Unannounced

creeping into our lives from the

southeastern hemisphere are all

the star that form constellations

in the night skies over our heads,

as if trying to communicate with

us that they have seen sa variety

of space crafts and creatures on a

collision course to our location;

to whom do these stars report...

with whom are they in communications... 

creeping into our lives are the stars

that play in the skies like children

in a nearby park -   layered in multiple

dimensions, these stars offer us clear

directions on their points of origin,

beckoning us to come there and see

for ourselves their true beauty...

and not the reflection of lights that

are bounced off their surfaces...

we are as old to them as they are to us

yet we cross no boundaries in our

mutual explorations of the universe.

23 March 2023

Same Ole - Same Ole

how delicately the day passes

from day to night and back again

to day as if we needed more

practice with the roles that we

maintain...  each day starts and

ends the same with little variations,

and we see that as our life in all

its mysteries unfolding into the

same redundancy all the time...

we look for mixed metaphors 

in the hopes of seeing something

different - it is all the same...

always the same, each and every

day until our lives are extinguished

by some accident or fate...  even

though we no longer believe in the

latter -  a singular mental attitude 

is what we have been given and

that attitude modifies itself according

to its surrounding environments...

we repeat each day and night as if we

are trying to memorize our life and

explain it to the next alien visitor(s).

23 March 2023

Exiled

inside the tunnels of our minds we live

hiding from the renegades who seek to

take our lives... our babies are pronounced

dead on arrival to keep our species from

growing...   we are the rebels of our family

who no longer wants to deal with us...

we live in imaginary caves, formed by the

tunnels that crisscross our thoughts, picking

out those that support our assumptions...

we are banned from the graves of our dead

parents who tried to hold the family together,

paying the price for their unwanted desires...

no longer can we hide from ourselves while

we are hiding from others as our souls are

not deep enough for that challenge...  we

seek no redemption nor do we seek any

type of acceptance for our strange behaviors,

we are simply being who we are, and not

that which you want us to be in order to

make our attitude compliant with yours.

21 March 2023

Touching Souls

we walk around with chips in our wrists

connecting with each other simply by

shaking hands...  data from one chip

slip slides from one wrist to the other

as quickly as the blinking of an eye...

and who we are is now known by whom

the data was transmitted...  it is the future 

of business and the destruction of humanity,

not understanding tht our future is destroyed

whenever we eliminate the touching of

souls with our advesaries...  we are caught

off guard everytime we circumvent the

rules of order that were established by those

who knew what was best in all occasions...

we tarnish their memories with change

as it diminishes the truth, leaving in its

place only what we share...  half truths

no longer bound by one's word, as their

true measure...  we are modern and rather

advanced as we pursue the trivial in a

ritual search for our misguided past.

20 March 2023

An Ode of War

ladders fall to the ground with people

still standing on them, pushed by the

wall sentries guardng the fort...  arrows

flow both ways. the speed of which

increases heading to the ground, slowing

as their upward arc increases...  shields

up - goes the command to all soldiers

who have made the mistake of enlisting

in the combat...  generals sit on the horse

seats high on the mountain, away from

the battle and safe...  still hoping for a

victory from the lads still alive...  hot tar

is poured down the fort's side in the hopes

of cooking the intruders...  none of which

would be suitable for eating as they have

not been bathed in days...  inside the fort,

women tend to the wounded, patching up

the holes like mending a quilt, hoping for

an early setting sun and an end to all the

hostilities at least until the sun appears.

16 March 2023

Truth Tales

longer than before, it has taken

to see the dawn of understanding,

gaining back the sanity lost when

age became an obsession...  dilly

dally were those thoughts in and

around my head, trying to gain

admission into the secret vault...

a mellow sound of thunder grazes

my scalp just above the ears, while

eyes look sideways to assess the

damage...  fields of illusions and

mountains of dreams baricade me

inside the low place in which I

dwell this night as if the path before

has been laid down with light...

flashes of which have been seen

before in the early days, nourishing

us as a mother nurses a child whether

it be her's or the neighbor's...  seldom

do we care unless we are somehow

preoccupied with our own little truths.

16 March 2023

Warnings

a breath of warm air flows into

our southern valley 

shortly after the death of winter

is announced in the sky...

down and dirty it rolls

through the trees and brushes

through the wild grasses.

around the stumps

remaining from the fall,

laying of the surface of the pond

for all the fish to see...  

a gentle hand reaches down into

the murky waters to retrieve

older turtles who have gone

color blind before their time,

and a baby soul sits on a blanket

made from reeds the old

fashion way...  its mother lives

with the wolves of the forest

that guard the valley from 

northern trespassers...  taking a

dim view of those who arrive

without proper invitation.

16 March 2023

Dimensions

along the line it moves

left or right but never up

as it does not know that

it is allowed...

along the length it moves

along the width next and

up the side it crawls to

get to the top it knows...

burrowing inside

backing out

sometimes sideways left

sometimes sideways right

but never completely through...

two visions it sees and is

comfortable with both, but

when it confronts a third,

its understanding slows...

left or right

still no depth of field

in a prison of time

it lives where

perceptions give it

no place to go...

a journey of thought

and mind, if it

were in possession of

either but neither

is the way it is...

folded vision overlaps

with consciousness

as the spirit guides

its direction and

instincts accepts the

final suggestions.

15 March 2023

Dead Memories

the earth swallows up its dead that the

heavens reject, buried in the ground,

taking the slow route to the core...  we 

spin our misfortunes like washing machines

that cannot grasp the energy savings cycle

that is installed as an extra by most of the

elite businesses...  the earth swallows up

its dead before the night is replaced by

day and the enlightened adjust their vision

to see what is the most expedient...   the

earth swallows up its dead like a cat eats

the mice that swarm the minds of the not

so innocent at night in search of something

tender...  the earth swallows up it dead as a

tribute it pays to the gods who built all the

monuments that we now want to tear down...

the earth swallows up its dead for good 

cause as the decay provides soil for a new

growth of beings to become enslaved by

the time lords that now control our destiny.

15 March 2023

Peculiar Behaviors

time index restarts on

forward or backward,

it does not matter...

we are clear or we are

not clear depending

upon the make and

model of our thoughts,

we dive down into the

unknown as if we are

pearl divers looking for

the big shell...   when in

reality shells don't live

long enough to grow

very large...  not really...

time index changes daily

and we sneak inside as if

we were meant to be there,

not realizing that there are

cameras all around, watching

us and our peculiar behaviors.

14 March 2023

Lost Warmth

the cold air lays on the ground waiting

to be trampled upon by adventurous

souls who are not bothered by the frigid

temperatures...  trees bend with all the

the weight of their iced clothes, reaching

a breaking point that few will notice...

animals shelter inside or in caves or in

tennels cut into the ground weeks ago,

anticipating the change from instincts

engrained into them at birth...  necessary

if they are to survive more than a season;

blue skies with streaks of white clouds

lay in the sky as if watching something

unfolding on the ground, waiting for the

warm currents to move them along, not

realizing no one's paying attention...  a 

few birds fly from one tree to another

just to see if they can, not caring if they

can return or not, as long as there is still

a few trees in sight...  the sun glistens

and smiles at its own reflection, not too

early or too late to ruin the day, and just

long enough to remember its lost warmth.

14 March 2023

Dead Vows

shadows of discontent flow into our

house through the cracks that also

allow the cold to penetrate a warm

environment that used to be what 

each of us had always wanted...  

years of togetherness has caused

unresolvable regrets that seem to

be the clothes the shadows like to

wear these days...  we keep feelings

close by, not really sharing what we

know we should since we don't care

about what the other person thinks;

we are spiteful and hateful and sleep

as far apart as we can in the same bed

not to attract attention...  and yet, it

the lack of attention that has already

escaped its enclosures for the other

person to easily see...  we remain in

solitude, espaping our boundaries

once in a while with others but we

remain where we don't want to be.

12 March 2023

In The Right Direction

a pale sky hovers over the horizon

like a parent over a child in school,

making sure the best is offered when

in reality it is just another day and

another dollar for most instructors...

a defenseless valley opens itself up

to the ravishes of spring growth as

sits poised to out-perform the previous

year with all the rain...  mud slides

in the west and over-flowing streams

in the east leaves the mid opened up

for starvation...  a crisis averted is

the way we roll nowadays, letting

everyone know we have survived 

the mild winter and the politicians

can no longer heckle us for votes

that we never planeed to cast in

their favor...  we are a pair of old

people is who we are, not planning

that much of a reunion with life,

instead thinking that maybe we

should move farther south to get

away from winter altogether now.

11 March 2023

Frames of Life

sixty five frames per second pass

pass in front of me consistenctly,

I detect every one of them, although

my eyes do not agree...  around me

is a motion picture of nature and

those who play within her boundaries,

not understanding all the time, what

it is wer are supposed to be doing...

some days, it is a blur as it passes

by so quickly and some days, it all

seems to be slow motion...  we no

longer comprehend the nanoseconds

that comprise each second nor do we

understand how life is spliced together

to create it randoms stories and events,

but, we have learned to accept what we

see or think we see or better yet, what

we are told to see by those who write

our daily scripts...  actors and actresses

we are not, yet pretend to be from the

rise until the setting of the sun...  and,

in the evening and darkness of the

night we become creatures who fly into

the fantasies of our non-creative dreams.

9 March 2023

March 17

I am early or I am late,

there is no in between...

not in my line of work

which is basically doing

very little if I can get

away with it...  I pay

the price for my being

lazy by not having very

much at all, in terms of

possessions but it is thees

possessions of which I

want little to do...  my

life is comfortable but

not great and I have not

many friends at all, in

fact, I don't believe I

actually have any...  it

is not a test, it is an

absolute to which I

must adhere as friends

and me don't get along

too well you see...  I am

rather different than them,

or so they say...  it is

behind my back I hear

them talking when they

think otherwise...  and I

know they would not

believe me if I shared

these secrets with them.

9 March 2023

Nature's Forces

Moriah is the name given to the wind,

the wind that blows straight and true,

the wind that beings alliances with all

the other forces of nature... that parade

through the valley duing different times

of the year...  fires is called devil's breath

and rain is called mother's tears...  and

sometimes referred to as the clearner as

it cleanses the valley anew...  lightenng

is called god's yelling at us for careless

disrespecting his nature...  and thunder

is his angry which is a prelude to all

else that happens here...  but the sun

and it shining heat is the blessing that

he is bestowing upon us for living as

he commands and not questioning

all the other forces he shares with us.

9 March 2023

Artistic Expression

a streetlamp shines a white light

around it are stalks of light 

moving is wide paths as if 

trying to create a cross...  and,

around it all are loops of light

seem to bend at will based upon

how one squints one's eyes...

darkeness surrounds the light

with no depth of field, creating

a flat plane of existence...  we 

know it is an illusion but our

eyes betray our understanding

and we accept what we see...

a round light that we assume to

be a streetlamp, hovers in front

of us without moving, but offers

cascading light of the same color

all around it...  as if it is creating an

endless array of artistic expression.

7 March 2023

Predictable

words fall short of explanation

no apologies...  no excuses...

clouds cover the sun without

any explanation and we accept

it is nature's way and move on,

there are no repercussions nor

are there any proclamations as

to how we should reciprocate...

a dawn of enlightenment always

follows an evening of shadows

and doubts when the winds try

to conceal what the heavens

have known forever...  we are an

endless stream of predictable

disappointments looking to 

each other for the explanations

we can no longer give ourselves.

7 March 2023

Loneliness Rescued

the night settles on the lonely

even though togetherness does

not prevent it...  we seem to 

think that someone else must be

responsible for our happiness,

not realizing it is only ourselves

who can create the happiness

we so desire to end lonelness...

lies are shared to hide our true

feelings as no one must know

and yet when we draw close

to someone we always share

what we have hidden, making

them the caretakers of our own

destinies..  from which we draw

our strength and resilance if 

there is any left over once we

have finished living our lives.

6 March 2023

Rules of Order

disputes are settled with wars if

you are a country and by lawyers

if you are a company and by a

boxing match if you are just an

individual...  it amazes us all how

we have to settle arguments with

some sort of violence and yet it is

this violence that lets the rest of 

the world know exactly who we

are...  we are the only species on

earth that kills for pleasure and

for the joy of watching a person

stop beathing while we watch...

we are violent with our physical

behavior and we are violent with

our verbal behavior as if neither 

of them can be controlled nor 

does it appear that we want to

control eith one...  we like the

feeling of power and control and

violence gives that to us and we

reward it with our attendance.

6 March 2023

Endless Changes

daylight removes the darkness of the night

our sight is extended and we see depths of

field previously obscured...    stars form

diagrams in the sky at the basement of the

universe that surrounds us in all directions;

yet, we are not the center of it all...  not

even close...  billions of stars...  billions of

solar systems...  billions of galaxies...  all

revolving around us...  leaving us in an

insignificant frame of mind...  noticing the

changes between night and day as if those

changes comprise the sum total of who we

are at the moment...  knowing the moment

is never sustainable...  never long lasting

as it blends into the future just like the

transition form night to day that we take

for granted each morning when awakened.

5 March 2023

The Death of a Loved One

calm currents blow through the air

thick as thieves they are but not as

resolute in the defining way they are

portrayed by the weather...  joyful

tears roll down the face of the wife

who just learned who husband was

willed by illegal immigrants in a

vain attempt to get food for their

hungry children...  no one mourns

the loss of the unimportant in the

way they mourn the loss of a well

known celebrity...  dime a dozen

for the common man but not so

for the weathly one...  we seize

upon the time when it  was all

different, wishing it would return

knowing it will never...  and, all

that happens is that everyone seems

to just get older and accept it all.

3 March 2023

Brotherhood

over, under, and around, my eyes dart

back and forth, up and down, just to

see it all...  an amazing sight to behold

just in front of all the other mundane

things that we never pay any attention 

to...  life taken for granted all around

us...  like the life we lead...  not really

caring what happens next or if anyone

cares about us...  giving up on the lack

of brotherhood we don't see manifested

in the world today as blacks and whites

lash out at each other in the name of

racism when what is really meant is 

that we don't agree with each other...

my eyes see it all or the lack thereof

as they look around the environment,

noticing all the hate and discontent

shared willingly by so many people.

3 March 2023

Time Forward

a window to the future opens everytime

we blink our eyes as we have moved 

forward from the present...  is it a second

or a nanosecond, I wonder, that we move?

because as soon as we do, the present is

firmly located in the past and the future

has become our present, although it never

really lasts that long...  does it?  are we

blinking our way to the future, taking

photos as momentos to remind us of who

were were?  is it not a little sad that our

entire lives are like this, never really staying 

in one place too long?  our sad little journey

we laughingly call life...  nanoseconds of

time constantly rolling up itself into the

future we never spend much time in but that

we know will always be there as long as we

are breathing...  seems like a treacherous 

way to live...   but, it was not of our chosing

yet it is how all of us are forced to live if we

want to live here, in this time...  in this space...

acting as we are better off with these blessings.

1 March 2023

Feline Tradition

it is not howling in my head

it is a hungry cat, letting me

know it is time to wake up...

up on my elbows I prop myself,

looking this way and that to

see if anyone else is up at this

hour of the morning...  no sane

person would be once they have

retired not to sleep until noon...

but my cats, even though I only

see one, want me up early so

they can have their treats even

though their food bowl is full...

it is a tradition that was started

long ago for some reason, I am

thinking just to be nice, that is

now expected by these felines...

once in the morning and once at

night and if we forget, they will

always remind us...  with their

howling until one of us gets the

hint and leaves the comforts of a

warm bed, which seems to be me

this morning since you are still

pretending to be alseep...  silly me.

28 February 2023

The Back Porch

a winter storm blows debris into my

mind that was not there before...

clouds cover my imagination and

rain falls down on my fantasies...

neighbors point their fingers, laughing

at my inability to come to terms with

aging body that seems not to want to

respond the way it was a few years 

ago when working in the yard...  my

thoughts roll down the hill on which

we live, looking for another family

with which to live...   my eyes shed

the tears that were loaned to me by

others who had real lives that had

fallen into ruin years ago as well...

together, we sit on the back porch

pondering our mutual decline as if

we were discusing a football game

where both our favorite teams had

lost after the two minute warning...

a distant sun sets behind the hills

where life shows no signs of going.

28 February 2023

Life's Wings

seagulls soar on the currents of the skies

motor cars roar on the concrete of the highways

winds runble through winter trees

their branches tremble, announcing their arrival,

moments seem like minutes while days

seem like hours as the time passes slower

than our thoughts seem to last...  we turn

fantasies into dreams and ride the sky's

currents as if we were eagles, streaming

past others on the highways as if we were

the wind blasting through winter trees...

we know not what we know not and

wonder if that is the right way to be for

someone who possess the insights that we do,

but for every reminder of life's fragility,

there are multiple birth announcements

causing us to stop buying gifts for the child.

27 February 2023

Inexperienced Survivors

a long line of inexperienced americans stand

in line to collect their pay for not working...

they are the ones hurt by covid as many of

the close their offices and business...  it is 

these few survivors who are trying their best

to be the americans they have read about but

no longer see in the marketplace...  stores and

businesses shut their doors in their faces, not

caring how they felt or worried about any of

their claims at repercussions...  it is a distant

memory now to those who are working but

many have stayed home living off of handouts

and borrowing money from friends...  those

who are addicted to drugs fair the best as an

endless supply from south of us constantly

sneaks through our doors and is sold on the

streets by those who don't need no education,

we learn to live frugally even though we have

no idea what that word means...  as we just 

don't need to know given what we are doing.

24 February 2023

A Premature Time

Blue skies clear

not a trace of clouds

or rain mixed with

sleet in the forecase,

a winter special

seldom seen in

these here parts of

east tennessee...

lower sixties are

the temps of the day

we spend most of

light outside in

t-shirts and shorts,

as if it were already

summer, trying to 

work on our tans,

we plant no crops as

of late even though

the weather seems 

to indicate we should,

past experience tells

us to wait, otherwise

we will be sorry...

anxious inside cats

look out the windows

and whine to be

turned loose...  giving

us the stare as if to

say we are displeased

with you, butt they too

know when standing 

in the doorway, smelling

the air that is is still a 

premature time to go 

outside and brouse,

24 February 2023

A Joyful Heart

we gaze not into the future nor into the past

we gaze for the most meaning of life and

that gaze keeps us in the present...  we are

victims of the past that turns int the present

and eventually unfolds into our future but

we cannot ascertain any of those evolutions

until they are experienced first hand...  our

souls dies a thousand times as they grow

from one season to the next, thinking that

its heart is full of joy when it is not...  it sees

not what its supposed to see but only what

it can as time moves through each moment

as if it is the silent, unstopable wind, taking

what we know to be true and changing it into

the it was always destined to become here.

23 February 2023

Hidden Agenda

cherry vanilla water splashes over my

cereal every morning giving if a unique

flavor that blends easily with all my

unflavored early morning thoughts...

a time for everything, the saying goes

but for me that is not true as there is

no time like the present to get stuff

dome...  especially if age is standing

in the way...  like everyone before me

I long for the days of my youth when

life was simple and unencumbered

as it is today...  everyone asking for

money for this cause or that, expecting

you to provide because you were

asked and called mean spirited or a

white supremist if you refuse...  it is

strange how a minority rules the

majority in this country as if there

is a hidden agenda not yet shared.

23 February 2023