Ghosts filled the room where we sat drinking 
our tequila and beer in dusty hidden darkness.

We talked of the hard suffering history of 
Rocky Mountain mining towns still
feeling residual pain, sadness, and death.

She observed us silently from blue ether
where she chose to live her afterlife
in a happier saloon with cowboy angels
who bought her drinks and her bed
when the moon and stars still shined bright.

Water bugs danced joyfully on a polluted pond
of some mine’s continued orange pain 
to music no one heard on that Sunday morning.

Night winds howled 
through slick canyon walls
blowing sweet dreams 
from sleepless denizens 
to someplace beyond 
opium dens of Paris,
dark Bangkok brothels, 
ashrams of India,
underground jazz bars 
of Kerouac’s San Francisco
to a far away ancient land 
where grey eyed Athena lives
with her sacred horned owl.

Just beyond the firelight 
where light fades 
into the dark forest
buried in night,
sounds of night creatures:
crickets, frogs . . . 
a barking dog . . .
an owl’s lonesome hoot . . .
wails of coyotes . . . 
all like a discordant symphony.

I douse the fire and wait.

Deja Vu arrived today delivered  
     by Fed Ex
        by Fed Ex
            by Fed Ex

As always efficiently to
    my doorstep
        my doorstep
            my doorstep

Just when I thought my package was there 
    it came again
        it came again
            it came again

over many lifetimes when time reversed itself
running backwards away only to
    repeat mistakes
        repeat mistakes
           repeat mistakes

Skewed perceptions locked in time and space
alter alternative reality that 
		all is at once
			all is now
				sometimes sneaking up on the unaware 
					we have all been here before.