At 16 love and sex fused

an exquisite tunnel

I was pulled through the faint opening

like an injection of morphine to the heart.

We settled into the comfort of a daybed

in her basement out of the way,

from her parents and mine

As we leaned in, curved,

our breathing stuttered.

In our falling, I first heard the glass tinkle and break.

Later we tiptoed up the stairs

sneaking out of the door,

I began my life as a fugitive.

On this Coast Starlight train rumbling south

windows rise from floor to ceiling

horses languish under eucalyptus trees.

Out of the corner of my eye

a figure exits from the bending grass

a slinky red fox has bundled

in his mouth a catch

yanked out of a now, unsafe tunnel home.

But I don’t duck, weave and hide anymore.

My memory serves up the image of that fox

hind-legged driven, running sideways and forward

at the same time.

Later that evening we pressed our bodies

against the hood of a 1957 Ford.

Our shadows merged into the dimness

of the easy rising moon.

My imagination is split open on this train trip

along cliffs, drop-offs and cascading waves.

This gaping wilderness is not home.

The heat no longer rises up my neck and around my scalp.

I have a woman who smiles coyly

as my hands circle and fall along her thighs

I smile, astonished

for how long it took for a furtive love

to be made good,

under the guile of that fox and the whistle of this train.

Bali Boy

By Shaun Smith

I am a Bali boy with big dreams.

I hear a spirit whisper in my ear.

I see temples through the mist.

I want to return to my exotic island so far away.

I am a Bali boy with big dreams.

I pretend I’m running on a white sand beach.

I feel the walls closing in on me.

I reach out and touch the flames of the

cremation and feel the release of my ancestors spirit.

I cry out for my vanishing culture.

I sense the loss of ancient traditions.

I am a Bali boy with big dreams.

I say that we must take care as we rush along.

I believe that I can save this wondrous place.

I know that I am a lucky guy.

I am a Bali boy with big dreams.