Water to Water

from water to water

he walks on whispered paths

scattered shattered rocks

echo of soft breaths

soft breeze

a shadow trails him 

refuses to leave

blocks his way with curses

heated words

here where there was once water

familiar tears flow to nothing

create a spring of things

that never were

jppestana

1.28.18

Life of Light

in softening air

awareness lessens

reduces to you alone

cactus scratch deeply at

a catching wind clouds catch

escaping light

he faces away

west to the fractures

of everything once easy

now it is the pecking hammering

of stone on stone

thought on thought

sense on sense

the uncertain stupor

or elation

he leans with the ancient tree

feels the tips of fingers

cool in the ghostly river

the huddled ghostly crown of crow

their jewels fading

in the life of

light

jppestana

1.12.18

-->

Torn

old truths
like mine
be mine or not
dreamless relics
in time
in rock
in sun
in wind abrading sand
a jack rockets leaps from a gone tree into the sun unafraid
and I see the tracks of an old lie
a piece of life frayed
torn at the edges

jppestana
12.30.17

Not I

so the poem
is not the poem
not to think only
not this day
not in these eerily fleeing shadows
the tears
not the cries
hearing pain
the weak voice in thin hills
not her wrinkled linen dress
worn yellow under the sun
so the poem is
not the poem
not the poem
not I

jppestana
november 25, 2017

Rising Skies

from the east
the sun and juniper suddenly become one
the blanket of blue mist 
the calm mountain the moment
all the small birds
soften in the gaze
the bright fish rise to the surface
like shards of broken sun
they run from his shadow
his diminishment amidst
the rising
skies

jppestana
november 8, 2017

A Short Walk

walk these clouds with me
without the sound of gentle feet
smooth skin sliding toward an intimate sky
take a chance
take the sweetest sleep
sing the hymn
of bright light
is this the next step
on the way to eternity
or reverse time
and return ever so slowly sweetly
to the memory
of this short walk

jppestana
august 31, 2017

Blink

see the sun absorb
the distances in me

wasps floating on the pool sip
indistinct in wind
little ripples

the beaten trees thrash about
somewhere the air breathes
a sigh of relief

the air is moist
the dust thick absorbs
cakes the sun

the blue seeps from the sky
the wind cries alone

idly I wonder about

blink

jp pestana
7.15.17