Temporary Warmth

sun peers into the valley, re-establishing

its hold on all the residents...

warmth is brought with its presence

people frolic outside to enjoy...

winter will return soon, bringing with

it colder air than before...  but for

moment we take our pleasures when

we can find them - asking no more;

age matters not when it comes to heat

as we all take pleasure in the security

that it provides without questions...

sun peers into the valley today and we

are all thankful for its presence even

though it is temporary and will cause

more harm than good as sickness tags

along like a mother-in-law who has

outlived her welcome but stays anyway,

January 24, 2024

Time Dilation

within the realm of possibilities

we see our future as it becomes

predicated on our past...  a time

for reconciliation as they join

together to protect who we are

and what we have become...

within the realm of fantasies

we see dimensional scenarios

wash upon the shorelines of our

minds, only to be washed back

out to sea but the rising tides...

and as we grasp at the unknown

we forfeit ourselves to the poor

state of affairs that now rules

our lives no matter where we

have made plans to hide out...

within the realm of disappointments

we see life for what it is worth

not what it sells for, wondering

why the discrepancies when

there is only limited time left.

January 24, 2024

Illusive Time

time is reflected within our minds
bouncing back and forth,
time constantly moves forward
while our mind constantly reflects,
time escalate in forward momentum
as we age...  our minds remember
images on photographs, recalling
what it was like to be younger,
time associates with dimensions
that define our existence just as
the mind warps itself out of a
subconscious stupor to imagine
more than the box in which we
struggle to live all our lives...
time sees no evil nor doe it see
anything that is good, it simply
exists for our pleasure - our minds
struggle with the reality of truth
that dictates our actions until an
illusive times says there's no more,
time has no future destination towards
which it is pursuing, yet our mental
state of being dictates there must be
more than just a few lonely decades.

January 22, 2024

Spy Secrets

red, white, grey, dark brown
swirled and blended together,
top hat and tails with white ties
formal attire for the moment,
glistening waterfalls cascade
down and around like champagne
fountains at a wedding...  French,
Spanish, and Italian but not a
word of Russian or mandarin
to the bride or groom....  colors
flow from one form to another
bantering about like conversation,
moles in the audience pass the
secret information, hoping to
deceive the handlers watching,
tables for two spread around the
auditorium, white clothes covering
each one with red candles burning
in brown holders and the agenda's
menu of folder gray paper sits on
each waiting for quietly deciphering.

January 21, 2024

Mental Battles

darkness enters the realm of the disbeliever
judgement is clouded and confused,
sweaty palms held up to dry out
a kiss goodby to a distant lover returned,
opportunities melt in the sunshine, 
virtually no different than a shoeshine,
devils crawl in and out of our skulls as if
ten feet below in a glass coffin...
no one sees our skeleton approaching
and no one knows when it leaves,
we are duty bound to report all loses
even if the revenuers can be bribed...
darkness enters all our cavities like 
wind blowing through sea oats on the
mental breaches on which we sunbathe,
tides rush in and out daily removing all
discarded scraps from the shoreline...
we bend over for their arrival, kissing
their thoughts as if they were our own,
we beg for no forgiveness and offer none,
giving up our desire to live decades longer.

January 21, 2024

Winter Wolves

temps have fallen below the norm

koi fish frozen in the pond,
road of snow and ice form the
barriers to our safety as we need
to venture about its white beauty,
bending branches of young and
old trees alike touch the ground
ladened down with clumps of snow,
bold birds fly from one barren branch
to another in the hopes of finding
a safe place to land...  weak branches
collapse under their weight...
warm wolves prance along the snow
looking for the less fortunate since
they claim winter as their own...
down from the heights these wild
animals come looking for food,
shelter and companionship...
nourished by survival instincts,
they prowl around while humans
remain in their stranded cars,
peering out frosted windows as if
waiting for luggage to arrive at 
the airport they came to days ago.

January 20, 2024

Predetermination

I heard an old man once say that

"youth was wasted on the young..."

and for years, I wondered

what that old man was saying;

it was not until I was old that I

finally understood what he meant;

do overs is what this old man was 

ultimately referring to...    and in

the sunset years of his life, he saw

what should have been done quite

differently...  or so he claims...

but the way we lived when we were

young is the way we were supposed

to do and do overs was never part

of any considerations then or at

any time in the future...  none of us

should ever want to relive our lives

as they would be lived out the exact

same way as they had been lived...

the relativity of time enables someone

to see our lives before se live them,

and in so doing, they become fixed

and permanent in time's logbook...

we simply act as we were supposed

to have acted, nothing more or less.

January 20, 2024

Self Animosities

an army of misguided souls
march against themselves
as they deliberate the state
of the union that, to them,
has seriously deteriorated;
and with those thoughts in mind
they moan the good old days
that were not as good as they
are now imagining they were,
they fear the worse, hope for the
best - are seldom disappointed
with their logic...  but they fear
these new ways and they fear
what the youth has done to
themselves burning their bridges
with no intention of crossing 
rivers of compromise...  it is
a sad state of affairs but they
know it will only worsen the
more and longer they fret over
what will never be again...
misguided souls disappoint
themselves once too often and
now they are ready for the grave.

January 19, 2024

Revenuers

wind ruffles the green leaves
cold air pours down from above
children sit by the fireplace with
palms up towards the flames,
adults wear layers of clothes
shivering silently inside...
animals curl up in a ball, their
noses tucked in behind tails,
all in a effort to stay warm
while saving on electric bills;
grandparents stay busy in the
kitchens moving about while
opening the oven door...
pot roast and deserts sit on 
the counters cooling, hoping
it is not too hot to eat...  white
liquid in mason jars have a 
place on the table since cousins
and uncles just brewed a new batch,
revenuers sped up the dirt roads
hoping the catch them in action,
and when they reach the still that
has been vacant for years they are
amazed by the waste of time but
agree to sit down for a warm meal.

January 19, 2024

Death's Darkness

with purposeful intent, I 
stand in the middle of my
thoughts, attempting to
ascertain their truthfulness,
married ro words of flight
and fantasy, I imagine
and then reimagine the
purpose of my existence,
as it relates to the awareness
I have of life...  a life that
has been pre-determined
from its conceptual beginnings,
a life that has taken me to a
place regardless of choices
that are so valued by freedom
that we tend to overlook
their importance, relating to
the salvation we hope to acquire
simply by stating it is so...
a challenge most of us fail to
grasp when the darkness of
death knocks on the front door.

January 17, 2024

Truth's Reality

white as white can be lays
on the ground in front of me,
slick and slippery
falling rain frozen earlier,
drifts of a foot or more cover
the landscape and for some
a wintery wonderland
has been created...
entitled are we to have ii
since global warming precludes
its existence and the need
to go green has become our
paramount issue...
the climate czars are befuddled
as the wintery blast has blanketed
the south with a winter freeze,
doubts preclude fantasy and
fantasy undermines realities
while ou snowshoes plow
through the white powder that
has hampered our way of life...
cars with electric batteries lay
stranded on the roadsides and our
gas guzzlers push through like
the muscle cars of the sixties...
we are not without regret as we 
sold all of our redundant sleds.

January 17, 2024

Secrecy Foretold

shivers dance through the darkness

asteroids collide in flight

Saturn loses its rings when Jupiter

comes out ready to fight...

hail...  all hail...  the universe fills

the void of unknown creation,

stars skip through their orbits with

the speed of light and time slows

down before reversing its course,

backwards trajectory it takes to

search for its beginning, knowing

that the sparks has been ignited...

space curves around the moon on

its way to the sun, encouraged by

the friction between dark matter

and its closeness to dark energy;

waves of singularity open and close,

join and re-join in a futile attempt

to create new beginnings...

unseen strings form the boundaries

of dimensions, leading us in circles

as we search for their origins, only

to find UFO's lied to us all back then.

January 14, 2024

The Changing Valley

birds of peace encircle war hawks that
have infiltrated the valley's tranquility,
storms brew just south of the heavens
while we brace for upcoming rocky roads,
time crawls faster than before, we age
quicker than we should, our youthful
exuberance disappears and we miss
what we really did not understand...
streams of discontent flow through the
valley without the fish that once were
overpopulating their boundaries...
migrants sleep in wooden caves made
into the trunks of our maple trees,
making sure they are first in line at
Walmart...  a valley changed is a 
valley destroyed while seniors fear
the social security is not enough...
spy balloon cross over the valley
looking for land livestock free on
which they will build their factories,
northern storm clouds enter the valley
and the birds of peace move south
leaving the war hawks behind who
will be responsible for the change.

January 11, 2024

A Winter Glance

waving branches outside my window

say good morning as I gaze out in their 
direction...  cold gusts of wind pass
through my body when checking the mail,
winter has arrived and none to early...
inside my retreat I remain mostly in
wool pants and t-shirt...  something
warm to drink is always beside me and
I limit my activities accordingly...
for three months my life this will be
maybe more or maybe less, it varies
from year to year and the least of which
has been two and a half and in those
years, we considered ourselves lucky,
north of us is colder while south of us
is warmer...  still, in those alternate
locations, four seasons they don't have,
a misleading sun blinds the sight and
one's imagination until a door is opened
and the lie is exposed for what it is...
conducive to sleep the weather is but
not really advisable since at night it
will not be required...  an open mind
we keep even though it may be cold
and the dreams that keep us warm and
safe are always for the temps to improve.

January 11, 2024

Travelers

blinded by the sun, we feel
our way around the universe,
moving from one planet to
another, floating through rings
of asteroids and dark matter,
propelled from one side to the
other side by dark energy...
we are gods who have nothing
to hold us back - no bounds
and certainly no limitations,
we take what we want and
give what we can to those who
may want to follow us...  a
band of galactic nomads,
streaming thoughts and visions
to those receiving our call...
let the others beware because
we are coming - it is just a
matter of time and circumstance.

January 11, 2024

Proudly Declining

a petulant sky hangs over our heads
like the dictators in Washington sit
in judgement over us all, deciding
our fate like parents might do for a
juvenile... and every so often we are
allowed to cast votes for those we
perceived as doing us no harm but
even they change their tune when
arriving at the nation's capital...
like fish in a bowl, we swim around
looking to be rescued from our
watery existence only to discover
that re-election is more important
than our safety and our future...
and the freedoms we have, tossed
out to us like table scraps, mean
nothing really since we can no
longer use them as was intended;
we slip and slide down a rabbit
hole of illusion as society tightens
is hold on our thoughts and actions
and we are left wondering what
kind of country are we living in.

January 7, 2024

Shivering Endurance

winter sits on our doorstep like an

abandoned cat from the neighborhood,

not much of a bother until it is in

reach and noticeable...  wood in the

fireplace, dried and ready to go, hot

cocoa on the stove getting ready to

boil over...  long underwear is worn,

with gloves and hats before going

outside unless we increase the thermostat;

and still we put ice in our drinks as if

it were a lot warmer outside...   cold

permeates the ground, the air, inside

the house, and our bodies, eliminating

what little warmth we had inside...

shivering inside from morning till night,

winter has become part of our habitat,

and we are the unfortunate that did

not fly south, instead endured it all

not even receiving a merit badge

for all our efforts...  we are the few,

proud and stupid thinking the season

continues to be an event to endure.

January 7, 2024

Infinite Space

an emptiness flows through the universe
as long as it is wide and as deep as it is
broad on all sides...  it is an atmosphere
of light, sound, and darkness without
the elements needed to sustain life and
yet there is life all around it....  stars,
planets, and asteroids fly by at the 
speed of light as if going somewhere,
but there is not destination to their
travels in an endless amount of space;
dark matter and dark energy collide
routinely as if gusts of turbulence has
pushed them together and through
them all things pass, moving by the
force of gravity that pulls them in
or rejects them...  a mighty spectacle
that is infinite in scope, persistent in
the way it creates form and shape 
and relentless in the way that it
never ceases to be there...  place
and time expanding and its edges
reach out and touch its origins in
a vain attempt to see if it is still
there since the vacuum of space
always hides what we want to see.

January 7, 2024

Gone Amuk

we marched against the government 

in seventeen seventy-six and by the

grace of god, or so we believed, won

our freedom...  two and a half centuries

later, we march again in a vain attempt

to destroy those freedoms gained...

societies change from time to time

and ours is no exception, deliberating

back and forth which side has the

strongest values, never considering

if those values are valid...  obsessed

as we are with the remnants of slavery

we abandon our laws and our rules

of order to achieve diversity, equity,

and inclusion, not seeing the damage

it has done to the minds of our long

time constituents - instead, we now

tell them what best, expecting them

never to challenges those decisions

January 6, 2024

Watching

grey clouds cover the sky
from all points of view as
light spews out from a
hidden sun...  moderate
winds blow cold down
through the valley while
rain showers soften the
path home...  nameless
creatures stare out from
behind wherever it is they
are hiding wondering why
we are out and about in
the inclement weather...
neighbors stand at their
windows from inside,
mesmerized by the rain
from the heavens and
wonder if they will go
there someday when it
is all over for them...
a choice they made long
ago whether to believe
or not, now facing the
reality of that decision.

January 6, 2024

Prelude to Winter

sunlight through the window
a warm spot on the cat tree
sunroom benefits explored
a satisfied feline sleeps...
tree limbs block the view
children frolic outside
noise disturbs the birds
hiding from the cold...
a rotten tree stump on the
ground sits silent waiting
to be uprooted, leaving
its residents homeless...
fallen leaves on the ground
lay undisturbed as cats
walk between them, keeping
their paws dry - creative
thought tell them the wet,
brown grass is much better;
hoodies and gloves worn
by children are the markers
of the winter season and
yet the cat in the sunroom
disagrees with the analysis.

January 5, 2024

Birthday

 

No more birthdays after this one

We tell ourselves when only the

Walls are listening to our lamentations;

And yet, more we have and more we

Declare the same…  we listen not to

Ourselves when birthday joys were

Mostly always looked forward to…

We wonder why looking back in

Time understanding our foolish

Rationales…  but time has made us

All better even when we convince

Ourselves we have not aged at all;

It is our bodies that we swear against

Because our memories are the most

Valuable aspect of our fortune…

We would not remember is we had

No memories and we would not age

Had we not experienced what we did;

Birthdays are a victory over life and

The more we have the more victories

We are able to encounter…  so, when

We look at ourselves and say today

Is another birthday we should see it

As one of the most special days of

Our lives…  a day when we can reflect

Upon all we’ve be allowed to experience.

 

January 2, 2024

Searching Souls

we live in an atmosphere of doubt,
no one can be trusted, the least of
which is family...  and it is a time
of discord, disbelief, and distrust;
we are all victims of something
the sins of our fathers and such,
where values of the past are no
longer values of the present and
we live for ourselves not for the
act of love that brought us here;
we hate, distrust, and believe
only that which is convenient
and consistent with all our pre-
conceived ideas...  we are no
longer sharecroppers but full
and willing participants into this
failed experiment of democracy;
we are influenced by fakes and
disinformation that we deemed
as providing truth and seek no to
investigate its accuracy - tradition
no longer guides our adventures
into the unknown since government
underwrites our loses - we are free
to be deceived as we deceive others
who warp and rob us of our humor
and our desire to be coddled sheep.

January 3, 2024

Memory Forests

squirrels scamper through the tree limbs

of the mind as they move from thought

to thought, avoiding the sun and those

who might be hunting them for food...

hollow trees are their homes throughout

the year, living with the memories that

afford them a reason to survive...  inside

their tiny bodies are the values of life,

carried around from one generation to

another generation, letting their offspring's

the right to choose which tree in which

they want to live and end their lives...

birds fly in and out of the tree limbs of

mind stopping here and there to view

the memories they have created with

their journeys and still they must also

hide from the hunters who seek them

because they don't have the right colors.

January 2, 2024

Helpless and Vulnerable

america's clothes are stained with the
blood of those not like us but who
were forced to be like us by leaders
who believed we were better...
we were more wealthy and free
we were more educated and skilled
we were blessed by god's hand
we were full of natural resource...
we forced our values and morality
we forced our beliefs and thoughts
we forced our power and control
we were the only righteous leaders...
contrary to our divine desires, the
rest of the world rejects our greatness,
rejects our leadership qualities,
rejects our power and control
turning against us on a global scale,,,
our borders overrun with illegals
who will break more laws as their
dreams become undermined and
their belief in this country dissipates,
we are only at our best when we have
the loyal support of others who stand
through the good as well as bed and
those people have disappeared from
view leaving us helpless and vulnerable.

January 2, 2024

The Hunter

we have yet the see the world in all its glory

we have yet to unravel the mysteries of life

we have yet to decipher the universal code

and we have yet to understand our purpose,

we are the victims of our own creations

destined to live in uncertainty until we die,

not knowing why or when or even who it

was that actually brought us here to live,

spending our days wondering why...

we are enclosed in a box, albeit a rather

large and infinite box that extends well

beyond all our collective imaginations;

we are lucifer and we are god - two sides

of the same coin, made in the same image

as those who are our creators that decided

long ago never to reveal themselves, 

instead we are left in speculation 

mode,  at least those of us, 

seeking out answers we'll never find,

we are ants in a universe of predators who

have not yet discovered our existence but

who have heard rumors that we are alive.

December 30, 2023

Lines

there is a line drawn in
the sand or in the air, it
does not matter where,
the line is bold
the line is bright
the line is what we do
not ever cross...
we lift up the veil of our
success and gaze into
the heavens from whence
we came but no one cares
and we dare not cross
that line either...
there are lines drawn on
our faces that resemble
no other lines before...
in either world we have 
lived for generations and
always do we look to the
sky for our answers, to find
the lines of demarcation that
willingly brought us here.

December 30, 2023

Faces Seen

faces in the Grecian tile are seen
different times of the day
light enters the window and
a unique type of shade...
faces with moustaches sometimes
or without on some days,
large eyebrows and eyes and at
other times just barely there,
faces in the sky appear when there
are a multitude of clouds with
all sorts of shades but mostly
greys and whites - there is no
sunshine but backlighting comes
from somewhere in the sky...
fat appearances or thin, sometimes
with other features but mainly
they need to be imagined...
faces in the hanging painting
standing or sitting, always there
and the viewer imagines pirates
or soldiers or just old men trying
to portray young at heart spirits,
leaving us wondering who is doing
the imagining - us or them today.

December 28, 2023

Unmistakably Similar

down through the ages, it passes
from father to son
from mother to daughter,
behaviors and traits used for success
thoughts and actions used for accomplishments,
legacies if you will on how to
survive life as if unfolds, whether
pleasant or unpleasant,
good or bad, 
right or wrong...
we learn how to dress, cook, and repair
we learn how to mend, grow, and harvest,
years of knowledge passing from
one generation to another as if
it were some ritualistic requirement
or dishonor the family name...
we break free of the mold that binds us
to the past, forging our own destiny,
and sharing with our offsprings
what we think they need to know,
without thinking that their evolution
like our own is independent of our previous
family while being unmistakenly similar.

December 28, 2023

Raindrops

rain falls in the valley
green leaves glistening
from tree to tree,
birds fly freely...
an angry sky turns dark
covers the ground
in dense fog...
houses dot the landscape
roads wind around like
ribbons on a present,
barking dogs snap at
rain drops invading their
limited space...
cats sit on window sills
inside warmth has
them softly purring...
watching outside they do
curious with the drops
that stream down the
windows through which
they are looking...
and if the action were to
slow its motion, one would 
see rainbows of colors.

December 27, 2023

Into This Day

into this day, I go calmly
with eyes wide open
with thoughts clear and pure
with a will that defines
who I am...  who I've become
and who I will be tomorrow;
into this day, I go willingly
my sight has changed
my hearing weakened
my body vulnerable
my thoughts distorted...
into this day, I was born
with a freedom unique
to my own ideas...
awaken into the new world
no longer recognizable
no longer sane...
rolling over and over with
the guilt of ages given
to us by our ancestors...
into this day, I go blindly
feeling what is ahead
sensing our demise
wondering how we allowed
ourselves to get here.

December 27, 2023