The Itinerary of the Day

At four a.m.
There is nothing

But stillness -
Holding its breath

In the early
Morning darkness

Just outside
The window

Waiting for the
The birds

To begin
Their chattering

Waiting for
The shrill

Whistle of
The diesel train

As it leaves
Glenn Street station

At the bottom
Of the hill

Waiting
For the barges

To blow
Their mournful

Horns
As they make

Their way
Across the bay

This is the
Itinerary of the day -

Everyday
Be still and listen

It only lasts
A moment

The River

We run in parallel
With a river

Whose water
Is a sweet sermon

Flowing down
from the mountain

Whose length
Is longer than a lifetime

That offers no shallow
Point of crossing

That marks the divide
Between two worlds

Here
And the other side

That drives us
Down stream

To a point
Where we

And the water
Become one

Before it empties
Into the sea