Walking Words
Do you walk with yr words?
Do you have an old red leash
for them and every few days
do they get fussy and come up
and bite you on the chin?
I’m asking because
I walk with my words
I walk them constantly
I walk them for miles
in yawning shadows
of morning when dogs nap
with their snoots hanging off
warm couches and old grandpas
eat greasy breakfasts in nooks
with blue jays and cardinals
I walk them in the rain
with a slick black jacket
crumpled over my ears
keen to hear droplets
hit my shoulders and ball up
on the tops of my shoes
I walk them in the sun
to remind them that all
is not lost, not even freckles
faded from pale faces stuck
in the wind or fiery glow
of red brick sharing long looks
with light leaving space
I walk them even when I
wish I didn’t have to put
on clothes, paste contacts
in my eyes, feel fresh air
paint portraits of happy lungs
on the walls of my interior
I walk them on snowdays
in late afternoon when all
is blue, I watch them build
huge castles and throw snowballs
at trees from their gateways
before they get cold and crabby
and climb back into home
I walk them under moonlight
to show them they’re just like
the moon, sometimes full
but always changing
with days slipping by
I walk them best of all
on Sunday evenings
when clouds are away
nursing bad hangovers
and Mother Sun is taking care
of me with a shine in her eye
and two oceans in mine
I walk with my words constantly
otherwise they run circles
like trackstars around
the Jupiter rings of my mind
If I stopped, who knows
what would happen?
Would they be angry?
Would they go quiet?
