Contradictions

night unfolds its mysteries into daylight
darkness disappears behind brightness,
evil transforms itself into to goodness,
life prevails upon death not to interrupt
the fun times we are having with those
of us who share a few similarities...
the carpet is rolled out but it's not red
a fatted calf is slaughtered but its chicken,
we rejoice and bask in the sunlight and
forgetting to put on skin protection, we
tease the reaper who lingers in shadows,
we migrate to warm weather jurisdictions
delaying the inevitable cold that follows
our relocation like loyal animals that do
not want to be left behind...  rivers are
braced for too much rain and crops are
planted hoping to get more than before,
contradictions seem to be our way of
life waiting to take photos of the sunset.

May 24, 2024

Past Symbols

life has been good to me but
not always kind and in return
I have not always been kind
to others especially when so
full of themselves they will
stink up the room if broken,
their arrogance precedes their
arrival into a room...  that which
is constant is the music but not
just any music - rock and roll 
is how they classify it and the
years of influence are the 60s
and the 70s even though many
people would disagree...  it is
lyrics that are profound not
just the melodies and I am
forever reminded of my brief
youthful innocence, most of
which washed away in the 
rain as if it were meant to be,
I am a disciple of those musical
decades, living my life around
their words and meanings, never
changing the philosophy of my
beliefs nor its lucid implications.

May 24, 2024

Ivy Dreams

unforgiving dreams give us cause to pause
seeking out the corners of the dream where
life seldom goes...  preaching and reaching
into our own loneliness for answers that
never come because there are never there,
we sit in thrones of false truths making
prognostications about event we know
nothing about except for our opinion
based upon what we think we know...
we dance in corridors of delight with
partners we have never seen before and
hope that we never will again...  and yet,
we claim to be having a good time...
showers of blessings come down from
the heavens we perceive does not exist
giving thanks to us for our efforts and
false beliefs - salvation of our souls - 
gradually eating away at our dreams,
taking us into worlds of disbelief and
incriminations for what took place before,
we died and are reborn inside the silver
dream coffins inspected by our peers...
dream illusions of our own thoughts that
seem to materialize wherever life reaches
that point where is is simply not livable.

May 23, 2024

Self-Indulged

inside the safety of my room
no one see me and I see no one,
windows closed and curtains pulled
light only comes from above,
a bed stands ready for the taking
clothes hang down for wearing,
a Siamese curled up in the corner
waiting for my arrival...
time plays out on the radio silently
paintings on the wall were
years ago painted by a wannabee,
inside the safety of my mind
I see the world through a tainted lens
focused on dreams and fantasies
lived out in dark reality...
a criminal offense some say but
everyone's asleep at the wheel,
stray thoughts bend the rules and
I am inundated with rules...
time steps across the line of regret
and I am finally allowed to sleep. 

May 21, 2024

Known Not

birth...  life...  death...
the cycle continues
populations increase
scarcity grows and
the life we once knew
has disappeared into
creation's sunset...
we are tested and true
live life simply with
knowledge to spare,
campfires of doubt
burn strong in winter,
providing just enough
to cook our fish...
liberty beckons as if we
were strangers offering
us a seat on the horse
drawn cart built to take
us to our resting place.

May 21, 2024

Time Waves

silent waves of time pass by my countenance
on their way somewhere else to move along
the process of aging - bundles of time that
that peal away layers of nanoseconds not yet in
 the past - leaving open future chaos depending
upon their movements and influences...
specks of time that flow in and our, sometimes
back and forth, shaping and maturing, not
caring about through what they pass...
tides of time turning and murmuring as they
pass each other in space, not knowing from
whence the other came, just that it is there;
silent waves of time pass by unheeded in a
vain attempt to get where they are going not
knowing what it is that they are moving to,
nor are they sure in which direction as their
possibilities are infinite and their arrives
are all uncertain since there is no perspective.

May 22, 2024

Fire Rings

rings of fire encircle by thoughts
burning out reality - leaving truth,
baptizing the faithful when they
journey through worlds of doubt,
harmony and bliss name the rings
as we consume our past, scorching
the present with our confusions...
lord of lords had no leadership
does not see the light and its pawns
are left in soured bundles of deceit,
passed along to the needy as if
they were the chosen ones...
halo adorned vessels fly through
our thoughts seeding them with
the doubt of ages - not even the
best warriors would defeat if they
could or so say the scriptures...
rings of fire descend into the mind
burning holes into our words with
perfect symmetry just in case the
devil claims victory over our souls.

May 21, 2024

Time Prophets

walk along the shores of the mind with me
learn what time is all about...
move with it forwards or backwards
it matters not what you do today...
slide along the surface of pure thought
feel the energy of the high before it dissipates
inside the waves disillusionment...
gulls fly the patterns expressed not by words
swooping down to catch a fact or two, 
sandy images, stained with the scars of time
float aimlessly at the water's edge
waiting for strangers to expatriate them...
design and redesigns by the architect of life
change the impressions left by the wind,
time weaves and time distorts and time falls
by the wayside when absolutely necessary,
but time never misses an appointment
with destiny as is foretold by the words
etched into the sand - sacred words cast
out of heaven just for our benefit...
or so the time prophets say as they walk
along the edge of the water innocently.

May 21, 2024

Dining Out

judicial rights trampled upon
life, liberty, and pursuit of nothing
criminal involvement lingering,
a pale rider approach with
the verdict of years long since past,
love me or leave me, I care not
which way you go but something
you must 4eventually do...
asylum cares pawned off the those
lower bidders, representing a
decision no one favors - we are
what we are - when we are
no one disputes the claim...
countries laugh out loud at the once
famous land that went up in flames.
pursuant to the claims of those
who have not a pot or window;
desperation rides on the shoulders
of the wicked who curse the day
they were born as though it were
the last day of their worthless lives.

May 21, 2024

St. Augustine, Florida Series - 2024

sounds from the waves wash 
over the sand, finding their way
up to my location - closer to the 
dunes than to the ocean I sit,
under a Coolibar umbrella not
too easy to carry a quarter mile;
wide tire trucks rumble by me
as if oblivious to my needs...
sunshine bears down on me like
helicopter parents while the
garment I wear reflect the heat;
a slight breeze blows cool
water in large quantities consumed
old people play the tourist game
a younger crowd surfs the waves,
children play in the sand while
their guardians read romance novels;
isolate from life's reality we are,
momentarily blinded by the source,
from here to eternity, water seen
same as the blue sky above,
heat...  more heat...
scurries around like lost lizards - 
fades into overcast as our chatter
leans back in our hearts - breathing
deeply, morning has come and gone,
no better off for its presence, we are.

May 18, 2024

St. Augustine, Florida Series - 2024

mornings come early on vacation
crashing waves filter through windows
coffee smells float around the room
breakfast arrives with a knock on the door,
its value will last until noon...
chairs and umbrellas past the dunes are taken
blocking the sun that bears down
like the pressure of chest pain...
trucks cut furrows into the soft sand
walking easy is damn near impossible,
surfers and fishers dot the landscape...
umbrellas and chairs far from the water,
bikers weave in a d around walkers
towing services trucks pass by frequently,
it is the paradise of summer
lived out twelve months a year
and those who are here only temporarily
leave with lots of stories to tell...
rain showers passed by yesterday
gone like the end of a funeral...
seagulls fly low against the water
avoiding tourists who ignore them,
the rumble of diesel trucks drown out the waves
their sounds reappearing once passed
and we all sit calmly in the shade,
minding our business as we are supposed to.

May 16, 2024

Within Each Level

from side to side, we move

down the hallway...

taking our cues from those

who went before... 

up the stairs we tread carefully

as if not wanting to be heard,

the wooded boards moan

with each step...

a faint ribbon of smoke filters

around us and gradually

into our minds, softening

our thoughts and bending our

perceptions of the reality

we have delved into...

moments turn into minutes

minutes into hours,

we have passed though every

level there is without the

slightest inclination of

the purpose of being here,

we gather in the corner to

announce out intentions and

find ourselves out of the fame.

May 15, 2024

Snookered

VV Resorts holds our attention this day

not one but two nights do we stay,

three day also or so they say...

one day we were arriving

the third one we were leaving,

a misleading diagnosis at best...

it is the southern part of this state

that we see these day - the resort already

has a blemish on its portfolio,

at least with us...  and the bone we pick

is not a lean chicken bone or rib but one

we encountered years ago when first

we had arrived down here...

it was a young a foolish opportunity we

thought even though we were both

quite experienced and mature...

it was not the luck of the draw either

it was just plain stupid trust...

May 12, 2024

Journey South

early morning rise and shine

cliches go a long way...

car pack the night before 

the tank topped off the day before,

through five states our journey

extends - from our own into

north carolina, the southern

version of that same state,

then off to georgia and we

terminate at the tip of florida;

destination gps leads the way,

the shorter version or the longer

one we are not sure as those

terms were arranged years ago,

and still we know not what we did;

long hours in the seat we live

stopping only upon necessity

then quickly back and off we go

making sure we end the day

before darkness covers the sky.

May 12, 2024

Life's New Lens

roll over, out of the clover, into the new

open your eyes to see the obsolete,

replacement parts on their way...

a better world, a better life, a better me

all of it is around the corner and coming

our way if you let it happen...  

look deep into the eyes of the sky and

see the future that is right in front of you,

breathe in the air of change and let 

your body bask in its sunlight...

some will reach out, other will struggle

change is coming and will roll over

all of us who stand in its way...

the children of the dawn saw it in the

wombs of their mothers, grabbing its

life as soon as they could speak...

condemning the old - praising the new,

death to those in the middle as they

are the weak links than must be removed.

May 9, 2024

Steps

we take steps to become who we want to be
sometimes these steps are large
sometimes small - they are steps nonetheless,
we encounter those who stand in our way
blocking the steps we need to take...
jealousy or ignorance?  it is hard to say.
steps lead to other steps and those steps
lead to even more steps and we wonder if
and when these steps will ever end...
we grow tired and frustrated,
losing our desire to continue and yet we
consider not ourselves a failure and pursue
the goal that is so elusive - and, just when
we are about to give it all up and throw it all
away inside some bottomless pit, the steps
we are on widen and become escalators to the
next level in our progression - steps led to steps,
and when the day is done, we sleep on steps,
not caring about anything but the final step.

May 8, 2024

Time Keeper

the clock on the mantel shows seven pm

the clock in the bedroom shows nine,

the clock on my wrist stopped two days ago

but the clock on my phone shows ten...

no one really knows what time it is

no one really seems to care...

there is no master of the clock on which to

depend to tell us what time it really is,

those of us who still work will discover

there is no clock at the factory...

no one knows what time to arrive

no one knows what time to leave,

even those who bring their lunch each day

have no recollection of when to eat

unless the bosses are there to guide them;

we live in a world of clocks that give us

the correct time and let us know what

to do and when to do it - we are lost now...

without our clock and without the keeper

of the time to tell us when it is time to die.

May 7, 2024

TRUTH

truth lives on the floor of the jury room

truth is not what can be proven or disproven

truth has slipped through the fingers of liars

truth will never appear accurately in history books

truth is what our society has neve been

truth is what mainstream decides to predict

truth is pissed upon by politicians and all

our nasty corporate executives who are in 

part supported by the billionaires who have

no desire to hear the truth until it means money,

truth is a false slogan sold by Superman

truth and lies fornicated to produce justice

and nowhere in the world is there any living

creature who believes truth will set them free.

truth has created this world and truth will be

around when this world destroys itself...

once it realizes it needs truth to survive.

May 7, 2024

Life of Simplicity

he never knew his father
nor his mother but had
siblings older and younger
who were adopted outright
leaving his alone...  it was
the strangers to which he
objected as their lack of
caring meant nothing to him;
it was the military that had
captured his attention and 
took him out of high school
and into the rice fields of
Vietnam...  it was his mind
that betrayed him, causing
no fear of death each time
he ventured into the bush;
it was the doctors who said
he was disabled when he
returned home and it was
his neighbors who called
him the crazy one...  he lived
the lie for fifty years and one
day when mowing his lawn,
he fell off the zero turn, falling
dead on the hard ground...
his third wife buried him and
the preacher said a few nice 
words not really knowing who
he was or had become...  his
rank was not high enough to
earn rifles but a trans soldier
played the bugle and white
roses were tossed into the hole
after his casket hit bottom;
he was a man of no seasons
a man of complexity that lived
and died a life of simplicity.

May 6, 2024

Instant Revelation

within the footprints of the day
my body stands without assistance,
walks from side to side unencumbered,
reaches its peak midway - only to
find an unsettling sensation deep
down inside, a hollowness that turns
downward as the boiling reaches
an upward angle throughout...
lightheadedness reveals weaknesses
as standing is compromised and
a feeling of nausea washes over me;
eyes cloud over with concern...
sinuses are ignited and a dry mouth
has trouble formulating words,
crawling skin seems to move in
and around my being as if preparing
preparing for a collapse...  I am weak
with the concerns of the day that
surround my mental thoughts but
cannot focus since the emptiness
possesses me like an ancient sickness,
grabbing the cart to steady movement
looking for a place in which to glide.

May 5, 2024

Listening

charming are the lads that walk

down the street with pride,

not so thrilling are the lassies

that try to follow them...

a long time has passed between

the beginning and the end of

the dance but those who can

remember the melody have no

problems finding their way...

storytellers gather at the foot

of the mountains, at that point

in time where all the lads and

lassies are running to - no one

knows the outcomes, no one

has bothered to check to see

if the coast is clear, so when the

gun sounds the alarm that the

game is won, no one listens. 

May 5, 2024

Aimlessly Pondering

elders sit around campfires
seniors sit around stoves
retirees sit around propane furnaces
elected officials hide in pews,
rain pours in through the hole
in our heads put there years ago
by well-intentioned doctors
who believed in the red, white, & blue;
our wealthy drive electric vehicles
made by the poorest of the poor
while everyday common citizen
struggles to feed their children,
higher education ran amuck
decades ago when boards approved
awarding tenure to the bright elite,
and thousands of farmers in the
heartland did their best to improve crops;
we learned more from mother nature
than we have learned from ourselves,
and millions of migrants break our laws
just so they can say they got there...
today, we count our blessings on
one hand while using the other to
wipe our body clean of the decay,
no one will ever remember these words
because they don't know what they say.

May 3, 2024

Society Concerned

regret peels away from human consciousness
like rainwater down a mountainside,
benevolent societies pick up differences
minorities rail with discrimination and the
courts are seriously backed up for years...
death to america scrambles along the sidewalks
major cities close their doors in despair,
mayors cry foul at council meetings and the
juries are filled with biased constituents...
a meaning peck on the head by the birds
women and children screaming in the fields
a mockery of our judicial system exclaims
all the experts and talking heads but the
judge agrees with all the convictions...
a cowboy mentality hangs from the belts
holding up our universal jeans and boots
walk through the piles of crap that litter the
floors of our courtrooms - justice prevails...
the media keeps track of the score by the
copies of papers sold, failing to release
result for fear of starting a panic...  and...
we all wonder in silence for our future.

May 2, 2024

Campus Unrest

crowds from in the commons
males and females
white and black
as if those distinctions matter,
pedestrians stop to chat
protestors run them off,
workers provide protective custody
administrators can only gawk,
riot gear covers some
gas masks cover others,
the media is fascinated by the
turn of events that has
cancelled all their learning,
parents look for their children
spouses try to find spouses
law enforcement on the sidelines
waiting for permission...
agitators of a non-student nature
entice the crowd to respond,
pushing their ignorant buttons
with skill and dexterity...
shots fired - some take cover,
limp bodies on the ground lay,
we no longer count our blessings
no longer understand the cause
no longer care about victory
as life inside leaves us all.

May 2, 2024

Glancing Back

glimpses into the future we take

by looking into the past,

understanding the influences that

incentivized our actions...

labelling our friends with photos

while ignoring all others by

deleting their addresses...

strange days and strange nights

flow through our minds like

abandoned memories we

perceived were meaningless...

the past grows on us like a

heavy beard needing shaving,

leaving us in the present when

the power is virtually interrupted.

April 30, 2024

Wrong Side Down

open door block the view
closed ones hide the crime,
a monkey and a pail of hope
or a church without a steeple,
which one would you choose?
peckerwood Becker sees only
what he wants to see, avoiding
avoiding the rest as if it were
the Spanish flu...    the clinics
have fired all the doctors-  the
town lives for nothing anymore;
sopranos sing base in the choir
of jubilee as priests and nuns
dance freely in the old streets,
time was but is no more
we used to wonder as well
little sister got married early,
sending her children back to
the village to raise -  parents
were shor for human trafficking;
just when we think we know,
life changes and all we have to
hold onto are a few memories.

April 29, 2024

Pre-election Jitters

rain possibilities flow through the air

hot and humid has been the day,

cats lay around like blood hounds

squirrels chase birds away from

their stash of winter nuts...   Kois

lay on the bottom of the pond and

hummingbirds float aimlessly in

and around multiple feeders...  we

are the southern suburbs at our best

when it is least expected...  muscle

cars stay cool in garages while EVs

prance around the interstate as if they

are on some motorized date...  fans

inside and out work overtime, sitting

underneath the breeze until landlords

change the speed...  ruptured thoughts

fall out of mental holes, made from all

the winter traffic - surgeons frantically

work to have me better by November.

April 29, 2024

Differences

before the calm is the storm

before the rehearsal is the wedding

a baby born before pregnancy

graduation before attending school,

backwards are we before forward

and nods before glances as we

stroll by those in the park...

nature is joined at the hip with life

and life is said to be lived after death,

we are a curious breed, unsure of

of whom we are at any given point

in time, facing insurmountable odds

at discovering our true identities...

still frames of a movie reel we are,

acting or not acting depending upon

the direction yet always mindful

of that which makes us all different.

April 27, 2024

Story Tellers

from the depths of our imagination

we create our prolonged fantasies,

piecing together childhood stories

with life's reality based upon our

adult points of view...  material

witnesses flash their credentials

to the doorman on duty in the

hopes of getting access to our

thoughts...  only to find those

mental aberrations no...t indicative

of what should be available...

we strive for authenticity while

accepting mediocrity, believing 

that is the best we can do given

the circumstances...  and that

which we imagine leaves stains

on all of our views in question.

April 27,  2024

Life lock

beyond what the eyes can see
is a world of mystery...
beyond what the mind understands
is the fascination of imagination,
a universe of possibilities
with endless outcomes and
permutations - as reliable as
they are not so - as formable as
they are feeble and weak...
thought storms cloud our awareness
keeping us imprisoned in boxes
and silos of influences not of
our own choices - creeping into
our fantasies as we might 
creep into bed with a stranger...
closed windows to be cleaned
closes minds to be refurbished
a future that slides through life
greased by a misaligned vision
of what life is all about.

April 26, 2024

Sea Oats Envisioned

mist collects on the stems
pods live out their lives on top,
a tan color they both are,
green leaves long and narrow
flourish in the sun and sand,
along the coastline they roam
from one sand pile to another,
winter changes the tide
saturating it all with water
and the sea smiles as its
actions cause havoc up and
down to cold sandy land...
seagulls nestle in the oats at
night when no one can see,
and off into the air when the
sun hangs low in the sky,
seeds fall the ground and die
others fall and live - it is the
way of nature in the Southern
hemisphere...  spring brings
a resurgence of the oats as if
time never stood still at all
and when the sun is full and
in all its glory and mist from
the crashing waves filter out
like an outback walkabout, the
oats will flourish like was 
intended as its deep roots dig
in, protecting yet again as has
been its jobs since its inception.

April 24, 2024