I hiked to the top of something
and felt the wind climb up my back.
I’ve always told myself I have no sense
of direction. But I do. I do.
Online dating is like Dorothy’s Wizard of Oz.
People appear and disappear so quickly.
A young girl passes by in black lycra.
I ate three chocolates for breakfast.
A woman has lost her dog and screams.
Bella! Bella! All the way home.
The percussive thrum of a man hitting
an empty water bottle against his thigh.
High on the trail with eucalyptus and redwoods,
I hear the sirens of the city.
Near a homeless encampment behind a chain link
fence decorated with Christmas tinsel
I ask what is joy? A tree in blossom.
The sound of a new word.