Valley Spring

spring in the valley is unique

with the small of fresh cut grass

and all the birds sitting on the 

limbs of trees who just got all

their summer leaves...  the day's

mornings are filled with less 

cold and the squirrels scurry

across the grass as if being 

chased by the fat rabbits that

hop more often than run...

preying wind warriors ride

the currents around like smoke

signals mde by the Cherokees in

the Smokys when not ghost

dancin' around the eveing fires;

straw covers newly planted seed

inside other bales positioned to

stop the flow of water should it

rain for Noah...  bees establish

territory especially the carpenters, 

traps are set every few feet...

the winds howl like mid wives

in the evening when the sun has

buried itself behind the land and

the harvest moon appears even

though nothing yet been planted.

April 23, 2023

Ring Metaphor

rings around my fingers,

rings around my toes,

rings around the planets,

rings through my nose,

rings cooking in the pan,

rings hangin on the wall,

rings in the tile floor.

rings all down the hall;

I see rings in my sleep

and in my daydreams

as if they will niot leave

me alone inside or outside

the mind...  my senses

offer me no doubts that

rings will be my death...

but, I wonder how these

rings will converge to

take me when most weak,

as the rings worn around

my neck grow smaller

as I grow a little older.

April 23, 2023

Forecasted Rain

rain in inevitable this weekend

we threw out grass seed and straw

just in case they were right...

we hooked the water hoses together

just in case they were wrong...

we put a bale os straw down in front

of the flow of water to slow it down,

but we are not sure if it is placed

in the correct location or not...

there is a natural water way in the

back of our yard required and no one

has ever tried to grow grass there;

we wonder if our efforts will be

productive or fruitless...

there is no second chance but we did

this anyway and in spite of our neighbor's

warnings that it should be lift alone...

the skies are getting stormy looking as

we move into the twilight hours of 

the day before darkness creeps in...

it feels a little cooler on the porch

although I am not a good one to test

since I've been drinking coffee...

our cats are concerned with the weather,

remaining inside to avoid the humdity

even though it could be worse, but

they have no knowledge of that...

there is no red sky at night - sailor's delight

around us just know, so it's hard to tell

about toorrows weather predictions.

April 21,2023

 

Over & Done

once we were special

once we were unique

once we were envied

among all other couples,

time took our souls into

another direction, and

we are nothing more 

than the ugly remnants

of a bad relatiionship;

once we were in love

once we loved each other

once we were inseperable

once we were gifted with

the love that few have

ever experience before...

it was shortlived and not

as righteous as we thought,

ending in a deluge of hate

conveyed by ignoring...

we are together and will be

always that way as there is

nowhere for us to go and

each day remaining, we

the contempt in our eyes

 the regrest not conveyed.

April 19, 2023

Night Thrills

night closes around the day

all the buttoned not just some

wave to the animals returning

to the woods, safe from the

evils of mankind...  at least for

the moment as the day succombs

and the meal is feasted upon...

dank and dark is the basement

in which we store those memories

we least care about while those

that are precious are framed and

hanging...  our opinions overlap

we are in constant disagreement,

leaving the dream under the sun

bitching about life in dearkness,

we scream for our independence

and when given we blame the

person for the ease at which it was

cast aside in the first place...  we

have no reason to hope nor any

reason not to...  yet we strive for

the freedom that was easily lost.

April 19, 2023

A House on Water

a slice of cheese

a glass of wine

a few crackers

a lonely afternoon spent,

thoughtless comments made

hurt feelings dwell

inside an abandoned house

the nature of which is uncertain,

news of a lesser kind

on the radio playing like

some sort of recording

poorly manufactured,

an inside straight beats

a full house most days

neither of which can offset

the blues inside my mind,

a lonely cat on my lap sits

expecting a daily dose of kindness

it gets all the time, thinking

its the first one today,

hardwood floors make faces

when the sun shines inside the house

and I've been sitting here

waiting for that to happen again.

April 17, 2023

Morning Sun

morning sun covers the valley in

a soothing heat allowing carpenter

bees to argue for territory amidst the

predatory birds that swoop down

hoping to find their prey where it is

least expected...  hiding in plain sight;

trees have all acquired their summer

leaves except for a few nandina that

received late invitations...  even the

dogwoods are in full bloom...  we 

see no growth on the azaleas as they

were the last to be bush wacked...

morning sun steams up the valley in

an effort to be like their southern

neighbors closer to the smokys...

where the stills crank out the juice

that keeps its inhabitants warm and

warmer throughout the year...  flocks

of clouds roam around the skies as 

they look for accommodations and

not so obvious places to urinate...

morning valley sun leads to afternoon

doldrums and soon the Cherokee will

come down from their nation and

apply us with enttertainment we need.

April 17, 2023

As It Flies

across the sky a thin line of clouds is

painted by the currents of the wind,

gusts of it blow the birds off course

and too little aalows the falling rain,

around in circles, she flies looking

for her lost children who left the nest

last spring and have not returned three

months later...  fearing the worst, she

hunts for hunters near the edge of the

ridge where the last one she saw, sat...

all that is left is his rifle and blue hat;

across the sky a thick ribbon of blue

stretches as far as the eye can see...

the rain has stopped and the sun

appears more than momentarily...

whistles and shrills of shrieks echo

down through the valley as if it were

the great canyon our west with the 

deep walls and fast moving river thtt

has cut through the stone for thousands

of years without purpose or direction.

April 16, 2023

A Beggar's Window

one door in the mind opens

another door closes...

thoughts beget thoughts

while others were never born...

we camp on the doorsteps

of our dreams, like children

camping outdoors...

we are united - we are divided,

we are married - we are divorce,

we are alive - we are dead,

we walk the hallways like a

pair of restless cats...

our age flies by faster than time

becoming old before realized,

like the leaves of a tree that

fall and decay on the ground...

bound but not determined, we

sell our ideas to the highest bidder

investing the proceeds in all

sorts of expensive meals...

we have become challenged but

not castrated in our efforts to

declare our unique intelligence.

April 16, 2023

Thirsty Memories

age affords us the mixed blessing of memories

a road of many curves and inclines, declining
into a valley of short streets and dirt paths...
from the birth of my brother and daughter to
my divorce and relocation to the west...
my way was marked with disappointments
and misrepresentations that opened doors to
an enlightened growth of self-awareness...
there were joys and pleasures found in an
Arabian desert and the illulsions brought
about isolation and loneliness...  lovers came
and went  - no soul mates ever found...
a crack in the mind, leads us to remember
painful and joyous...
                   vivid and sparce....
                                       imagined or real...
through the sea oats we see the ocean and
the dune behind which we made love...
through the window we see the curb on 
which we sat drinking cherry brandy in Cairo;
the blue nude of picasso you painted for me
and the naval decks on which I walked at sea...
child birth and grown up abandonments clouds
judgement and recollections of happiness;
fifty years or more denotes a friend not just
those who come and go, pretending to care,
benefitting from the process..  stepping into
the crowd when there is no crowd, having
thought distorting photographs, lying in a box,
waiting to be discovered and discussed...
we are the ones there but we have changed
and no longer are who we were...  fat or thin,
tall or small, we are of different opinions now;
age brings this to the forefront as memories
fade into glimpses of the past, floating on
clouds of thoughtlessness, looking for an urn
in which to desposit the ashes of lost years.

April 14, 2023

Faiing Ourselves

We came from Europe to avoid prosecution

landing in a new world of enlightenment,
As we grew in strength and power, we needed
to imprison the natives and enslave the black
man, as they were not as holy as we had become;
We wrote a constitution and a bill of rights and
created a rule of law, expecting everyone else
but ourselves to follow... seeing no hypocrisy
in our actions... and, as our wills became stronger
and stronger, we imposed them on the rest of the
world as well since we were the gifted ones..
From our rules of law, we created a democracy
that was move of an experiment than a government
we could sustain... and all the freedoms that we
granted ourselves and all those who decided to
join us finally created a wall that was neither
physical or spiritual but divided us nonetheless;
We came from Europe for salvation and found
resurrection into an identity not recognized as
others wore masks to keep the monster inside;
We tittered on the brink of destruction and it
were the wars that saved us as we united to
become superior and influence like never before;
Our arrogance sowed the seeds of our destruction
unaware of the consequences our actions provided
As we failed to acknowledge our weaknesses...
Believing we were entirely too big to fail.



April 12, 2023

Family's Purpose

there is a reminder in every corner of

my mind, how important family is...

yet they are not around as my words

have scared them away and they are

not willing to discuss our differences;

perhaps it is the use of the words that

causes them so much alarms as they

fail to understand their true meanings;

or perhaps it is the lack of trust they

have in my words as I am not wealthy;

we will never know the truth and are

left with speculation...  but, interestingly

enough they want to share their lives

as if they are more important or at least

more meaningful than the one I live;

I wonder if their faith has guided them

to this conclusion or maybe friends

and neighbors have encouraged them 

to be this way...  it is a mystery that I

have no desire to solve and know their

purposes are less desireable than my own.

April 12, 2023

Its Just Rhetoric

we live in the shadows of our ancestors

being held responsible for what our

grandfather's grandfather's did or did not do,

and not about what is here and now...

not about our changes and opportunities

or improvements as we move forward...

not ready for immediate, society moves

like turtles and hybernating bears and

when it all collides we blame others for

our closed eyes and ears, letting damaged

hearts direct our actions and attentions;

life falls short of expectation and we want

racists to know it is their fault...  even though

we are really no better than they are as we

perpetuate what they do with our rhetoric.

April 8, 2023

Journey Last

colder colors cross the morning skies

leaving us helplessly inside with our

fears of adverse weather coming...

we dig deeper inside our thoughts

trying to find those ideas that take us

to a better place, and allow us to be

more comfortable with our worries;

inside we see no alternative and

outside we crave inside comforts...

all the trees have gotten their leaves

and flow in the wind like flags...

bending and swaying dancers that

are always in one place found...

chills and frills are the byproducts

of desires that never reach the

heights of success that we need,

we search for that balance as we

walk the last miles of our journey.

April 8, 2023

Drug Ridden Society

from our southern borders

come the drugs that kill

our sons and daughters,

we know not why or how

it all started and perhaps

there is no need to know...

dead is dead and no one

comes back to live again;

is it the parents

or the friends

or the teachers

or society that puts us in

these situations of dependence?

no one knows exactly

no one really cares anymore

they just want it all to stop;

and when it does not,

someone else is always to

blame for the problem...

we live with the memory

of those who are gone, 

never really knowing why.

April 8, 2023

End of the Line

early morning drives

ports accessed with needles

recliniing chairs and

pouches of txins...

once a mnth perhaps

twice a month and maybe

several days in a row,

patients from all over

arriving at various times

throughout the day

to receive treatments

intended to extend their

lives a little longer...

nurses, practioners, assistants

along with doctors

administer the drugs trying

not to become too friendly

who may not live long...

patients share stories with other

patients, never to be seen

again and wonder if it is what

they might have said...   some

of us live longer than expected

some shorter but we all 

have a common cause and we

share the same traumas until

our cancer finally wins the game.

April 6, 2023

No Longer A Democracy

when we bend the law to prosecute
those who oppose us,
we are no longer a democracy;
when we undermine democracy
to save democracy,
we are no longer a democracy;
when we use the mainstream media
to censor truth from the public,
we are no longer a democracy;
when we divide the country between
those who are bloack
and those who are white,
we are no longer a democracy;
when one political party tries to
completely eliminate the other party,
then we are no longer a democracy;
when our global enemies are allowed
to control our government,
then we are no longer a democracy;
When we spend money and make decisions
based upon getting the popular vote,
then we are no longer a democracy;
when we set about to eliminate the conservative
voices from our liberal colleges and universities,
then we are no longer a democracy;
when we allow multi billionaires to control
the destiny of our businesses and industries,
then we are no longer a democracy;
when we allow our militaries to become
weaker thean the militaries of our enemies,
then we are no longer a democracy...
all of this I am witnessing now and I feel sorry
for those who are coming behind me because
they are using the freedoms that the prior
generations have given them to destroy not
democracy but themselves along with it.

April 6, 2023

Unheeded Warnings

the world has become unhinged

countries invading smaller countries

not because they need to but

because they can...  from the standpoint

that no one else will stop them;

countries stealing intellectual property

from campanies because they perceive

knowledge belongs to everyone...

taking away the competitive advantage:

Countries building up armies, navys,

and their air force to control the planet

knowing we will soon be leaving

for the stars above us all...  robots will

replace those who die from combat...

soon no humans at all in comabt;

Contries lie, cheat, and steal to get what

they want as no one will stop them

and if they did they would be threatened

with a barage of nuclear bombs...

ending what little civilization was left;

no one believes in peace

no one believes in compromise

own it all --  or own nothing is the slogan

aroound which all our minds are held.

April 4, 2023

A Door Opens

a door in the sky opens
falls through an eagle
unfurled wings flapping
diving towards the ground
its prey is found and
with a mighty swoop...
it's meal is in its talons;
a door in the sky opens
falls through an angel
its gown opens, slowing
down the descent and 
when close to earth, eyes
open and the truth is
revealed to those around;
a door in the sky opens
falls through an idea
down through the air it
falls like the eagle's feather,
and is caught by a fisherman
whose boat is trapped in a
thick fog, preventing him
from seeing the land and
return home to his family;
a door in the sky opens
falls though a faint voice
riding the currents down 
until it hits solid land not
covered by fog...  a boy
picks it up, taking it home
to be cared for by his 
forgotten and the fears they
shouted into heaven earlier.

April 3, 2023

Daydreaming

a witch beckons me inside her cabin
inside is a door that leads to another room
inside that room is a door that leads to 
yet another room without a door but
a fireplace has a brightly burning fire;
the brightly burning fire burns yellows,
reds, and blues in various shades and
flashes out beyond it walls to gently
rub my face, leaving no marks...  the
witch cackles and snorts in the flames
returning to the fireplace from her mouth;
the room begins to shrink until I am in
the outer room that begins to shrink 
until I am in the first room and see the
open door through which I run quickly...
on the outside the witch turns into a bird
and the bird turns into a cloud and the
cloud turns into a sunny blue sky...  I wake
up with my back against the willow tree
and a fishing pole in my lap with its line
in the lake in front of me...  bloinking my
eyes several times, I wonder where I've been.

APril 3, 2023

Our Anniversary

Twenty-five or thirty it could be

No more or no less

Depending upon how we measure

When meeting or when married;

Years have rolled by quickly

Some good, some better, some less

But all passed nonetheless;

Many travels have we enjoyed

To many parts of the world

Never to places we didn’t want to visit

Just so we could be traveling;

The beaches were beautiful most everywhere

Some were better than others,

Depending upon how they were perceived,

None compared to Myrtle Beach however;

We have had Margaritas in Cancun

Seen the Eiffle Tower and the Colosseum,

Had fish ‘n’ chips in an English Pub,

And bought coffee on Kona;

Ships, Planes, and Trains all have ridden

From the east coast to the west

Between the northern and southern states

In the Caribbean and Mediterranean;

We have made our homes in several locations

All within the state of Tennessee

And it does not matter where we are anymore

Provide that we always do it together.


April 10, 2023

Interpretation

through the air, I fall

catching myself

before hitting the ground;

off a cliff, I fall and

swim inside the wind to

the nearest mountain;

cars run over me, multiple

times on the highways

and I am scraped up by

maintenance crews and

taken home...  not

knowing what is real or

what is not...  sleeping in

the doorways of mansions,

climbing up buildings

in Dubai, skiing down the

Aspen slopes or playing

Baccarat in a casino with bond;

way off into the horizon, I see

standing on a telephone pole,

wondering why the wires

run through me, shocking me

everytime a number is dailed;

life flows like a tiny stream

from one pond to the other,

from one river to a lake

and into an ocean before it

caacade off the edge like a

waterfall plunging into nowhere.

April 1, 2023

A Promiscuous Wind

into me, the wind blows, pushing me 

into the next dimension where life is

but but a fraction of the time we have

allowed ourselves earlier...  a forceful

wind that has no bounds or limitations,

 manipulated by unseen forces in the

backs of minds hooked together like

netowrking computers...  a wind whose

dimension match not our own with no

matching reference points from which

can pinpoint our location, as if justifying

a reason not to retun home...  a wind

that lashes around us like ropes, trying

Ulysses to the mast as his ship ventured

past the sirens, never to be seen or heard

of again until the poem was written...

a wind that solors the imagination and

prevents from becoming too bold in 

their pronounciation or foreign words,

a campaign of indulgences seldom

addressed until now as the wind pushes

into oblivion and offers no returan at all.

April 1, 2023

Wating to Happen

naughty little thoughts run across 

the floors of my imagination,

purpose with intentions lamenting

sarcaqsm abounds...  meek verbs

misinterpreted cloister in the corners

doodling obscenities on the walls,

depravity dwells inside the interior

of the interoir...  a quiet little place

reserved exclusively for visitors;

only friends have access to the veins

of my thoughts, even those most

distantly forgotten are the one they

most likely will choose...  it goes

without saying, at least without its

pretense, that we are insatiable

when it comes to live entertainment,

dancers who bring their own poles

are most appreciated...  we live for

the thrills of reality, booking the

screamers first...   as reality does

draw attention to the newpaper's

claim that the fire was an accident.

29 March 2023

A Life in the Day

mornings arrived empty-handed
a beggar out on the streets,
waiting for the sunrise with cups
of coffee and sugar cakes,
tea and honey if you have a mind
dainty little napkins on the knee,
scores of scones for dipping in
maybe a croissant or two,
polite conversation flows like an
never ending waterfall and we
hold our ears open with our
eyes in an effort to endure...
afternoons walk by casually as if
they have a purpose in mind,
some of us are working while a
few watch in surprise, not 
knowing what to do or say but
have the sense to stay quiet,
livestock wander aimlessly through
the streets like new owners assessing
the value of their purchases,
walkways, in need of repair are
bypassed by all the motorists in their
rented cars and limousines...
dusk runs up to the afternoon like a 
barking dog to a fence, when those
who are approaching are strangers,
nightfall soon follows like a smaller
dog not wanting to miss out on the fun,
meals are prepared on gas stoves and
ovens as the charges reflect usage,
soon the bed calls out our name when
it remembers sleep is in order,
mentally stumbling, we enter our 
sleep chambers with the attitude we
may never see tomorrow and when we
do we realize it's just another day.

29 March 2023

Lake Sailors

ducks sit on the lap of the lake

its banks overflow with each ripple
mud feet stir up the bottom
rat tails cover its neck...
we sail on logs lashed together
with weeping willow vines
too young to break when bent,
the murkey waters conceal the
cotton mouths whose heads are
barely visible as they move effortlessly
through the water chasing our wake,
sunshine skips along the water's surface
like flat stones do when tossed...
we see the edges of lightening as
it connects to the skies from the
electrified ground on which the
reeds stand as tall as they can...
nature's mother calls out to us, we
brave sailors of three...  spread out
so we balance each other and not
ready to get wet even though the
burns through our clothes...
adventurers we are this day and the day
before and many more before them,
our bags of lunch are in a bag that
surely the sun has warmed for us
and melted the chesse slices, freshly
cut frm the wedge that was cut the wheel
our mother asked the butcher for,
a few days ago while we sat in the car
becaue we were misbehaving at the barbers.
one the shore the three of us are
sweaty but dry and more hungry than
ever because of all the paddling.

28 March 2023

Winter's Passing

coldness surrounds the morning

a cloak of winter not hung up,

sun hides behind a cloudless sky

too far away to grasp and bring

it closer...  a portrait of spring

yet to be unveiled, sitting in a

storage bin in some warehouse

south of Atlanta...  fish swim 

around in virtual aquariums as

viewers watch the screen, hoping

that something different will take

place while they wait for the postal

service to deliver, even though

they are not expecting mail...

cold swims with the fish in lines

not so parallel, searching for the

clothes already packed away in

cardboard boxes and stored beside

the dehumidifier to prevent mildew,

madness hugs the outer layers of

warmth as outside ventures are

minimized and hot beverages cook

on the gas stove - soon to be outlawed,

we cekebrate winter's passing with

cold spring weather that we know is

a precursor to a hot, humid summer.

28 March 2023

Anti Soulmate

emotions bleed through our pores effortlessly

tears roll down our cheeks daily

reddened eyes blurred by the sunlight hiding

behind what we know to be true...

our walls prevent penetration when angry

spitting out frustrations as if they

seeds in a watermelon competition at the fair,

miles and miles of anxieties are wasted

on trivial issues no one cares about except

those to whom grievances are perpetrated...

we are the relics of age that hangs around

when least expected like crabs on a fishing hook

dropped over the edge of a pier...  no one knows

what it is like to be lonely...  even when living

with someone there is still loneliness but

never expected or asked about...  assuming life

to be all sunshine with no complaints and no

questions asked...  assuming my life is yours

and your life is yours and I am just around

for the ride to the undertaken when its over.

27 March 2023

Unlikely Movements

eyes open to the expanse of time
forward and backwards,
leaking thru moments of quiet
gaps in space...  returning to its 
origins - past memories
sinking in and out of dimension
as if on some purpose
perhaps a quest where there
are no resolutions, just the chase...
the constant chase, looking for that
which is illusive at best...  and, we
dark energy in the place of
dark matter...  and we wonder
why we have been so lucky...
we dance on the vibrations 
like children on a trampoline...
each bounce sends us father into
into the fleeting present,
stretching ourselves on the continuum
that spans our universe's knowledge,
we encounter the strings of time
and the strings of life
as they entertwined around the
neural networks that allow us to
moive around most of our
tnetative solor coordinates.

24 March 2023

Incongruences

footprints in the sands of my imagination

indicate there are trespassers in my mind,

solid state transistors lay on the road like

tree ornaments that nobody wants to see.

ladies dance on ice to avoid paying taxes

for the marriage license they never used,

the weather curls its fingers in the warmth

of the noonday sun that provides no shade,

decades of disappointments clouds the

judgements of the law markers as they

deliberate on crimes and misdermeanors,

life has no purpose say the scientists who

thank their creators for their timely birth,

hedgehogs play by the side of the road

hoping to avoid being hit by motorrists

until they have had a chance to live life,

we are victims of our greed each day we

wake up and want to continue breathing

the air that was provided by a stranger.

24 March 2023