FALLING

Like spears thrown at the earth,

carried with the wind’s force,

brown needles hunt blades of grass

impaled and singed like battlefields

strewn with weapons and flag staffs.

The bull’s-eye thrust pales in comparison to broad-leaf

shields and standards ride the falls with

winged glide and spun descent;

banners embroiled, discarded, and night drenched--

in a dreamed fall, the earth doesn’t get closer,

plummets end in mid-air, and frenzy vaporizes.

The closest step down without looking back,

and the unfallen hang on, place holders,

above the fray and discord, who see a

panoramic spread of the final assault thwarted,

a dream upended .

© cmheuer, 2014

IN MOTION

Lead foot, pedal to the metal,

There is no stillness,

Not even the dead are without motion--

Caught up in a web of spins and shafts,

Flung far outward and far inward--

Speed rules.

Not the windless day, nor the stone,

Nor absolute zero, but wheel tracks,

Cheetah paw prints and falcon flights.

Driven fleet of foot;

Driven protons plunge headfirst

Into the upper limit we try to break.

Rocket, super-sonic dash, close to the speed

Of light, pre-set cruise control haunts as

Matter touts energy for two sides of a coin;

Our flip side waffles back and forth in the wind

Full gallop, full speed, pre-coded ritual

Race against orbital pulls and an outward blast.

© cmheuer 2014