the sting of the brisk Bloomington air
chases me across Kirkland
past girlish laughter
fueled by lunchtime daiquiris
bliss flowing like warm, soothing lava
in contrast to the chill
I try to remember
when the sanguine vitality of youth
coursed through me
and she was my inamorata
when we held hands in Dunn Meadow
and watched the music changing color
now, I’m just an itinerant lover
a vigilant, misplaced friend
vituperative and jaded
with a frail, calloused heart
the trees of Brown County
are a vibrant red and gold
recalling to me when the arduous crawl of age
had yet to slow my walk
when the sands of time seemed infinite
and life, a beautiful reckless wonder
digthroughlife 