Math Homework with my Son

for Julian

The perpetual questions of this son
spark and twist in the evening
as algebraic concepts curl exponentially
over our heads.

His voice is moving deeper into his chest,
closer to the earthy self to which he is called
to live and breathe and find his own
immortality.

I watch the edge of his lip
where the faint darkness of his new self
is a shadow of endless love
turning with the spirit
of all the generations.

Infinity is unfolding before my eyes,
in this moment, as we silently consider
the distance between our hearts
while erasing the answers
to the math homework
that will be due in the morning.

Wild

The field was empty white
with not a mark on the secluded ache
of this January day.

Even the wild turkeys making their marks
as they filed quietly
like old monks toward the brightest hill
looking for apples
under the snow.

The monotony of the wind and biting cold
wore us down today until all that was left
was the urge to sleep.

The fire crackles and huffs up the chimney
drawing the will for more heat
to rise.

All we can do is throw on another log
and pray in our humble shawls rocking a
nd look out at everything wild
past the fortress of this old house.