Sunday

we live by the bells
we die by the bells
we work by the bells
we love by the bells
and if we are lucky
we hear them from
the steeple clanging
as if each day of our
lives was Sunday.

16Sept17

Actors

actors and actresses

walk and talk

and bend our thoughts

to their liking as

we succumb to their

gentle verbal caresses

and manipulations,

being someone else for

a time and doing it so

well that we believe,

at least momentarily,

that they are not who

they really are anymore.

14Sept17

Retrieving

being at the beach

or in the mountains

or in the desert

or in the rolling grasses

of a lush valley,

life catches us by

surprise as it unfolds

time around us and

our youth fades away

more quickly than it

had arrived, leaving

us wrinkled and wise

but unable to retrieve

any of what's gone.

14Sept17

Dirty

the carpet of life
that lays on my floor
is in need of cleaning
so I must forfeit
all so that life
continues to lay
on the floor forever
undisturbed
and unremoved
and uncleansed
as it collects the
dirt of sin that
all of us leave
behind each day.

14Sept17

Suspicion

night falls
daylight rises
in between is sleep
and perhaps

a dream or two
that takes us
into the realm
of dimensions
so close that
they touch us
with all their
alternatives
and suspicions
of no life
other than more
of our own.

14Sept17

Making Fun of Life

gross stillness betrays my

sense and my sensibilities,

these last few years of

my life as I squander

moments of joy in favor

of opportunities that are

in possession of little joy

or sustenance save the

fodder they provided for

my continued discontent.

14Sept17

Death to Thinkers

unshaved and hair uncombed,
I sit in a cushioned chair
under a gazebo
on the back deck of
that which is called the mind,
sharing fantasies of illumination,
sprinkled with rain showers of regret
coming from a cloudless sky in
the imagination of another that
I borrowed no so long ago,
but kept for a needed diversion;
and, in this process of self-deceit,
I have come to see what has never
been visible to my imagination
but which has been on the tip of
our father's tongues for centuries:
"cast ye spells while ye may or
be dead within the hour for a
thought that deserved to die
before being realized."

13Sept17

Valor

uncommon valor
is rather common
in the cinema these
days as we flex
our imaginations
and offer what is wanted
rather that what is feared
even though it may
be the absolute truth.

13Sept17

Home Sleep

rain trickles in
sun disappears
clouds cluster quickly
fog covers it all
we crawl around
to our destinations
like animals working
their way home for
supper and sleep.

13Sept17

Older

robust living fails
when the climate of despair
is upon us all.

23Sept17

Air Vessel

green grass grows in the fall

red leaves in the mountains,

molasses oozing out of trees,

stone fences divide lands,

virgin witches preach the gospel

as strong as any believers while

the skies open up defiantly,

taking us all up to heaven quickly

and quietly as if we were asleep

in our own new sleek air vessel.

13Sept17

The Aftermath

innocents and ignorance views
are prevalent in the west;
insight and intelligent attitudes
are prevalent in the east;
east meets west in war of words
smashing the efforts of collaboration;
whimsical and satirical comments
and thoughts lay on the ground
like dead suffocated animals;
black beasts roam east and west
and in between scouring the earth
for signs of life to destroy, and
we live our lives in desperation
learning to acknowledge nothing.

12Sept17

Re-examined

images from the past
haunting and bizarre
roll down the red carpet
of thoughtful negligence
as they surround the present
with a serene glow of
unhappiness and foreboding.

12Sept17

Freshly Started

we turn our attention to summer

leaving spring behind and forgetting

winter altogether as well we should;

life begins in warm weather as

cold is left for dead and dying souls

and we have been freshly started;

for a few months, we have the

advantage of both the day and

the night but soon over it will be;

then, fate our destiny rests for we

are the ones who have altered

time and space once again here.

27Feb17

Figments

morning is a figment of my imagination

or, at least that is what it seems to be,

since my thoughts have been stolen by

the very aspect of old age, leaving me

with a presumption of innocence from

not being able to protect them so well.

27Feb17

Cat’s Tail

a cat’s tail lays across the floor, its

head points in an opposite direction

and we have left to wonder why it

is the way it is and not some

other way since we arrived in

this new dimension, adjusting

when we can to these illusions

of life being another way from

what it is when we are asleep.

27Feb17

Only Moments

how many years have I wondered in and out

of someone mind just so I could hide from

my responsibilities and obligations, given to

me at the time of my death and only retrievable

the moment of my rebirth into your new world,

forever losing my individuality and all of that

which made me who I was to oppose you and

and your insatiable need to control my life.

27Feb17

Haiku Two

forever and a

day passes us by hoping

for something newer.

27Feb17

begin with the end

in mind and your rewards shall

be ever after.

27Feb17

Nightfall

night clings to the darkness,

darkness clings to the sight

of something new and bold

while preventing the innocence

of light from contradicting

night’s source, leaving the

blight to continue until a

new dawn is fully announced.

1Mar17

Fulfillment

on the edge of controversy do

we live our lives in fulfillment,

seeing only that which we wish

to see, while ignoring all the rest

of what we do not understand

nor want to understand, since

awareness is the quickest way

to death and death is the only

means by which we can escape

the appreciation of fulfillment.

1Mar17

Voluntarily

there is no cost for doing business

with the devil if one believes that one

or more of them do not exist in this

sector of the mind even though it is

debated on Sundays and afterwards

when eating potluck meals on the

grounds when the weather permits

and those who bring the food are

willing to provide it voluntarily.

1Mar17

Cornerstones

in the heart of circumstance lies contradiction

          and facts not in evidence are merely conjecture

               that has outgrown its purpose in providing the

                    truth to those who do not want to hear it at all;

                         we are ruthless in our abandonment of the

                              ideals on which truth was built and displayed

                                   for all to see and witness as it became the

                                        cornerstone of violence and put an end to the

                                             peaceful methodologies of debate and arguing.

                                                                                                                        1Mar17

Two Untitled

controversy lies

deep in the heart of hateful

feelings and disgust.

1Mar17

ordinary is

all we ever asked to be

when not sleeping sound.

1Mar17

Limitations

within the folds of the consciousness,

lies the unconscious territories of the

mind where limitations alter the scope

of reality and provide defenseless modes

of comparison to reconcile that which

is seen with that which is imagined,

hoping that reality will fall somewhere

within the two parameters of awareness

and the limitation of our virtual realities.

2Mar17

Friends

we extend the arm of help to

who wish it to be so, leaving

those who have no interest in

alliances to fend for themselves,

living or dying makes no never-

mind to us nor was it ever meant

to be anything more than an

olive branch of continuation

with blackberries of deception.

2Mar17

Finally Alone

on the surface of the carpet lies a

foreign face that stares at me constantly

with no other intentions in mind

other than to disrupt my peace-of-mind

each morning that I sit in this seat,

so, I must amuse myself with the

possibility that if I change my seat

that the foreign face with disappear

from view and I will be left with the

sensation of finally being alone.

2Mar17

Curse

darkness prevails no

matter how early I awake,

it is always the same… 

the morning light is

nowhere to be seen and

one can only conclude

that it has been stolen

by the darkness and

kept in a place of

concealment until the

time of its awakening,

has been determined

and we must sleep

patiently for that time

to arrive or awaken early

and not be in possession

of clear senses which is

the black curse of the night.

2Mar17

All I Ask

a rocking chair with a good back

a strong bed with a firm mattress

a house with a protective roof and walls

and enough money to live simply

is all i ask these days…

except for a pen and paper with which to write my thoughts;

and, of course, a mind from which these thoughts must develop,

but, do I want or need a companion?

Of this, I am uncertain,

and yet, one has been with me all my life

…so, what would i do without

and how would I manage?

but, this is how it’s been and this

Is how it must be…

4Mar17

Seeing is Believing

What do you see in the mornings when you arise my friend?

Is it that which you would like or tolerate once the makeup is removed?

Is it that which you would allow others to see?

How desperate are you to or perhaps a better question would be to awaken?

And, as your day arrives and passes what did you do?

What did you accomplish… that might cause you to awaken tomorrow?

You live on borrowed time my friend and do not see it or if you did would admit it…

And yet, it is here with you every day,

Every day you awake and journey to the same mirror to acknowledge who you are.

As funny as it may seem to you… but, when you see you believe.

4Mar17

Available

how silly I am to wonder

as I do these mornings

when alone with my cats

I ponder the universe

and my place within it,

hoping to case purpose

and meaning to my existence

that, in my case, appears

to be a little misplaced;

still, we all have works to perform

people to meet and things

to accomplish resemble a

an answer to our pondering,

but still I wonder in a debating

playful way what it is precisely

for which I am here and available.

4Mar17

Sounds of the City

owners bark out at their dogs trotting around corners

looking for a quiet place to silently defecate,

sirens of police are drowned out by the sirens

ambulances heading on more direct routes,

vehicle horns blast out for seemingly no purpose

as pedestrians walk in between parked cars and

engines growl out their impatience,

walking and talking above the crowd is an art,

especially when talking on the phone,

barkers and non-sexual harassers make ever

attempt to sell you a ticket inside,

drunkards piss in the alleys beside the homeless

who dare no snore too loud and hailers’

raise their arms in a Statue of Liberty gesture

hoping to retrieve a cabby to their location,

doors open and close and blasts of heat

warm those who pass through,

jack hammers tear up concrete right beside our feet

as we tip-toe past the congestion, and if,

if were not for the changing street lights, we

would have no quiet here at all.

23nov17

Monument and Cities

down through the city streets I walk

arm-in-arm with my emotional defenses,

waiting to see if the light-of-day

really is as bright as they claim it to be;

figments of my imagination fly by

as the chilly winds of forgetfulness

blow hard down below the buildings

that stand tall on either side of me;

crucial monuments stand in my way

as streets are crossed at each intersection

and avenues are over-looked because

they head in the wrong direction;

fleets of observers’ flock to my rescue

as coffee spills out of my cup and I

forget my apologies have been left

in my room along with my wallet.

23nov17

Cracked Glass

inside the cupboard of the mind

desire for loneliness supersedes

public opinion as instinct rests

in a dark, black alley with the

rest of the rats that freely roam the

city once thoughts are dismissed;

traitors of the right that have gone

to the liberal left cannot be blessed

without seeking redemption

from those who take their place

and must also hide in these

dark alleyways until discovered;

readers review the credentials

of the dying writers and decide

that too much knowledge is

not near enough to escape the

ravages of the mind once it has

been discovered that all the

glasses in the cupboard are cracked.

23nov17

Waiting Alone

except for the light in the makeshift kitchen,

in the dark, here I sit,

waiting for my thoughts to arrive in rapid

succession as they have done before;

but, my request has

been denied by a higher authority

and empty again am I.

23nov17

Wall Clocks

there are three clocks among others
on the wall all of which show a
different time, and none of them are
correct, yet, we base our entire lives
on the passage of the correct time since

its passages dictates our loss or gain.

November 2017

Blind Sight

there is no claim on what we believe

only a rational view of that belief,

and if and when we were to challenge

that belief, it is also our belief that

no one would object to our claim,

since belief is not proof and life is

not to blame for our arrogance.

November 2017

Door-to-Door

Vera and her friend Evan

were on a Christian activity,

knocking on doors in a

well-to-do community

when one of her neighbors

informed her of his lack of

interest in her activity

because it violated his need

for privacy not to mention

his desire to worship as

he so desired and without

her interference of convincing

him there was a better way;

her neighbor informed Vera

and her friend that knocking

of doors was not the best

way to promote her beliefs,

especially since there had

been no invitation extended

and that this type of curiosity

only breeded contempt for

their naive Christian activity.

2017

Come to be

rain floods the land with dirty water

that a reluctant sun soon dry's out;

grass is sewn in columns following

outlines of that which grows normally;

wings of prehistoric birds fly south

out of the instinct of common sense;

muddy land sinks in the holes caused

by thousands of dropped bombs;

we nourish those who taught us

hoping our future is preserved; but,

have no need to stop the catastrophe

of what all might come to be here.

2017

Side Effects

scary is the sensation of nausea at

an older age when the side effect of

chemo course through one's body;

prone, on a cold tile floor, offsets

the sweating heated body as it convulses

with no satisfactory conclusions;

dizziness and fainting, accompany

the heroes of this farce when one

attempts to stand and move about;

an emptiness sits beside me on the

floor like an obedient dog that doesn't

understand his master's actions;

the entire day is forfeit once the spells

hit home as there is nothing left to do

but to let it run the gamut of feelings.

2017

Dawn

darkness appears on the outside while

light from a bulb shines on the inside,

and vulnerable do I feel because I can

be seen when I cannot see beyond the

glass that separates life from reality

and death from imagination when all

that was really needed a desire to wait

until we both could see more clearly.

2017

No Activity

there are trees in the painting that

portrays a house out of nowhere,

in a land that does not exist because

someone thinks it should be there;

Guenter Limburg

the trees have a hint of snow, even

though it is summer and the cabin

has a chimney spewing out smoke

when clearly no wood has been cut;

we have waited for days for the

inhabitants to leave so that we could

clean it out and move in but there

is simply no activity in the painting.

2017

Fatherless

my soul bears no children

but it lives instead

with the demons of a

civilized culture because

it can find no solace in

the savage ways of man.

2017

Bartering

from inside my world of disbelief,

I harbor fantasies of a sexual kind,

thinking that it is better to err on

the sexual side of a fantasy than

to err on the side with nothing at

all with which to trade and barter.

November 2017

Premature

in the world of the spirit,

dreams are not dreams

fantasies are not fantasies

imaginations are not imaginations;

spirits roam freely and abundantly

as they mix and merge with

other spirits who may not

be cast from the same die, but

who now have something else

in common that frees them

from the world of the mind;

and, were it not for what might

become of us, I sometimes

wonder if being in this spirit

world might be the best place.

November 2017

Homespun

futility lies within

the hope that despair

is rather short lived,

and all actions are

a consequence of

those fears and dire

resolutions, especially

since we believe

what we believe

because it seems a

little logical to do so.

November 2017

Sacrifice

under developed countries warn

of cataclysmic occurrence once

their worlds touch ours and we

ignore their ignorance, just as we

ignored all the warnings prior

to the great flood that took so

many unnecessary human lives.

12Sept17

Watching

grey skies dawn
winds blow strong
rain trickles down
to the ground from
above while we sit
in romantic juxtaposition
with our drinks of
coffee and tea,
watching the earth
change before our
eyes as our world
rotates around
the only sun it
has ever known.

12Sept17