OUTSIDE – a found poem 

I have an issue going outside.

I just see myself getting tired.

A bright beautiful glaze of sunlight hitting my porch.

I step outside into my backyard. 

That’s as close to a public place as I can get. 

Nothing much to see. Dry, peed-on dirt. 

If I climbed out onto my roof, I’d experience a lot of different things.

Sunlight, for one. Very tall but dead palm trees. 

A desert meant to goof around in. 

Dirt needing to be played with.

Small families of quail, 

groups of 6, running through the desert. 

Meows of newborn cats crying for attention.

Middle age men doing yoga in the dog grass with weights.

Weight has no purpose—

Then the trampoline of broken dreams.

A Police officer conducting an investigation.

Black pavement. 

Goats inside a chain link fence.

Three dark shadows on the grey tile.

Drive by shooting victim.

House being robbed.

Man on oxygen. 

Red roadrunner on a moving trailer. 

The snails are cute

Salt salt salt.

More importantly, I’d see a curve.

A point, where the sky and dirt meet, 

and neither wins.

The sun sits in the center of the sky just staring. 

The sun is quite rude in my opinion. 

My intention is to look up at the shining sun 

and be blinded for a second 

or become one with it.

I finally saw who I got my attitude from

Hint hint it’s my dad…And as I come back around 

I see A pig hanging by the neck from a tree,

Dad’s big red truck parked further back in the yard. 

So many sculptures. 

I see myself in the door window again, 

I see the yard behind me, 

and I remember the days before with my friends.

I see the spider expanding her spiderweb 

between the legs of the grill. 

Wind swirls around me,

A Tiny dog hides in the bushes

under the giant pecan tree, 

roots creeping from the ground 

like the kraken attacks an enormous wooden ship 

and drags it under The grass that’s been freshly lawned. 

No cop / No stop

Tia wants to plant some grass knowing it won’t last. 

1 by 1 people become the ground.

Nature is happy at the absence of man. 

Animals walk the paths joggers used to run. 

Nature deserves this win. My intention is to adventure like the animals do 

when they leave the cage

listening to country music or their favorite corridos. 

My intention is feed the animals so they don’t try to kill me.

As the sun sets i can taste the clouds 

browner than crap 

throwing punches at me…… hitting me directly.

It’s terrifying and peaceful to walk around at night 

and the loudest thing is your own heart beating 

and the thoughts in your head

like a tornado blew through. 

Who taught you

to unlove yourself

so sweetly.

Am I happy or sad, no, I feel free a little longer, 

but it’s gross, the hovering moth. 

Blue breeze comes from under the pink dragon 

on the back of my kimono. 

I see stars, wait, is that a fire in the distance?