Terminal Determination

days spent wondering and sleeping

nights regurgitate the darkness that

has become so prominent in my mind,

afternoon deliver conscious criticisms

of the way the mornings behaved,

callously omitting the mental invasions

that burrowed down to the very soul,

leaving me sick, wounded, and afraid

of the hours ahead moving slowly...

drafts of opinions lay on the floor

with the filthy dirt of previous lives,

casted down upon me from the heavens,

whose rights were forsaken at birth,

along with its sacred, decadent religion

that brought me into this abhorrent world,

while my mind gently weeps from the

lack of attention parental advice gave,

mocking the very fabric of life under

which my presence became known...

days spent drifting and dreaming

casted out by the sunlight

ignored by the evening moon

tempted by the fires of the demon

but saved by Sisyphus's stone.

November 4, 2025

No Normal Endings

casual uncertainty rules today

like yesterday, the day before,

sitting under the shade of

previous thoughts not always

are they the way they are...

city dwellers and country folk

tend to tie their shoes differently

opposing views held that all

the same point to depression,

a deepening desire who have

aged past their usefulness,

both perceived and imagined,

resting in the comforts of

obsolete memories designated

by those in controls - death

goes as it is willed to go...

sitting on the edge of comfort

watching days flow by slowly,

noticing the shifts in clouds

and the faces they presented,

the sun moving dangerously

close to the rising moon,

wishing it were the other way

around as time captures the of

what we what we left behind.

November 4, 2025

Winter is Coming

the ends justify the means

politically sound and confident

cool as summer winds in August,

do what you need to do to

a guaranteed solution desired

countries vow - threaten revenge

visions created in dark rooms

moments lived and re-lived

lands taken and lost - nuclear

threats permeate the landscape

of reasonable minds who have

no desire - live and let live...

anchored in global faith of a 

life forever with children who

have rights for something better,

political bullies exercise wills

over common sense - denied

tossed into time winds hoping

for quick dissipation, unglued,

evaporation into a darkness

more fearful than the ignorance

that grips our souls, leaving us

what to believe or not to believe,

our world squeezes itself into a

bomb of counterbalancing forces.

November 3, 2025

Visions Undefined

visions from the other side
permeate my mind and soul,
like bricks falling off a wall
or sharks attacking a pier...
bizarre and deadly sights
attached to my retina are
bending my reality, distorting
my views - torn death cycles
in and out and around,
kneading me like raw dough,
sounds from the other side
flow through like lightening
ripping holes in time's fabric
too big to be sewn and too
deep to be patched by emotions,
regretful remembers are viewed
on the other side of the other side
when no one is really looking,
symbols of entropy lingering
in spiritual minds, lacking the
courage to speak out...
rigid teeth claw at the mind
tearing open the truth of lies,
leaving us spellbound and in 
search of the missing master
who controls the afterlife and
living details we tried to hide.

November 1, 2025

Sowing Seeds Lately

dehydrated thoughts linger permanently
in those souls abandoned, declared
too old or young to survive - rituals of
death hang over and around us constantly
beckoning for judicial righteousness,
receiving nothing in return as they say...
we denounce and have been denounced
digging down deeply, critical thinking,
and our lack of superficial awareness
leading to self-discoveries beyond the
scope of one's limited imaginations...
brutally forthright we have become 
in our investigations of same...
counterfeited circumstances projected,
the likely escape the unlikely, and we
dissolve as blocks of sugar in warm tea.
careful considerations like sowing tall
fescue in the spring has been given to
late fall planting as if we knew all along
our chances for success were limited.

November 1. 2025

The Curtain Closes

the day before the day before the day before
the day a lesson learned by all...
filled with esprit des corps, it was
a day viewed around the world and more
a day when all religions came together
a day when all wars ended in peace
a day when black and white united
no more families against families
no more nations against nations
no more will water, land separate us,
it was a day long awaited for and a day
when the heavens opened up the universe
to a global display of fireworks brought
about by the extraterrestrial invasions,
teaching our world not to be aggressive
not to fight amongst ourselves when there
are plenty of them to fight...  and we with
reluctant willingness surrendered our power,
laid down our arms, embracing peace...
it was a day to be remembered and praised
as the final end of God's human race.

October 30, 2025

Poorly Played

yellow, red, brown, and green
are the leaves this fall,
more so in the mountains
than in the valley...
chilly weather and rains
caused them to turn and fall,
spectaculars to observe,
not in cities or in towns as
much as in rural areas
where struggling has begun 
and urban dwellers know little
about how it is for them...
not caring about them as they
care about themselves...
leaders lament along party lines
forcing opinion to change with
what little leverage they possess,
worry not for our neighbors
unless they are illegals...  then,
red is the carpet on which they
walk to pick up benefits.
we behold nothing in the making
except strife and civil war,
social justice favors the wealthy
before the poor, providing
strong shoulders in the middle.

October 30, 2025

Water Flows Live

along the shores of the mind
we walk solo,
sliding our cold feet through
murky thoughts,
remembering and forgetting
many of them,
bound by forces seemingly
out of our control,
eastern waves push against
western sentiments,
conveying little in the brief
process together,
sounds of the seasons play
inside while
bodies mingle with the
changing weather,
on the shoreline are others
walking erratic.
moving in and out of the
shared time,
wooden soldiers in paper boats
sail inward,
closing the gap of pretense
seen earlier,
when small feet walked along
these same sands,
self-incriminations are the shells
picked up,
tossed back into tranquil waters
taken southward,
mental currents alter realities in
which we live.

October 30, 2025

Government Control

blue sky horizon - undistinguishable
imaginable thoughts or not
distant relatives come to visit at last
bringing false memories of hope,
accommodations made for more
few descending on the city,
a mirrored tale of willingness awry,
apologies disclosed and denied
chapters written - the book closed,
mellowed are the lads who fought
for their homeland without pay,
no rain in the forecast says the man
who watches the heavens all the time,
we are due for sunshine and happiness
but fear what's above us will fall...
grey clouds overcome the blue
sunlight gradually fades from sight
a moonless horizon loom carefully
as fishing boats cease to troll...
understanding and proving it are
not one in the same, nor mutually
exclusive can they be - raining is
coming eventually - no motivation
falls on the government nowadays.

October 29, 2025

Seeking Heroes

binding ties broken - a betrayal
vows overlooked after time,
promises never meant to keep
loyalty abandoned forever...
ancestor's products we are
living their lies and miscalculations
finding no end to our creations
save the lessening birthrate,
foreigners breeding in backyards
bringing with them their beliefs
changing our feeble lifestyles
into an erratic issue of compliance
worn thin over time and abuse
by elders who once knew the way.
destined to be replaced, we forge
inappropriate alliances, devils
biting our heels as we dance
around all our responsibilities
hoping a hero will emerge who
will take us away from discontent.

October 29, 2025 

Memories Earlier

stalking each other through the woods
left to right - right to left looking,
not so long ago we were there with
our mates in discourse and action,
pretending an older man, not what
we wanted to become no doubt
later discovering - truth and justice
were as real and as pure as the
thoughts we convey through actions,
young soldiers of backyard wars
fought in empty lots, undeveloped
any need for homes - treehouses
and underground bunkers we built
a fun-filled summer of dirty clothes,
campfires and tents - eating meals
cooked with mess kits, wooden
utensils and foolish, childish laughter,
borne out by the mystique of war,
we were invincible target of fun,
blue jean, t-shirt, and tennis shoe
we spent from dawn to duck and
sometimes more when not raining,
cowboys and Indians too, even when
it mattered not who one might be,
changing and flip flopping throughout
the warm days, spiders and snakes we
seldom saw in our makeshift habitats.

October 29, 2025

The Brass Bra

cold feet, hands and ears
our weather changed
overnight conditions
forced warmer clothes
car heaters used and
furnaces to run overtime,
fall dropped off the edge
leaving us wondering,
shivering to keep warm
innocent and protected,
leaves stuck to branches
no color changes,
no falling to the ground,
no hot chocolate with
our oatmeal cookies,
chilly winds blow back
and forth between stalks
of corn not yet harvested,
surprise...  surprise...
came the unexpected,
waking up to the cold and
damp that entered our room
the night before, caulking
not yet completed from the
early home inspection...
a pale gray sky surround
the heavens that offer us
little comfort in the way
it has been abandoned,
layered clothes we wear in
the hopes of being misled.

October 27, 2025

Quizzical Questing

Quietly,

the morning slips into my mind

consciousness full

sound blend with yesterday's memories.

Quickly,

light is upon me - in all directions

birds looking for shelter

impending rains.

Quality,

blending of sights, sounds, imaginations

foaming to break free from

the surrounding atmosphere.

Quarterly,

the day begins with me or my observations

season fly by unnoticed when

when eagles circle nearby.

Qualitatively,

moods change inside out - outside in

pawning themselves out to

the highest living bidder.

Questionably,

all my views have been surrendered

observations as well as thoughts

leaving me hollow inside.

Qualmishly,

my days end in a rush - prepared reluctance

drowning in self-pity, self-inflicted

failing to see the fading light.

October 26, 2025

Our Special Night

out from under they come

or from behind, underneath,

from mountain cave

from abandoned skies,

all points in between,

witches, wizards, sorcerers

dressed in black with robes

flowing mysteriously behind them,

like a comet's tail... or perhaps

a troll or even a ghoul

who knows - it's the hallo eve

when magic seeps out of cracks

in the imagination and fantasy

become reality momentarily,

carved faces on pumpkins

cornstalk monsters painted red,

a maze of possibilities surrounding

and enshrouding movement

of a very curious nature...

stories told over campfires

remembered long as a child,

creepy crawling things hanging

down from tree branches,

walking through neighbor's yards,

tricking more than treating

perpetrated on those who were

not much fun...  warned against 

parents who favored moderation,

graveyards avoided in the dim light

of a harvest moon, yet we enjoyed

our romping while they lasted

overlooking internal frightful fears.

October 25, 2025

American Righteousness

fathers mourn for their sons

mothers for their daughters

grandparents for their children

children for the elderly...

we are a mournful nation

when it comes to our own,

but not so much for others

whose lives are troubled from

the very moment of their birth,

we sit on our righteous thoughts

on Sundays, hoping our God

will please us with wealth and

good health...  when nary a

stray though runs through our

minds about the Africans or

Indians, Pakistani, or Asians.

our God just takes care of us,

some other god will take care

of them, we perceive when we

sit down to Thanksgiving dinner,

mentally naked and aloof when

it comes to the lives of others.

October 25, 2025

Exposures Hidden

glare on the windows - reflections too
sunshine fille the space - window wall
dull green leaves - decaying trees
fences no longer seen - hidden exposures
glimmers of hope lay on grassless soil
a decades old battle ensures forthwith,
corroded wires wrap around bark
tree trunks groan throughout the year,
strange comments, baseless in nature
spin out from neighbor's voices who
understand less than is perceived...
worms inch their way along the ground
with no particular destination in mind,
glad to be alive and moving before
winter covers the ground with frost,
mothers send their daughter out for wood
fathers and sons spent time cutting,
hounds curl up under the front porch
their tails barely moving, disturbing
not the air circulating around them,
Koi hide on the pond's bottom mud
away from all sounds and light, 
waiting for bullfrogs to let them know
when it's safe to move upwards...
a cold sunroom remains vacated for
days on end - splits not working well
keeps all passengers inside the home
until destiny tells spring to warm.

October 24, 2025

A Non-linear Path

along the narrow path I stroll

as walking is far too fast a pace,

on one side is manic influence

on the other is the depression,

balanced are they never close

mornings seem to favor the highs

while evenings favor the lows

but never do the equalized where

there is a gentle gliding of it all;

holidays are never seen as joyous

birthdays enter the cavity of despair

despite how strong my teeth are

there is always crunching and grinding

as if the top and bottom challenge

each other's right to belong there...

no diagnosis has been performed

yet my mother and daughter both

were touched in a similar way as I,

my path zigzags up and down,

hills and valleys, it creeps upon me

twists and turns, the unexpected

is my friends and then my enemy,

life boasts of accomplishments and

failures but my path disallows and

disavows any such resolution...  or,

any associated friendship derived,

leaving a hollow emptiness inside.

October 21, 2025

False Memories of Other's Dreams

haunted by the false memories
of someone else's dreams, my
body floats on a cloud in a 
distant solar system of space,
oval planets with triangular stars,
half-moons that flicker pink
when passing the starboard side,
planet turned upside down making
newspaper reading difficult and
movies that start at the end and
play towards the beginning...
meals served without plates,
cooked on stovetops mounted
on sides of curved walls...  an
outpouring of uncertainty greets
everyone who enters the space
since no one leaves unless they
have been placed dead in a box.
shoes on our hands and gloves
on our feet, we spend days in
caves with spiders and nights
hanging from trees like bananas.
mysteries uncorked like bottles
full of air instead of wine, lay on
the table for spin the bottle games
and no one cares how they look
as long as the bottle never stops...
rhythms remain aloof - fog horns
blast out the cadence of time that,
running neither forward nor back
but perpendicular to it all, creating
holes that gave me false memories
experiencing someone else's dreams.

October 21, 2025

Our Watery Mistresses

cold fingers interlace - warm palms
skinny wrists - fat forearms
pointed elbows - tris and bis above
shoulders with missing rotator parts
hand loosely down to the waist.
a protruding belly for a midsection
groin covered in leather shorts,
hairy thighs lead to kneecaps,
calves and ankles are well united,
feet and toes round out the bottom
on top of a wooden deck, they stand
swaying to and fro with the music
of the global ocean they command,
business class leans on first class
the lower levels bear the brunt of rolls,
the sea's mistress is never kind to
strangers who fail to hiss her reputations
booking passage to foreign destinations
they never intended to visit this time.
crowds of onlookers on the dock gather
waving bon voyage to those aboard
understanding the vessel will join
the underwater locker room of those
who tried to make this journey before.

October 21, 2025

Remembering's Again

there was a time that seems
not long ago...  when
life was so kind and gentle,
simple mornings and afternoons
frolicking in the fall leaves,
stomping in spring puddles,
watching tadpoles turn to frogs
playing cowboys and Indians
in the neighbor's yard...
there was a time that seems
not so long ago...  when
a military uniform I wore
bell bottoms and chambray blue
a sailor's cap and beard,
sailing on sea breezes, currents,
and trade winds from the
Aortic to the Caribbean and
back again, leaving family 
and friends oh so far behind...
there was a time that seems
not so long ago...  when
a forty-five-year career passed
by so quickly and retirement
meant no early mornings
nor long trips away from home,
or taking orders from those
who knew the least of all...
there was a time not so long ago
that I could remember more,
fantasize less and put my thoughts
into powerful words...  but those
times have all but disappeared.

October 19, 2025

Archaeological Findings

rain drizzles in the conscious mind
a hole left from previous thoughts,
gently scrubbing the sides
removing the ageless plaque...
cavities that once held eyes are
empty save the invested bugs that
have made it their new habitat,
nostrils filled the ancient smells
convey the ominous signs of aging,
neck muscles protrude, conveying
images of restlessness, sleepless
nights brought about by fright...
menacing dialogues lay on the
ground unmolested for centuries
while crusaders mocked the faith
and hostilities were as rampant
as the drizzling rain that smooths
out distorted facial appearances,
ears bent inward and pointed
reflect the endless cycles of 
listening but not hearing and the
fortuitous battles that ensured
robust memoirs left in its wake.

October 19, 2025

Spring Cleaning in the Fall

from one room to the next we go
with our mops, dust rags, and water
moving tables away from the wall
chests and stands as well must go,
accumulation is what we see
more so with our three felines who
seem to shed hairs constantly...
back and forth, the mop moves
from one hand to the other it glides
soapy water turns dirty the more
we swish and sway - along the walls
and down the halls and into the
corners that seem the worst of all.
books on shelves individually cleaned
then place in plastic bags on a whim,
power cords once black is grey
and must be restored to originality,
picture frames are the worst and
should be called dust collectors instead,
put are put back in their places as
they have nowhere else to go...
two years it took to get us to return here
and now that we have, we wonder
what we might find in the next room.

October 18, 2025

Falling Water

dark outside - light inside
sometimes reversed...  depending
wailing walls and local jails
month over month
a candle burns on windowsills
farmers gamble with crops
death to the future of mankind,
internally we fight for the
rights of the unfortunate who
lost their dignity while
fishing for hope...
faith stands on the corner
under a streetlight
like a nigh walking prostitute
selling tickets for the show,
brownstones stand like sentinels
on both sides like a tunnel
warning of future growth...
tears of fears on faces of children
falling water with grace
sealing our overdue fantasies.

October 17, 2025

Too Little Too Late

castles in the sky built by children
never die slowly,
they cease to exist instantly
just like the dragon...
creativity is wasted on the youth
who do not know how to use it,
building and tearing down
fortresses of which only their
imaginations can build successfully,
sons and daughters trade toys
soldiers for dolls and all apparel,
just like the teachers predicted...
bras and tiny silk underwear
cover the young's particulars as
dresses fit awkwardly until the
lack of hormones kick in...
competition accelerates femininity
girls don't stand a chance against
the mighty warriors excelling in all
sports with which they are confronted,
Trophies hang on frilly dressers
along with their jock straps and bras,
men competing in women's sports
is what gains them notoriety until
the desire grows cold and they turn
to the freezer where their frozen
penis lives for re-installation, hanging
up any leftover remorse on hooks
they managed to save in childhood.

October 16, 2025

Another Future

beyond the beauty of the morning
are the vibrances of life,
hopes and fears
truth and lies,
the anxieties of death
the miracles of birth,
up into the skies we look
search for that which is real,
wondering and imagining
if and when our fate is sealed,
morning comes often
as does the night
a black veil of sleep
temporarily inducing us into
dreams and fantasies
where life is rich and fanciful
and precious memories restore our
longing for the past, forge the future
into what could be again...
daunting is the task ahead
boulders of opposition roll into
our uncertain path, delaying us, our
journey and subsequent arrival,
habitual creatures we are and have
evolved not knowing when to stand 

or when to flee into another future.

October 15, 2025

Wealth's Arrogance

peace is a natural byproduct of war
death is a natural byproduct of life
forgiveness is a natural byproduct of faith
salvation is a natural byproduct of hope,
minds swirl at the thoughts of infinity
dazzle in the brightness of creation
misunderstand the reality of duality
and faint of the love of resistance,
we posture our feelings for the misunderstood
scrambled our needs for mistreated animals
assemble our courage for the elderly and
fantasize about children abandoned globally,
pure of spirt and void of hate, our eyes
see with vivid details the world's
pleas for selfish help for all those creatures
who had no choice about their birth,
blue skies live in the valleys of despair
the virtue of prayer descends upon them
answers remain unspoken as those born
to hear stand silent on the mountain tops,
silent gratitude flows from the hearts of those
who bow to the power of politics and the
pressures of the wealthy who control the
unfolding of all aspects of our existence.

October 14, 2025

On Full Display

Throughout the years hate grows
love ceases to exist
parameters of it change
words betray the feelings as we
lie to each other constantly.
not allowing truth to surface,
time passes uncontrollably
we nurture the hate between us,
lighting candles of faith
forgiving nothing in return
least of all what was said...
guided by our instinct and the
blame cast out upon others,
we seem self-righteous in the
glory we bestow upon ourselves
for making do with our plight,
of future destiny of disassociation
as neighbor marvel at our feeling
and how they are conveyed
in their honorable presence...
we are children of deceit,
formulating plans with precision
accurate down to the moment
living the lie with grace and dignity.

October 13, 2025

 

A Voice of Reason

in the midst of harmony
there is discord,
in the midst of solitude
there is abundance,
in the midst of lives lost
there is wonder,
the world heals its own
a universal theme
permeates the waves,
illusion replaces reality
hidden inside seashells
from the other side...
serpents rule in the valley
Eden is no longer a
viable concept to admire,
reincarnated souls dance
in the halls of Valhalla,
singing tributes to all
the vanished gods whose
memories still exist in
minds of young warriors,
sitting in the hulls of ships
waiting to touch foreign
soil for the first time...
we visit their thoughts 
pronouncing them whole,
valid for the time, sinking
in our quicksand lies
validating all their visions.

October 12, 2025

Thought Breeze

thought breezes pass through the mind
the melodrama of silence ends
stray light pours in from the windows
on the other side of the sunroom...
distance lays down in front of me
giving up its persistent battle,
footsteps in the mind retraces the
steps of my youthful memories
discarding those incongruent with
previous narratives of loneliness,
boots on the ground summon gods
of war, averting a peaceful solution,
dramas trend on the videos streaming
into abandoned thoughts, inflating then
beyond comparison with the rules
by which we were influenced to live,
patterns form in the rawest of forms
bringing back trite fantasies that
were once on Akai tape reels, stored
in dry places for longevity purposes,
tributes turn into contributions
opening the doors for future alliances
undaunted by the night's vibrations
and loss of harmonic resonance 
due to the usage of smart phones.

October 11, 2025

Live Silence Lies

silence permeates the minds of the dead
the living bound and gagged sometimes,
sparks fly from the fingertips of thieves,
the Suez Canal does not allow submarines,
days of our lives become months and years,
wanton creatures stalk the suburbs again,
mystery invades the consciousness of 
Vietnam war survivors whose thoughts
have worn thin throughout the decades,
street vendors sell yesterday's falafels
while Palestinians remain hungry when
sleeping in yesterday's bomb craters...
we misuse honesty for truth conveying
lies to the general public every four
years when ballots are needed to
remove that trash that has collected...
familiarity breed contempt they say
but no one knows who they are...
still, we spend our inherited fortunes on
that which is short lived, avoiding taxes
and alimony payments in lieu of believing
life will ever be as good again as it was
before silence attracted so much attention.

October 10, 2025

Eternal Optimism

Sunday slides into Monday
as did Friday into Saturday
weekdays merge into each
other as if by divine routine,
mornings into afternoons
afternoons into evenings
and the entire process can
begin or end at any time...
spacetime haunts us every
time it is mentioned and
we continue to age into
nothingness when out time
comes to its completion,
providing us with rewards
only the dead understand.
we belong to the universe
as it belongs to itself, not
its creator, expanding into
reiterations of existence
contemplated in textbooks,
life seem pointless without
reincarnation, wondering
how many chances are given?
life is its own worst enemy
as prolonging becomes the
domain of the wealthy who
only outlive their own legends
or reoccurrences become boring.

October 6, 2025

A Mental Collapse

chambers of the mind open
and clothes like heart valves
old memories flow out
to allow new one in...
some are refurbished while
others are disregarded and
discarded in to recycle bin,
chambers of the mind sit on
shelves in bookcases lining
the hallways of forgetfulness,
beside the rives of doubt that
stream through valleys of
subconsciousness in a selective
chronology that ranks depression
ahead of non-clinical insanity,
chambers of the mind dwell in
tunnels that connect caves inside
mountains of enlightenment
when awareness sits like an
illusive cornerstone of growth
and intellectual mindfulness
of life's unnatural purposes.

October 5, 2025

The Radiant Sky

blue sky covers the sky dome
above our heads naturally
green leaves on blue highlighted
limbs hidden from our view,
little people lay on the grass
looking for four leaves of clover
not so easy seen or captured,
wonderous eyes look outward
towards the heavens for the
answers not underneath them,
rows of neurons fire simultaneously
propelling thought outward 
and into the world of imagination,
fanciful dreams, limited only
by the input of creativity...
between the ground and sky
lies the minds of children
whose ideas are like the
gravitational waves that tend
to stalk our universe once
set into eternal motion...
a cloudless sky finds its center
hanging over as if hung over
wishing and wondering why it 
had never been called earlier.

October 4, 2026