bliss

every other weekend or so
during the hot summer months
i pack up my car and go
to offload my worries

with my boots laced up,
Camelbak brimming to burst
and hardy resolve at the ready
i take my first step of many

starting out i reflect
on my stress, my job
all my troubles, problems
and how to fix them

sweat starts to bead and
soak through my Buff
crunch, crunch of the leaves
as my mind drifts off to static

work meetings, crunch, crunch
apologies i have to make
long overdue, crunch crunch
dwelling on my own shortcomings

it gets harder and harder
to focus on the anxiety
with each and every step
relieving more tension than the last

relationship problems. crunch. fights.
crunch. sorry. crunch. asshole.
crunch. guilt. crunch. crunch.
all while the sun beats down.

soon i am liberated
my mind at peace
crunch. crunch. crunch.
bliss.

genie haiku

love just what i have
love others for who they are
covet no excess

terminal

as i reach the 7th mile
on my afternoon hike
i drop to my knees and
think: stage one.

my vision blurs as spittle
drips from my lips onto
my shirt, just over my
rapidly beating heart.

grabbing the bandanna
from my glistening bald head
i wipe the sweat from
my flushed, blood-red face.

i contemplate screaming,
cursing at a nonexistent god
who had no plan for me
that involved growing old.


teetering on the edge of stage 2,
i reel in my rage and denial
for just a little longer,
without realizing that's all i have.