What does love mean? I asked one long day,
Caught off guard, words slipped. They shied away.
In a moment, I pondered, my heart felt the rush,
And all that I could manage was, “What’s with the hush.” 

Love’s not a flutter or actions we share,
It’s the essence of warmth, a breath of fresh air.
The world’s harsh enemies and actions make embarrassment creep near…

I am from buttons that change the channel,

From green slimy soap and a mushy sponge,

I am from the carefully placed wooden bridge

And cold, gray stone slabs way out in no man’s land,

I am from snow frosted trees that go on for miles.

The aging dead forest...

Some

dangerously

dark eyes assessed

me

a hint

of ruby

I can see

A long, long time ago, the sky was not made of color. It sat in the air, plain and white, covering the whole world as if it were a blanket. South of what is now called Albuquerque, rested the Casha people. The children were berry pickers, while the adults were hunters. This strategy of work satisfied all the community because the children adored the beautiful colors the berries produced. There were the darkest of reds and the brightest of purples.

There is nowhere to hide
in the light of day
Because even in the shadows
There are always people watching.

We go about our days
Carefully obeying the laws of light,
Performing ordinary tasks,
Keeping the peace for another day’s work

It was the first night I had not had a home. Was there any safe place for me to sleep? I knew our church was always unlocked for anyone who needed a warm place to stay at night. I curled up on a pew and thought about how I needed to fix my mess…

Winter is the season

That changes us the most

It cranks down the temperature to a freezing cold crisp

It drops fluffy snowflakes that sometime cancel school

It frolics in the mountains and paints them perfectly white

I clock six hours a day of total time spent with my two best friends. Relatively 21 hours more than I spend with my parents and brother per week. I see my grandparents on my mom’s side for two hours each month now that I am a teenager. My uncle I haven’t seen in over five years, and my one grandpa, who I never got to meet, stayed away my whole life. My point is…