Street Wise

you say I - I say you
we say nothing no more,
days of giving
long since past
giving those days
we know won't last,
nothing gained - nothing lost
we served only one
but that be gone today as
it was the day before
and the one before that,
certain of nothing,
very little we are...
our lives cut short by
our refusal to participate,
and yours too
because you capitulate,
damned if we are or not
it matters no to us or you
or anyone for that matter,
we are who we are and
have been for decades. 

February 9, 2025

Word Flow

words flow like the rain
down a mountain side
or off a slanted roof,
they mix and mingle
form and reform...
in the mind
on the page
an explosion of letters
spell checked and verified,
words from a sunset or sunrise
winter scene with snow
summer scene with birds
falling leaves of fall
spring's mowing grass smell,
words taken from thoughts
from memories and dreams,
from the reality of living
and being open to all that
forms around us...  from the
tiniest kitten to the large cat
from the fire of a campsite
to the rapids of a river...
words flow like the rain
we catch them when we can
use umbrellas when we cannot,
the flow is constant, if we take
the time and know where to look.

February 13, 2025

Warriors

down through the heavens they come
these ancient gods we are told
bringing us enlightenment
raping our females along the way
half-gods were born too soon
replacing the weak males in time,
it was not a friendly time nor was
peaceful in the cities and towns,
transitions and transformations
ruled our lives, dictated our futures
changing our societies forever,
we were never free, never meant to be,
we were always someone's play toy
someone's experiment to make us
better and more resilient, more
durable in combat and more lethal
in winning all our battles - no longer
were we the beings first created
but a new species of warrior who 
questioned nothing, not even death.

February 12, 2025

Questions Determine

we are who we are now
previously not the same
ahead different as well
to be determined somewhat
we suppose right or wrong
not th4e same except
for here and now...
we have no crisis here
just misunderstanding
over whom we are and
who we will become
if anything at all...
 decisions made reflect
not the change or the
proximity of it all - 
as we are that which we
became wholeheartedly,
still not what was intended
or anticipated - the changing
of DNA and all - the genes
went to some but not all,
we were modified directly
or indirectly so, some say...
who are they to know?

February 12, 2025

Legend

drink the waters of the Nile
you will return one day,
the legend goes...
as does so many others,
inundated by them
we are these days...
no one knows for sure
they cannot say
are they true or no
we be wondering...
the water of the Nile
I have drunk once
in my youthful days
not many more years
older can I get,
have not yet returned
nor do I plan to with the
world like it is today...
so much for legends say.

February 11, 2025

Hate

 

billionaires barf out statements 

thought to be in everyday use,

in front of millions...  hoping

to change attitudes...

preconceived ideas...

and opinions...

how do billionaires see hate,

many of us wonder.

flying around in private jets

eating croissants in Paris

bagels in the Caribbean

or drinking expresso in Rome...

Hate is what we know...

what we learned from preachers,

manifested in the teachings

of those who came before.

Hate is not for sale or bargained with,

it is what we live with daily,

it's all we know to do with each other.

February 10, 2025

VALENTINES 2025

A gift of greeting this day represents
for old and young alike they say,
A sweetheart chosen by many
others just an infatuation perhaps...
Those of us who have lived a while
see not the gift or greeting or sweetheart
but the person with whom we have spent
over one third of our lives and with
whom we have loved and continue to love,
With whom we have disagreed and with
whom we have shared the best of life
and the negative side of life as well...
We see the partner with whom we have
built our life and future and with whom
we see at first light when we awake,
We see the person with whom we share
our soul, our hopes, fears and happiness,
valentines are perpetual for us or not at all...

February 14, 2025

Out the Window we Look

beyond the day, the hour, the minute
we live...  supposedly...
in silos of desires and wants,
fantasies of dreams and wishes
imagining what might be or not be,
we struggle with realities
wondering why we are less fortunate
basing perception of what we see,
what we think we know or that
which we have been told
by those we trust not to lie...
looking out the windows of our
lives...  we sit or stand...
as it makes little difference,
informed or not informed
as the case may be...
winter replaces sunshine and then
it is periodically reversed,
we know not how or why,
relishing in the change,
hoping for more of what we like
and less of what we do not,
knowing expectation fall short,
out the window we look
to see firsthand what will be.

February 8, 2025

Divided

right and wrong divides us
a line so thin, barely visible
good and evil is in there too
fighting for its place in the sun,
dogs chase cats and rabbits too
cats chase rodents and hoppers
we are alive because of our beliefs
yet we do not consider ourselves
lucky if we were to die...
morning after pills rock the future
impacting corners of the world,
we care less or not at all while
those who fight us have no opinion,
we are fans of neither, casting
doubts on those who are...
nothing in return is sought but
the pill is kept in our pockets.

February 7, 2015

Fulfilling Prophecy

warmth permeates the boundaries
of the mind
cold stimulates the actions
of the body
we are one without ourselves
two together
crisscrossing lives like city pigeons
defecating
measuring our existence through 
forsaken lenses
grasping at death as if it were 
highly overrated
moss lined memories give still births
to thoughts
creepy people enter our lives as if
collecting taxes
dormant children sit at monitors
wasting life
criminals beg for clemency with hands
in judge's pockets
we have created the society from which
try to grow
nurturing the future like pigs sucking
on boar teats.

February 6, 2025

Burned Memories

 

where was my fiddle when Rome... burned

hidden from me I suppose..

unkind gods they are were who

took my territories from me...

suspicion moved quickly from one

mouth to the other, from one

soul to another, from one country

to another as if none of them remembered

who had brought them there.

who had arranged passage with bribes of coin,

betrayed as if Caesar was present...

Brutus had not died as I was lead to believe,

we were once all there were

we did it all...   the decisions...  the wars

the times in between when life was good,

now we are no more and I must flee

and burn all my memories behind me.

February 5, 2025

Footsteps

follow in their footsteps 

if you follow at all,

teach like there's no tomorrow,

hide under the rugs all

those things of embarrassment

of which only you

has had to deal...

remember the moralities

of the past as they are

nowhere to be seen...

drown the babies first before

they are changed and

generations end the only

life they ever knew.

February 4, 2025

Southern Sunshine

sunshine flows through the air

cats lay on the deck,

feelings are tempered and

hate has left the backyard,

life in the south intertwines

with the climate, park picnics

walks along smoky trails...

birds call out each other

inviting all relatives,

we live on the edge of comfort

basking in the sun with

our growing gardens...

simple and simplistic the years

flow by in pigtails and cutoffs,

life slows but is not forgotten.

February 3, 2025

Moments

in the sun laying on towel
paying in puddles with a dog
surfing at myrtle beach
walking at cades cove or
any smoky mountain trail,
living in the shadows of
our ancestors, log cabins
living off the land...
kayaking on manmade lakes
or canoeing on the seine,
dancing in the moonlight
wearing silk pajamas,
combing hair around the ears
eating corn off the cob
smoking a corn cob pipe,
spitting tobacco on the street,
we live in moments fondly
some are disgusting
moments nonetheless
and always remembered.

February 2, 2025

Spacetime Sounds

a leaf falls to the ground
without a sound
so too does a tree with
no one around...
we must be there to hear
we must be there to understand
humans though we are
we are not omnipresent,
minutes before or after
seconds or hours
space advance time around
our existence - over which
we have no controls...
we rage against the physics
of it all, no knowledge
left undisturbed...  we defend
our place in it all even when
its terms are confusing.

February 1, 2025

Reassemble

an ancient bird flies across the 
nation on a sacred mission,
it flies to the north, to the east
then to the west and south,
it flies low and high and
nowhere does it fly where it
finds no one that does not hate,
the ancient bird flies up into
the heavens as far as it can go,
when it gets there, it begins to
rotate around and around 
until it explodes into over
one million pieces...
each one of those pieces falls
down upon the ground and
buries itself deep into the earth,
for over a million years it
remains underground until
archeologists dig into the hard
earth and uncovers the soul
of mankind broken into a
million pieces, so many over
such a broad area of land
that they decide it will take
entirely too long to reassemble.

January 31, 2025

Reconciliation

the mind closes itself to light

darkness permeates

rivers of doubt persist to flow

fed by streams of fear,

meandering thoughts move

from one lifeless boat to another

hoping for salvation...

the devil smiles are her handiwork

those who she controls

those who she commends

silly males follow her into evil

hoping for erotic, sexual delights

receiving pain in return

agony in the reverse of love

with no desire to see differently,

darkness creeps into light

destroying all opportunities

for any kind of reconciliation.

January 30, 2025

Politics

across the aisle they look
for sympathy they suppose
none is forthcoming...
words are exchanged 
in a heated format
scorning those who scorn
evoking a feeling of quilt
that has since been denied,
wondering why and
wondering when they
belabor their approach
hoping to garner something,
again, nothing is given...
retribution they spout
out of filthy mouths but
are ignored once again
before they decided to 
turn a blind eye to all.

January 29, 2025

Winter Fall

light windows on the floor

angled and obtuse.

dust lays on the glass

from previous day.

warmed sunroom from

overnight cold waits for

morning occupancy...

winter bends around houses

infiltrating front yards,

frost on the grasses,

leaves and branches,

deck floors and railings.

throughout the day, we

are privileged to remember,

knowing spring is just

around the next corner.

January 28, 2025

Mort

chimes for the dead
ring out on the square,
for the living
there is nothing...
only death is precious,
life is just another
day surviving,
another day of manipulations
and being told things
are about to change,
death is a relief from life,
we all relish the end,
say goodbye to those we know
hello to those we are
about to meet...
we fear the end since 
absolute it is.
no remakes or changes
can be made...
dead is simply dead.

January 27, 2025

Golden Leaf

life is but a dream nothing more

for some it is good
others bad
a dream nonetheless for all,
we can fight it
accept it or
ignore it if we choose
the conclusion still remains;
we are forced into life
foreced into death
free to do in between...
life owes us nothing
takes all we have,
we bitch and scream
it never changes or is deterred;
we dream of rivers boats
floating down a stream,
not realizing we are already
on a golden leaf that is
almost about to tumble.

January 26, 2025

Life Living

forced...
to look the other way,
beaten down...
stay on the other side,
sold...
into slavery after being
abolished for decades,
new generations...
tend the fields,
work the factories,
mend the clothes,
righteous wealthy pay
minimum wage...
destined to be destined
to be in servitude,
humbled...
we die in secret never
seeing the light
on the other side,
never understanding why
we were given a chance
to survive,
forced to live like we did.

January 25, 2025

Winter Home

a wintery sky blasts artic
air into the valley,
ice forms on windowsills
rain turns into ice
mommas rush children inside
fires in fireplaces burn,
silvery blue colors prevail
bare branches bow in the
windward gusts bushing
through trees and bushes,
limbs breaking
green leaves cracking
blistered lips of postmen
delivering the mail,
no shine of sun anywhere
no warmth surrounds
chilly fingers in mittens
frosty eyes of those
shoveling their drives,
winter has found a home.

January 23, 2025

Poorly Sentenced

from east to west the tide
turns north to south and
sometimes up to heaven,
salt water made fresh
muddy water turned to wine,
civilized people create the
life they are destined to have
while others receive leftovers,
a country of laws turns 
silent in the wake of judges
who offer no penalties for
crimes committed...
time served leaves us without
revenge and without a 
justification to survive...
tend to your own gardens
and let the bullies have the
rest since we are ill-equipped
to dredge up any despair.

January 23, 2025

Specter

enlightened,
they say we are
with our murders,
rapes and beatings,
cultured,
they say we are
few cares about the arts
even fewer care
civility...
educated,
they say we are,
mostly memorize
then forget we do,
as grades become
rock idols...
compassionate,
they say we are
pulling knives out 
from backs and spewing
hate on public forums...
declining,
they say our nation is
none wonder why.

January 21, 2025

Being Here

against the wall we stand
resisting the resistance
wondering and waiting
how long will it take for
them to arrive here?
fixed and ready, we are
no prior experience
do we have...
it matters not
we are told,
resistance is resistance
all the same.
mental bayonets we have
along with our mental
pistols and rifles,
shooting virtual bullets
at the approaching crowd.
determined and resolute
we are that this day will
go down in history...
and we will be remembered
all the same for being here.

January 20, 2025

Observation

windows bar the cold and heat
we are free to roam about 
clothed in garments or none,
exploring in darkness
or in light, it does not matter.
life lives on the edge of it all
or it dies in a sewage gutter,
darkness clouds our judgement
but only until morning when
light embraces us all,
free to speculate and declare
go to good to other places
heaven or hell...
we do not care nor do we fret
about the consequences
unintendedly created...
moments are what moments
do best...  then the past clouds
our future, relying only
on what we actually observe.

January 19, 2025

Closed are We

open are our minds to
things we know or perceive,
closed they are to those
things uncertain...
we believe that which
we are told and not to
that which we are not 
told - not thinking for
ourselves are we allowed.
mother jones knew this
all too well...  she shared
not her wisdom before
leaving us - we are
forever scorned by her
enemies, taking over
our lives as if they were
our father knowing best.
we are open and free
for those we believe as we
but closed to those not
believing as we do anymore.

January 18, 2025

Revenge

life for life
limb for limb
eye for eye
we are all equal in
all that we do...
revenge is sweet
sometimes bitter
but it is revenge
nonetheless...
we learn nothing
when applied
and it could make
our attitudes worse,
enlightened we are
or claim to be
but it is doubtful
that we have learned
anything at all
from life when we
do to them what
they did to us.

January 17, 2025

Here and Now

moments are lived in
minutes pass by slowly
hours tend to linger
days flow into weeks
months give rise to years
decades become memories
age allows us few luxuries
other than what we recall
even when those glimpses
into the past are vague...
past supports future
future relies on the past
we are creatures of now
not understanding
how long it will last.

January 17, 2025

Dystopian

dark lives inside, light outside
minds dwell upon emptiness
routines find their way back
to the end of the day and
openness hides inside the 
framework of full disclosure,
hearts cling together like
church bells announcing the
weekly service while clergy
make last minutes changes
in their diaries and journals.
we serve strangers with the
leftovers of holiday meals as
farmers prepare their fields
for next season's planting...
curiously we move from one
generation to the next while
decades pass by un-noticed.
we see nothing except what
we are supposed to see and
hear nothing not intended to
hear unless it is that which we
already knew to be false...
hybrid vehicles keep our hybrid
bodies out of the cold - we move
slower than before, noticing only
what was left for us today and
chewing each bite thoroughly
before being tossed aside again.

January 16, 2025

Endings

lines across her face, showed age

and fragile was she,

she inclined just enough to see

family around the bed sitting...

she wore her age well

managing as she always had done,

now the was rapidly approaching

reclining her bed one final time.

January 16, 2025

Amused

pass by me fast they do

these highway cars,
moving from one locale
to another...  in a somewhat
reckless manner...
tailgate they do, if and when
a slowdown occurs...
anxiously revving in neutral.
on the other side
they fly by frantically as well
as if no matter where they
head they must do so fastly.
a cautious soul, I am
making sure I get to where
I am going stress free,
and when not concentrating
on my task at hand,
I am quietly being amused.

January 15, 2025

Summertime

slowly she brings herself around

meticulously careful and thorough,

she sees herself in simple terms

not those of her predecessor,

or those with whom she battled,

relentless she is in her pursuits

justice and the rule of law

to which she clings like a person

who has no convictions...

she is not deceitful nor is she

one to pursue indifference for

the sake of devil's advocation,

she is as pure as she is innocent

and liked by all those who have

at some point enjoyed her warmth.

she is summertime personified.

January 12, 2025

Honoring

distance brings us closer

pastel sky and all,

clouds high above the head

no air at all...

we sit is isolation among

the trees so dear,

some of which are curved

severely in honor

of our age...

umbrella designs they

all appear to have

so tall it does not matter

but the beauty they provide

is far superior...

we see our future in these trees

their distance magnified

by their height...

we are consumed by them each day

frightened by them at night,

despite their overbearing presence

they represent our plight,

never knowing what will cause

our lifetime of delight.

January 11, 2025

Winter's Lament

dance and prance in snow
white flakes falling
animals hide
children collide
playing outside
in the cold...
by the fire we sit
all warm and cozy,
listening to the tunes
on the radio,
cable is down
our dog's in the pound
we have no means
of retrieval...
lost in the snow
is the ghost of us all
as we fret and complain
about the chill...
and all's we know
is it ain't like the fall
but spring don't arrive
until much later.

January 11, 2025

Anxiety Unleashed

dawn turns night light on...  we
put down our evening spectacles,
doors open...  doors close...
we walk through most while
ignoring others of which we're unsure,
night bring us comforting 
easily removed during the day,
we shield ourselves unknowingly
through our unintentional ignorance,
light lives inside the darkness
darkness hides inside the light
waiting for the opportunity
to release its depravity on all
those unsuspecting souls who
trust in the nature of mankind...
we wave our minds into its service
unleashing our anxiety at will,
surrendering nothing to the new-
comers who walk upon our shores
as if invited to our family vacation.

January 9, 2025

Enlightenment

arrives at dawn
when we least expect it
with the chores and
routines of the day...
it ushers in sunlight
from the dreary darkness
opening minds
both young and old
new insights
courage
removing poisons from
the previous day
encounters and 
extraditions...
it cleanses the mind
of rituals
long since followed
admonishing
their likeness to the
hidden truth,
calculating the exploits
of those who failed in
preserving our world.

January 8, 2025

The New Life

inside the warm coziness of the mind,
I wander aimlessly through memories
timeless in nature, full of turmoil and
doubt of life's reality, clinging onto
existentialism and life's absurdities,
suppressing and oppressive, keeping
our beliefs from freely forming...
prisoners of ourselves, living in
mental cells of our own creation,
blaming and pointing fingers at
those we hated, distrusted, and
wanted to die a horrible fate...
the new generation we were with
all the right answers, solutions
and reasons for society to change,
according to our plans, our beliefs
our idea of what life should be
what it should not be and who
should benefit from these changes.

January 7, 2025

Government

who are we to decide
who should live,
who should die?
what manner of creature
are we to kill for sport
and not for survival?
are we the chose few,
the ones for whom
this world was created.
I wonder...
as should you but
you do not...
as long as you have
what you want...
shame on those who
care this way
and not on the way
of the future...
we deny ourselves little
demand much
return nothing
and wonder what would 
our lives be like if we
didn't have government.

January 6, 2025

Cyber Wilderness

lost in a cloud wilderness
found in another,
cyber tricks played on
unsuspecting users... 
criminals hide in underground
caverns - theie hunters take
time out for lunch...
best wishes are sent out 
via email or texts as
we plan our protests in
online chat rooms,
where no one, that we know,
is listening in like they
were at home...
males swing from the tops
of trees like monkeys
to break and enter into
the dwellings they want
check out for purchase...
facts flow freely in the minds
of the accused as they have
their attorneys bribe the
judge with inaguaration tickets.

January 4, 2025

Damaged Souls

far from the crowd

far from those who care
far from the edge
too close to the other side.
not beside or not within,
between this or that
in rapid succession,
delve into it with me
or not, it matters litte
what you do or think,
when we are the wrong side
no one listens to our pleas
or our concerns...
we are the forgotten
the over-looked
the scraps of lunch 
discarded out back doors
as if dogs to feed
and little more...
we are what you were
what you left behind
what you refused to admit
you once were and more
and in the end
we perished along with
your destroyed soul.

January 3, 2025