Today To Befriend

I wonder what
you’re doing tonight
Whose poking and prodding
my blue-eyed delight
Are you lonely and scared
of what nature has bidden
Are you angry and tired
of feeling downtrodden
Are you chasing the ghosts
of dreams thought forgotten
While praying for sleep
with the music forgiving
Are you looking inside
for answers forthcoming
Knowing only that you
hear the differences drumming

I wonder who
you are forever becoming
That boy in the woods
whose motor’s still running
The one at the shore
whose Sea Doo is flying
That man on the bike
where the mountains are calling
I think you will find
they’re protected inside
Sleeping together
awaiting your cry
And when you reach out
to embrace them again
Your world will be whole
—today to befriend

(The New Room: May, 2022)