By Daniel Paiz

There are so many forms of cathartic release, so many ways to get out thoughts and feelings. Yet again while NaPoWriMo is really only in April, the goal this year again is to drop at least a piece a month in the spirit of writing poetry. If this is one of your first times here, you will learn that poetry and rhymes are a constant blurred line in these parts. If you’re a regular, welcome back and settle in for something familiar yet new.

There’s a lot going on, per usual. An ongoing pandemic, raging fires across half the US, arguments amongst elected officials delaying solutions. Nothing really new, although it might just be in new packaging so it’s more digestible. As you can guess from the title, a timely collection of words strung together may envelop the following lines below rather soon.

Smoky Horizons

Horizons reminiscent of winter here in Denver,

confusing it’s heat that accompanies abstract forms,

storms of extremes are the outcome,

how some-

where there was an outlook,

Fifty-plus tectonic crashes long ago airborne

yet rooted in the Earth.

Perturbed more should be

as for that rocky joy I yearn.

But that’s an old headline,

tombstones willingly selected a la Romero,

too many stumbling worse than scarecrows,

As Peter said “They don’t know why; they just remember.”

Clearly someone fell asleep on waking us at the close of September,

I’m Big Ticket, not a salute of 21 pops in the dark,

but rather directed to unleash energy to embark,

old paths, familiar practices, and caution,

nothing new,

smoldering thanks to the climate outside I’m aware of,

since the age no one likes you coming after year 22.

Awareness renewed only due to the volume of carelessness

burning in a new hue,

this Fire and Ice we’re all encountering,

Hopefully isn’t a new horrific continuous time loop.