The Other Side

on the other side, you live
away from influence
that sent you there,
free from the control
that made you different,
unaware of the world
you left behind...
remarkable as it may seem
we are not that different
you and I, since we have
the same creators,
the same teachers,
the same kind of atmosphere
that keeps us both alive.
hey you...  over there...
on the other side,
what you thinking now?
willing to capitulate,
admit your faults,
admit you were wrong,
plead the fifth and
return to me, so we
can be whole again.

December 26, 2024

Lonely Holiday

a total room reflected
table and chairs
tree and decorations
wall paintings, door,
and lights hanging down,
dark energy all around
back dropping the scene,
all glass doors on which
the reflection is seen,
no movement at all
except the outside
streetlamp, blinking
in the unseen wind...
cats on their heating pad
staying warm together,
tunes from the radio
gently blowing in my ears,
decorations around the mantle
as if a scene is being filmed
and no one on the couch
with whom to share it with.

December 24, 2024

Experience Randomness

remove suspicion from your thoughts

think positively if you can

avoid the negativity in people's souls

formulate your own beliefs...

live as best as you can

under all circumstances and

think the best of people

as a matter of routine...

look for loopholes in the law

pass through the eye of a needle

if you can when in doubt\

and never turn your back on a

stranger when shopping unless you

are using their credit card.

December 24, 2004

Cold Memories

the sun sifted through the cold
like grandma's flour
cheesy biscuits and gravy
sausage and scrambled eggs,
grandpa's heart attack
grandma passing a few years later.,
flannel lined jeans and snow boots,
scarfs, muffs, and gloves
snow's been gone for days but
her precious bundle must be
genuinely protected...
at all costs, she used to say.
alone these days is normal
at least for me anyways,
I seldom look over my shoulder
and when I do, it all sifts
through my mind again.

December 23, 2024

Advice

like the deer, we stay one
step ahead of the storm,
hiding behind bushes
and trees, living in caves
long ago made by the
wind at our backs...
along the rooftops of the
mind we prance, loaded
down with thoughts,
putting aside our differences
we give to the needy
and to the forgotten,
who will be remembered
in the future when we
return for their advice...

December 21, 2024

Sojourn

 

through the valley of time, I ride

diligent and damp

unencumbered by the soulless 

whose footprints I am

destined to follow...

mountains on both side

blue sky above

into the eerie fog I dance,

hopeful yet oblivious

to the future

the path ahead..

looking back, I do not, nor

will I ever intend to do,

ahead is the mistress

I choose to chase.

December 20, 2024

Nothingness

light flows into dark

dark flows into light

days pass by quickly

undetected hours

formed by minutes

ride the waves of time

muted by tone and

vibrations, cleared

to pass us by...

we are the spirit

the life transcending,

likened to none,

partial and pure,

delighted by needs

to transpire into a

stage of nothingness.

December 18, 2024

First Day Back

back to the summer, I turn
long drives east to the coast
dogging drivers with a toast,
feeling bolder than most,
random selection guides us
to our unique destination,
along the shore we sit,
feet in the water
butts in the sand
a cold brew in one
pole in the other hand,
country sounds on the phone
not caring who is at home,
when it is time to go in
we resist as best we can,
looking at the moon
looking back at us
wondering with a grin
if we just have arrived
realizing too late
the water's at high tide.

December 16, 2025

Threats

daily we face them
from all sides 
fully bombarded,
threats to our self
our person
our mind
our feelings
our family as well,
don't like your color
your thoughts
or your feelings,
your house or car
your lunatic child,
not to mention
you dog that
does his business
on mine...
fences don't keep
our the threats
the break-ins
rock throwing
and bricks...
find a new home
get out...  get out...
of my sight,
your presence
offends me
you must go,
from when you came
is what I prefer.

December 16, 2024

Life's Floating

we roll through life as if 
floating on a leaf in a stream,
oblivious to surroundings
and to our own pleasures,
aimlessly relaxing
in a coma of sorts
watching it all pass by,
seeing but not believing
watching by not noticing
living but not aware,
just floating around
on a leaf in a stream
without a care...
wishing and wondering
for smooth sailing
and warm air...
the stem of the leaf
their strength,
belief in their faith
their protection, 
their mentor
an eternal guiding light

December 15, 2024

Senses

hear
     see
         smell 
                taste
                      feel

senses are real

alive and full

of energy,

reminding us

of what it is like

to be human;

normal and

unconditional

they are,

will be...

betrayed at birth

by sounds and

sensations,

we grow into

what we believe

to be true

rather than

rely on senses.

December 15, 2024

Sacred Pond

around me only water

a hazy sky above

trees off in the distance

not for my protection.  

gentle is as the water flows

my position clear to me,

watching is not just 

for the birds like me

but for anyone who wants to

to live in these strange lands

mankind has created.

December 13, 2024

Walking the Dog

 

Night fall quickly

this time of year,

streetlamps shine

an appearance of fog

in the distance seen

down through the

road ahead...

beside me walks

my friend

of many years now,

along this road

we have traveled

once times many,

perhaps this will be

the last as we

both aging rapidly.

December 13, 2024

Missing Keys

out the door passed
back inside fast,
on the counter
by the coffee pot
in the bathroom
table by the bed
yesterday's clothes
all pockets checked
inquiring kids
and wife last
no signs anywhere,
removing pillows
on the couch
and underneath
checked it all
again, and again
nowhere in sight
what to do, a
befuddled mind asks
do I call it a sick day
if someone asks why?

December 11, 2024

Lurking

evil lurks around the corner
of every belief that
everyone ever had and will
forge alliances with the
devil to make us adversely
pay for those beliefs...
society is cruel and wicked,
allowing its growth to
divide those once united,
pealing back the onion
one layer at a time
reflecting mutual discontent
that at one time or
another united us...
we have slipped int the
abyss of thoughtlessness
and despair, peering out
of the hole every so often
to reflect upon our past.

December 9, 2024

Decorations

stuffed decorations sit on tables

in front of fireplaces and

hang on the doors

inside and out

as we celebrate another

holiday season...

the house smells of cinnamon

and spices, pies and cookies,

recently made as children

of all ages want to help...

Stockings on the mantle

mistletoe on the doorways

music from speakers hidden

carefully in the walls...

holiday cheer is wall to wall

our shopping never ends.

December 8, 2024

Leaders

Thor slams down his hammer to get

the attention of the lords,

Khrushchev slams down his shoe

on the table top,

Putin sends in his troops to fight an

inferior army and loses,

leaders the world over and beyond

continue to make bad decisions,

leaving the rest of us to wonder

if our safety is in check or

should we take ahold once again.

December 8, 2024

Untitled

                                        

                                          a 

                                                      fall 

                                                                     leaf 

                                                                                  magically 

                                                                                softly

                                                                           gently 

                                                                    and 

                                            without 

                   hesitation 

                       falls

                             to 

                                          the 

                                                           ground 

                                                                                  unobstructed 

                                                                                 unseen 

                                                                               and 

                                                    unheard, 

                                   then 

turns 

       colors 

               dies 

                      whittles 

                                  away 

                                                       before 

                                                                       spring 

                                                      arrives 

                                  the 

                next 

year. 

December 6, 2028

BE A DREAMER

reach out 

into the heavens 

grab a star 

let it roll around 

in the palm of 

your hand a little... 

smile 

laugh 

giggle some 

let it energize you

inspire 

mesmerizing too... 

when it disappears 

you are left grasping 

for its memories. 

December 6, 2024

Falling Trees

trees fall in silence
around is no one,
life is meaningless
alone in silence,
lock step we are in
our thinking
not in actions
nor in deeds...
nonetheless,
we try.
learn to learn 
in the forest is
what it's about, yet
they know not why
they were planted,
or the rain or sun
growing them tall.
knowing nothing,
until they fall...
gone are the homes
in their branches,
gone are the leaves
that fell last fall,
gone are the birds
announcing morning,
the squirrels that
foraged and all...
no longer appearing
are the trees that
landed in silence
no one around to save.

December 5, 2024

Retaliation

fill your lungs with hate

your eyes with longing

ears with disrespect

your mind with unanticipated

contempt for those who

would disagree with you...

now is the time

not later

when anger subsides,

and the tension your

body felt relaxes...

take action now

make them regret

what they made you feel

all the turmoil through

which they put you,

the abortion of ideas

your brain demolished

after you decried your

merciless suffering...

make them pay...  big time.

December 5, 2024

The Photograph

one thousand words flow out of me
when I see that photograph,
lingering around in my memory,
moving from one year to the next
chronological and all...
pardon me, if I seem to be ignoring
my memories are calling me
out to play a little...
look inside my thoughts if you will,
find the wagers I have kept
in my back pockets...
borrowed time is calling me
and I have no answers,
save the photograph to share,
if that is acceptable?
wealthy with you beside me, I am
floating in the universe
aware of nothing
fearing it all will come tumbling
down upon me and my photo.
stand aside and let me pass,
let me step into the image
and disappear inside forever.

December 4, 2024

Generalized Opinions

our lives are better now than before
some say - others disagree.
I know not what to think.
both points of view are valid
both are incorrect as well...
everyone is not applicable
in these generalizations 
on which we base our opinions.
cope or not cope, we say
(not know who we is)
no one sees or hears the truth
which is what, I ask?
say no more, they say, we are
preparing to come for you.
dangerous times we are in
living or dead we become
immobilized in our thoughts,
actions and deeds and say no more,
nobody listens - we begin again.
believe as you will - listen if you can,
dare to stay the snake in the eyes
stand up for your beliefs...
generalizations are unfair.

December 3, 2024

Cooking Lunch

sights and sounds of life
all around me
scrambling about
flirting with the light
as their prey,
shadows hiding here
and there - a 
painter's delight...
moments of thought
interrupted,
delayed and rephrased,
delivered and summoned
as would a jury be...
skilled and unskilled
in the light obey
the traffic signs they
do not delay any longer
than necessary...
they say with contempt,
non provoking 
their disobedience is,
mocking about
in our lonely minds...
tempted to look inside
the pressure cooker
before it has finished.

December 3, 2024

Blissful Ignorance

believe or don't believe
think or don't think
you are the master of
your own ignorance,
choice is choice
or not...
when expecting to be
influenced or
waiting for others...
we exhume our own thoughts
when absolutely necessary
relying on others to
guide us prematurely,
not so forthright 
in our actions are we when
it pertains to the life
we would have liked
to live versus the one, we
were forced to live...
the cold mist of reality
blankets our minds,
clouds our vision
and teaches us to be
less protective of our future
than we once were when
our ignorance was bliss.

November 30, 2024

A Vast Universe

the wind blows across
tree branches outside,
I am reminded of the past,
sitting inside
in my recliner
observing what I can...
reminded of a time when
as a lad, I was full
of many ideas to revolutionize
the world in which we lived,
from toys to transportation
and points in between
like fantasies of space,
wars between planets and
ancient aliens who had
visited us once or twice,
the creatures imagined were
fierce and strong,
taking no prisoners,
beating down all who stood
in their way...  as if we
were nothing but ice cubes
falling from a dead sky.
It was a childish fantasy,
I suppose...
keeping me up at night
exploring the vast universe.

November 29, 2024

Humans Destroy

mindless souls flitting

about the universe,

random thoughts merge

into chaos...

soldiers fall on the battlefield

unnoticed because your

country is not involved;

weak minds control the weaker

for more power and the

world falls victim to a lost

universal metaphor,

when life on earth is no longer

cherished by the masses;

victims of our own affluence,

we blame others for our

ignored demise, looking to build

spaceship to flee what we so

willingly over the years destroyed.

November 29, 2024

Obesity's Party

too much of too much
we over-indulge
no longer slim in either
attitude or weight...
fashionably late to the table
unwelcomed guest results,
gorging ourselves on
finger foods left over
from yesterday's party,
out back by the creek
we barf it all over,
returning for more as if
we newly arrived...
obesity runs the show
during any holiday,
making sure only one or
two of them are invited
you will incur no debt
once they are gone.

November 28, 2024

Ingenuity

a judgement surrendered

decision lost,
fair market value no longer exists,
under siege by those who
make the laws and
those enforce them,
victims of an elitest class that
looks down on those
who wonder...
who question...
who want things better
than before...
a listless memory of sorts
no one remembers
but knows it was there,
like the sun, the moon, 
and the stars,
the existence of conjecture,
factoring good and evil into
a combustible thought...
an engine of sorts
destined to make the future
before the past catches up.

November 28, 2024

Enlightened

once or twice, I suppose
we think of others,
that is more the exception
than the rule...
what is in it for me,
they exclaim before
agreeing to do anything;
it is not that I disagree
with their logic
frame of mind or
attitude but can we really
exist like this in the
marketplace of today?
once or twice, I suppose
we think of others,
when it comes to drying
but even that depends on
distance and travel time;
we are encouraged to 
keep an open mind,
obey the golden rule
but those are just phrases
that we say and expect
no one to follow...
we are enlightened as
a progressive society.

November 27, 2024

Wondering

wondering through your memories

are you?
What do you see?
moments in time you were happy
others when you were sad,
friends long since expired
others brand new,
jobs you ran towards while
other from which you fled...
memories of a different life
a gentler, kinder world where
we were civil and
proud to be alive,
remembering marriages and
children...  relatives and
grandchildren,
friends now deceased
others still alive...
mistakes and successes
about the same
but never did you want to
leave where you came from
or talk ill of those who
disagreed with you,
yelled at you...
or called you names,
wondering through your memories
are you?  
Well, what do you see?

November 26, 2024