Lies and Untruths

crimes and misdemeanors flow through our

city streets on a daily basis and we, the public,

do next to nothing because we live in the suburbs

and are relatively protected from the threats of

nearby crime...  after all, this is America, the

home of the free and brave who left us what

they built so that we could destroy it...  and,

it would appear that  we are successful with

that endeavor...  burn baby burn...  and death

to police...  filter through our lives like cooler

temps preceed an upcoming storm...  but this

storm is not of rain and wind but of our own

stupidity at ignoring what is all around us...

crimes and misdemeanors move from one city

to the next, one county to the next, one state

to the next and soon a Bonnie and Clyde attitude

rips through the country like the last depression

leaving us homeless and fearful, distrusting our

leadders and politicians who have become overly

wealthy from our consistent votes and who do

nothing in return but make faulty promises...

we have created a society of lies and untruths 

and wonder why we have all these problems.

27 September 2022

Failing Hearts

hearts in atlantis and other myseteries

surface as the storm approaches and

threatens to uncover those stories long

since buried in the history books of

the losers who remained on earth while

the true victors left for another place

to procreate...  we are victims of our

altered DNA but without the realization

of the happening or of the impact the

happening had on our development...

we live in technological ignorance

and are pleased to do so since we

cannot see beyond our ability to

understand the science behind our

advanced evolution...   silly thoughts

have us looking for question rather

than trying to fathom the answers

that have been given by discoveries.

27 Septenber 2022 

Always Summer

green grass grows in the fall around

all the dead memories of summer, a

ritual that we experience every year

just like growing old and maturing...

we have little opportunity to renew

our youth but when it happpens we

cling to it as if it were our first pair

of spring tennis shoes...  the past

sings in our ears just as quietly as

the sun tans our white skin and we

relish wearing the same clothes we

wore decades ago without the bell

bottoms that were never military 

issue...  we remember sights and

sounds and mugs foll of beer and

cocktails on the promenade deck

when we were cruising...  whereas

before it was up and down the city

streets and around the parking lots

where you could order food from

your cars...  it was a southern time

for many of us as we could have

cared less about the northern lights

and the broadway actors that smoked

joints in a bar across the street after

the show...  we were careless and

young but it was always summer.

26 September 2022

It's Just Passing By

Trees blow in the wind nearby and we

warn each other and our neighbors we

are concerned about their safety...  but

the truth is...  we must protect ourselves

before we can protect others just like

oxygen masks dropping from overhead

in an airplane...  we see the wind...  we

feel the wind...  we understand the wind

and we know that the storm is coming;

the clouds smile at the sun that is hiding

behind their darkness and the rain slips

through the dark blankets on its way

downstairs to the lower level...  we

slip on the thoughts that life is not as

simple as it once was but that was

before the arrival of the hurricane and

all the wind, rain, and destruction our

mother created on this land because

she was not pleased with our behavior.

26 September 2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

From the Tenth Floor

from the tenth floor of my mind,

I can see father than when I was

standing on the ground...  I can

see the seas of the horizon and

all the birds that fly across my

limitied imaginations that rise

and fall vertically as if counting

down a new year or falling aimlessly,  

from thetenth floor of my mind, 

I can nowimagine a farther forecast 

of lifethat includes more ups and 

downsthan a roller coaster, and 

allowinga constant intake of pills 

to prevent sickness but that also 

indirectly keeps me more calm;

from the tenth floor of my mind,

I can look down on my neighbors,

my friends, and family who have

over the years have formally and 

intentionally dismissed me.

9-17-2022

Once Close Brothers

a mile long wave crashes along the

provincial shoreline of the mid-eastern

coastline in a feeble attempt to reach

the intercoastal waterways a mile away,

sandy beachheads, sand dunes, roads,

stores, and residential homes stand guard;

imaginations run rampent in the minds

of children who believe what they hear

from peers and elders, building fortresses

and castles in the sand...  fighting the

ficticious battles with ficticious soldiers,

always forced to let the eldest sibling win;

the victor must take the loser in the water,

carfully steering the float into the waves

to keep it from capsizing in the surf;

proud parents watch the brothers play

and wonder how long it will be before

the eight years of difference becomes 

a problem especially after both of them

have passed away to their final destination.

9-17-2022

The Beach

high tide, low tide

the water is either in or out

the sandy beach is either

wide or narrow and

our chairs are either stationary

or they have to be moved

to a new location;

the ocean is calm or rough

waves are tall or short

the sun hides behind clouds

or bears down with force;

people sit or walk or

hunt for shells or toss a ball

around with mindless effort,

people read or write or

talk or listen to music or

book on tape or do nothing

but gaze at the encroaching

water that never gives up;

many pay large fees to be

treated like this year after 

year, never complaining

because they are on vacation;

owners of services relish in

all the revenues they earn

during these warm months that

will cover the losses they

incur during all the cold ones.

9-17-2022

Our Last Day

farewell to the sand and sun

farewell to all the seafood dinners

farewell to all the water consumption

farewell to the body surfing

farewell to all the rude tourists

farewell to all the narrow-minded divers

we leave it all behind tomorrow

once we rise early to drive home;

but today we are still here...

for one more day and will not

think about ever returning until

the spring of next year...

we will now plan for birthdays,

dinners of thanks and receiving

presents from secret admirers...

we will do chores inside the house

and outside as well and maybe walk

around the block if we have time...

there will be doctors and dentists to

visit and possibly a check on the eyes,

and there will be forms to fill out

like we have done hundreds of times...

but today we are here...

feet in the sand

butts in the chair

under an umbrella

not giving a damn about

anyone or anything

in the rest of this world.

9-17-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

Doctors Care

sun through the glass door shines

on my lower left leg as it rests

on a ladder back chair to elevatte

for better circulation...  out of the

corner of my eye, I see the water

that I am unable to visit today;

Doctors Care supplied me with

pills to cure my infections and

the price paid for this is to stay

inside...  my cures is worse than

the illness and I see no reason to

sequester myself inside this condo

coffin any longer than I have to...

shadows on the floor of a dancing

foot catch my attention and I move

it like a puppet to create variation...

words from the television behind
me alert me to all the information

I don't want to hear as it never seems

positive and is rather depressing...

vacations are not supposed to be

spent inside so outside venturing

I will soon go and no doubt will be

back inside within an hour or two

when I have learned my lesson.

9-16-2022

Another Day

waves approach curl and

vanish in the sand, leaving

white caps foam remaining,

dirty water from the east

attacks our eastern coast

western water attacks our

western coast simultaneously;

we sit in chairs on both side

and watch it happen everyday

and as it erodes our lands, we do

nothing about it but complain;

water chariots carry tourists

up and down the shorline as

they pay to see what they could

see walking for free...  it is 

all capitalism and free enterprise,

taking the money from the average

and giving it to others to make 

them wealthy...  and, all is done 

in such a way that no one cares,

or wants to care about the issue;

police in blue trucks pass by

once an hour or so as tourists

hide their drinks in towels and

the uninformed law makes no

arrests today...  seeing what we

want to see and no more...  it is

just another day in America

before the weather turns cold 

and we pack up and go home.

9-16-2022

Time Well Spent

sand castles adorn the beach

like an unconnected necklace

leaving space to add a smaller

castle created by a small child,

while the larger ones are always

constructed by the adults for

their children to admire...  a

sand artist who sometimes 

visits sculpts a figurine that all

the oily walkers must stop and

photograph, filling up space on

their iphones...  grandmothers

play with their grandchildren as

grandfathers play with their golf

clubs and widows congregate

together sharing umbrellas and

stories of those who had left

them all behind...  tourists from

all over see this place as a place

to be lazy and break the monotony

of an otherwise boring life...

reaching inside the cookie jars

to pay for it all...  sisters and brothers

aunts and uncles, nephews and neices

all gather willingly to ask forgiveness

for their desire to be here and not

where they need to be temporarily.

9-16-2022

The Sun's Domain

a breeze blows from behind

it is the norht they say angry

at all the warm weather still

available down south...  seagulls

soar against the breeze and are

lofted into the sky, only to dart

back down to retrieve something

from the water...  they can slide 

along the coastline with such

grace as if being tossed out

like a hand glider...  the sun

sends down its rays through

the clouds like parachutes

without passengers and all

the tourists now have reasons

to leave their villas...  a guard

of life walks along the sand

looking for violators, sitting

in chairs without paying, then

to the water to see if anyone

is drowning...  droplets fall

from the frozen bottle of water

sitting on metal struts above

my head hold up the umbrella;

when the ice is gone, it will be

consumed...  but until then, it 

melts away...  noonday sun has

peaked everyone's interest as

they huddle in avid consersation.

9-16-2022

Mindlessness

cloth bags of rice or beanss fly

through the aire hoping to hit the

opening of the elevated wooden

platform, thirty feet away that had

been tossed by the competitor,

needing only a point or two to win...

watched by others, the male and 

female toss their bags one after the

other in the blazing sun, not fearful

at all of a potential sunburn...   they

play for several minutes and finally

one bag hits the hole but it is rather

difficult to tell which one is the male,

as all characteristics appear to be 

somewhat identical...  but then there

is the obvious as the female wears

a covering above her waist...  crowds

of well wishers have gathered to 

cheer on the victor while others offer

words of wisdom and advice...  I sit

under my umbrella and watch the

spectacle unfold and could care less

as to who won or lost...  my chair is

facing in their direction and ther is

absolutely nothing else to look at.

9-16-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

Looking Outside

on look out the window

ten floors into the sky

I see clouds floating by

on which I could catch a ride

and birds sitting on them

with whom I could converse

on my journey but there

would be nothing to eat

if I decided to go...  there

is no radio or news reports

where I might be so no

way to stay in touch with

events of the day...  a most

promising opportunithy for

some one of my age as the

older I get the more I am

on display to those who

are young, fresh, and full

of themselves...  not realizing

that time passes quickly and

age has no mercy on those

who cannot give up the way

that it used to be for them.

9-15-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

Self Image

mirrors on the wall

mirrors on the floor

mirrors on the ceiling

mirrors on the doors

mirrors instead of windows

and in each one of them

I cannot see my reflection,

standing this way or that

it is quite disconcerting

to say the least especially

when I watch others enter

my perspective and their

reflection without fail is

there as they smile at 

themselves and receive 

a smile back but I am

not so fortunate and 

want to remove them all

since I have no idea what

I really look like anymore.

9-14-2022

A Morning Mile

a giant pond with waves lays

to my left as I walk south along

the shoreline...  water pushes

by my feet as I sink and a

suction sound is make when my

foot is pulled free...  the wind

blows me along on my southern

route and the clouds keep the heat

at bay...  pass me by these walkers

do who traveled here to exercise,

even though they do not at home...

they spend their money here and

that increases prices for which 

the locals must cover...  my stride

has improved some even though

it is not like the way it was and

I wonder if this is the way that

it is always going to be for me...

sweat collects at my waist and

cools me off while completing

the distance of around a mile.

9-14-2022

Misplaced Words

speckled white sand shows

ripples from wear and tear,

sea oats frow from the inside

where ants build tunnels and

and insects invade to escape

the heat of the sun...  signs 

adorn the dunes like jewelry

with warnings "Keep off" but

we see it as a suggestion

trampling through it at will,

if our destination is closer...

brown chairs with blue cloth

seats hold people underneath

multi-colored umbrellas,

situated at precise intervals

in a row that would impress

a military drill squad...  others

bring their own shelters and

seats setting them up behind

as is the rule...  attendants 

collect cash from those who

want to pay...  the crowd that

brings their own is dwindling

and those that bring cash say

they learned in from parents.

9-14-2022

Uncertainty Corner

waves of complacency flow into

my mental southern shoreline

somewhere between the Outer Banks

and Myrtle Beach...  sun covered

couids have vanished in the noon day

sky while rain moves farther north

and south, leaving a valarian day

in its wake...  waves of misunderstandings

replace mental certainties while calm

cool transplants were order by the local

doctors...  children chase seagulls in

a desperate attempt to become their

friends since beer drinking parents are

digging holes in the sand looking for

a lost treasure...  a multitude of fish,

schooled in their aquatic acquariums

swim by the water's edge hoping to

gatch of glimpse of oiled tourists who

have spent too much time in their rooms;

older males with their prehistoric minds

walk by scratching their crotches, not

really caring who sees them...  the sun

hides itself in embarrassment sending

gusts of warm wind to cool things down,

larger seagulls delighted with the sloppy

eaters walk around without notice, policing

the areas as if privates in a new camp.

9-14-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

Hopeful

my eyes are covered

with a glass that is

covered with mist

from the relentless

ocean in its pursuit

of the shoreline on

which people are

walking...  on which

people have walked

for decades, perhaps

centuries in the great

scheme of things,

covering our world

with its histories and

folklore...  we see the 

horizon is different

from the sky but the

sky seems to just sit

on top of it like a hat

too big for its head...

we marvel at the space

between here and there

and wish we were up

there somewhere,

anywhere but here.

9-13-2022

Wave Rider

a good half mile or more but

not as far as the eyes cann see,

waves simultaneously crash

upon the shoreline as if ie were

indeed on long conintuous wave;

our imaginations rest on either

side of this wave as if it were

body surfing alongside, riding

its power into the dry sand...

momentarily, we pause to eat

and reflect and the wave we were

riding is no longer in our sights...

we rest our eyes on others, wondering

if they will remain close by and in

so doing miss the first wave's

cousin coming into the shore...

a perfect wave to ride we think if

we were in the water proper instead

of playing hide and seek with our

dilapidated imagination...   a new

found sense of comfort flows ass

the wind blows under our umbrella.

9-13-2022

A Sun Day

afternoons bring out the sun

and the breeze as most people

stay undercover or in the water,

seagulls fight pidgeons for bits

of food tossed our by impolite

tourists who drive cars with

northern attitudes, northern

plates, and northern slang,

turning this southern beach

into an ethnic dumping ground

forcing out the old timers who

have been here for decades;

shirtless males and females frolic

in the sun while parents remain

in control by tying ropes around

their waists, holding the burnt

ends in their white hands...

bearded males with white hair

or shaved heads gaze at all the

big breasted females who strut

to get their dose of attention...

swarms of wives bend their big

butts over in my direction so I

turn my attention to the sky...

dogs on leashes pass by, having

already defecated elsewhere, stop

to greet fellow dogs on leashes

while others hides their beers from

the law passing in dune buggies.

9-13-2022

Tomorrow is Today

the dirty water of the Atlantic

as far as one can see,

a pier that juts out from the beach

on stilts of at least thirty meters,

fishingf is allowed but no one

takes advantage of the offer,

surf boards sold in every beach store

but few seen in the water,

construction is now a familar sight

as new replaces the old,

grocery stores across from the beach

sell items for three times the price,

condos offer kitchens, eating areas and

living rooms in addition to a place

for several to sleep,

lifeguards remain through October, then

close down for the winter...  so, if you

return afterwards you bring your own,

mostly now you see the bodies of under thirty

but later its the obesity that reigns just

like the monarch in Great Britain,

no one walks in birthday suits as they are

no longer privates in the army...   still they

walk as if there is no tomorrow.

9-13-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

Body Surfers

army green waves with

their white faces approach

our ethnic positions and

wash up the sandy shoreline

as consistently as day becomes

night - night transforms 

itself to day...   and army green

waves rise and fall with the

currents, their swells sometimes

three feet or more and body

surfers ride them into the

beach far past the water's 

edge before coming to an

abrupt halt...  brushing off the

sand with both hands they

turn and run straight back

into the army green water.

9-12-2022  

Silent Sharing

the mother of my child

rests at the bottom of my

memories like an imagination

that briefly came true...  I

sit beside the mother of other

children whose father I will

never be --  yet, we share the

same bungalows and beds

when we travel as if being

together is all that matters...

both of us realizing we are too

old to care about such things...

our annual week at the shore

is just another example of a

complex situation that fills

our lives but not our souls,

and as life dwindles by...  we

silently watch the waves try

to reach out to us for comfort.

9-12-2022

Perspectives

the view in front of me

is fixed and squared,

water on my left

sand and umbrellas

in the middle and sea

oats and apartments on

my right...  a pier is

perpendicular to my view

converging into the middle

of what I can see, tucked

in behind the most distant

but still visible umbrellas...

the water and shoreline

converge to that same point

as well and I can make out

more water behind the pier...

we sit the farthest away away

but see it all since off in the

distance it all gets smaller.

9-12-2022

Our Obligation

winds stream in from the southeast

blowing away the heat out from under

our umbrella and cooling the sand...

flaps on our umbrella wiggle in the breeze

the pole wobbles but is deep in the ground,

tourists bask in their chairs some of which are

upright while others lounge back, not feeling

the sun's rays burning their tender white skin;

banana boats bounce up and down on the top

of brackish waters pulled by jetskiis but as I

watch none slide off the slipper rubber boat...

multi-colored parachutes glide through the

air with the greatest of ease as they say of

high wire artists in the circus...  but these are

being pulled by solar powered boats and all

the voyeurs wonders where their batteries are;

waves of bathers march into the ary green water

like miniature soldiers and in the blink of

of an eye it is clear they did not win the battle...

cylindrical balls are tossed into the air from

one to another but the wind diverts it to an

unknown player...  our fleeting moments are

stolen from us by the day that moves faster

than the orbiting sun and as we sit on the edge

of our seats getting ready to go, we realize the

clothes we are wearing need washing while we

wash the oil out of our pores and acknowledge

this is our routine duty down here every summer.

9-12-2022

Myrtle Beach Series - September 2022

On Our Arrival

Taken with an LG Phone using flash

out into the darkness I peer

I hear but cannot see

the waves hit the beach with force

a thunderous pounding then

there is silence as the current

pulls the excess water out...

on the tenth floor we have been assigned

highest up in many years but

we have no influence on what

may or may not be available once

we book our reservation...

living in the same space where many

others have lived all summer, we

fear not the covid virus as the smell

of cleaning was in the air...

mostly we have no concerns other than

the rain that seems to be forecasted

all week long and for the last twenty

we have taken our chances and only

be disappointed once or twice and

was just a day or two...   we visit on

the off season not because the prices

are lower but because there are

typically fewer tourists...  and since

we are tourists whenever we visit

we don't want a lot of the same.

11 September 2022

Into The Heavens

the clouds of knowledge open and behold

a universe of new beliefs and concepts that

encourage us to travel up there and gather

it all up for ourselves...  a consciousness of

cosmic information and experiences, all of

which are waiting for us to find and absorb

into our minds like eneregy flowing from

one source to another...  we are creatures of

light and of sound and of vision and of a

limited understanding, but we strive for

more that we are entitled...  lives come 

with purpose and purpose allows us to be

alive in the midst of it all...  reveling in its

energies and narcotic attractions, as we beg

ourselves to forgive our desires that push

us into the heavens...  from whence we are

told we come from but with no proof of the

claim making it even more desirous for us to

go there and find our for ouselves one day.

10 September 2022

Morning Rain

morning rain falls in the valley keeping

the walkers and bikers inside... cars drive

through puddles that splash out on the

animals hiding in the tall grasses beside

the country roads...  birds sit on branches

feeling the rain slide down their feathers

while hummingbirds sit on feeders to

protect their red food...  cats curl up on

laps due to the changing weather and 

wonder if winter has arrived earlier than

they had expected...  open door allow the

light to illuminate the insides rather than

burn unnecessary energy as the crisis has

now extended outside of the city proper...

morning rains feed the creeks and streams

that feed the rivers and lakes that provide

opportunities for recreation - boating and

camping - before the weather closes down

its accesss and all we can do is drive by

and imagine what it would be like when it

warms back up a tad...  picnics under the

shelters keep their guests dry while making

it difficullt to light the fire without gas...

sandwiches made at home with chips come

to the rescue and many leave early since

the rain has created too much boredom.

10 September 2022

The Gift Original

light bends its way through space

in and around many planets on its

way to illuminate the earth whose

inhabitants don't really care about

illumination...  they no longer want

the insights of knowledge or the

doubts that science corrects even

when the outcomes are all realtively

obvious...  the people of earth want

to see themselves as different, not

as they were created but as they now

desire with the understanding that

their new desires can no longer be

used against them...  they ae not

interested in light or enlightenment

but they are interesed in desire and

wants as long as someone else pays

for it all...  they have learned to be

greedy, selfish, and unkind...  seeing

life as being given to them but not as

the gift that was originally intended.

9 September

Old Quest Odd

the stream narrows in the mind as onlookers

stand on the banks of free speech and deny

a generation of their right to say what floats

by...  we are poised for self destruction and

don't realize it as we push our agendas forward

on a new generation of those who want the

government to provide them with everything;

we seize all opportunities to silence the crowd

as we bribe the media to paint us as the saviors

of the world who have come to save destiny...

we are beside ourselves with fear that our 

time has come to an end, and another group

of patriots will rise up and declare the war

that we refused to fight...  we are old and our

thoughts are of an old world as well that no

longer exists in this century...  we stand on

river banks of mental decay and wish that

we had started our quest just a tad earlier.

9 September 2022

In Anticipation of Loss

down and out we seem to be as we

hear news of the queen...  and the 

seventy years she reigned, living

through fifteen leaders from her

lost colony across the pond...  but,

we continue on as if nothing is

amiss...  life and death is part of it

all...  we age ourselves into a non-

existent type of life...  a sense of

spirit that floats aimless around

space as it seeks out a solution by

which we can all live in peace...

we deny ourselves love and caring

while we seek money and power

over those we look down upon,

teaching others to look down upon

below them...  without the queen we

cant help but lose all our salavation.

8 September 2022

An Attempt to Influence

curled up beside me in the chair

are my current thoughs on one side

and my previous memories on the other,

there is no debate as to which is which

or the order of importance each has

as my life dwells too much on both

of them rather than focusing on that

which I can control right now...  a

perspectus is given out to each passer-by

who seems to be concerned with all 

my deliberations in the hopes that I

will reach a decision before they all

disappear into my distant past and

since that is instantaneously I have

come to the conclusion that none of

them stand a chance on surviving

much less trying to influence me.

6 September 2022

A Voice of Opinion

days and weeks pass by unnoticed

as do months and years but seconds

and minutes seem to linger in the

mind all day long nowadays as I

sift through the memories of my

in a mental memoir of life before

I was really aware of anything of

which to speak or take notice...  it

was a time of life without the skills

of cognition to enjoy it...  living like

a sponge that is soaking wet with

the knowledge from all around without

the wherewithall to understand any of

it, much less process it into something

concrete or formal...  it was a time of

spoon fed puddings and frequent changes

in the clothes I wore without the slightest

regard for my privacy let alone the

privacy of others who were exposed

to my privates without consent and no

changes were ever filed against those

who perpetrated the crime on me...

it was a time of innocent without any

proof that I could voice my own opinion.

6 September 2022

Picasso's Brush

what we expect is not always what we get

but what we get always is what we expected,

no surprise in the summertime or in the fall

and certainly no surprises when we sleep on

the idea that winter is coming...  no alarms

sound in our heads but we hear the writing

on the wall before it is painted with cold

colors from Picasso's brush, we stole from

the museum during our last visit...  we are

victims of our own greedy ignorance as we

walk through the night without cloak or cane

and rise in the morning as if we had taken

a sleeping pill...  chance personified is

carved into our souls and etched in the labels

of our t-shirts...  chance personified is etched

on the wall of street corners where traffic has

gathered at the 4-way stop...  chance personified

that we bloom like roses in the spring and die

like magnolia blossons in the fall, giving off

a sweet fragrance until our departure...  the

end of the night is nigh and we are too full of

ourselves to worry but shave off our chest

hairs anyway in case we are taped up or

something over which we hace no control.

4 September 2022

Forgetfulness

alone through my mnd, recent thoughts

trample old memories, leaving dead on

arrival images for the caretaker...  who,

like everyone else, only arrives when

the last resort has been refused  and a

mental lapse in judgement ensues...  it

is a reckoning they want with everyone

on speed dial, forgetting those who have

appeared in the book of names and the

book of numbers and in the book of

forgetfulness that is printed every decade

regardless of who answers the phone... it

is a time of answers without questions

and he careful laying out of knowledge

that is deceitful in its appearance but

likeable in what it has to offer...  a soul

for a soul, a demon for a demon, and a

gift for a reward that punishes those who

cannot remember...  we are a society of

dimwits who walk the night like prostitutes

looking for the morning's strangers that

come to clean up the decadence before the

first morning prayer at church... a noble

request that always falls on the deaf to

administer since they never seem to 

listen to what anyone has to say anymore.

3 September 2022