"Ordinary Words"

Pounding around the lake trail
sweating out the Agent's words

"Ordinary use of language,"

watching winter sticks for trees colored
glittering wet in a sun second,
an origami sharp blue heron gliding low.

"Ordinary use of language,"

my foot

steps and one pushes steps and one pushes
as I breathe the words out. They fall
onto the gravel and under my feet,
and I step on the words, the commonplace.

© Brenda Cooper 2001