Beyond

The sun rises

It warms you and glows

When it leaves, there is the moon

It's subtle

It changes

You have to look sometimes to find it

Often it's obscured by clouds

What a joy to see the moon.

Mt. Rogers

Same as ever, it took a lot of pumps to get her going.

1984 was a long time ago.

Once in motion, we were on our way, doing what we do.

That drive is more arduous than it used to be.

 

Something about the hard work ahead

A combination of need and dread.

 

In that light, bristling white

I find a place that doesn’t hurt.

 

Charging in a dreamscape.

Having simple goals.

 

The playlist dictates tempo and heat

Some songs set you down,

No choice but to change.

 

You never want to stop.

Stopping means thinking.

 

Better to keep tempo and never let your mind catchup.

Only one is within your control.

The Bath

When it’s this cold you savor that moment. The sound of fluid wrestling through pipes is a promise.

The steam rises and instantly converts to an icy vapor.  Swirling vortexes of crystals appear like hallucinations.

You step through it and immerse yourself in a moment of comfort. If you’ve succeeded, it will be as hot as you can tolerate.

This is when you like being human.

 

After those first delicious moments though, we begin to adjust.

Our bodies strike a balance with that temperature.

Exhilaration is replaced by satisfaction.

Later still, we even start to cool.

 

Is there any hot water left?

What if there isn’t?

If we try to add hot, we may instead be getting cold.

That would make the bath intolerable and spoil our last refuge for heat.

If there is hot water, there may be

a second chance at being warm.

It will never be like when you first stepped in.

That moment has passed and eventually you’ll have to get out.

Did you even need to bathe, or was the heat just too much to pass up?

 

Some days it’s better to stay dirty.