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PAUL E NELSON

Trip (He sd)

September 2000

 Trip  (he said)


                                               I want to deepen my sense

                                         of experience

                                                                           he said.

 

Those who love each other

              shall
become invincible

                                                                           he said.

 

Helicopters clatter over the canyon

                     in   

S
U 

N 

L
I 

G 

H
T 

                                                                           he said.

 

 

Blueberries  the bears did

not get not genetically

altered  here
kingdom  of   the
sacred.

 

Sleeping on mountains, full

moon  rises
fat  over

                                                                            Eastern peaks.

                            Rabbit

snake   fox
elk   hawk

not  used
to  humans

here this Cat Creek

torrent, no filter, this

leg  of  a  journey

the path

not

on any map.

 

                                                                           Grandmother

Y’Shua

          Cleto

                           Quan
Yin

         let me be
safe

                let  me
find  the  way

 

                                                                            he said.

 

S    O
S

at 4000 feet

in sticks

& bark

in stones

& boughs

PLUS a cross.

 

We thought his spiritual beliefs

                         were
Native American

                                                                             he said.

 

So, Paul Nelson lived inAuburn?

                                                                            She asked.

No. Paul Nelson LIVES inAuburn

                                                                            he said.

 

Dramatic footage.

Talking heads.

Sound bites.

M.R.E. meals

of corned beef hash

before  the  hook.

 

 

Polenta  cabbage
noodles  butter

for  four  more

days

                                                                            he said.

 

A creek

running uphill

pushed

by  the  power  of

an Army Chopper

                                      

 

We do this all the time

                                                                            he
said.

 

It’s our job

                                                                            he said.

 

 

 

Damn, I
sprained my ankle

             just
yesterday

                                                                            he said.

 

Have some Evian

 

Fires to keep mosquitoes

                away.

Firewatching original


                                                         hypnosis.

 

I see TV anchor Dennis
Bounds

reading the story

& smirking

                                                                            he said.

 

That trail is
easy to find

                                                                            he
said.

 

Marijuana in the fire.

Cross in a snowfield

w/ needles cleaned

around. A Halo.

Crucifixion constellation

in the night sky

above Cassiopeia.

 

Moving the fire circle

downwind.

 

You are an asshole

                                                                           he said.

Dreams of Maria Cantwell.

Lobby to tear down the dams.

Or name them Dam Slade

& Dam Gorton.

 

Laundry & dishwashing

on a boulder

in Schoeffel
Creek

wondering where the lions

                                                                               are.

 

 

Sun Sun Sun

here it comes

                                                                           he said.

 

 

Hanging above the canyon

clinging to cedar branches

not a good time

to  let  go.

 

Scrapes, contusions

nothing broken, not

least spirit.

 

I can’t believe

how much I love her

                                                                          he said.

 

I’m not going to let

her grow up w/o a

              Father

                                                                          he said.

 

I have to go West

                                                                          he said.

I can climb this

                       mountain

                                                                          he said.

I can climb THIS

                      mountain

                                                                          he said.

I can climb this

                      rock-field

                                                                          he said.

 

Someone was here before.

                                      

The broken china.

Jar of matches.

Dreams of past lovers

leavingmidnight messages

crying:

I do not want
you to die.

 

Provocative handshakes

in the hot springs.

 

 

We’re kinda like

              young hippies

                                                                         he said.

D.C. is
nothing like this

                                                                         he said.

We’re hiking
the
BaileyRange

                                                                         he said.

Come with us.

 

 

Boiling snow.

Uropathy is not

for the weak.

Dateline NBC.

Survivor week.

 

This is not the SoleduckRiver

                                                                        he said.

This is not my beautiful
house

                                                                        he said.

Good morning

                                                                        he said.

It is good to be alive.

 

Prayers & prayers &
prayers.

Morning songs in the canyon.

Clouds charged with sunlight

drift over the mid-day mountain

& expire.

 

How did you
get from here to there?

                                                                        he said.

You certainly
have the will

                   to
survive

                                                                        he said.

Paul will be
back

                                                                        he said.

He’s one tough

                      MOTHERFUCKER

                                                                        he said.

He’s one dumb

                      MOTHERFUCKER

                                                                        he said.

 

 

                                                                                               Are you going to

  put me in a room

                  and
beat me w/ sticks?

                                                                     he
asked.

 

No. Your
brother

wants to do that

                                                                       he said.

 

What possessed
you

                  to
do that?

                                                                    he asked.

 

Stick with the
trail

                                                                      he said.

 

Don’t ever go
alone

                                                                      he said.

 

People sure smell good.

Trail mix of cranberries

& corn & walnuts

& dried mango.

 

This is pretty
good

                                                                     he said.

What is it
again?

                                                                   he asked.

Quinoa

                                                                     he said.

 

Views from an Army

chopper. Talk to the

local paper, make

the talking heads wait.

Never  fully
breaking  down.

 

Dazzling and
tremendous how quick the sunrise would


                                 kill me,


                            If I
could not now and always send sun-rise

                                                                                    out of me

                                                                    he said.

 

I could be in worse places

                                                                    he said.

 

YES! YES! YES!

I’m over here!

                                                                    he said
screaming @ helicopters.

 

She’s going to miss

                         her
trip

                                                                    he said.

You inconsiderate asshole

                                                                    he said.

Get out where they can

                             see
you!

                                                                    he said.

I want to check my

            email

                                                                    he
said.

There must be
some kind

of way out of here

                                                                    he said.

Said the joker to the thief.

 

Jimi Hendrix died

thirty years ago today

                                                                  she said.

And the wind screamed Mary.

 

Yellow ribbon messages

dropped from a chopper.

The High Divide.

The view of Olympus.

The rugged, rugged park.

 

Native People of this land!

                                                                   he said.

Have pity on me!

                                      

And he sang.

And he prayed.

And he left

before they came.

 

Why didn’t you
wait

by the S.O.S.

                                                                he asked.

I didn’t think they’d come

on a cloudy day

                                                           he
explained.

 

Kuma, I’m sorry I missed

          your
birthday

                                                                  he said

Is Kuma worried?

                                                               he asked.

No.

                                                                she said.

The neither
should you

                                                                 he said.

Get some sleep

                                                                 he said.

I don’t need a tent

                                                                 he said.

Where is my tent?

                                                                 he said.

Where is my stick

my watch

my earring

my map

my journal

my tent

my thermarest?

 

Losing much but not life

                                                                he said.

Not consciousness

                                                                he said.

Not faith.

 

 

 

 

peN#998

1:20A

Cedar Dr. S.E.

9.20.00