The death of a moon cowboy

I am a somewhat-youth with ideas and thoughts and too many dreams that sometimes overflow as these little dribblings from my fingertips. I guess you can try to collect and capture them.


Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Potential

The streets are empty
like the pews on Saturday.
My scuffed dress shoes sound
hollow against the parking lot asphalt;
they tick-tock rhythmically,
led by my pendulum legs.

The night's faint snowfall disappeared
when the meek heat of the early-March sun
crested the mountains.
The sky is bright, the wind subtle but piercing;
dead trees awaken quietly,
buds pushing from their bare branches.

Winter lifts from the landscape--
its skirt of snow pulls back,
seductively
revealing naked mountain thighs.

My own mind also thaws--
my dreams and thoughts expand, large and swollen
like hot-air balloons,
rising up and high toward the blooming sun,
to fly forever
or melt and join Icarus.

I step up three concrete steps
into the porchway shadow.
I look over the familiar whitewashed door,
raw metal exposed under large scratches
left by couches or children.
I put my hand to the dull golden doorknob--
cold from the air of the changing season--
and turn.

3 comments:

Susan said...

You will fly and not melt. You always have home.

heather said...

matt i was listening to the akron family while reading this and it was pretty haunting, this particular song is called "before and again," and it fits perfectly. are you going home or going in a church or a library? what is this mysterious potential? well, i get the spring imagery, "new beginnings" who is it that gets upset about that phrase cause its so redundant, you or mikie? anyway i love this, the feeling of the mountains and the trees and even the buildings starting over. and the speaker (it is drummed in me now not to assume it is you, the writer) anyway the speaker seems very alone, but very much a part of his environment.

Amy Beatty said...

You always have the best words to describe life. I love the feeling of the hot air balloon, I know what you are taking about-I feel that way a lot. Anyways, I loved it. I love you. Don't forget to go swimming today my love xoxo