Madness Trapper

a gentle madness wash over me
defecating birds in gardens flee
a triumphant blow to the ego felt
when insanity does become me,
ancient mariners brought me here
to this land of the unencumbered
where south side moss only grows
and wild eggs fried on flat rocks,
swamps slither around like snakes,
in the muck, mire, and mildew...
behind the eyes live the crimes of
one thousand souls or more,
each one mourning the death of
the others as if no recourse exists,
save the one I alone offer them,
when given to me the sins of
their forefathers and families.
not a saint or the devil am I but
rest assured no friend of yours,
my delusions are my own and
the fit very well on me...  I am
the one who steals from you so
you can live a life of blessedness.

September 6, 2025

Broken Rings

cat tree in the corner lives permanently
two rockers on one side
a couch on the other - made of wicker
but not for the wicker man...
this time eleven windows form walls
along with two doors for security
we strive to be safe these days...
shades block out light unwanted
fans distribute the heat and cold.
a cave in which we live is not a home,
shelter needed when shelter can,
volumes of hope lay in trashcans
along with the daily news,
swords of imagination clash against
the seldom offered truth, struggling
to break free from its masters...
terror is as it does - does what it wants
domestic is only a euphemism
planted like hearing aids to circumvent
the approaches the surround us like
like the keeps of the broken rings.

September 6, 2025 

Hunting the Hunters

praise goes to the ones who survived

soldiers returning home from battle

divorces who decide to remarry

cancer patients living beyond goals

children born in the heart of Africa

the wealthy who look down their noses

politicians who lie like defecations

birds who fall out of the nests

hunters not having time to reload

crabs not put into the boiling pots

clergy who has lost their beliefs

mothers who give up their children

addicts who kick instead of die

all the bombs never exploded

criminals never brought to justice

proponents of trickle-down economics

feet painters without the use of arms

blind singers who love inspirationals

Deaf artists who never walk alone

trees never cut down for houses

parks never turned into condos

we the people that never were we

and those who are always forgotten.

September 4, 2025

Night Dreams

rain blew in last night during
our slumber time,
unnoticed and unmanaged,
it flooded the minds of
the elderly to the point
they knew not who they were
in the morning light...
proposed changes were made
implemented and etched in
stone tablets like Moses...
living water ran down through
the streets of forgetfulness
blending past with present,
present with future, eliminating
speculative investing at
its very points of origin...
crusaders lined up around corners
beg for the days of old when
first knight had rights and
women were never scorned,
rain poured through holes
the heads could not fill in time,
short-circuited that thoughts
leaving desperation it its wake.

September 4, 2025

Days of Ole

dreary and dismal is the day
arriving after yesterday
when all was as expected,
hours pass by too quickly to
be noticed fully and when
observed offer very little
in emotional comforts...
they whittle away at themselves
like carving a face in wood
for children's play and
nothing more when life used
to be just that simple...
they flow one right after the
other as they should, never
out of place are they seen,
since no one would know
exactly what to do if they were,
arranged unchronological,
they serve us well when working
or relaxing by the shore but
when there is nothing to do,
they are boring and immature,
they feed on our frailties
instead of the qualities that
made them what they were,
now just a bunch of minutes
and hours bundled together
because it is so much cheaper.

September 2, 2025

Beyond Time's Boundaries

time mourns innocence lost
a crisis in aging felt,
the non-reciprocating agreement
leading us into a neverland fantasy
with or without our shoes,
or best buddies by our sides...
cringing at all the terms
to which we did not agree,
sight...  hearing...  mobility...
physical dependance upon those
for whom we once cared,
more of a burden now than help,
fashionable clothes sitting in the closet
waiting for the funeral that
never seems to arrive in time...
dogged persistence keeps us alive
beyond the threshold of sanity
hummingbirds laugh at our presence
attempting to capture their vitality,
ageless thoughts flow through filters
positioned by the mind's defenses,
allowing in the relevant ones...
hiding all the others...  until...
time has no need to see the past.

September 1, 2025

Watching Over Me

twice a month I get infusions
daily pills do I also take,
count my blessings do I always
no prayers do I ever say...
except once at the beginning
when all was lost, I thought,
giving myself up without regret,
eighteen years my path is fixed
science has kept me alive...
or so it seemed sometimes.
wealth and miracles happen to others
has been my claim to fame...  still,
something in the way I have survived
tells me differently when considering
all this extra amount of time given.
luck is favored by those who prepare
I live my life the way I always do,
not just stepping daily into it nor
putting one foot before the other;
I live my life as if there's no tomorrow
for whatever reason surrounds me
and while my purpose is unknown
something still watches over me.

August 31, 2025

Backyard Solitude

illumination through the trees
there when feet touched
cool deck boards underneath,
faded stain, worn in spots
cracks run horizontal beside
vertical railing, aluminum
strips float freely between the
rails tied with granny knots,
a faded green cat brush with
bent and missing bristles on
the glass table sits aimlessly,
awaiting its owner's arrival,
stillness in the air prevails
soundless flapping of wings
as vacationing birds fly by
with long beaks and tiny bodies
looking for the red containers,
a cloudless pale blue sky serves
a gentle backdrop reminder of
no more sleeping felines...  but
for now, when heads raise, they
merely watch hopping rabbits,
drearily look at lounging owners
giving us the go-ahead permission
to continue with our writings.

August 25, 2025

A Word or Two Written

sun through the umbrella shines
matted pages absorb the light,
black ink scribbles until empty
a sky-blue replacement suffices,
words on the page quickly appear
marked out and replaced before
attempts at editing occur...
readers read not the original but
one with modifications galore
oftentimes changing the meaning
of what was written before.
no claims to fame are there given
nor quick solutions for changing themes,
when smithing of the phrase occurs.
thought retrievals replaced by searches
more efficient engines they assure
robing us of our humanity onto
which we have desperately tried to hold.
sometimes, on this porch I sit when
weather is nice and warm, protected
by this red umbrella when too much
sun finally appears...  oftentimes, my
thoughts I see, many of which, fall
through the decking cracks but some
survive the test of time...  remaining
on the booklet pages when it closes.

August 29, 2025

Seasons Noticed

distant sounds fly by overhead
aircraft engine heard
vehicles rumble down highways
along with eighteen wheelers,
echos heard through walls
chirping birds illuminate
cats scratch for fleas
morning breezes chill,
fall approaches like a snake
through un-mowed grasses sneak
gaps of summer filled in
famously overlooked by age,
gentle reminders trapped
in corner spider webs only
yesterday pulled down by brooms,
drops in temperature and hearty
meals prepared with hesitation
recant these changes while fires
are kept burning and seasons
change without much notice.

August 29, 2025

The Owl and the Dog

plastic owls on porch steps sit
tied down by nylon twine,
a stray dog lifts his leg and urinates
caustic voices scare it away,
birds on branches high in the air
declare civil disobedience
on the owners of the owl...
defecating defiantly on the steps
a war they tweet out, has begun
even though it goes by another name,
mischief and mayhem witnessed
by porch less visitors in a southern
rural town, goes not unnoticed
in the world of public debates,
writers write the story
publishers publish the tale
readers read in a provoking way
want laws to prevent this happening,
city councils meet in closed chambers
remaining hopelessly deadlocked,
taxpayers howl at misuse of money,
local residents have cookouts
after mowing their lawns...
lines were drawn but never crossed
banners were made but never sold
the dog visits the owl regularly
the owners continue to feed him.

August 27, 2025

In the Zone

day glow colors flash
through the night,
sounds of military
down streets walk,
buildings shake as
ground quakes rumble,
fears replace tears
keeping us from slumber,
light reflected in mirrors
shine in our eyes,
blinding our sight
beneficial in hindsight,
not while enduring...
moments become minutes
minutes become hours
hours become days,
living inside a purple haze,
greeters down the bombed-
out streets, walk freely,
announcing their claims
in foreign languages,
behind the walls we wait
light speckles our faces
traumatized and mesmerized
by the fallout of bodies
now seen in the warm sun.

August 27, 2025

The Morning Train

joys of life trickle down

through the years,

moments and episodes

years forming decades,

altering  -  changing

abandoning  -  forfeiting

transcribed events

turned into photos,

scrapbooks of memories

forgotten and shelved,

reminded when moving

teasing delights of youth

middle-aged tortures

life saving tips

wonderous  -  fabulous

part of it all, it is...

listening, loving, disregarding

a life fulfilled, it was

complete and packed away

on a morning train to nowhere

departing ever so quickly

once death takes you away.

August 26, 2025

Stillness

stillness

morning creeps in

light refracted

darkness fades

more stillness...

weeping silence

ignorance born

mind fog blends

horrors extend then-

selves outward

night fork bends

stillness...

gentle souls delivered

threads and ribbons

woven intermittently

in nights darkness,

forever abandoned

more stillness...

masquerading light

caught in droplets of

water on grass blades.

August 26, 2025

Consensual Contempt

on the sidelines we are
the dream plays out
behind our backs...
reach out we do
slapped down we are
taxes and inflation
low wages offered
others score wealth
labors belittled
promises made
ignored they become...
silly are we again
thinking differently,
vulnerable and vindictive
we gather in streets
carry signs and protest
nothing is nothing
given to us freely...
the nation leans towards
the wealthy
the influential
those who score daily,
leaving us behind
looking back never
maybe over shoulder
wondering why we
have such contempt.

August 25, 2025

Amends Not Accepted

cruise through the files of forgotten memories

nicely tucked away in mind vaults buried in

the deep recesses of one's subconsciousness,

rub away the dust and cobwebs from those

images one fears might awaken the instincts

one had when a younger version lived...

dig into the files where you stored thoughts

of realized emotions, given too quickly that

one never wanted to revisit while living,

unlock the suitcases of all the buried bodies

revolved your life around while taking

them for granted as temporary lovers,

remember the kind of person you were

and remember the torture through which

you played your victims heart and souls,

age may have changed you, reformed you

but the trail of ashes you left behind is

as long as it is broad and never forgotten.

August 24, 2025

Caring for Strays

stray cats on the back porch found
one yellow - one white
one male - one female, respectively
one stayed - one vanished
a fixture yellow has become,
inside cats number three
all are male you see...
only one has venture outside
to play with the stranger.
malnourished was the yellow cat
found to be - fed regularly he was
now a fat cat we tend to see
waiting each morning on the deck
for our consistent arrival...
a stray cat he once was to us,
now a member of the family,
only somewhat you see as we have
three other cats to feed.
content with his surrounding,
we call him little boy, finding out
recently he goes by kitty kitty.
our stray yellow cat has survived
winter, spring, and summer,
providing joy and comfort when
inside and around our lives...
we felt sorry for the strays that no
longer seem to roam the grounds.

August 23, 2025

Ode to Back Porches

silence in the morning breaks
words offer no consolation
breeze ripples intertwine with
the reality of isolation...
foraging birds seeing nothing
offer nothing to change the
outcomes we so deserve,
squirrels tease the cats
who tease each other and
chase falling leaves that
disappear forever on the
darkened grassy ground...
sight hinders the vision of
hearing as sounds filter
through bushes and trees
like altar boys who try to 
consume leftover wine 
before being seen by the
elderly visiting priest...
back porches live in rural
America like the buried
memories of dead soldiers.

August 21, 2025

We Were Just Wondering

wondering
about corrupt politicians
still in office,

wondering
about children in slums
that are dying,

wondering
about all the wealthy who
have avoided taxes,

wondering
about the young soldiers
dying in foreign lands,

wondering 

about the God that allows
all this to happen,

wondering
about the students when
they learn nothing,

wondering
about all our children
overdosing on drugs,

wondering
about all the illegal immigrants
who are given sanctuary,

wondering
if the news we read is true
accurate and balanced,

wondering 
why we only wonder instead
of changing what's wrong.

August 21, 2025

Freedom's Reminders

mellow morning memories mix naturally

with the day's unfolding currents leaving

us wanting more... receiving less...  and

hoping for a change in venue from the

routines that have guided us so far,

we surround the table of doubt with our

thoughts before each meal, knowing not

why we were chosen to live or die when

others are given different paths to follow,

narrow minded individual soaked in the

wet clothes of past failures knock on our

door looking for donations to change the

course of our destiny and false hopes.

pride lays on the doorstep of wisdom

if and when we decide to give ours up.

August 20, 2025

Just Another Old Man

white haired and bearded an old man rests
a rocking chair he's owned for years
holds his fragile body, creaking as it moves,
a wooden porch made from reused lumber
is the foundation of this adventure,
for years he has been rocking there
neglected by his neighbors when passing
waves in their direction anyway,
he is a fool they say - the only one in town
one that deserves no attention they say
one that should not be around...
behind his back they make fun of him,
tossing stones and rocks to torment,
they rejoiced the day he died
praising the ambulance that took him away
laughed and mocked when no one attended
the funeral the city had to provide...
a young reported was ordered to write the story
of the old rocking man that had no friends,
upset she was given the assignment
researched his life disrespectfully,
her story pulled no punches
determined to write the truth once and for all
was amazed to discover the old man
had been someone to remember
since he held the medal of honor received
for heroism in Vietnam - saving lives of children
who had belittled the Americans who
had arrived uninvited to set them all free,
his family had left him because of all the lies
mainstream media printed about him,
his neighbors rejected him not knowing who he was
so he sat there in his rocking chair everyday
in an act of final defiance - letting everyone know
he was still proud to be an American
despite what everyone else thought of him.

August 19, 2025

Children Abandoned

children not their parent know

left on streets like animals

abandoned long ago

with their responsibilities.

grown and ignored

turn to violence they do

seeking attention from others

love they never had...

the streets they walk alone

sometimes together

or in groups...  terrorizing

those in their way.

fancy themselves as gangsters

mayhem is their play.

long ago it could have changed

foster parents and siblings

were it not for those who

only gamed the system

leaving no room for change.

August 19, 2025

Moments and Memories

ageless moments and memories

dangle in the mind's atmosphere

like ornaments hanging from a tree,

misery loves company they say

but only on the weekends...

doubt suppresses guilt when

questions aren't answered

and life begins a middle age

is just a foolish rumor...

single parents dine on facebook

hoping for a new experience,

showing off body parts as if

skin is the main attraction once

the pills have been swallowed.

hapless hobos walk the tracks

looking for their next meal,

avoiding family responsibilities

by giving away their fortunes;

photos from the earlier days

turn yellow in back pockets

crinkle in wallets - seldom

looked at anyway - reminding

reminding us of times when

was just a finger click away.

August18, 2025

Closing Doors

friends float freely in
mental ponds filled
with memories soon
to be forgotten when
loyalties linger
undisturbed after
decades of isolation;
cages gilded with
sad stories sit on the
doorstep of fantasy,
optimism halts its
production, borders
skate home after the
storm of showers,
falling perilously
close to the end of
time here on earth;
youth hold onto its
self after nightmares
rearrange thoughts,
nailed down to the
floors after falling off
hanger of hope, left
over from yesterday's
rally in the square,
and all the uninvited 
guests sold their causes
to nonprofit charities.

August 17, 2025

Staying Neutral

hollow point moments
through and through
a storms pre-calmness
fancy interlude...
suspects, warrants
search conducted
by the book provided
target marching
in unison parading,
discounted colors flying
shirts waving
hats flying towards
the victims,
shot fired repeatedly,
downward movements
colliding concealments
all too often seen...
witch hunts preclude
the final decision
made with retrospective
vision and interpretation,
overdue yesterday
were the crowds assembled
victory was pronounced
dead at the gravesite.

August 17, 2025

Strings of Time

hours pass by unnoticed
days too,
years are fleeting
not as much 
as decades though,
some days,
times seems to stand still
move in slow motion,
forever and a day
does it pass by,
ever so nimbly...
some days,
it flows,
rain without end,
boundless
energy free
and then some,
a hurricane
tornado,
or mud slide
unpredictable in
how it goes...
some days,
it returns to normal
comparing and contrasting
what has been,
what is and what
most assuredly will be.

August 16, 2025

A Caribbean Affair

cool breezes drift over our bodies
a strong sun counterbalances,
humidity removes out clothes
on our backs we lay
legs straight and extended,
your large breast hang limp
sending chills through me
when nipples touch my skin,
you turn leaning against me,
a free hand reaches down
in between my legs to arouse
and tease my manhood that
that you hold like a sausage,
lightly squeezing as you slide
up and down, toying with the
tight opening underneath...
moans escape from my lips
when penetration intensifies,
my hips rise from your control,
you ride me like a rodeo bull
spurs dig into my sides...
juices flow like a summer shower
we slide ourselves around
bathing it their aromas
binding us together, forever
sealing our fate and future.

August 15, 2025

No Refunds Life

a wall with paintings makes not a home

a loveless couple makes not a marriage

a feckless job makes not a career

yet we live this way oftentimes

barking out excuses for lack of change

blaming the years or the money

the weather, environment, or future

living comfortably is not life

taking care of pets is not love,

our faith guides us onward looking

for this life after death promise,

believing the rhetoric as if it were

the ultimate in honesty while

understanding the universal lie,

we accept the grind of life because

it's the only life we have, choosing

not to change the status quo since

no guarantees are offered and no

refunds on our lives are granted.

August 14, 2025

Rumbling Over

thunder tolls down through the valley
alone and undisturbed
flashes of light touch distant lands
animals hide in trees
rain plummets the ground 
light from a hidden sun prevails
raincoats and umbrellas galore
bumping into others unintentionally
tempers flare up to the skies
wisdom in car owner circles has
no cars remain in the garage,
as novice drivers heed not the advice
sliding on the wet payment,
streams of excess water flow down
suburban streets steadily,
unmask country roads, filling up
empty ponds for sheep.
limps buckle under the weight
branches crack and fall,
backyard creeks overflow
youngsters are having a ball...
thunder precedes the downfall
distant lightning defines location
cleanup is encouraged by all.

August 13, 2025

Listen

listen...  listen...
hide behind your fears
and listen...
puddles on the ground
telltale signs flowing
down from the hills,
sliding through
leaves and branches,
bouncing on the ground,
listen...
we are three
we are two
one on one
and gone again,
lost and found in the
morning showers,
crying skies
pour down on us all,
listen...
the sun is out 
brightly shinning
streaming rays
convey humidity
inside race...
listen...
to the sounds of it all.
lay on the ground
feel the wetness
hold firm
lift and learn
to what is not heard.

August 12, 2025

Watching us Watching

the miller had his tales
mine not so entertaining,
miles above us hides the
visitors who have been
watching us for years...
observing...  learning...
plotting to infiltrate
with rules and regulations,
solving the mysteries we
could only imagine...
telescopes we build
satellites we launch
expeditions we take
missions we plan into
the soul of Mars hoping
to fine the remains of
earlier visitors...  when
they have already given
all that has been warranted,
we pray to the gods of
mercy and salvation,
believing they rejoice in
our successes as well as in 
our failures, although we
are unsure of the latter.

August 11, 2025

Rhymes Explore

a leaf turns up - another down

heat proliferates the ground,

summer hinges on the temps

not a safe place to be for gimps,

mother makes meals for nine

husband comes in from behind,

lurking in the shadows still

are the ones who work the mill,

daily grinds that don't betray

are the one tossing bales of hay,

backyard rhymes come and go

not for those who make the blow,

I for one too old to care 

have been known to take the dare,

little willie down the block

has his trike on a lock,

weeping willows by the pond

have the grace of magic wands,

ending the torture of the day

are the ones who make the hay.

August 10, 2025

Tuning Temperaments

meaningful changes lay on the
ground unnoticed until
death do us part prevails...
loved ones taken away before
it can be manifested in life,
tears us apart as family's
mourn the loss - we sit idly
by drinking our cognacs
marveling at the way we
have been fed so far...
hunger dwells on the backs
of the weak as nature dictates,
survival is the bridge to wealth,
those who doubt are wished a
hearty bon voyage, sailing away
from the culture piers that were
built for immigrants seeking
the rock of Plymouth...
courage is given to warriors
who justify kills through the
standards of holy wars leveled
at those superstitious souls
praying on their knees
wishing to be seen and then
forgotten like their ancestors
looking for desert water 
or dark scorpions to eat...
meaningful changes are at hand
but only for those submissives
that can look the other way.

August 9, 2025

Every Four Years

silence flows through the valley

a calming influence

storms on the horizon roost

like mother birds...

words move freely through the air

a banana on hard woods,

workers stand along the lines of

disenfranchised employment,

hoping for insurance...

summer leaves us without

confidence - mosquito's flirt

with senior citizens who 

surrendered checks to illegals,

chills down the spines of males

force them into submissiveness,

females write the checks,

pay the bills that decide the future,

upside we are - more than debt

running down the winding road

looking for the sanity taken away

from us every four years.

August 8, 2025

Suburbia

words fall short of expectations
actions deepen the wound,
sorrow is shared in private
when there is no place to go.
friends deliver when convenient
enemies watch you fall...
people like to con people out of money
no one obeys the law...
wonders always amaze us
pride always causes the fall
sayings are mostly meaningless
but all typically used by all.
moments prepare us for nothing
children like playing in puddles
after it has rained when their
friends are in Bible School and
parents are peering through windows
hoping to see something new.
our world is full of neutered thoughts
worthless actions and neighbors
who are not friendly at all...
but this is our society now,
who we have become or who 
we always wanted to be.

August 7, 2025

Social Media

beware the age on social media

twenty twenty for some,

for others loss of money...

crime is measured in degrees

not in maturity or innocence

as some predictors might think,

alas is the age of innocence

gone forever in the wind

along with the breeze that

blows flatus away from on

crowed buses going nowhere.

youthful exuberance lives just

outside the corner drugstore,

just inside the playground and

near the communities where

the rich people live...  who pay

to keep them all elsewhere.

panhandled streets have grown

on social media, neither the

parents or the elders care as

long as they are not victimized.

August 5, 2025