Three Poems by Kendi Long

The Owl in the Treeline

I can hear your call
echoing among the tree-line.
Silence.
For afterall,
you are the master of
hiding.

I search
where my ears tell me.
Nothing.
For where you perch,
is covered by a cloak of
Invisibility.

My stare
where my ears tell me.
Nothing.
For where you perch,
is covered by a cloak of
Invisibility.

My stare
penetrates the forest.
Determined.
I send a prayer,
that you will be
revealed.

The smell
of evergreen
overwhelms my senses.
The pinecone’s shell
crunch beneath
my feet.

My gaze catches
movement within the pines.
Hope
blossoms within me.

But instead,
I look away.

Perhaps it is best,
if you stay hidden.

I have embraced
acceptance.
For I would rather listen to
the owl in the treeline.

The sun had
forgotten the night
before.

serene, still, silent.

She peaks
over the horizon,
painting the sky
an array of
yellows, pinks, and reds.

Her rays
caress the face
of Earth.

The frost
of the night’s chill,
slowly melts
away.

The life beneath reveals itself.

Her light
awakens all
who slumber.

She remembers
the night ahead

She sets out.

Tranquil bliss
  protectors of stone
    bring forth
      their shadowy kiss.

      Speckled trees
    cover the gray flesh,
  the white tops
shine with snowy freeze.

With each stride,   I climb higher.
    I use the mountain
      as my guide.

      But the peak
    grows taller with each step.
  Just out of reach,
like all I seek.

I’m done
with giving up.

I leave,
  my backpack behind.
    I take another step,
      with one big heave.

     I feel so free.
     I feel so alive.
     The top gets closer,
     but I will not flee.