haze from forests fires
east of here
almost below me
grey-brown
like L.A. smog
in populated land
sunrays are filtered
thought the old day
casting great imperial shadows
against devil's thumb.
there aren't as many
lady bugs up here this time
there aren't as many nats either.
university roofs
all look the same
each building
red brown
square.
grouped together
in the highest part of the town
much lower than me.
suburban houses
line up in neat little rows
pools are empty
too high to see cars
when looking for peace and solidarity
never go to the top of a mountain
all trails lead up
and people stay the longest time
at the spot wth the best view.
i have two running shoes
with different laces
two dirty socks, of different brands
a pair of navy blue shorts
with stains of the whole week on them
no underware-
none in the house that's clean
short sleave shirt someone sent to me from new jersey
and its cold enough to see my breath.
a ladybug lands on my pack
my pack being a camera bag
as my other pack has zippers that fail to close
i remember going up the world trade center elevator
when i got to the top
i was unimpressed at is stature
i climbed to the top of a monolith
made millions of years ago
and factors larger
and i am humble.
anyone bored and tired of the world
should climb up a peak
and see a whole town
in one look
these mountains form a green great cresent facing
a thousand miles of plans
in a month all this
will be baked by the heat
and dead
one wonders what it
would feel like to jump
right off this ledge
then one wonders the price that would be
denver is twenty miles away
it looks almost sad
so low and grey
a mile up
unmoving and plain
quiet and tired
i'm looking directly south
if i turn east
the world looks flat and square
if i turn west
everything is chaotically beautiful
and interesting
i'm writing at the at the border of this high stitch
in philosophies
the top of the biggest mountains
are always infested
with the smallest pebbles
my problems seem as distant
as the place
that they started from,
when i stare at them from this ledge
its probably not right
to want to stay up here forever
the mountain wasn't made for my greedyness
and i'll freeze up here
if i stay the night.
