Six Humble Landscapes

I the place was filled with shadow wet with ferns, musty green of carpet moss bamboo rattled in a hot breeze I heard laughter as children played nearby, clear water II adventure ran deep in swamps where once a saurian kingdom breathed fog into the fog and lesser creatures dreamed of becoming men where later I explored and dreamed of becoming a man III laughing at a muffed shot brotherhood and billiards cold beer the glow of a hanging lamp the summer night was heavy in the air the teenage girls stopped by to see what boys pretended IV in the city the roar of the beltway hid behind giant oaks that lined the path to somber knowledge Spanish moss murmured hiding quiet columns that faced the green where in the spring touch football claimed dominion V a cramped apartment a kitchen and a bed brick streets rumbled beneath our bicycles past the lake to meet a rendezvous with fate pretending to be grown before reality exploded the weight descending IV pine trees whisper when the wind comes fire and thunder remind me once again how small the world is the birds come and go old folks nod a greeting I nod and ready myself embracing the landscape