Never does nature say one thing and
wisdom another.

#12 MERRY-GO-ROUND

When you feel yourself
turning away from nature,
swing yourself right back onto her cycle
of seasons and changes
twirling in perpetual background orbits,
gravity spurred,
a merry-go-round
you’ll spin your wheels trying to escape.
Our hearts on this ride
churn out wholesome heat
sending us soaring through
dizzying heights
while hoofbeats below
spark love and hate
and every magnitude in between.

Cinch the belly strap with a chuckle.
Pull up on and adjust the buckle.

The wheelhouse platform jerks and shifts.
Thoughts spill over in nervous tics
and tickles
down to stomach surging returning blood,
fear trickling along the slender pole
holding us up.

Grease from the doughnut vendor
wafts sweet and salty
shuffling crows
over for scraps.
Wind ruffles through leaves and hair
far above the big tent top
bolstering our columns of joyous laughter rising
through blue holes into the sky.

Over us
dazzling blankets of mirrors
arch melting rainbows
through organ song
piping us forward
collapsing forces into brief moments
of swirling revelry.

On each pass,
a lifetime of memories wave
from the perimeter
or sometimes swells forward,
even getting on to ride with you,
these remembered past actions
pulsing thoughts out in anguish
round and round
vying for attention
gasping in shame
deep into the body
where every sensory experience
binds us to every moment we are alive.
So, let them
for, in time, they will retreat back to their waving position.

Seat your horse.
It will carry you safely.
Trust in the wisdom of nature’s design

and

ride the waves cresting up into aerials.
You’ll soon be coasting back down again
through offshore winds rushing surfside
before the next one grabs and locks on.