poetry

unearned credit

unearned credit

having our house appraised
for the lender
for the cash-out refi
for the long-planned cabin
for wildness

there is the unspoken uncomfortable knowledge
that according to the rules of economics
and the inverse relationship between supply and demand
and the current state of things
all indications are that I will personally benefit
financially though certainly not psychologically
from enormous loss

another privilege I am uncertain
how to go about offsetting

another roll of the dice
with profound implications
I can take no credit for

poetry

knobbed hornbills overhead

Owen took these photos.

knobbed hornbills overhead

like the thick whoosh
of hot air balloon flame
they lift off

you don’t need to
let your eyes leave the trail
to know they’re overlooking you –
you feel it in the helicopter pulse
their wings make

if you’re lucky you might catch
a long black cross sailing away
and be satisfied

imagine then
seeing the pair clearly
flying down the open valley
level with the canopy
black bodies bookended by
yellow red & blue noble heads
and trailing white tails

and the most amazing part is
there’s still a forest big enough
for their grand presence