Present has Passed

undistinguishable are the two of them
futures building upon the past,
not knowing when it stopped being
part of the present - the hear and now,
how far back does it need to be...
to be considered back there?
few of us wonder - fewer care
no one ponders anymore - how sad...
life flows forward always 
despite all its differences and
latent contradictions...  following 
the path of least resistance...
a sanctimonious life without a
beginning or an end...  yet, forward
it always moves, never staying
long at all in its present form...
whether that be past or future.
we tire of these thoughts
day after day - night after night
needing someone to referee our
non-binding, inconclusive thoughts,
rhetoric spouted out presently but
always ending in the past as it
becomes the future to soon to be
that accurate - or so they say...
or that is what we think anyway.

July 3, 2025

Lingering Doubts Festering

lingering doubts flow through
the subconscious,
meandering of words,
socialism...
democracy...
original fathers who knew
not the suffering...
commissions and
retribution for those who
were more robust than
first encountered;
boats of shipwrecked ideas
floating into mental shorelines,
picked up like shells,
tourists encountered,
paying their fees of rental usages
and meals from local
farmer's markets...
lingering doubts again flowing,
moguls mourning the
loss of shelters for their 
ill-gotten gains,
flourishing abundantly...
deep pockets lined with the
excrements of illegals pushing
over barriers...
filing lawsuits...
multiple families in single units,
denied compensation,
arrested and deported,
criminals of the state for
they sought in earnest.
wayward are their feelings
incongruent with ours,
felons are they now, alone
with their inheritance
and ties to inequalities.
Remembering...
running and hiding,
the law is the law unless one
is specially protected
from harm's way.
lingering doubts flowing
irreconcilable differences
reality divorces
multiple intrusions
and nothing to show for it.
a demonized life ends,
we comfortable sit in recliners
watching it all on fake news.

July 1, 2025

Regretless

mothers cry for their unborn child
fathers weep for missing time,
parents mistakenly pat themselves
on their backs for behaving
exactly like they were treated;
siblings fight among themselves
for no apparent reasons, carrying
their anger into middle age then
forgetting what had started it;
couples live together for a few
years before deciding to marry
in the hope of being compatible,
nothing ever works out as planned,
still, we tend to keep trying...
a laughing cow, a flying pig and
a blue moon appears to be in
the same unbelievable room of
our feeble imaginations since
we never benefit from out errors
of listening to our trusted elders.

June 29, 2025

Self-Serving Survivors

life bends its will towards survival
creatures large and small agreed
implanted at birth, self-reliance
teach the offsprings well - instinctive
nurturing their young at all costs
not too proud to share or protect,
take what you need no more
live and let live philosophy
no musical serenades - just love
in an unconditional way...
fight or flight fantasies loom
on nature's spectrum, letting others
know when to abandon the claim,
moving on to nearby lands.
life bends no will for humans,
taking more than always needed
exercising control over survival
may the best man lose today.
wheels, deals, and negotiations
are the crust of our daily breads,
only a few sit on top of the hill
dictating to others how to live
their poor lives well...
not caring if they live or die
as long as they pay the rent.
casualties of greed at the very least
exercising our wills to be stupid,
manifesting our destiny in garbage cans
as his will be done in graveyards.
we are not what nature intended
neither on good nor bad days,
we are what we taught ourselves
wondering why it's a global crisis.

June 28, 2025

Independant Celebrations

dogs and burgers on the grill
easy reminder of freedom
chicken and beef as well
healthy does not matter
pig picking in the south
the menu of no concern there,
memories still in fashion
reflect on what it means,
wars are never kind to those
who unfortunately had to die.
corn cobs wrapped in foil
down in the coals lie,
holders at the ready on the table,
umbrellas block the sun while
fans stir the atmosphere
lingering close to the ground,
Frisbees fly from hand to hand
dogs of different sizes run in
circles after their tails as 
tales of service told by veterans.
paper clothes cover the tables
bowls of beans, salads and casseroles
sit atop the red, white, blue colors.
music plays on smarter devices
powered by the sunshine and
bags of ice rest in coolers waiting
for their turn in glasses...
a welcomed retreat planned for
every year, regardless of the weather,
regardless of politics, ignoring
the hatred that permeates the land.

June 28, 2025

Falsely Accused

alone
we stand or sit,
dedicated
we are or are not,
perfected
we might be,
irrational
we have become,
masochistic
we are not or maybe
not for sure anymore,
rampant
we have become,
premeditated
juries say we were
imprisoned
remaining are we today,
forgiveness
we don't prescribe,
termination
for which we are bound,
remembering
will be no one anymore.

June 27, 2025

Bad Actors

beyond the fringe of rationality

below the scope of indifference

beneath death's desire overridden

between the curtains of deception

we live in a world of neutrality

beckoning beacons bursting forth

with a natural need for compassion,

deep roots hold onto the truth 

like snapping turtles clinging

onto their limited lives inside a

manmade country fishing pond;

winds of complacency blow away

all uncollected evidence as if they

were drawn here by some unseen

benign force of nature, prowling

on the festivities of self-reliance, 

curling up their noses at the smell

pasture dung brought back by

wandering bovines behaving with

airs of independence formerly

associated with French expatriates.

southern traditions, lingering

delinquent habits resurfacing when

bad actors are elected to office.

June 27, 2025 

 

Counselling Fragments

as long as needed, friendships last

similarly with marriages, it seems,

witches and wizards stroll down streets

similarly with beggars I am told,

life in the south spoils those

visiting from the north who look

down their noses without spectacles,

silent animosity builds the nation

that lost its founding fathers

somewhere on the train that ran

aground in our electric land...

tips on the table for good or bad

hired help follows out the door

when it doesn't match service

rendered inside - pursuant to no

law posted on the menus...

governors and mayor clash on

Wall Street every time the voters

favor their opposition - mini strokes

are they having - none really care.

pitchers stand inside the diamond

that are a woman's best friend

wondering which curve will take

them to the series and which one

will send them home to babysit,

clowns from the circus escaped

leaving breadcrumb trails, wishing

the bulls weren't as mean as before,

unsure of their motives as they

stand in line at the recruiting station.

June 26, 2025

Undeniable Relentlessness

unknown destinations
loom on the horizon,
un-encounters and
explorations...
tree-top locations,
mountain caves,
seaside adventures;
risk-takers we become
death seekers some,
jumping and diving
like it was meant to be,
insurance claims filed
subsequently denied;
think, plan, and create,
Michelangelo mindset,
filtered by the audience
and expectations...
just perform some say
without cognition or
dampened spirits,
thrills seeking thrills
addiction, craving, and
rehabilitation pursued;
boundless energy even
the aged participate...
keenly are we eyed out
sought and procured
bringing to the market
undeniable relentlessness.

June 25, 2025

Silver Silence Instead

silence claws its way 
through my head
deep breathing exercises
willful and with intent
premeditative malice
snagging a consciousness
from the banks of memory
along its pathways...
penetrating and probing
at first blush or first glance
it matters not as it drills
down into the decayed
tooth, wanting extraction.
proof of ownerships is
always required leaving
everyone standing at the
corner for the next bus.
silence takes the elevator
down to the next level,
hoping reason and logic
await its arrival...
mercy stands on the shore
of remorse, believing
talking is required before
defoliation and the drug that
always plays well with
sixties memories...
silence craves endorsements
and remarks on the limited
edition print mean nothing
if one is not familiar with
the mindset of an artist.

June 24, 2025