Slow Motion Imagined
the weekend passes by unnoticed
the administration seeks restitution
for all of its bad decisions and Spring
falls on deaf ears in the South as all
its residents remain inside waiting
for the baseball season to start and see
who is willing to hit the political home runs;
cats sit at the windows on backs of couches
wishing they could be on the other side,
birds fly freely in and out of trees watching
their young fall to the ground on first flight,
freshly cut grass smells permeate the air,
dogs bark at the person delivering the mail,
strangers walk on neighborhood streets to
strengthen their wills determined to persevere;
counties raise taxes in lieu of a harsh winter
city streets are full of marked unfilled holes
do-gooders stand at highway entrances begging
for a handout... receiving enough for their next fix,
and our lives pass by in unnoticed circumstance,
moments of courage diminished in a heartbeat
lines from a best seller fall short of compassion,
and the summer heat potentially cooks out the
double vision of our minds as old age symptoms
have a lasting desire to relive youth in slow motion.
5 April 2021
the past illuminates the present
a multitude of birds rant and rave
a day of sunshine noticed,
holes in porch screens are patched
carpenter bees hoover indiscriminately
protecting their territory from unseen predators
that may stray too close to their endeavors,
grass stained jeans lay out to dry
from yesterday's watery storms as
bugs crawl up a wall to nowhere;
Sunday's comic page, folded nicely
sits under flower pots like table mats
for a dinner party now prevented by covid
and the hosts still wonder if it is
worth the time and effort to reschedule;
sunshine from the east casts shadows
towards the western side of magnolias
where spiders live secretly and prey
on those who are pushed in their direction
by territorial bees who are diligent;
landscaping bricks encased in white plastic bags
strategically placed around the perimeter
prevent the pool covering from collapsing
and nylon ropes guided through eyelets
are tied tautly to wooden deck posts,
leaving little room in the imagination of animals
familiar with the ritualistic fall spectacle;
nature weaves her way in and around life
with little regard for future plans or
previous disappointments as she takes
life towards it ageless pursuits of survival.
April 9, 2021
An
Anniversary Song
Time
pushes its way into the future
leaving
no one behind except those
who
are joined in their commitments
and
make no excuses for their love.
Time
heals only those wounds you
want
it to heal leaving those who
hold your future to be carried around
with
the love that comes from tolerance.
Two
decades plus eight years has
poured
over the dam of time and we
seem
stronger for its cleansing affects
avoiding
a single-minded purpose…
love
is what it is and time seals its fate
when
two accept life’s ups and downs
as
easily as breathing in air around them
given
to them with their gift of life…
compassion
replaces passion, and
empathy
guides us both in the love
that
surrounds us like a gentle cocoon.
Words
sit on the back porch of thought
being
offered without consideration
and
later abandoned when finally heard
as
if they had been spoken by strangers.
Mornings
are as they always will be as
two
become one in retirement living
with
time as if it were borrowed from
the
one who gave us all life, expecting
only
love in return and to each other
the
same and always freely given…
we
dance around the day in our
separate
patterns of differences,
realizing
that love is the cornerstone
of
our living home and that our
lives
and love will be celebrated
daily
until one of us must leave.
April
10, 2021
OUTTA NOWHEREOutta
nowhere they marched through the main streets of
The
city as if they were headed somewhere particular,
Crowds
of spectators lined the sidewalks gawking…
Not
really know what to do or say so they just stared,
Mesmerized
by their performance I walked along with them
Afraid
that my whiteness might not be readily accepted,
We
knew nothing would come of this and soon all the walkers
Were
dispersed for lack of having a valid permit to march;
Outta
nowhere my thoughts gathered around me like an angry crowd
And
I cowered at the power of their influences over me,
Moments
turned into weeks and the weeks became years asI
learned nothing new at those repositories of learning
Even
though only the highly educated had been hired for the task,
My
thoughts raised question after question that went unanswered,
The
solutions developed had no basis of authenticity as I traveled
Expressing
my view to those who would stop drinking to listen;
Outta
nowhere the climate of my determination was diminishing
And
the courage I had demonstrated as an athlete did not seem
To
do much for me as I was fumbling the ball every day but
The
opposing team had no desire to pick it up and score points
So
we parted ways and I was left with an empty case of flowers
And
no one around to offer a few as gifts, so I trashed them
Along
with the energy I had loaned to the paper boy the day
After
I had stopped my free subscription given in ignorance;
Outta
nowhere my life on the run had never gotten started so
I
looked for a more promising career without the added thought
Since
it was a burden for which I was glad to discard with the trash,
since the military man said he was not interested in someone like me
My
journey took me down the same city street of the march, giving
Me
the inspiration to become a professional protestor of sorts
But
there was nothing in my limited bag of tricks on which I could rely
And
finally guided was I by what I saw and what they did and what I knew;
Outta
nowhere I abandoned my white privilege with the undertaker
Who
knew more about me than he cared to admit, but had no problems
Driving
the car that had been put in my wife’s name after the divorce
Even
though she had never wanted to take out a license, asking
People
she hardly knew to be driven somewhere she did not need to be,
And
so my old routine was swapped for a new routine… learning
Quickly
was the foundation of my reputation before the march, leaving
Me
with no reputation, earning a neglected spot at the end of the line.
April 11, 2021
morning stillness slows after thoughts
and I creep along the boundaries of a
new reality like a snail looking for
shelter from a attitude of mild regrets,
avenues bisect my bipolar cities and
refuge is offered only after an investigation
by those forces claiming dominion over the
solidarity and singularity of my lost soul;
ageless mysteries lay dormant under piles of
clothes whose virtues have long since been
abandoned in favor of the salvation that arrives
when one finally agrees to do the right thing;
clarity follows abruptly as if it were a summer
rain shower disappearing just as rapidly
once the subtleties of life are revealed to a
mind whose course of action is nondisclosure.
April 11, 2021
as the day begins to close her tired eyes
my vision becomes blurred and unsteady,
sounds move from one side to the other,
fingers probe the scalp like the Mars rover
and mental images merge like once race
that cares not about its differences...
cymbals and sounds play staccato
rhythms slow with the drowsy mood,
lines of data flow across the forehead
and I see not clearly what I see at all,
a sinking feeling... down into the water,
a submerged journey of the soul
who lost its job a decade or more ago,
leaving crumbs for other fools to follow,
a warm wind blows chilly across the face
of the ancient master who assigns guilt
to those who would suspend their beliefs
in favor of those who have no beliefs at all
except those carried around in their back pockets
knowing that denim has lost its stretch factor,
bells and bugles play harmoniously...
fluent in the tunes they know and when to
let the train move to another station, allowing
the strings to strum silently in the night as
darkness lowers without a curtain call and
life ceases to exist until another theory
is developed to explain its existence and
the reason to have any sounds of life at all.
April 11, 2021
no longer do we see collective wisdom
no longer do we see a united force
no longer do we see safety and security in numbers...
upside down our values have been placed
on city streets for all to witness as the chaos
burns into the hearts of families caught
on camera in their moments of terror;
we eat our meals in separate rooms
of separate houses located in separate cities
of separate states that border waters
on either side of our own dismal continent
while the wealthy whistle "Dixie" each time
monies are deposited in their Caymans accounts...
we teach our children hatred on computer screens
that were made in China violated the
standards we set for our own illegal immigrants;
we abhor violence and yet there is the tactic
used to get across our points-of-view since
since we have no others in which to believe and
violence is now as common as having
buttermilk pancakes when on vacation...
we tutor each other in fear as we remain
inside to keep from wearing masks and curse
the royals for what they did to Megan and Harry;
we surround ourselves with fools for leaders
as they speak the language of political correctness
even though their views are not grounded in the reality
of our global marketplace that wants us off the hill
and will poison the waters of the world to do so...
we are blind to the death of our own future
just as we are blind to each other in how much
toilet paper we must use to make ourselves
presentable for the nights news and its interpretations;
we feed our children lobster tails soaked in
the butter of our own sins used to gain momentum
over those competitors we need to destroy,
leaving our voice as what the workers will hear...
yet, our mansions are divided by more than just rooms
and our destiny is manifested in the lies we
tell ourselves to avoid taking Prilosec each day;
we are gathered with Neanderthals who have taught
themselves integrity and plan to use that weapon
when all else fails to make their feelings known
as we all hope for healing this divided country
already following the path perceived as destructive.
April 13, 2021
