A grown man shouldn’t need to return
to the land of his childhood
tummy-showing and barefoot.
You should live where mountains and water
compliment your dual ascendant, the one
reaching for high mountain lakes; the other
the depth of ocean.
My patio fountain in the Sonoran Desert,
like a mockingbird, its trickling water incessant—
a waterboard.
The best change comes slowly
like summer, when Sun forces burnt skin
into action.
Even flies know when to leave.
I’ll wait to see if my wife packs for two.