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

A Dead Marriage

everyday comments
sworn implications
unheard innuendos
years of marriage
lying commonalities
when retirement is
on the front doorstep,
insignificant thoughts
deceitful harm that
refuses to die...
disgust and contempt
lack of respect
lack of trust
pulling no punches
sharing the words,
hateful friendships
wrongly applied
no tears on the cheek
just animosity with
sprinkles of anger,
thirty years of more
we have betrayed
ourselves with out
promises and false
assumptions about
living together,
growing apart and
our forever love.

October 3, 2025

Fanciful Friends

cast down from the fan
air flows and reaches 
out to barriers in its way,
its goal - the couch
or beyond hopefully
to the dog resting
on the rug - on the floor
along with the cat
by its side - friends
to the end of their time,
following each other
around - day and night
misfits of the world that
had been around them,
saved and resaved from
the crisis looming,
before and afterwards,
a daunting task it was
consumed us all, 
better we all are now
then we were...
the screaming valley
caught the attention
reaction swift and oh so
thorough as we changed
history's course as well as
our own for the better.

September 30,2025

Sunroom Darkness

darkness fills the sunroom
once overflowing with activity,
nights replace days hiding
the room's purpose, concealing
the reason for refurbishing,
moments of sound vanish
cats and people return inside
to fans and air conditioners
beds and bowls of food,
not available outside...
sunroom doors lead to the 
world beyond the world of the
home where they were protected
around the clock, if need be,
it was a world of privacy and
security, not taken for granted
when venturing carefully outside.
the sunroom is the transition
where cats can experience outside
without being outside - panoramic
view - twelve windows - ledges,
cat trees to sit or lay upon while
observing the outside scenery,
birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other
felines chancing a walk through,
but now...  it is empty, filled with
the darkness of night and humidity
no one sits at the door wanting out.

September 26, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #14

Never Again

blankets on the sand deck lay

void of personal possessions

except inexpensive chairs 

under umbrellas - occupied two

or more - several chairs without

nary a one -  at water's edge

are they stationed - feet in the

water splashing - slowly sinking,

boats with blue sails bounce

up and down on the swells,

nausea inside just watching them,

traversing parallel to the shore

south to north and back again

towards parachute passengers

just launching from a skiff

a windy afternoon begins as

quickly as it begins - one week ago,

tan bodies once were all white

others are still quite pale looking

this coastline belongs to no one

although some think differently,

some spent hours getting here

others only a few minutes east

this coastline attracts them all

sharing vacations together we do

never meeting this way again.

September 20, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #13

Last Time

days pass by quickly

seven at a time

blew by unfairly

wind, sand, sun

all gone away now

until next time - next year

one year older then

hip replacement and all

learning to walk again

in the sand especially

backpacks and canes

teens holding doors

speaking elderly words

making faces as I pass

me remembering quickly

how quickly it all passes

walking through and

saying "thank you..."

with a grinning smile.

a last look at the ocean

wearing polarizing lenses

poses no problems for me

white caps and all...

memories of body surfing

drinking beer, chasing

female companionship

lay on the sand as I walk

away with wife - last time.

September 20, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #12

Right Way Viewing

off into the watery distance

I stare with futile expectations

like those before me and those before them

seeing the end but not the beginning

never knowing from whence it comes

contrasting waters coming at me

an unwavering horizon line

separating water from sky

a future distant goal to achieve

approaching but never reaching

an endless mental frustration like

not remember all lyrics of a song

or the quote from a popular book

shared in a conversation where

first impressions are the sole reason

for engaging in political small talk,

fishing poles sit in holders in carts

waiting to be pulled free or cast out

into the current less water that holds

the swimming prey for which they seek,

electric bicycles circumvent walking

large wheels enable sandy excursions,

partners exclaim:  "You showed me that before."

ponderings of a lesser kind die quickly here.

September 18, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #11

Vision Afternoon

forward facing afternoon

sunshade increasing

shadows permitting

water waves approaching

selective white caps stretching

potholed ocean appearing

in the noon of the day

rolling over on blankets

oiled and ready to go

caps of all shapes and sizes

wrap around glasses attire

preschoolers wandering around

with hand touching parents

dogs on leashes walking

their owners vigorously

straight and off course too

bald heads reflecting the sun

long hair in tails hanging

down back with the younger

letting it toss in the wind

surveyors hunting silver

oblivious to others around

search the sands unsuccessfully

a dusty blue sky covers

all perspectives of sight

even when turning heads in

parallel oblique directions.

September 18, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #10

Reality's Discourse

on the outskirts of reality

we live in townhouses

clustered in communities

with gates and keepers like

foreigners in the fifties...

controlled populations

retrained and modified,

reality blows through us

breezes at an eastern resort

chilling senses...  sobriety

dovetailed thoughts, feelings

one consciousness capabilities

rendering illusions needed

to influence actions...

truth steps in reality's shoes

only for convenience

politics and beliefs clash

junkies wear orange and red

for their colorblind intentions,

nature fools no one with its

seasonal changes, except

those who live on borders

extremities of snow and ice

preventing outlook changes

forcing us to accept the

discourse reality gives us.

September 18, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #9

 

Nevertheless Quantum

fantasies fulfilled

ill-conceived or otherwise

faltering obedience

day and night

in between and almost

seeps through curtain walls

like sounds from above

and below...  similar to

dreams of another kind

illusive and unkind

as life bestows blessings

on violations of our

mental outlooks, keeping

us safe and in line...

silos of happiness

thoughts of silence

impending universal curves

where holes are filled

with energy, both light

and dark seen in the minds

of those whose fantasies

play out in quantum 

parallel dimensions

September18, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #8

Moments of Time

time memories flirt with us

we tend to flirt back

photos taken and stored like

pigeons being fed on beaches,

dragonflies sitting on pools,

side walking crabs and

mono-wheels strolling

down sandy beaches...

aircraft ascending nearby

fading softly into silence...

time hangs on tourist heels

time looms in all minds...

too little or too much...

time flows through tunnels

nightly dreams, some days,

perceiving reality in five

one act plays without the

need to any curtain calls,

time is distorted, recreated,

intolerable at best but a

little disarming at worst,

yet time is always what it

is or what it is not and

always remembered for

what it means to us when

arriving at a complete stop.

September 17, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #7

Line of Sight

from north to south

south to north and

from the shoreline

to the west and back

we see demarcation

lines forever from

our stationary location

rows of umbrellas

rows of motels

various condominiums

stretches of sand

asphalt roads and

too many stop lights,

restaurants, specialty

stores, pancake houses,

people milling around

like ants in a farm,

seagulls who wait  

until noon to fly by...

an all-inclusive voyeur

we have become

sending our interests

into areas we are now

forced to see daily.

September 17, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #6

 A Passing Sailboat

fathers and mothers gather

in close proximity

to their children...  who,

challenge the sand

to get the best of them,

darting back and forth

from water to chairs where

the sun leaves no shadows,

the water kisses the shoreline

molding itself against sand,

flapping umbrellas wave

to the walkers, the runners

and the cyclists passing by

sometimes stopping for water,

nodding to the observant

parents before moving on

dodging children in their way,

soft sand trenches of footprints

guides the way - north or south,

seagulls fly both ways too,

copters struggling against the

prevailing currents that seem

to push sailboats along with

friendly gusts of wind...

a passing sailboat catches

it all, tacking parallel to the

tourists littering the beach.

September 16, 2025  

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #5

The Easterner

facing south

under an umbrella

slanted west

a senior citizen sits,

with no aspirations

or illusions

this trip might just

be the last one...

memories flood his

consciousness,

of times years ago

and those sooner,

details fuzzy

sometimes wrong as

the thoughts haunt

and tantalize,

young4er generations

play around him,

kicking sand into

feeble awarenesses

feeding his stubborn

nature of alienation,

wondering if he will

stay alive long enough

to show his anger.

September 16, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #4

 Late Arrivals

characteristically untiring

waves roll up shorelines

for most than just eons,

ever since land could be seen

walking today on the sand

ancients walked more than

a millennia ago...  like those

who walked a millennia

ago before them...

traditions create traditions

water from across the world

arrives on this shore as water

from here finds its way there,

replenishing what evaporates.

currents move the sands as

does hurricanes and winter

tides wash up broken shells

for sand walking collectors.

some fish their shores to

feed their growing populations

ships traverse the watery

highways seeking conquest,

taking possessions with them

as the sea retaliates, taking

what belongs not to anyone,

hulls, skeletons, and bones

litter the ocean's bottom - a

reminder that mankind was

not the first to arrive here.

September 15, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #3

First Timers

a dark blue horizon line

arcs north to south

seemingly appears straight

separating water from sky

a faded light blue chambray

ugly army green water

washing up along the shore

sea gulls riding swells

sunning as they relax - wings 

that flapped a million times,

a fixture of the salty life

apart from the sand between toes,

undistinguishable are the clouds

washing across the blue sky

one and the same appearing,

polarizing lenses alter reality

in a piece meal fashion,

making whites look whiter

in the foam preceding water,

disappearing into wet sand

permitting only photographic

memories taken away by

all those novice first timers.

September 15, 2025

Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #2

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Myrtle Beach 2025 Series #1

Beach Time

army green saltwater flows
with white caps nor easterly
into Carolina's shoreline,
menacing undercurrents move
unseen objects along, changing
those who play in its waters;
white trimmed umbrellas dot
the coastline as tourists from
east and west - north and south
assault these beaches every summer,
an invasion of those who dream
for something different from
where they have been living,
searching for that which has
been hiding inside them all along,
attitudes they bring with them
adjustments they attempt to unleash,
poisonous influences not realized,
only time can disrupt them
being as precious as it is, not to
ignore...  and yet...  it is time
that always wins us over now.

September 15, 2025

Discriminating Tastes

curtains cover the sliding window
ocean view and balcony
sunshine streams inside without
resistance counterbalancing
the night's instinctive coolness,
second floor rooms or higher
offer spectacular views with
rail with rails on which wet
clothes hang to dry...
cappuccino coffee steams in
hand-held mugs rest of tables,
on the flat screen monitor, a
news programs blast out,
smells of eggs and bacon
filter throughout the room,
pills in their containers wait
patiently to be swallowed,
views out the sliding window
a sliding calm ocean approach
relentlessly towards the shore,
bringing out the strollers and
rollers along the hard sand,
chairs and umbrellas in rows
like a military parade pose
as sentinels, under which
tourists sit to read and observe.

September 19, 2025

Torture Room

inside the vase a light shines
not a reflection or a candle nor
a light behind pushing through,
a bulb inside a fixture stands,
green glow illuminating
out into the darkness wherein
we are present and alert,
on a table this green vase sits
put there by a stranger who
knew not what our tastes were,
put there to provide light
in the dark of night when
most people were sleeping,,,
beside the table, a lamp stands
six feet up from its base,
a round weighted object that
is unattracted when viewed,
a white shade and bulb inside,
offering more illumination
that the green vase beside
home lives inside us all
despite our current lodgings
yet we strive for similarities
in our current environments,
success not observed when
lights are extinguished and we
we rest of eyes and bodies
in strange bedroom designs
where night lights are not
permissible once the sun
discloses its abandonment.

September 18, 2025

False Flags

down and dirty
meek and mild
we, the people
respond, react,
return to that
which is known,
that which is
seen and that
which is heard,
profoundly
repeating that
which cannot
be undone...
sadly sick she
has become
this nation,
who built its
fortune on the
backs of those
who love their
freedoms now.

September 18, 2025

Our Virtual Morning

hazy morning hiding sun
thick white cumulus
blue at apex showing
small waves roll inward
ocean's lake appearing
reflections off the rail
penetrate the room
curtain drawn compensating,
horizon line lost
no difference from the sky,
waves appearing suddenly
seemingly out of nowhere,
no birds flying anywhere
no rain in sight today,
curtains of a misty morning
hiding our gaze out 
into the gray whiteness
of the day ahead...
a black fin penetrates
the ocean's flatness like
a plate on a table,
gliding across easily
a knife cutting through cake,
we assimilate if we can
sitting under virtual umbrellas.

September 17, 2025

Horizon of Life

beyond the horizon lies the end

the end represents the beginning
of what's living on the other side,
adjustments needed to be made,
sad but always true when seen,
aliens hide behind the uncertainty
of the moment and the horizon
that constantly moves outward,
beyond the moment, time binds 
past and present into a cruel
singularity that fuels holes both
black and white, distinguishing
one from the other through its
age of expansion and elements
created by the small particles.
beyond this horizon time lingers
as it travels back and forth
up and down in ways that will
boggle the mind when heard or
seen as it loses sight of what
it is supposed to protect and
maintain...  we delve into our
obsession with the unknown,
clarifying what it is there once
reaching the horizon of life.

September 16, 2025

Day's End

in the west it sets at 
the end of each day,
morning began long ago
before the sun could shine,
waves of the night
bring darkness forward, l
shadows hide in the
corners of our minds
we vouch for ourselves
without denying...
darkness below
light above, the sun
has left the scene,
we regret our natures
save the moments
we understand that
truth is illusive...
moments crow in our
ears like coaches barking
out orders to players,
night falls to the ground
a curtain closing and
we wonder if the day
will ever return again.

September 15, 2025

Death Becomes Us All

born we are without consent
living lives of turmoil and dissent
freedom dwells in all of us
whether we respect it or not...
hallucinogenic minds warp
the years we have been given
putting nothing into perspective,
not wars in foreign lands nor
disturbances here at home...
day to day we live
no future planning required
someone will take care of us
it is just a matter of time...
wealth stokes the furnace of
growth in all directions,
marginal people pay the bills
the poor do absolutely nothing,
cats and dogs run freely around
the town squares of the south,
while militaries guard the violence
making sure it stays in one hand,
street people die of hunger
obesity about to explode,
rumors of rumors of rumors
rampant on the wires
across the globe and beyond,
terror begets terrorism and we
hide behind our beliefs, all of us
knowing that one day
death will become us all.

September 11, 2025

Morning Observations

Kaaa...  Kaaa...  Kaaa...
Areca...  Aureeca...  Areca...
sounds or phrases?
one knows not - just listen
to the morning, light through
the trees shine - cats prowl,
again, the sounds
warnings of flight fancies
Kaaa...  Areca...  Kaaa...
extended branches hanging over
weight of the leaves or what?
Areca...  Areca...  Kaaa...
forbideen interludes resound
in the backyard around the
wall of trees and bushes
with rotten, decaying trunks
amid a barbed wire fence 
on which rodents sit patiently
waiting for their turn to play.
off to another distant tree
a few birds migrate
minimizing their annoyances,
blinding reflections, adjusting seats
the yard still home to all these
creatures - large and small,
accents on the sounds differ
before and after heard with
unsubstantiated clarity, I speak
while in the distance remain
focused on my observations.

September 10, 2025

Birth Cycle Creation

holes of a dark nature juxtaposed

with those referred to as white,

sucking in or thrashing out,

bending and reshaping its fabric

not really expanding its time...

cruel thoughts cling to the notion

we are but simple objects in space

without destiny or purpose, just

hurled about with chaotic randomness,

presupposed to remain in place

until new places are determined,

bathed in cosmic space dust

giving us consciousness sentience

that wraps itself around knowledge

like the particles accepted or rejected

when dark holes pass to white ones 

new universes are created, not born.

September 9, 2025

Cosmic Sandbox

random thoughts like the randomness of spacetime
float through my mind as if it too were a void...
random thoughts that mix and stir...
combine and separate with the precision of a chef
as mental cuisines are prepared on which to feast,
entertaining what could or will be rather than
what is or is not currently going on...
mental tapestries of hope and despair
forged like power rings into dominant action
written down but no action taken...
journeys through underground tunnels
a metaphor for cosmic gravitational waves
permeating the continuum of our universe,
not a watchdog but as a participant whose
activities are contingent upon its warping,
subsequent re-alignment and singularities,
Previous millennia and eons have passed by
leaving us absorbed, wrapped in afterbirth, not
caring if our lives revolve inside a solar system
or a galaxy, or if we exist in this universe, or
another one that is not that different...
As perplexing as it seems, it is also irrelevant,
correlated with all that has come before, we are
destined to repeat history in such a way that
Our destiny is just a grain of life's sand
and the box in which we play with life daily.

September 9, 2025

Silver Strings

chills run down the sides of my body

currents of wind slash at my face,

fingers tips numb at the expression

that summer is over at last...

coffee blackened by the beans

slides down my throat surreptitiously

muscles tighten around the heat,

nature lives on the blind side of life

and the reason for so much strife,

silver threads float through the air

on their way to some mystic lands

beckon me to follow them when

breakfast dishes are put away...

a solo pilot navigates his ship past

all the surface garbage of life only

to find his air space crowded and

clouded by these silver strings

guiding him off into the horizon.

September 8, 2025

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