Before our death

we live many lifetimes

Hiking up mountains

with Hispanic friends

with so much faith

we could move them

Then, there are times

when we are all alone

and the peace atop the snowcapped glacier

is dangerous

with one false step

in slippery tennis shoes

hell awaits

as a philosophic atheist

but tomorrow

brings new beliefs

in all things

nobody can see

possibly a friend

as I sit on a lake bench

alone

and a golden retriever sniffs my leg

“You look lonely,” an old man says

betraying his inner demons

while I read my bible

I know life is better with god

but sometimes he feels far away

and those who deny him

claim to be searching for reality

because the truth can’t be that simple

or cruel

my bicycle keeps moving

under the hot sun

while my parents sit in the shade

not talking

how great, this life can be

I’ve already lived several lifetimes

eating cherries in my room

playing golf

like I might fall off the edge of the world

spending time

in twilight

before the next great change of my life

bosses who are always angry

because they can’t change me, even though I change

evolving

out of my environment

a whale turning into a cow

enjoying

the pleasures of eating

no longer

understood

frightening

to those who need that

Ha, ha…

I keep laughing

through change

excited for all things

to come.