Two Poems

THE PAST

Words come in twos and threes

keyboard pacing the rhythm of silence

here is the past, an open window looking to Washington Heights

rain falling on the deck, wet plants

and yet silence is here in full force,

lines move across my mind, bits of you

bits of me, bits of tomorrow,

the fire escape seems to be enjoying the storm

cleansed by the unending patter of winter.

THE LOOK-OUT

I stood looking out from Lands End

San Francisco before me

I watched the waves mark their footsteps

towards the foggy shore,

The Golden Gate covered in grey

no voices heard, no one to whisper messages

of hope or despair,

Here words were the breeze, crashing Pacific,

Was I seeking something in the solitude 

of this quiet morning? I could not tell

remembering and forgetting just the same

I turned back to the trails

walking away from all memories

good or bad.