different thread And the moon and sun lay snug in orbit Our two hearts beat in tandem As we giggle and we say “How lovely to know As we learn and we grow That it can always and will always be just this way”

I want to live In the little fold of your sweater As you feel my gaze Your smile curves up in love letters Our hearts beat amongst themselves I feel my eyes growing wetter I blink it all back And rub the crease of your palm I wish today would last forever

Sixteen spears sailed through the air with a unified sharp whistle; only three of them narrowly missed their corresponding marks drawn onto the grassy hillside. Mae’s face flushed red and her eyes flickered over to where Jigi was sitting on the riverbank. “Maybe he can’t see how badly I missed from that angle.” The audience clapped with polite timidity. Jigi meanwhile, grinned at Mae and let out a loud whoop, much to the dismay of the surrounding villagers who had long grown comfortable in the niceties of tradition. A few people whispered words about technique to one another and debated which of the girls had the greatest potential to do well in this season’s hunt. Small children ran to gather the spears from the hillside, most of them comically too small to yank them out on the first try. With the last spear returned to the crate in the hunters’ hut, The Monthly Demonstration was at an end. Villagers ambled over the hills to their respective homes hidden throughout the lush forest. Jigi ran up to Mae, lightly grabbing her hand. “I hope you’re chosen as the hunter for our Cluster this season. I could stand to eat more leafy greens.” Jigi laughed as Mae pulled her hand away and blushed furiously. “Very funny. Don’t worry. When I land the biggest beast this side of the island, I’ll make sure your neighbors have plenty to share. And I’ll save you the horn, so you can blow a tune into it and celebrate how funny you are.” She turned away from him and started heading for the beach, yearning to wash the dirt, sweat and maybe some of the embarrassment from her skin. He followed alongside her like a lapdog. “It’s your wrist. It’s too stiff. You just need to loosen up a little,” he explained seriously. “Oh please. What do you know about throwing a spear? Men have never been allowed to hunt. And I’m sure it’s with good reason.” Mae retorted, keeping her pace steady. “Yeah, right. Like that would hold me back. I’ll have you know, that wooden lock on the spear crate is only so strong. Only the elders are foolish enough to think their outdated traditions can keep us inexperienced. Or to think us so complacent that we wouldn’t chisel our own spears from sticks to mess around with in our downtime.” Jigi winked at her and smiled. They had been friends since they were little, and Jigi had always admired Mae’s perseverance in matters large and small. When they were just 8 years old, Mae’s grandmother had fallen gravely ill. Jigi could recall tears streaming down Mae’s chubby cheeks, her tiny fingers determinedly gathering herbs and plucking the bones from fish she had caught herself to make healing broth. Watching her work with a spear over recent months in preparation for the hunt was actually what inspired him to start sneaking into the spear crate for practice in the first place, though he’d never admit it to her. They reached the sandy shore of the beach and Jigi plopped down to sit while Mae hurled herself into the water, smiling from ear to ear. She wove in and out of the waves as though knitting threads throughout the water. “If she could loosen up this much during the hunt, she’d be the strongest and quickest of all the girls,” Jigi thought. “She looks so happy.” A moment later, and Mae disappeared again under water. Another moment, and she still had yet to come back up for air. Jigi waited to see her break the surface, beaming at him. But still, Mae was nowhere in sight. Jigi’s heart began jumping into his throat as he shot up onto his feet, scanning the waves. A bloodcurdling howl shook the air as Mae’s head popped out from the water several yards out. “Jigi!!!” she screamed. A massive tentacle was wrapped around her neck, and a great scaly beast’s body emerged from behind it. Feeling like he was in a nightmare, Jigi ran back towards the path they had walked from, calling for help. It was hopeless. He knew no one could come in time. Even if anyone did hear him, it would be too late. He looked back to the water and saw the beast thrashing with Mae in its grasp, saw her fighting to stay above water. His eyes rapidly searched the beach, hoping for a miracle. Suddenly he found one. A large, thin stick lay half covered by sand. One of the guys must have left his makeshift spear hidden on the beach for a secret practice. Jigi pulled it from the ground and charged towards the water. The beast’s forehead was exposed, though Mae was once again hidden from view. With a swift, graceful movement, Jigi sent the spear whirling directly through the beast’s skin. A large rumble was heard and the beast disappeared into the water. “Mae!!! Please be alive…” Jigi cried, rushing into the sea. As if she heard his call, Mae tore through the surface of the next wave, gasping for air. He helped pull her to the shore, and the two of them collapsed on the sand, breathing heavily. “Don’t ever do that again,” Jigi scolded her breathlessly. “If you wanted to prove you’re better than me with a spear, do it by catching us a dinner next time. Not by feeding yourself to the sea monsters.” Mae laughed through the shock and nuzzled against Jigi’s shoulder. “Deal.”

When it all seems backwards Why not turn things Upside down Peek into a spoon and laugh a little See the world a different way From a tiny spoonful See a hearty whole Nourish what you love most What makes you feel, Like you Watch how the light hits It’ll lead the way Forget being dragged around by fear Find guidance in love For all that you’ve built here Build by becoming Get a grip by letting go Do the things you really love You’ve already got all that you need More than you could ever know

Time with you is like Biting into a warm chocolate chip cookie The chocolate oozing hastily through the dough Hurrying to sweeten Any bitterness from my tongue I hold your hand, sticky stuck to mine Tickled by the twinkle in your eye We look up A warm breeze through the tops of trees Rushing loudly, whooooosh Euphoric, we are gripped with awe And then softened As the sun slips over our shoulders Like a jacket made for two Your feet tip tapping My body sways with joy We listen Little black eyed frogs croak in chorus Ribbet, rrribbet Singing silly songs for us Their balloon bellies filling up with sunshine Dining on flies without a care in the world We breathe Immersed in the scent of warm dirt And white acacia blooming The grass grows giddily beneath our feet As the world turns, reveling in itself Every time we meet

New beginnings with the same endings Weaving in and out, wistful I seek a semblance of a sign Searching For that which once was mine I’ve turned this corner before The shadows show the past But I face the same wall once again That same lesson I thought I’d already learned back then My inner compass points within My map is the freckles on my skin The message is in the mystery The way ahead, written in my history

“Do you think this is a game? A man has died. So you’d better start talking.” Deanna sat back in the cold, metal chair, exasperated. She rolled her eyes and then stared directly at the detective with a level gaze. He glared right back and she could feel her heart rate beating against the cuffs on her wrists, as she rested them atop her legs. “I’m telling you the truth, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said in a low, steady voice. She puffed her chest up, trying to look more dominant in his eyes. “I’m not buying it, miss. The evidence doesn’t lie. Tell me how the guy was laying in the street just five blocks away from your address, and the only thing on him that ain’t his is a strand of hair. Your hair. Caught him cheating, did you? Couldn’t take it anymore?” She would have smacked the smirk right off the detective if only she had use of her hands. Raising her voice slightly now, she retorted, “I have never seen that man in my life before. And of course he had to have been a cheating boyfriend, right? Everyone loves a crime of passion, some poor girl stuck on a jerk who doesn’t know how to date just one at a time. Please. Not me. What I do, I do alone. I don’t keep a man in my life.” “I gotta tell you, you’re sounding pretty guilty to me, sugar,” the detective replied. Deanna sucked her teeth, rather than blowing a fuse. It was almost as though he were trying to get a rise out of her. She sat silently. “I should have a lawyer with me. I knew that. I don’t know why it didn’t hit me til now,” she thought to herself. The two of them stared each other down as though it were a good old fashioned western stand-off. Finally, the detective broke the silence in one sharp shot. “Explain the hair,” he said. “I want a lawyer.” “Yeah? You’re gonna need one.” The detective stood up, scraping his chair against the cement floor, and strutted out of the room. “God damn it!” Deanna thought to herself. “A hair? Really?” Her long, sleek black hair was normally a source of praise and pride. Now, it lay across a dead man and could possibly cost her her own life. The door opened again and a slender, gray-faced man with a grim mouth and heavy bags under his eyes entered the room, motioning for her to exit. “You got fifteen minutes to use the phone and get your affairs in order, and get yourself a lawyer if that’s what you’re gonna do. Then it’s back into the holding cell for the night.” That night, Deanna lay on the hard bench, flipping from one side to another. If it were a goose-feather mattress she couldn’t have slept any better. She thought about the conversation she’d had on the phone with Lacey, her close friend of many years. She’d asked her to stop by her apartment and check in on her cat Bandit that night. Lacey and her had known each other for years and through all kinds of trouble, they had never judged one another. She was grateful to hear her voice in that unforgiving place. “How are you? How’s Bandit?” she had asked. “He’s good. Climbing all over everything, as usual. I had to knock him off your vanity, he had his paws in your makeup. Thought he was gonna start painting his face for a minute there. Haha. Cutie napped on my lap for a little bit and then I let him outside.” “He’s trouble, just like me. It’s a wonder the street cats don’t go running when he comes their way.” Deanna loved that cat like it were her own flesh and blood. She held back tears, replaying the conversation in her head for comfort, and eventually fell asleep. The next day after an extravagant meal of corn chips and a chocolate candy bar from the vending machine brought to her by a guard, she found herself face to face with the detective again. She was exhausted, and from the looks of him the detective hadn’t slept too well that night either, much less any night probably in the last 20 years. What a profession he had. A public defender had joined Deanna on her side of the table, nodding her head as Deanna filled her in on the conversation from the day before. “With all due respect, ma’am, this woman’s hair was found on the guy’s jacket. He was murdered in cold blood and we’ve got evidence that places her at the scene. The cat’s out of the bag,” the man scowled. “That’s all you’ve got? That proves nothing. No murder weapon, right? You can’t hold my client here against her will.” Deanna shook her head, her eyes heavy, wishing she could rub her temples with her cuffed hands. “The cat’s out of the bag…” she murmured. “Hang on! The cat…. The cat!!! Bandit. Freaking Bandit. That’s got to be it.” The lawyer and the detective both looked at each other, then at Deanna. “You said the hair was found on this guy, right? Laying in the street when he was found? I have a cat who I let out everyday. His name’s Bandit. He probably snagged a piece of my hair in his paw walking around the house before I let him out that day! Oh god, and then he made his way onto a corpse, that’s a gruesome thought… but that, that has to be it!! It just has to be. I don’t recognize the guy from the pictures at all. I’m telling the truth.” The detective sat still, dumbfounded. “You expect me to believe that?” “Check the scene for feline DNA, go on,” the public defender cut in. “We’re done here.” “Bandit…” whispered Deanna. “Always trouble.” Months later, Deanna sat at her window, winding her fingers around Bandit’s tail as he purred in her lap. She shook her short black hair from her face, a flattering bob cut framing it nicely. She recalled that fateful day when feline hair had been discovered on the body upon closer inspection, linking Bandit to the scene of the crime. As the search for the killer resumed, a murder weapon was found soon after, linking the guy’s cousin to the murder. Deanna walked free, much to the detective’s embarrassment. “I still can’t believe you almost sent me to jail, buddy,” she said seriously to the cat. He gave her a playful meow, and seemed almost to shrug as he arched his back, before popping out of the window and disappearing into the night. “Stay out of trouble…” Deanna sighed.

I dip my foot in purple sky And watch the stars twirl around my toes Sweet sensations open my eyes To what my heart already knows I float in place but always moving Like a little boat at sea The vastness of it all is soothing Everything is part of me I am alone but never lonely Love flows to meet me at my feet The universe stretched out before me I stretch with it and feel complete

Under the guise of composure, I flail Internally squirming, my skin has turned pale Your stance has stiffened Your gaze becomes stale I stand and shudder, and watch as you bail I wait for you to glance over your shoulder My blood turns to ice My heavy heart is a boulder The winter is chilly, but this moment is colder I search for an old flame But can spot only smolder The beauty of betrayal Like the absence of heat Is the emptiness Of the space where our eyes meet It’s soft and subtle in admitting defeat It’s full of remembrance that feels sickly sweet Familiarity fades, but the lost love was true I stand forgotten, remembering you The bitter, the wonderful, the tiresome too The spaces we shared, where you and I grew Love lost is love found in a different way The dawn of tomorrow is not bound by today And though your heart has left mine My love won’t go astray There is beauty in loving anew, come what may