Laughing Wind

I sit in my chair like a deposed king

sits on his throne wondering what the

hell happened with all those peasants

who had at one time supported him...

I sit in my chair surveying the life 

that now surrounds me, seeing only

the boxes that still need to be emptied;

a sunroom without windows crosses

in front of my imagination, leaving

me with a worst case scenario and

no one with whom to share outcomes

and decide on a new direction since

this path seems to be well traveled...

shades of greens, yellows, and browns

float aimlessly outside my windows

as if trying to surround me with their

constant, positive attitudes when all

else is hopelessly lost in the smell of

the neighbor's outside bar-b-que,,,

shadows move across the table and

chairs, caught in a moving ballet

choreographed without music, just

the blowing of wind through the

trees in my front yard with laughter.

July 4, 2023

Cheap Thrills

cheap thrills when you are old

looking out the bedroom window

at the seventy-five-year-old widow

sunbathing on her back porch...

cheap thrills when the cat lays in

your lap and starts to make bread

while you are sleeping soundly...

cheap thrills when the washing

machine is vibrating and you are

taking your time trying to fix it...

cheap thrills when you decide to

answer the door in your underwear

to tell the Jehovah's witness that

you are not interested in prayers...

cheap thrills when the adult movie

you are watching turns out to be

the cartoon you are watching 

with your grandchildren, since

you had agreed to babysit them.

July 4, 2023

Guard Cats

reflection in the glass door indicates

darkness is on the other side...  and,

even though all the doors and windows

are locked to prevent intruders, we

are aware of the spirits of the night

that will seep through the cracks in

the walls to penetrate the inner sanctum

of our security...  baseball bats against

the closet door and knives under the

pillow let us know we have protection

should be awake in time...  a night

owl sits on the rail of the deck to ward

off any evil spirts who try to use the

wooden steps to gain entrance...  our

cats who were trained by the best mice

we could find (at the time) offer a

slightly different layer of protection.

July 3, 2023

Almost a Lifetime

over twenty-five thousand nights

and days have I seen so far and

several thousand more ahead...

some of them have been cold and wet

others have been humid and dry,

most of the knowledge acquired

was never used - left wondering

as to the point of it all...  a couple

of wives helped me celebrate life

and a couple of wives took more

life out of me than they gave back,

visions of memories without photos

flash through my mind from time

to time reminding me of how lucky

I was to be there even thought I

cannot remember the trip or the days

spent at those various locations...

friends were made and lost dozens

of times as I changed from one job

and location to another but when I

left those halls of chores none of them

made an effort to come with me or

stay in touch...  it is always amazing

how quickly life takes us to the end.

July 2, 2023

The Last One

a new house

a new location,

many rooms involved

overall its bigger...

a new street

and a new address,

new neighbors who

are more friendly than

the previous pests...

a sunroom replaces

the back porch and

we have no downstairs

but a small basement

area provides us

with sufficient space,

a smaller yard requires

less maintenance and

less time outside, so

no need for a hot tub or

a large swimming pool,

old age provides us with

weird blessing these days.

July 2, 2023

The Game

all the pawns have been deployed

none have returned as of yet...

the knights and bishops went a-lookin'

finding nothing but an empty castle;

the queen and king sat on the balcony

of their village townhouse trying

to decide if they eat out or cook

since the weather has been so hot

and humid lately...  the king flipped

the coin and it landed on its edge

and while he was trying to interpret

its meaning, the queen went into

town on her horse...  an hour later

she returned with cold Asian take-out

and a box of eight pawn replacements,

the knights and bishops were not far

behind her but had nothing to show.

July 2, 2023

Wild Horses

horses of a wild nature stampede

across the evening sky pulling the

storm clouds over our location...

we watch the stars disappear from

view as their replacements failed

to show up for duty...  it is the

nature of life that baffles us so

when considering the logic of

our decisions that were not first

cleared with the thought police

before conception...  we deliver

fresh food to the homeless who

have decided to camp out on 

our street, not really caring how

long they will be staying  since

they have agreed to mow our

lawn all summer...  the skies 

darken with an approaching

storm and we head to the storm

cellar for protection and sleep.

July 1, 2023

Change Me

every few generations take

us in a different direction,

get with the program or get

out of the way is the new

slogan tossed out at us...

we turn our backs on this

outrage...  it escalates the

onslaught and we drown in

our own angry as complaining

falls on deaf ears...  we are a

new minority that will go to

our graves in this contempt.

July 1, 2023

True Bearings

glory is won on the battlefield

in the boardroom if its business,

incorporated is the training ground

no matter where we are or go,

from generals and admirals to

chief executive officers and presidents

rank has its privileges and no one

will ever let you for it...  we see

the goal and strive to reach beyond

just as we see the battle and expect

to win the war...  we are a curious

breed of similarities and yet there

is no uniform of which to speak,

dressing as we deem appropriate,

my heart longs for the outside

where the air is clean and fresh

rather than inside where all the

rats hide behind the walls, hoping

your mistake will result in removal

and a new leader will pronounce

if our course is true or in retreat.

June 25, 2023

Age Unforgiving

age has its advantages

whether young or old,

vibrant youth without wisdom

decrepit senior with wisdom,

which one are you?  perhaps,

somewhere in between....

experience teaches much 

not found in books or 

from chatting with teachers,

a winding round with 

many ups and downs,

twists and turns, and dark

roads where one's friends

can take you by surprise...

of course, friends they were

not really, using you and your

thoughts to benefits their

goals over yours...  age is

unforgiving, and only will

you understand once there.

June 25, 2023