October Morning

October morning break of day

the pastel colors of the trees

the tinted sky in pink and grey

the air is still, no hint of breeze

 

under this misty, foggy veil

faded hues on water gleaming

I can’t make out the fine detail

wide awake or am I dreaming?

 

specific shapes just fade away

I walk along without a sound

like a painting by Claude Monet

a single cricket can’t be found

 

no Crow nor Blue Jay make a call

these magic moments won’t last long

and in the air a hint of Fall

the rising sun will soon get strong

 

the light of dawn is shifting fast

completely changing atmosphere

this grand illusion cannot last

the morning haze will disappear   

Youthful Optimism

 

She starts each day saying

“today is going to be a great day”.

She’s seven years old.

I smile and wonder

how long it will be before she realizes

that not every day is going to be a great day

but for now I do what I can to encourage her.

Negative Energy

They say that burning sage

can drive negative energy

from your house. I was skeptical

but she talked me into trying it.

When the smudging was completed

I didn’t notice any difference

and I hated the smell.

So I went outside for some fresh air.

Once I got outside that’s when it hit me.

It had worked. 

Stalemate

I played the game the best I could

on my own board, by my own rules

but I let others take control

now I’m too old to start anew

not brave enough to walk away

so I will stay, pretend to play

inside this box that I have built

a trap that I can not escape 

Seasons

 

Winter –

Out of the north the wind now blows

the autumn leaves have all now froze

and lie beneath the mounting snows

as nature dons her winter clothes

 

the days grow short, the sun is low

the frozen streams no longer flow

familiar sights we’ve come to know

are buried now beneath the snow

 

the covered landscape looks so nice

a blanket made from snow and ice

sometimes we have to pay a price

for living in this paradise

 

 

Spring –

The river’s eddies start to whirl

we stand and watch the water swirl

before the fiddleheads unfurl

before the grapevines start to curl

 

a hint of warmth is in the breeze

water droplets no longer freeze

early flowers attract the bees

the buds appear upon the trees

 

as bees emerge out of the hive

the lifeless vines seem to revive

and tiny seedlings start to thrive

the ponds begin to come alive

 

 

Summer –

As temperature defines the rules

trout find their way to deeper pools

the minnows swimming by in schools

reflecting summer sun like jewels

 

as thunderstorms begin to clear

in the meadows does appear

quite confident their fawns are near

the slightest sound they lift an ear

 

the canopy in summer’s glow

on forests floors way down below

the Chanterelles begin to grow

their brilliant yellows start to show

 

 

Autumn –

And now the leaves begin to turn

we see the browning of the fern

the squirrels find cause for concern

as this year’s acorn crops return

 

the nights beginning to get long

the Autumn winds becoming strong

the birds no longer sing their song

the geese begin to move along

the colors soon become subdued

the deer by hunters are pursued

the bear are in a heightened mood

while searching tirelessly for food 

Forbidden Fruit

the apple that we cannot reach

is bound to be the sweetest

or just a lesson meant to teach

that we are but elitists

 

so if the fruit is all the same

then all our choices are in vain

and human nature is to blame

to seek what we cannot attain 

Equality (Epitaph)

while every man no matter worth

ends up lying beneath the earth

a wooden cross or granite stone

inside a box he lies alone          

a fancy suit, a shirt and tie

those left behind to wonder why 

Who Knew? (Rondel)

 

perhaps the best thing that he wrote

with words that came straight from the heart

it really was a work of art

from what I’ve read it gets my vote

 

each line was worthy of a quote

each word was clever, clean and smart

perhaps the best thing that he wrote

with words that came straight from the heart 

 

it left a lump deep in my throat

no one predicted his depart

who knew the pain was off the chart?

who knew it was a suicide note?

perhaps the best thing that he wrote

Night Janitors at the College

We were the misfits working third shift cleaning those places that were too busy to be tackled during the daytime.

Buffing the terrazzo floors.

Wiping fingerprints from glass doors.

 

Ray – who carried his own thermos full of coffee even though there was an unlimited amount of fresh, hot coffee in the breakroom. No one ever checked his thermos even though we all knew that there was something besides coffee inside it.

 

Frank – who would check the air filters in the service tunnels on a nightly basis. He took me with him a few times to show me how to change the filters should the need ever arise. He also showed me the best place to sit and smoke a joint, where no one would ever find you should the need ever arise. 

 

Me – I worked nights so I could make enough money to take a few classes each semester. I was the person  who let the students who slept in their cars use the showers in the gym each night. I was also the student who used the showers each night when I had to sleep in my car after getting fired for letting students use the showers each night. 

The Perfect Woman

 

she is brimming with confidence

she is independent and outgoing

she is lovely and intelligent

she is motivated

she is friendly, always smiling

she is energetic

she is beautiful

she may be the perfect woman

 

and we have absolutely nothing in common

Those Who Know Me

those who know me

know how sarcastic I am

they know how irreverent I can be

they are aware of my self-deprecating remarks

I can be rude, profane or obscene

 

those who really know me

understand that my responses

are derived from a place of insecurity

as a self-defense mechanism 

No Time

 

He used to visit me in dreams although less and less as the time since his death has passed.

I remember the first time we talked and he told me he was okay and then he showed me his watch which had no hands on it.

“What good is that?” I asked.

He laughed.

“It’s to remind me that time does not exist here.” he replied.

He was the first of my close friends to die. He was only twenty-five and just about to graduate from medical school when he was killed in a car accident.

I never really talked to anyone about these “visits” I had experienced in dreams. 

One time at a small get together of high school friends I saw a girl sitting alone on the front porch. She looked familiar but I could not remember her name.

Something about her made me think that maybe she would understand about these dreams and not think I was crazy. I told her about the conversations I had had with my deceased buddy. 

She said that she not only understood but that she too had had many conversations with people in dreams. We talked for what seemed like hours. I began to get tired and glanced over at her watch to see what time it was. 

Her watch had no hands.

Abandoned (Huitain)

 

the beams have sagged, the timbers bowed

door wide open, hinges busted

the ceiling droops as pipes corrode

the railing’s broke, the iron rusted

the stairs creak and can’t be trusted

the floors begin to rot in place

window sills are now encrusted

the earth will soon reclaim this place

Hunger

 

Not everyone who is hungry is longing for food.

Some hunger for companionship.

Some yearn for physical touch.

Some require nothing more than conversation.

Some want love.

Some lack attention.

Some simply need to know things will be okay.

Some seek knowledge.

Some desire peace.

Some crave consistency.

 

No matter what I hunger for

she brings me a sandwich.

Run Your Race (Huitain)

when other people set the pace

you have a greater chance to lose

you’ll never win a single race

while wearing someone else’s shoes

it’s always up to you to choose

just how to start, how to begin

so, pay attention, read the cues

and heaven knows you just might win 

Objects In Motion

 

as babies

mobiles hung

over our cribs

because motion is essential

it keeps the mind busy

and gives us something to focus on

to remind us we are not alone

 

as children

we sat on the stoop

watching cars go by

because motion is essential

and not every kid

lives on a river

or has access to the ocean

 

as teenagers

we rode up and down the streets

going nowhere

because motion is essential

and it’s hard for emotions

or problems

to catch up to a moving target

 

as adults

we are constantly moving

proceeding with caution, running errands

jumping to conclusions

because motion is essential

it keeps us on our toes

distracting us long enough

so we don’t notice we are getting old

 

as elderly

it’s harder to move

with aching bones, lost muscle tone

because motion is essential

we hang up bird feeders

and move vicariously

via our colorful, feathered friends

to remind us we are not alone

Innocence

 

there is a wooden swing

hanging from the apple tree

like an old cliché

like a feeble imitation of a Norman Rockwell painting

like it was hung there as a prop

by a savvy realtor trying to sell the property

 

with the apples beginning to ripen

she happily swings

sometimes for hours

she is only five

and she doesn’t know what a cliché is

she has never heard of Norman Rockwell

and is not looking to buy real estate

The Summer Path (Villanelle)

 

I walk the summer path alone

my grandfather has long since passed

while everything around has grown

 

with all those things that he had shown

creating memories that last

I walk the summer path alone

 

he taught me how to skip a stone

upon a pond as smooth as glass

while everything around has grown

 

I miss that time, it was our own

he answered questions that I’d ask

I walk the summer path alone

 

an empty nest, the birds have flown

into a world that is so vast

while everything around has grown

 

he talked of people he had known

and how the years go by so fast

I walk the summer path alone

while everything around has grown

A Capitol Offence (Ballade)

 

violent entry, uninvited

moving in the same direction

angry people now excited

infiltrate another section

trying to cause an insurrection

while battle lines are being drawn

pick a side, make a selection

still mindlessly they carry on

 

with their leader’s lies recited

in their minds like an infection

radical groups become united

to change results of an election

no time to think, no self-reflection

don’t use their brain, just use their brawn

carelessly without objection

still mindlessly they carry on

 

hoping that they don’t get cited

trying to avoid detection

trying not to get indicted

straight ahead without deflection

on a course with no correction

while all the options now are gone

they expose their imperfections

still mindlessly they carry on

 

angry crowd of one complexion

policemen with their weapons drawn

while people try to find protection

still mindlessly they carry on

My Blank Pages

Sometimes I leave blank pages in my journal

only because I had nothing to say that day

I don’t share these pages with anyone

how could I?... they are blank

and I don’t need to be reminded of my failures

I don’t go back and fill them in later

because that would be a lie

I just leave them empty

as a memorial

to the time that I have wasted

on this journey   

Solitary Confinement (Villanelle)

a darkened room, he sat alone

with memories he can’t ignore

with thoughts that only he had known

 

with photos that he’d never shown

well hid away inside a drawer

a darkened room, he sat alone

 

one time he tried to make atone

in words he’d never spoke before

with thoughts that only he had known

 

the things he did he can’t condone

another casualty of war

a darkened room, he sat alone

 

he tried to end it on his own

a failed attempt and nothing more

with thoughts that only he had known

 

his final years were spent at home

inside four walls, behind a door

a darkened room, he sat alone

with thoughts that only he had known