The following came to me in Sedona after I discovered The Weeknd and listened to Phantom Regret by Jim for the 10th time.
"May peace be with you"
Hawaii
we talked about the weather, the fountain park, and ice cream
in past future tense as if it was in French
there I was, standing in front of a two-story building
where the ground floor was a sketchy store selling products
that should never been sold to children
the decoration on the window of the second floor
confirmed that it was still a Japanese restaurant as my memory served
there I was standing in front of a past diary entry
as we exchanged honest reviews on potatoes and coffee beans
a shared experience that neither of us were part of
I remembered I had once been there
staring into the same two-story building
just can’t seem to recall whom I was with
or how long it had been
An important footnote was omitted to save paper
I’m writing a goodbye from last November
Not to count favourites
But that was by far the coldest month I’ve experienced
Trees were dead on the outside
When I went to seek wisdom
“Relax. Everything is taken care of”, they said
I drove to Sedona to escape
There was snow, I learned the hard way
How could there be winter when all you see is red and green
Red as fire, green as life
Trees never lied to me,
as it turned out
An important footnote was omitted
to save paper
Go there in the spring
When cherry blossom peaks
It’s all about timing
Let’s call it the longing
I dreamed about the Bell Rock again
Which finally looked bright and red under the sun
Although the hike was surprisingly mundane
Sedona has enough rose crystals from Brazil
To mask the sad destiny of a blooming agave
Another rock tumbled from the summit
On its way to become a stardust in the next millionennium
Let's just say that my Canadian life is leisure only
I've decided to spend all my time counting seagulls
I've decided that my life is elsewhere
I've planted a garden behind the garage door
Let's call it the longing
(What I desire is what I have already)
When the present rejects both past and future
Coming to Sedona to escape
That's how poetry is made
So are babies
My question turned into a question turned into a cloud-made question mark
And in that moment I was convinced more than ever
That I was in the dream of a solo California Scrub's Jay
Southwest Homecoming
(Everyone simply dies)
Sudden smoke below the black hills
Never means not delight
Sunset blows rose-fire
spirals
Nowhere is now here
You’ve wondered enough
Southwest homecoming
here's the 5th from yours truly
I took home with me a carved bear
From Northern Arizona
Along with a jar of prickly pear jam and
mesquite apple butter
A set of Route 66 stickers from Williams
A painting discovered in Jerome
A box of leftover Mexican Wedding Cake
that we stumbled upon in Cottonwood while getting caught in the rain
This trip should happen again, with these revisions -
hiking to the Colorado river
skiing down Mount Humphreys
taking my Miata (that’s the answer)
ordering the chicken-fried chicken twice
I don't believe in winters
But I think I’d compromise for the four seasons
(here's the 5th from yours truly)
For more photos: https://www.kexinli.ca/photos/arizona