Unmistakable

clouds of grey pastels cover

the sky and horizon moving

slowly in a northern direction

making sure a hidden sun;

sounds of rain falling on leaves

unmistakable in its rhythms

relentless in its approach

nourishes the grounds

cleansing those who stay hidden

and the greens grow greener

with each passing minute;

a relaxing quality it has...

the rain as it falls through

the air unrestricted and fills

the creases in the uneven land;

only the hummingbirds play

as if the rain were simply wind

pushing them in the right direction

but sitting to guard their stock

not caring about the rain that

keeps other prey away...

and, in the moment the rain

is welcomed and encouraged

as it replenishes and cools off

summer's humidity that will

return once it ceases to fall;

clouds of grey pastels cover

the sky creating depth with its

various shades of lights and dark

preventing a sunny disposition

among the onlookers and those

who like to sleep through it.

15 August 2020

Survival

life opened its eyes and became
molded and shaped by design
fearful but encouraged by sin
punished and embarrassed
learning along the way
keeping the faith mostly
it grew and marveled noting
where it had come from
and what it needed to do but
ignored those who ignored
and who have turned backs
forgetting the unification of
life needed for their survival.

15 August 2020

Life Without Love

in the midst of living we
turn around several times
looking for what we lost
or not realizing our gain
but in all this disturbance
we never really see that
basic love is missing and if
that were part of our lives
pointless would become
fruitful and the end of things
would become our beginning
leaving us free and clear to
accept the love being offered.

15 August 2020

Oblivious

curled up and sleeping they are

three fury hunters tired from a

night of dreams and imaginations,

hunting mice and rabbits and birds

that have flown too close by the

comfort zone of our protections;

these fearless creatures who run

and hide when door bells chimes,

and loud sound in the night or

the thunder from a storm off in

distance and seldom seen until

flashes appear in the windows;

curled and sleeping the see

what they cannot see and no

longer fear what is real until

they have to stretch and eat.

28 August 2020

Moments of our Lives

least expected she appeared

not a memory but real
an innocent "hi" flashed
across the screen hooking
me with apprehensive curiosity
and without a second thought
was engrossed in conversation
with a long haired lady from the west
and belong long realized much
was in common between us
as we shared our stories
much like close friends do;
we were miles apart
and ages too
although none of that
seemed to matter
and before long
we were both wondering
when the next words
would come along to which
we could add and return;
it was a special bond
that hardly ever happens
but when it does,
a special light turns on
inside your soul telling you
this one's a keeper.

13 August 2020

Free Flowing

white rugs cover the floor
as my thoughts slide along
the hard wood floors giving
them are opportunity to be
revised as night meets day
and light blinds darkness
and the truth as we have
been told it intertwines
into the purpose meant to
glide us through a life
full of disappointments
but which keeps us warm
during a cold winter night.

12 August 2020

Overall

we live in houses
in communities
in counties
in States
in America

in the world
in our solar system
in our galaxy
in our universe
and some may say
we are insignificant
but it is because
of who we are
that this is not
our truth but
our salvation.

12 August 2020

Dimensions

in the end was the beginning
a unified approach of unique
singularity and the universe
was built upon deception
weaving time as if it were
a Galatic tapestry in need
of activity and dispersion,
and in the universe of
dark matter and dark energy
were those galaxies whose
existence was interdependent
leaving gravity for the planets
and the stars around them,
in the end was the creation
of the beginning as we
blend and merge and combine
forming solar systems that
serve no purpose but to be
gateways between dimensions
letting existence form wherever
the seeds of life were enabled
and now it is time for us all
it simply repeats itself forever.

12 August 2020

Trying Not To Remember

lurking among the ruins of life

is the purpose of truth whose

mission has been obscured by

those who seek to control;

hidden within the minds of men

are the fabrications of truth

under which we must live

and are forced to pay tributes;

history defines nothing as real

except the winners who record

their interpretations of reality

oftentimes lost in translation;

weak versus strong

wealthy versus poor

we all die

we all shed tears

and we all try not to remember

what we cannot live without.     

11 August 2020

A Grain of Sand

one kernel at a time drops

falling with precision
into the bottom chamber
and days
perhaps years
maybe centuries
pass by unnoticed in
universal time...
moments become decades
decades become millennia
and we decay in to sand
and are added to the glass
when upside down it becomes;
sand shift starboard
and back to the port and
oftentimes returns
but never disappears as
it increases over time
and above all else
our purpose diminishes
humbled by our
insignificance...

11 August 2020

Understanding

the valley has no shortage of rain
as does the Sahara and the green
we see today will last all year;
within the waters of time, we sail
the lands of sand as they shift
from north to south and back;
palm trees stand and bend as is
their nature in a storm but always
seem to remain well rooted;
we live and die as if it is nothing
special knowing the next generations
will always be doing the same;
we learn nothing from the valley
from the rain or the Sahara in our
quest for a complete understanding.

11 August 2020

Being Mindful

calmness...  draws me outside

behind cardboard leaning against the screen
blocking out the sun's morning intensity
observing the serenity as if
in a state of meditation
overlooking the magnificence of nature
as she charms the animals to reside
within her boundaries yet not
offering to protect anymore
than she would protect herself;
calmness...  draws me to this point
and to the beginning of the day
where inside I will remain
protected and surrounded by life's
necessities none can do without
and when the time comes for me
to say goodbye to it all,
I will remember these gentle mornings
and how they allowed me to
begin my days in a peaceful way.

11 August 2020

Aging Out

hear what you want to hear

see what you want to see

think what you want to think

be who you want to be

hate who you want to hate

love who you want to love

eat what you want to eat

and defecate when you can;

life is full of freedoms all of 

which are taken for granted

and not realized until they

are lost as in losing one's

virginity meaning once it's

gone it is completely gone;

we exist on speculation

and conjecture not knowing

what will or will not be but

it is a fact of life that age

does not move younger and

wisdom is only granted to

those who have seen enough.

10 August 2020

Window

through the window

I see my neighbors
and can imagine
how their lives are
unraveling...
through the window
I see my community
and how a lack of
communion dis-joins
us together...
through my window
I see a city in turmoil
decrying the cries
for resolution...
through my window
I see a State that is
no longer Volunteering
to help...
through my window
I see a country divided
and unprotected from
the hatred contained
for years...

10 August 2020

Trasnsitions

emptiness,
is the sensation felt,
loneliness,
is what life is like,
awake,
more than sleep,
depression,
more than manic,
sight,
replaces all sound,
within,
rather than without,
fear,
underscores uncertainty,
and what I perceive
is not the truth
in this world anymore,
leaning toward
determination
responsibility
lies and promises
turning us into giants
among fools who
believe
everything is fine.

10 August 2020

On Wings

on the wings of angels

do I fly each night,

soaring as high or

as low as I desire,

seeing the valley

and the mountains of

my imagination that

is always changing

my interpretation of life;

on the wings of angels

has my life been carried

as my limitations take

me where I dare not go,

but in my mind, my

thoughts subordinate me

desires and I venture

with the bees around

the sweet smell of fruit;

on the wings of angels

do I venture here and there

with the momentum of

of the winds at my back

and the cooling of time

that we all desire in our

dreams for salvation.

9 August 2020

Memories

memories flow through my mind
each night when trying to sleep,
reminding me of those events
that shaped my personality and
created the one I am today;

memories of youth
memories of innocence
memories of love
memories of hate
memories of capitulation
and in each and every one of them
no act was performed alone
as I was possessed by either
good or evil depending upon
the circumstances and the
outcomes that were desired and
afterwards there was reflection
and it was in that reflection that
I was involuntarily transformed
by the reconditioned memories
that flowed right before sleep.

9 August 2020

Hunters and the Hunted

life and liberty lives within our actions
making choices and choosing behaviors
always looking over our shoulders to
see who's walking too close behind us;
law and order in a state of disarray as
we march to different tunes and goals,
side stepping controversial issues as if
they would taint our sensitive minds;
causes and anti-causes swirl around
our immediate memories of contempt
and hatred of those who for some
reason do not always agree with us;
laying down courage with honor
feeling our way along the damage
belief in the belief to believe differently
dying for causes that protect freedom;
burning building and crowds attempt
to dictate new rules of non order
expecting us to fall in line because
of their so called righteous cause;
down and dirty is how we act today
towards family and friends who
protected us from birth until they
decided to disavow what was given;
armed with rhetoric and fighting tools
we align ourselves with one side or
the other in the hopes that foundations
prove stronger than riots and anarchy.

8 August 2020

SILENCE

silence permeates the air
an eerie stillness surrounds
memories upon memories eliminate
the need for more as thoughts
of the day before glimmer
inside filtering out that which
was never desired but experienced
as we attempt to alter the
reality of the moment and all
of its unintended consequences;



silence permeates the air
and I see all that was missed
and all that could have been
but wasn't as if the replay had
been distorted to make a point
and what was intertwined
was undone and never happened
as it was thought to have been;

silence permeates the air
and I listen to what is not there
hoping for clarification on all
that had been experienced...
a sort of replay in slow motion
but with different actors and
a different script written by
a mental surrogate whose
attempts to infiltrate failed;

silence permeates the air                                 
momentarily as the birds attempt
to catch their breath and the
wind attempts to change direction
and the sun believes it is better
off today behind the clouds
and the distant sounds return
from holiday and my minds
begins to sort out its purpose
from one day to the next.

7 August 2020

Forever Faithful

hovering         

in the mind

are the thoughts

that linger

faithfully

as if they have

no other place

to go than

where they 

are now

and I feel

blessed

that they are

hovering and

lingering

in my mind

keeping me

always and

forever with 

faith in 

my heart.

7 August 2020

Five Haiku Poems

inside the mind of

the criminal lurks the soft

reminder of youth.

6Aug2020

hearts break openly

when truth and lies usually

are confused honor.

6Aug2020

just as many doors

open that close and we should

always be ready.

6Aug20

nature is freedom

but we seldom notice since

we remain inside.

6Aug20

we are not concerned

anymore about people

abandoning us.

6Aug20

Witnessing

life yields to death just as

nothingness yields to birth,

from whence did we come

and into what do we go?

unknown and uncertain

are our answers with only

only truth to guide our path;

yet, truth is illusive and is

controlled by those who

want it to be their way;

we pray for enlightenment

and receive silence as if

we were not heard or

quite possibly ignored,

reaffirming that death is

always within our grasp.

6 August 2020

Apathy

we care not about the economy

but are concerned with how we dress,

we care not about the riots and looting

but wonder who will take us out to eat,

we hate the behavior of the other gender

but seek love and a long term partner,

we live in mental fogs of ignorance

as we feed our self-centered egos,

time gives us ample opportunities to

to grow up in mentally hollow cocoons,

and what seems to be reality is nothing

more than a biased interpretation,

believed by many who are as lazy with

their lives as they are with their future,

on the top we were for decades but

lost our opportunities due to apathy.

5 August 2020

Survival

a heavy fog lays down in the valley

light rain and humidity persists,

identities hidden inside dwellings

fearful of a protected hidden sun,

evergreens offer no solution

fruit trees bear no fruit,

cutting grass is delayed and

rabbits roam around involuntary,

unnatural waterways pull water

from a dozen houses that are

left with sloping back yards,

witnessed each morning as life

returns to the lifeless whose

night is not so idle and long,

daylight brings a second chance

and second chances bring life

oftentimes taken for granted

but always reoccurring while

never the same but similar and

are reminded that nature

despite man's best effort to kill,

always finds a way to survive

never expected or needing help

from whoever seeks to destroy it.

5 August 2020

Oblivious Clowns

lost in a world of infinite possibilities

we find ourselves moving from one

to another like a pinball machine

boots the metallic ball from one side

to the other without effort or bias;

buried in the sands of misunderstandings

we find ourselves believing that one

truth is as good as another truth and

only hope separates us from animals

in a world of finite opportunities;

blinded by the light of awareness

we trudge around like drones and

without thinking perceive our lives

to be harmonious and congruent with

all we have been led to believe.

4 August 2020

Mistaken Identity

like the swallows of Capistrano

we return to our roots eventually,

becoming a nuisance after realizing

it will never be the same as before;

memories of memories invade

faded by all the forgotten years

provide different interpretation

and what was...  was not really

migration was time consuming

and randomly meaningless

when viewed through older eyes;

facts were not real facts

thoughts were not real thoughts

recollections were dimly lit

by the spotlight of friends who

were no longer there to greet,

believing in different causes,

taken away prematurely,

fortunes were made and lost

in rivers of neglect and loss;

time heals no wounds as

no wounds were found and

what we thought to expect was

swept under the rug of incorrectness

providing tokens for reimbursement

of a time better left forgotten.

3 August 2020

Obligation

                                                                                             collectively

but unconsciously

we break the law

with our words

with our actions

with our ignorance

with our silence

and claim

to be law abiding

in all of our

behaviors;

we obey

when being watched

and don't

when not

and still feel we

are being patriotic

while condemning

those who are

kneeling

to make a statement

that we have

already made

by our actions;

we steal time from

our employers

along with loyalty

and supplies

thinking it is owed

to us because

of low wages

all while putting forth

minimal effort

just to get by,

believing we are still

being patriotic;

and when time comes

to pray...

we are in our own

pews and wonder

why we have

visitors who do

not mirror us

or our ways

but want us to

care for them

as if family

and our

obligation.

3 August 2020

Silenced Morning

awakened by an obligation

my morning begins and

infused antibiotics keep

me alive another day...

cats sleep in padded chairs

in the mind's living room

watching and waiting

for their morning treat...

blue skies hide behind clouds

delaying the humidity of

another summer day and

we watch the news relentlessly

hoping to gain clarity with

our understanding that life

must have the rain of

controversy if it is to stir

the imagination of contempt.

3 August 2020

Civil Avoidance

the last remnants of rain trickle

down the rusty gutter spouts,

muted chirping in the distance,

tire sounds on a nearby highway

water splashing as they pass;

groans of an engine straining

wind blowing quietly beside me

noticed only by moving tree tops,

squinted eyes as the sun peaks out

coolness felt on wet shoulders

from the shimmering waters of the pool,

cat hairs seen everywhere after cleaning,

screens protects insects from entering

my sacred porch as I sit quietly

collecting my thoughts from memory

and tracing their movement on paper

as if some kind of justification

prevents me from replacing boards

purchased yesterday when I should

have stayed at home even though

our city is relatively covid free.

22 May 2020

Not Winter

chilly today but not cold

falling rain not freezing

flowers bloom prematurely

cows kneeling on the ground;

trees limbs without leaves

stand in silent speculation,

tiny birds appear and

from a distance a dead

forest appears to be alive;

movements of uncertainty

fade with the rising sun

turning dark into light

like European painters;

squeals scream through the air

nature's electric current of sound

replacing musty odors of silence

in a forgotten valley of time;

cool today but not chilly

as if it were not that windy.

13 April 2020

Aftermath

layers of dark grey clouds

move like turtles across

a sunless sky around me;

sheets of wind blow birds

into bending tree limbs

restructuring their movements;

broken flowers lay on mulch

covered by grass clippings

from a freshly mowed lawn;

silence moves through the

valley like last week's storm

while all regrets remain inside.

13 April 2020