Night Madness

on the streets of battle
dead bodies lie,
gang soldiers and civilians,
mothers and fathers
brothers and sisters
no one spared
only violence served,
raids in the nights
or early morning,
difference still unknown,
leaders on their knees
learning how to pray,
slaves of labor
steered the wrong way,
gossip flows quickly
down abandoned alleys
fearing the worst
trying to rest assured
nothing calmed or sedated
except the thoughts
of who is next...
who lives - who dies
who tells the story of
all this night madness?

June 14, 2025

Blue Sky Mornings

a cloudless blue-sky morning
stars from the previous day
remain high and out of sight,
feckless birds frolic and hold
congregations nearby, hoping
to be selected birds of prey,
wondering illusions hit the
ground like twisters right
out of the movie, hiding
behind buildings until the
light of day where more
destruction can be observed.
crews of workers' delegate
responsibility to watch and
swoon over what they hear
as the rumblings of destruction
make music on the ground. 
manipulated twins hold up
their skirts to commemorate
shared birthdays while vets
pass out popcorn to customers.
a silent majority speaking
words never heard lay on the
ground for street cleaners
practicing their vows before
members of the council while
shoveling manure afterwards.
all in a days' notice and only
when blue sky mornings arrive.

June 13, 2025

Facts Set Free

clarity follows understanding
understanding follows investigation
investigation follows questioning
questioning comes from wanting to know.
crowds of thoughts line up like
people wanting to believe what
they hear or see and if verification
always seems to lead to truth.
truth is only that which can be
proven in court or law, having
very little to do with the actual truth.
clarity is an illusion of the facts
as presented or explained,
always being interpreted...
always being modified...
always being used by those more
clever to mean what they want
and not what really is...
facts come from data
data can be rearranged and words
can be used to transform beliefs.

June 11, 2025

The Old Man

on a front porch
on the side of a hill
just off a windy back road
a lonely man sits
with book and memories
of a simpler time...
no family or friends has he
this lonely old man,
a wife who walked away
years ago, leaving no
no clues or explanations,
a child who left shortly later
wishing him nothing...
but could no longer stay.
a brother and sister who
turned their backs on him 
years ago now over
things he had said in anger,
no second chances...
alone on a hill he sits
pondering nothing except
wondering why he's still here.
locals see him as a stranger
avoiding at all costs,
mail is delivered only when
the old man's not outside.
not a word does he say
to anyone, except the birds that
sit on a nearby tree branch,
staring at him sitting there.
into town he goes
once a month, no more
grocery bags sit in the back seat
of a two thousand and five Chevy.
one day he will die and no one
will want to bury...
courts will order him tossed inside
the cabin burned to the ground,
the fire department will be the
only ones at his funeral.

June 11, 2025

Glass Walls

window glass slides in-between my
thoughts without asking permission,
menacing ideas transform themselves
when shattered into tiny pieces...
fragments of my life flash and reflect
the distance of life's blessings when
served to someone else instead...
curled up on the sidewalk like a snake
are my shriveled memories pulled
out of mental storage like one was
more than obsessed with revenge...
janis joplin songs in the background
play as wiper blades are torn off the
windshield of the sliding glass wall,
beggars stand in line for leftovers
the hogs refused to eat as they were
too busy devouring my legacies...
no one know what they don't know
and no one cares that they do, but
someone cares that the music is dead
and awards night has nowhere to go.

June 10, 2025

Wealth's Legacy

sacred, are the rules we follow

written down by aristocracy

governing the less fortunate

perceived as all too ignorant,

sacred is the word of law

around which we govern all

those who cannot, and who

we rely on to decide for us,

the way our lives will migrate,

older and wiser are they all

dressed in their fancy clothes

with their arrogant attitude

looking down on those who 

are perceived to be like dogs.

called the constitution it is

for our future salvation and

a book that holds all the secrets

on which our greatness depends.

where whites and blacks are

just like wealthy and poor,

the two shall never mix,

forever silent are the respected

as time waltzes by as if it were

to be served equally to all.

June 9, 2025

A Sunroom's Gift

a wall clock indicates almost noon
windows up - five out of twelve,
a cool breeze enters...
pushed by tree arms just outside
blocked sunlight not inside,
flashing mirrors keep birds away
hummingbirds too, much to
our mutual dismay...
strips of silver ribbons reflect
a persistent light prevails,
summer rain last night fell
moisture seeps into and around
a fresh mowed lawn...
birds squawk high in the branches
balancing on the bobbing limb,
blackened clouds from the west
approach our southern location,
pushing out the pastel blues
with the precision of a boxer,
pressures rise - temperatures fall
drops of water hit the roof
along with muted thunder...
doors close on my winged thoughts
just like on the inclement weather,
safe, sound, and protect are we now,
sitting underneath our sunroom roof.

June 8, 2025

Darkness Reveals All

evil silently lurks in the darkness

as does the good side,

patiently lingering and luring

reluctant recruits from their cribs,

church going child molesters

spouse abusers and alcoholics

all dress the same way,

garments of fashion and leisure

tucked nicely away in styles,

no one knows for sure who they are

where they have been or from

where they recently arrived...

but here they all are, mingled

among us like rats in a cage,

waiting and planning the deed,

plotting out their escape and

lines of commination as if

normal is no longer obscene.

beside us they live, watching as

we curiously go about our business,

ignoring their presence and their

sideways glances into our space.

evil and goodness lurk together

in the same shadows in the same

back alleys and dirty gutters...

they were once us as we were

once them in different lives

seldom investigated but there

nonetheless...  side by side.

June 6, 2025

Forlorn Wondering

through fields of doubt, we march

good toy soldiers forever faithful

missing arms or missing legs

it matters not for us...

we paid our dues to another piper

very much in favor of the tune,

out of key but never out of beat,

our brand turned inside out

worn outside in for kicks...

never in public will you catch us

flaunting this or that above our heads

like fanatics on a collision course.

we dine on caviar and wine

or Pepsi and cracker, it's all the same,

bending of the little finger and such

when holding the china...

we live on sloppy hallways sides

slipping to and fro in bare feet,

watching for broken glass

blown in off the streets.

normal lives are for cowards

we are forgotten at best still the

unusual aspects of life have

its benefits none will deny.

June 6, 2025

Acquiescing

on the corners of
madness and
enlightenment,
I turn my attention to 
those who weren't
so lucky...
those who bathe
themselves in the 
attention of others...
those who dream
but never do...
those who fishtail
their lives around a
monumental goal
without justification...
those who understand the
evil in life, embracing
it without question...
those who stand on the
corners or in the alleys
pitching pennies
for a meal...
those who dangle on the
end of society's nose
as if it was customed
tailored for them...
my attention has become
short-lived when patience
mean little to those who
want to steal from me.

June 4, 2025