Night Star Bright

floating through the universe they are
meandering between dark energy and
matter also dark illusiveness...
streaming orbs of light high in the sky
stand steady and silent guarding the
mysteries of the sky...   bound in an
orbit of gravity that keeps its balance,
different shapes and sizes they all be
from small to large, bending light
around their surfaces as if it is nothing
more than child's play...  rocks that
belonged to something larger millions
of years ago, now just seem to stare
aimlessly at each other wondering 
who will be the first to blink...
barren stars, reflecting light from our
distant past, letting us know how old
they really are...  and then there is one
that just seems to shine brighter than
all the others...  as if it is trying to 
snatch our attention away from all
the others...  an oddity of sorts but in
a spectacular way and when we do
notice our focus is diverted and we
are guided throughout the night by
its brightness and of its origin we
draw no conclusions other than 
other than deciding to make a wish.

December 24, 2023

Wondering We Do

we all reach a certain age when we again
begin to wonder as if we were a child...
our wonderment includes the profound
as well as the silly and irrelevant...
we look back on our lives and wonder
if we did things right or right things...
we wonder as to our purpose and if we
accomplished what we were supposed to
or if something we do is yet to be...
we look at the sun and wonder why it is
still in the sky after all the years and how
long mankind will appreciate its warmth,
we wonder is all the stars in the sky are
there to represent those who passed away
or if they are simply bits and pieces of
larger stars that somehow broke away,
we wonder why there are so many cats and
dogs and how they became domesticated,
we wonder why we only live so long before
some illness destroys us from inside out,
we wonder if our wondering is real or 
just curiosity that has been instilled within,
and most of all, we wonder if our lives
were really worth ir or just a waste of time.

December 23, 2023

Personality Persists

on either side of me my personality persists

it is a way of seeing the world - life

calmness surrounds my points of view

when they see what is there to see

when they understand sight's reality...

all around me my life has formed its own

boundaries through which I live and

through which I perceive the world...

its evil and its goodness - two sides of the

same life that encircles and embraces,

a pond of thoughts that slide from one side

to the other like flat rocks - sliding across

my thoughts are the ducks of doubt that

affirm and reaffirm my beliefs - truths

that hide when assaulted by liberals who

smear their truth around like a mud bath;

on either side of me my personality persists

and I wonder as to the outcome of my sanity.

December 22, 2023

Invading Light

light underscores the window sills
illuminates the room...
six windows without shades
wicker furniture covered in towels
wait for reinforcements...
vinyl siding create the walls
inside of which we find ourselves;
we stand alone or together, it matters
not what we do each day, the room
of sun is always open...
always available to sights and sounds
that filter through our walls
from our neighbors...
and when the light shifts so too does
its appearance, moving from one
side to the other to find warmth...
brown on brown with greens outside
and light infiltrates our solitude
keeping us all huddled together.

December 22, 2023

Dancing Death

around the world she dances

from one country to the next,

seeking shelter and friendship

but mostly a lover...  she has

the demon deep inside her

that she uses for seduction and

her appearance is enhanced by

the spells she casts upon all

males and females who seek

her out - she owes herself to

no one and no one owns her

in return - she is free to come

and go but when she does she

takes all she can with her...

a dance she will give you for

sex and for sex she will give

you death from the poison

growing inside her...  she is

fond of the simple and the oh

so commonplace for therein

lies the ignorance she desires.

December 19, 2023

Seeking Warmth

warmth seals all our deals inside
down the outside walls cold slides,
southern weather is favored here
south of the mason dixon line,
school bus yellow is painted on 
the trees by the side of the pond
at which northerners' fish, hoping
their luck is better than their unusual
appearance in terms of word spoken,
we cling to all our ideas as well as 
to all our ideals when those who
come near these parts with all 
their calendars and rules...  we
are in the debt of others when
we are in the know and it is just
our awareness they seek and not
a thing more or so they claim,
we bundle ourselves up in blankets
venturing outside to answers their
calls for companionship when all
they really want is to get inside.

December 19, 2023

Our Holy Day

today is the day, give or take,
we celebrate a religious birthday,
a celebration of salvation
as well as one of gratitude;
we ask for forgiveness and
learn to forgive as well... at least,
we make an attempt, often
falling short of expectations...
we camouflage this celebration
by overindulging ourselves in
all sorts of foods and alcohols,
the least of which  hinders
our fragile longevity...  yet, we
do this all the same, believing
in redemption later when it
is typically least expected....
for other, it is quite different
that it not to say it is better,
it's just our mindsets differ
in how this holiday is spent
and how it is celebrated...
we pray for our families and
friends, for those who are sick
and dying, for those who are
in positions of leadership and
we pray for ourselves last...
wondering why the time has
passed by so quickly this day;
from dawn to dusk we spend
our time in jubilation, oftentimes
not knowing why or who or when
it will all end and we will return
to normal whatever they may be,
our attention is harnessed and
our minds focused that on this
day something special happened.

December 14, 2023

Strange Reflection Be

reflection in the window glass
two eyes appear from the trees,
a green face with brown hair
light where shadows should be,
reflection in the window glass
but is it really real?  we wonder
once or twice before returning
to our task...  a corner window
it is not, nor is it a side one
but one smack in the middle,
how curious this adventure be
now that we have something
about which to ponder...  and,
when the light is removed
from the room, there is no
reflection in the window glass,
how mystified we become
not expecting this outcome...
among our distant memories
are those of years past where
similar reflections occurred
whenever someone had decided
to turn on the inside lights.

December 17, 2023

Daylight Darkness

come the daylight and the darkness goes

come the sunshine and the moon disappears

we see what we see in the light of day

we don't see what we see in the night,

time splits us in half each day of the year

and we dress ourselves behind the calendar,

children scurry off to school to learn what they 

don't need to know and teachers get

paid for all their brainwashing skills...

nightly rumors are dismissed during the day

and praise for the light dies in the night,

we are curiously outnumbered in our thoughts

but have them anyway since there are no

mental abortions to be approved by congress,

branded by the interplay of light and dark

we sometimes choose white over black

when the oppositive is more appropriate,

and the laws tell us what to think and when

to think it so we do not get confused once

our eyesight has faded into obscurity.

December 17, 2023

Windows and Doors

out through the window flows my imagination
from inside a room where may others exist,
similar but different are they all, each has their
own textures and complexities... and, the door
that leads out to the door is just one of many
always left open so that our journey may be
somewhat simplified...  doors and windows
to my future take me, moving from one room
to another in my mental paradise...  living the
dream as they say in some foreign country
with favorable feelings towards the one left;
light shines in through the glass of each
window or door it confronts, bending around
those without transparency like those who
have more than something to hide...  silently
our wills bend with the light as they pass by
and through these doors and windows on a
quest for a better life...  silently they peruse
inside our minds looking for the darkness
in which our true feelings hide and when 
the war is over, there will still be battles to
fight and integrity to lose as we are guided
by those who perceive that they are better.

December 16, 2023

Knowing Known

faked dead sea scrolls
trips to the middle east,
the pentagon papers 
Ellsberg's early release,
corrupt government leaders
religious leaders as well,
we turn to the illegals
to keep us all in line,
from the opera's phantom
to notre dame's hunchback,
we see a wide spectrum of colors
when there are only a few, 
the lambs are silent as the
cows are slaughtered for food,
and those who eat tell others
not to do the same...  we are
upside down in our rationales
and right-side up in hatred,
blaming others for the same
crimes we are committing,
only the lonely knows for sure
when we speak revolution
and peace out of both side,
venturing to the countryside
to breathe some fresh air.

December 14, 2023

Irrational

a walk in the park like a
walk in the dark, is never
like we remember it...
youth cuts its teeth on
growing older faster and
wiser than the generation
before without understanding,
hollering louder while they
complain of promises never
fulfilled and gifts never to be
received on Christmas Day
since it is no longer religious
but just another holiday...
armed guards sit in the hallways
of our schools waiting for a
little violence to take place, 
not realizing they are too late
to ignore the taught truths...
a new generation has learned
to walk in the dark and has
learned the dark is no longer
sinister if you belong to the
correct political party and if
you speak the words that they
taught you in their spare time.

December 13, 2023

,

Daylight Darkness

daylight darkness covers our eyes

limited sight abounds,

we dance to the joys of the moment

excluding our favorite past,

souls unite in gleeful parodies

igniting our passions,

an afterlife fueled by misgivings

a stranger's paradise,

light tumbles into our minds as if

we deserve the opportunity,

leafless trees guard the path of

our salvation momentarily,

grass stains on our knees point

to the path of our submission,

we are granted clemency from all

our transgressions,

providing we leave the struggle

to our children,

a brightness enters our souls from

a dead sun as we worship

the endgames played on the

chessboard of life...  we are but

a knight's pawn in search of the

queen taken away from us long ago.

December 13, 2023

Streetlamp

gifted thoughts were mailed today
but it was raining outside, so
in the post box they remain...
flowers resting on leaves float
in gentle ponds the rain created,
but there is no sun around to 
heat up their lonely feelings,
wet shoes on the doorstep remain
as coming inside is forbidden
with them on...  bare feet squeak
on the hardwood floors and those
with socks slip and slide their
way from one room to another,
fireplace fires ignite with gas as
allergies prevent real wood...
the rain changed our lives today
we adjust as best as we can but
the wet world outside remains
a distant second thing to see...
a streetlamp sits inside, wrapped
with garlands and tiny lights and
I wonder why it gets the attention.

December 9, 2023

Praying

guide us carefully into the future
select the most relevant past
take our vision, mix it with our
dreams, goals, and send us on our way,
spoon fed our children if necessary
as they have lots to learn...
mix pain with happiness until we
kneel and ask for forgiveness...
blend our present thoughts with
those who have none and take us
into the land of endlessness 
since we have been there before,
let those who witness in the streets
bear the burdens of their crimes
and bless those who bless us as
they know not what to do...
undo what we have done because
most of it is just foolishness,
we deserve more or less the same
as we did before when life in
around us was much simpler.

December 9, 2023.

Passing Time

old age creeps into the body

into the mind,
into the joints,
into the organs,
it plays an old age melody
while it robs you of youth,
it prevents sleep
prevents activity and
prevents enjoyment of life
that was presently there...
we ignore the passing of time
as youth reigns supreme,
and we ignore all the warning
signs that tell us differently,
we attend funerals of friends
not seeing the connection
or the relevance...
we wonder why time has
moved so quickly,
leaving us without enough
to finish our goals...
we encourage a youthful spirit
in the hopes it will slow it
all down, knowing we are
limited with what we receive
on top of the mountain.

December 8, 2023

Bedtime

cars pass by unnoticed, hidden from view
by trees and houses...
strollers on the sidewalks by the roads
pass by unnoticed as well...
from inside my room, I see the light of day
but nothing else escapes my vision...
the chair by the windows holds me as if it
were a mother holding her baby...
I am locked in an embrace with life and
have no desire to end it...
a cruel vision awaits us all as we age out
of childhood and into something else.
far be it for us to understand it all...
We hold truth in buckets of wine that are
served to our visitors and those who
just happened to be nearby...
millions of molecules pass through our
minds just for the creation of one
thought to be realized...
others die before surfacing and we are
concerned that it is our fault...
a minor glitch in the atmosphere of time
sends us back a year or two,
reflecting on what was or could have been
not understanding it did not matter...
we are seldom alone now that it is winter
and collectively we are warmer
than if we just warmed ourselves...
lights in the forest help the hunters locate
the lost darkness, giving us time
to say our prayers before it all ends tonight.

December 8, 2023

Ode to the Living

age sits on one shoulder
enlightenment on the other,
wisdom hides itself in the
pocket of my t-shirt...
old eyes strain to see the
goodness in people while
my fading hearing continues
to listen to promises that
are never fulfilled...  I am
left with the wonderment
of death that we all must
face at different times in our
lives, some of us hope for
longer lives while others
want their time on earth
to be over and done with;
magic flows through the
air like faith in search of
believers...  destiny is what
we play with each day as
search for our place in life
that others have found so
easily...  time buries its
dead in shallow graves so
the forces of nature can
discover their whereabouts,
taking them home with all
others who felt like life
owed them more than just
a few years of struggling.

December 6, 2023

Substitutes

mirrors reflect the day
shadows the night...
streams of consciousness
run through the valleys
of the mind while fantasy
fishermen fish for thoughts;
birds sit on tree limbs of
the weeping willow watching
the passing sky as it dips
and dives around clouds
looking for a little shade;
tadpoles look for mothers
among the hundreds of
frogs sunning themselves
on the rocky landscape...
cats and dogs sit nearby
waiting for the rain that
called them forward...
time's clock fades in the
blinding sun and we have
forgotten to wear glasses
using daisy's as substitutes.

December 6, 2023

Night Devour

the circle closes and those left
outside are free to roam the
hallways of the night, seeking
shelter and solace from the cold,
reckless are they with their thoughts
abandoning hope for illusions of
a lesser kind that stalk the night
in search of lost souls who have
been cast out of the enclosures,
spill the wine when you pass the
glass the saying goes...  your
rewards will be threefold...  a
haunting spell is cast over the
valley and to all its residents who
have seen the light but have
failed to reach out to it, fearing
it not be easily touched and in
so doing cast their future into the
caldron that bears their name.

December 4, 2023

Easy Rituals

sins of the father pass unnoticed
younger priests are cursed
older ones are forgiven twice
prayer vines wrap around walls
like cave monsters forever
scrambling inside, searching
for the opening to be released,
words of scripture dance through
the air like wanton whores hoping
for a drunk sailor to appear...
obese landlords throw out tenants
who cannot pay with cash and
the police take them to a debtor's 
prison for safe keeping...  rotten
memories lay on the ground with
decaying food, tossed out to pay
the devil when the door all close
at midnight...  we delay our anger,
we postpone our comments and
we close the book on our crimes
since the priests have gone to pray.

December 3, 2023

Death Reach

darkness floods the mind with thoughts
the nature of which is unknown but
appears to be of a diabolical kind...
simmering and sauteing in grease
without the frying pan...  throwing
off sparks like a july cracker that
whither on the vine like dead grapes;
darkness floods the mind with motion
sickness that no pill can correct and
leaves an illness deep within the soul
that no surgeon can remove...  night
howls at the darkness as if covers
the remaining light like fog flows
through the valley of lowlands on
its way up the mountain...  witches
brooms sweep away the dust and
mildew of our forbidden dreams and
comfort us when we are with sickness.

December 3, 2023

The Messenger

darkness permeates the room
crawls down the walls
squirms across the floor,
floating in air, we are the only
available source of light...
we are the dead souls who have
returned for a visit, seeing the
the nature of our death firsthand,
life no long lives inside these
walls as it once had done, 
mocking those who had died
earlier for not having the
ability to survive...  realizing
now that death cannot be
avoided regardless the wealth
or the promises made earlier,
we are the new rules of the road
and the new generation has
found reason to expel us from
life as if we never had existed.

December 1, 2023

Aftermath

off in the distance someone's memory
floats by undisturbed except for the
thought funning after it that were left
out unintentionally...   or, intentionally
perhaps since they are chasing...  we
are selective in our pursuits, discriminating
with our choices, and pretentious with
flirtations with fantasy...  too much time
spent in the womb of discovery while
hiding from those who would steal our
souls and sell them back to us once a
few changes have been made...  nights
spent sleeping in cold sweats because
there was no where else to sleep...  and
we are inventories like commodities
when life has been finally taken from us.

November 30, 2023

Who We Are

students memorize for the grade

then forget afterwards,

retaining little in the process,

non students remember only that

which they deem to be important

ignoring all the rest,

selective memory guides our path;

we are not much different than

our new age students who think

that have found the solution

for life's success...  but, in the

process we have all forgotten that

what we retain becomes who we are,

making no mistakes for our actions,

regretting only that which we have

been told to regret by the media

who judges us as their subordinates.

November 29, 2023

Sunset Fantasy

out from one room and into another

he walks with stealthy determination,

clad only in a bathrobe, his heart beats

wildly standing in the doorway; his

victim stands at the window gazing

out at the setting sun from his tenth

floor window...  without expecting

any company he is calm and sedate,

he shivers feeling the chill in the air

and the man standing in the doorway

has dropped his robe and moved in

behind him...  front meets back...

their bodies forge into one and he

feels hardness behind him as he lays

back his head, kissing the stranger

who had been expected...  his legs

widen their stance, allowing the

large organ in between his legs...

he reaches down and feels its head

rubbing around the liquid that had

leaked out...  two arms reach around

his waist, one to his belly and one 

to his chest, pinching his nipples as

the other one slides down his hairless

belly in search of his own engorged

manhood that is waiting patiently to

be stroked and massaged...  their

bodies gently sway from one side to

the other side, pushing forward then

pushing back in search of the rhythm

they both desire...  taking one last look

out the window at the sun as it just

about descends out of sight, he pushes

the other man back, bends over and

pulls his cheeks apart...  without any

hesitation, the stranger enters the

slippery opening and moves back

and forth until each are satisfied.

November 28, 2023

Dark Window Reflections

day has finally succumbed to the dark
black covers the ground and trees,
it covers the houses and the sky with
no sparkling stars or dangling moon,
shadows play with our souls and our
souls play with the devil and the
devil, inside us all, sees what no one
else and seen, penetrating would be
reflections with cunning mastery...
the room spins around our thoughts
and around the windows that once
allowed us access to the outside...
when the hands of darkness were
not seducing us...  we see ourselves
reflected in the glass, appearance
deceive as it is not us at all, these
reflections have been buried deep
us, much deeper than deep so as
never to return...  they are that
which we cannot see...  which we
do not want to see...  that which
we no longer want to share as
once did when we were party to
our own fantasies and desired
others who felt the same way.

November 28, 2023

A New Breed

we cheat, steal, and lie hoping

to get caught by authorities as
nothing will happen...  we are
the new breed of American
sons and daughters; we are not
like our parents nor are we like
our grandparents who created
a country deep into treachery
and deceit because we perceived
ourselves to be more civilized
more religious than anyone else;
our gods were false as were the
prophets from which we had
extracted our teachings, pausing
in reverence to their subversion;
we kill for pleasure, sacrificing
dead animals to the fire pits of
cooking, patting ourselves on
the back for defeating an much
inferior country...  we were the
disciples of the devil, and our
conceived children are now
unleashing holy terror on us.

November 26, 2023

Reality

of different shapes and sizes

are the idea windows that
float around my mind like a
child's bathroom duck...
opening and closing on their
own while moving up and
down without provocation,
latched or unlatched they
move all the same as if
possessed by some spirit
whose evilness is pointless
and underdetermined...
windows prevents heat from
escaping and the cold from
entering when working in
conjunction with the ideas
that gave the windows life.

November 26, 2023

Simply Speaking

a simple task we have been 

given with this life of ours,
to think and ponder,
imagine and speculate,
fantasize and see realities...
our work is never done,
never complete in the real sense
as each day gives us new pause,
we train ourselves to forget
and overlook, to make excuses
for those who have none to offer,
and when we reach the age
of consent, we cannot understand
why that was so important,
as nothing changed in our life
except the time it took to get here,
we push pins into maps hidden
in plain sight on the walls,
we walk by oblivious to it all
wishing we knew where it
was we were going, and when
the fog clears and we have
attained wisdom we see how
illusive life has been and how
our tasks have been meaningless.

November 24, 2023

Bells Guide

twenty times the bells rings
inside we are with windows shut,
smoke swirls out from the chimney
dogs in the backyard howl,
those left lurking around outside
are in the sights of our shotguns,
we move in draconian fashion
with our bootheels hitting the
ground harder than our thoughts,
it is the perimeter we are set
to protect as the might beckons
those hiding in the shadows...
pots and pans on the stove cook
pewter plates and cups used,
wooden spoons easy to clean
feed ourselves fastidiously,
moments and minutes pass
quickly by, faster than it had
been anticipated and the bells
strike twenty-one in succession,
we sleep with one eye shut
using the other one to guard,
we trade positions so the mattress
wears evenly and can be used 
for several lifetimes more...
daylight kills our anxieties
we go about our business until
the sun announces it decline
and we move inside to hide.

November 24, 2023