Morning Prayers

morning prayers do I make
with words of the written
kind since thoughts have been
damaged with actions and
my heart questions its motives
and sacrifices, but words are
forever and ever and then
some and can be used again
and again if really necessary.

2Dec16

Closets

childhood wounds never

linger long enough to see

death as they are buried

midway along the journey

and the mind receives

compensation for its loss

as age clouds clarity

and revenge is hung in a

new closet of a new home

that has no attitude at all.

29Nov16

Like Windows

open to
each other
we are
like windows
that are open
in the summer
and closed
in the winter
and replaced
every so often.

29Nov16

Souls of Life

guardians watch over
moments of today,
comparing them with before
and we agree with their
assessments unless before
is portrayed poorly in
which case, we petition and
demand that which we know
will never happen in the
hopes that memories are as
accurately decomposed as
are the bodies providing them.

28Nov16

The Election

minds cherish the fall of knowledge
when the rule of order no longer has
the ability to disperse the crowd;
marble hallways of legal indifference
form the pathways of unresolved
issues and concerns but a new day
has dawned and we will tear down
all these inappropriate landmarks
that have impeded the progress by
which we all are now measured;
crowds of immigrants watch the
artifacts of citizenship fall into the sea
and float away into the forgetfulness
of oblivion to be burden no more
to the new residents of this land.

11Nov16

Foot of the Bed

days go by quickly
months and years too,
age becomes old age
minds get bolder;
faces show wrinkles
hands display veins,
legs walk wobbly
friends forget friends
and also die away;
hope is replaced with oatmeal
entertainment leaves the eyes,
cold become unbearable as
does the humidity sometimes;
and, laughing is infrequent,
nails no longer bitten

eye brows no longer trimmed
while all three cats sleep
deeply at the foot of the bed
just in case the need to
urinate in the night returns.

11Nov16

Act One

reflected in the window
is the light from inside
dressed in the warm
furs of our ancestors
whose journeys brought
us inland off wet trails;

reflected in our hearts
is the light from outside
dressed in the rains of doubt
that nourished decisions
and provided inspiration to
want more than just humanity;
strings on fingers tied
memories forgotten or
relocated back into the past
gave rise to a future we
could no longer tolerate, so
with haste we disappeared.

7Nov16

Simple Interludes

a round table unfinished
corners of a chair
rooms with door incomplete
unfashionably late
with all my thoughts...
the bells toll true but
there is not truth in the monastery
just monk wine sold for seeds
planted on the hillside
in plan view of the birds
who feast regularly...
thoughts unwind then rewind
once they are used and the
old ones that fall to the floor
create straw mats of comfort
when working late into the night
as the bells toll true
in the moonlight of the
poet's imagined village...
between my crossed legs
a cat lays watching words
fall to the floor
deciding not to investigate...
stools partially drawn out
sit of front of porcelain counters
where candles burn
and memories churn
in quiet solitude of the
East Tennessee countryside.

5Nov16

Morning Treat

faces in the window
look down at me
in a laughing way as
I mock their features;
angels rest at the base
of fireplaces guarding
the Kingdom's entrance
as I scorn their task;
cats perched on tables
watch each others movements
moving close to that
which has kept them apart;
darkness penetrates nothing
and nothing flows outward
beyond the hidden light
that trees embrace each day;
rumors of my arrival
have preceded me and
the three are waiting so
patiently for their morning
treat, and once completed I
am free to do what I please
until these little devils want
me to open the door to
the outside again and again.

4Nov16

Unexpected

righteousness
shields us from the light
a prevailing veil of
darkness covers us
like wedding lace;
we see what we need to see
think what we need to think
when the unexpected happens
and we have no more
cheeks to turn...
quid pro quo skims
the ground like sliding
rocks on a pond,
believing in what we see
or want to see as
righteousness shields
us from the light.

28Oct16

Legacies

blame finds shelter in the

anger we have for ourselves,

released and redirected

relative to the consequence;

friends become enemies

enemies become distant

memories of friendships as

the life we know continues;

birds, not humans, fly

uniformly towards a destination,

regardless of their politics or the

inflight consumption of alcohol;

we are dangerous souls on

dangerous missions of neglect,

seeking gratitude and redemption

for all the legacies left behind.

28Oct16

Morning Decisions

movie today perhaps
cold outside and in,
bellows breathing,

my cat within the scope
reason on my lay lays,
warming the belly...
a fireplace without wood
set inside the wall
behind a guardian angel
and what is light...
we wonder,
as it finds its way inside
remaining for hours
yet candles burn
at cross purposes
while rugs lay silent
on hardwood floors
offering no help at all
picking out which movie.

23Oct16

Doing Nothing

each day we hear
the sounds of nature
dying in our ears
and we do nothing...

each day we see
the effects of man's pollution
on nature's environment
and we do nothing...

animals of flight
animals of walk
animals of water
dying species all around
and we do nothing...

nature is not man
yet man has been given
dominion over nature
and we do nothing...


man is a selfish creature
a parasite of harm
and devastation
and we do nothing...

man destroys itself
and others in war to
survive and grow
and we do nothing...


we save nothing...
we restore nothing...
we return nothing...
we are nothing...

11Oct16

New Dawns

a new dawn blooms
in our minds,
we face the day boldly
with purpose
unknown to others
and to either side
we veer not
but stay true
and steady on;

we embrace and beguile

all those who

wish us harm and

madness as we pour

neither from our cups

of wisdom

onto their poor souls;

down their streets

we walk

in military procession

for the unremembered dead

and to neither side

do we dress right or left,

unfettered,

remarkably calm,

our eyes squint in the sun

of a new day blooming.

11Oct16

Nearby Lurking

healthy bodies linger

in the shade of past

accomplishments

as they lie prostate

in beds of shame for

ill will inflicted upon

all others who are

not like them no more;

tiny consumption of

evil infuses life into

daily dead inhabitants

to begin again anew

and be no more in the

darkness that sheltered

them from the rest of us.

11Oct16

Regrets

a cloud descends

upon this house
of clans folk as
surely as the sun
hides behind it;
distant and aloof
we have become
these last few days
knowing we are
about no good at all;
still, we laugh and
sing and dance as if
tomorrow has already
died with us again,
and we are all
buried in shallow
graves of regrets.

11Oct16

When Rumors Began

light descends
darkness ascends
nightfall concludes it business
daylight begins her rule,
reasons to live are forgotten
life lives out loud inside
traces of forgotten time;
remembering,
not to remember,
forgetting
all that was to be remembered
is life's journey here
and our past that
will not be seen no more;
decayed thoughts of history make
as we live and let live
and die with promises
if need be,
and,
in the end
we remember
what not to forget
and forget
all that was
remembered
as was intended
from the very beginning
when light ascended
darkness descended
and rumor began.

4Oct16

Fall Forecasting

a dull, gray blue sky
sits atop a landscape
of greens and browns,
in front of which are
rustic, rural homes
designed for someone
else in mind than those
who lives there now;
in this discrepancy we see,
if we want to see,
a line of ball bearers
waiting to take caskets
to the grave before anyone
has been placed in them,
because it seems to be the
right thing to do today;
and, in our silence we
betray all those who stood
here before us, wanting
what we have taken for
granted for years and
do not want to give up
simply because there is
no rain in the forecast
for the next few days.

4Oct16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #25 (END of Series)

Who Cares?

no one sees

the moment

or its beauty

as it fades

into the next;

no one hears

the comments

of the winners

who cannot

remember

whey they won;

no one feels

the rain

as it falls

upon

the sky

since our

vantage point

is not yet there;

no one tastes

the bitterness

of hate

that respectfully

hides behind

the prayers we

refuse to say...

no one seems to

care anymore.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #24

Changing Tides

the future

and the past

merge

on this shore,

thoughts

of pirates march

like inward

bound waves;

hourly winds

muted by

the sun

and crushing

currents on the

sand, make

themselves known

to all concerned

and those

not ready to be;

decades of

neglect have

caused these

beaches to form

and we stand

to benefit

from the economy

of the day,

cleansed in the

night by the

high tides.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #23

Flight of Life

take to the air on

currents of wind

down drafts of

inspirational sail

never touching

the ground below;

off in the distance

the coastline curves

to accommodate flight...
soaring through

tunnels of time,

snoop around cross

winds of flying,

forward gliding

or back as

would be their

inclination...

skimming the sky

with non filtered water

in a jar and a

devious eye on the

ground below;

overhead, a

parachute sail by a

rope and a boat...

our ride soon over.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #22

Last Words

helicopter rotor blades

whip around the air

causing momentary claps

of sound as if an imaginary

audience was pleased

with a performance;

a continuous but soundless

breeze blows between us

and the sky above as if

an imaginary fan is there;

semi nudity adorns these

beaches as the parental

guidance mode has been

switched off and taken

a vacation as well, leaving

very little to the alluring

imagination to ponder as

older men with bellies stare;

summer humidity still prevails

to some degree or other,

even though temps have

fallen by ten points or more,

but, nowhere on this beach

can anyone from it all;

scores of bearded souls with

sixties long hair and wrinkled

skin have come out to play as

soon as the big hand has touched

noon and their bodies have

adjusted to staying up past ten;

junior misses and young preppy

males seemed to have joined us

as they sit side-by-side on blankets

like disjointed metaphors waiting

to be edited or at least reworked

a little to avoid misunderstanding;

umbrellas on balconies and not

seen before offer some degree of

of hope that this new generation

is not really sincere with all its

expectations of parental guidance;

summer ends today for most of us

although not to work do we return,

but to a state of continued laziness,

simply in a different environment,

still before here is better than

before here or wherever as there

is just something about being here

that is captivating and mesmerizing.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #21

Alluring Waves

lines of white wave form appear

on the sand like cocaine waiting

to be snorted but disappear before

I can motivate myself to leave

the comforts of being under an

umbrella in my shaded lounger;

imaginations run rampant when

having little else to do but conjure

up words on paper as my partner

reads the words of another in some

pathetic and silly romance novel;

Myrtle has changed very little in

the last three decades of coming

here unlike the Outer Banks that

has almost disappeared from view

and on whose shores we used to

visit until a rip tide pushed us away;

time has been unkind to us both

and aged indifference does not help,

but, rest and relaxation, for us, has

changed and we are now, more or

less sitters and not the doers we used

to be no matter how enticing waves

attempt to lure us into the water.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #20

Extending Summer

motorcycle sounds echo out

from the parking garage,

disrupting the mesmerizing sounds

of the ocean waves crashing

along the coastline of our

oriented, not just for fishing, town;

blue skies overhead with no

clouds in sight provide easy

access for a Fall sun that refuses

to hide from a evening of

humid thunderstorms and an

anxious group of vacationers

who are just not over the

tranquility of another summer;

senior surfers turned shell hunters

walk with pride up and down the

sandy beach, holding their scooper

in one hand while balancing their

movement with the other, never

closing tired, sun bleached eyes;

children, not yet in school frolic

with their parents forming sand

castles at low tide that by the

afternoon will be hidden and

returning to what they were

doing before the tourists arrive.

30Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #19

Fool's Day

rain fell earlier

cooling off the day

but before it got started

under the umbrella we stood

until it all passed over;

and now, it is hot

and breezy and there

is no indication

it ever rained at all,

except for in our

recording of the event,

providing our recollections

are accurate and if...

they are not, then a good
story it still will make

and convincing too if one

can be so fooled like that.

29Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #18

Make Believe

for endless days

it seems,

I have sat in this chair

and watched

the waves roll in

and watched them roll

back in again and

while their actions seem

rather repetitious to me,

my own actions are not

much different; and if,

I thought they might be,

then, we would all be in

the zone of make believe.

29Sept 16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #17

Blind Vision

crows, on top of

umbrellas sit

and defecate

without the slightest

regard for decency

or time-of-day;

vacationers, on top of

themselves sit without

the slightest regards

for space and distance;

life, on top of

death dwells below

for as long as it can

until the latter wins

the ridiculous battle;

eyes, on top of

the world see all there

is to see but not for

what it needs to be.

29Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #16

Normalcy

cooler temps prevail

this fall afternoon in

our Southern jurisdiction

of the here and now;

beach dwellers no long

packing up containers

taking down umbrellas

collecting most all the toys

avoid the cold winds coming

behind the clouds and the

rains soon to follow; and,

when it is all over or so

perceived by many, they

all return and set it up

all over again since this

is what is expected out-

side of the normal season.

28Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #15

Belay That

low tide lengthens play

marooned skis sit quietly

kites zig zag in the wind

narrow breezes widen,

no horoscopes today

with clear sky horizons;

watery coastlines gleam

and beam back the sun

into the faceless heavens

as pools of sea water

collect just below our sears;

pigeons of a non-homing

kind dart across our location

looking for justifications of

their actions for what they

seem to want to do today;

reasonable thoughts run into

the sand, avoiding the narrow

minded heat, but the breeze

at our feet cools off the day

and we take very little to

consider serious anymore.

28Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #14

Highlights

highlights of the sixteen summer

still linger in the crests of

shallow waves breaking along

our nearby Atlantic coastline;

fall surreptitiously takes over the

warm waters as the last remnants

of vacationers hangs on to a love's

labor soon to be lost as quick as

it seemed to have begun earlier;

teasing pleasures of sun scorch

the vacant sand where castles

once stood and holes, dug for fun,

were bypassed by walkers who

drinking much before noon;

nowhere, did the sun shine as

bright as it shone here when it

was the its season to shine and

not here will it soon be shining

until the summer of seventeen.

28Sept16

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #13

Sand Castles

artists beware and behold

right in front of my eyes

a true sand castle unfolds;

and, in the glimmer of the

reflective sun upon the sand

they have toiled all morning long;

clawing out the ground for water

handfuls dripping of wet sand

upon the mounds they build;

no buckets nor molds nor shovels

of any kind do they use as if they

had been taught well back in

the day when this was done;

there is no attitude here as

one might well expect, just a

sense of summer accomplishment;

no other artists here do I see

today or for sure a competition

would be boiled and brewing;

and, while the waves playfully

play just out of reach we see

a moment of truth before returning.

27Sept16