I have listened

And I have seen

And I have felt

And yet the twisting boughs of this tree

Continue to elude me

I have wandered often
In the streams of stars
That glow behind my eyelids

And there marveled
At the softness beneath my feet

Only found
When ambling amidst the heavens

I climb a high hill
Knotted with shrubs
Littered with leaves
Where grasses do not grow

And at its peak I catch a glimpse
Of a bright shore
And a sparkling ocean

And I make my way there
Feet bleeding
Tears streaming
But smiling
For it is in sight

Aloft go my dreams

Into skies of countless stars

Where heroes walk

And poets write

And explorers seek the horizon

There I find that purpose

So often hidden here

The sun sets
And I do not retire
Lying instead
Beneath the starlight

Wondering what tales the unnamed stars tell
Pining for their songs
Their histories
The untold moments of the lives of bodies unseen

And as I wonder
A star twinkles
Whispering
Of secrets

No one else has heard

I wish for slowness
For the flitting bolts
That are my thoughts
To ease
To follow winding lanes
To break at the switchbacks
Along the path
Up this mountain