April Showers?

a gentle rain against

the bedroom window

that rhythmic tapping

that can help you fall asleep

those delicate showers of April

 

but that’s not what this is

 

sheets of water

being driven by

a fierce southern wind

hitting the side of the house

like waves

against a rocky shore 

Because She Asked

 

As the pandemic progressed she opted for homeschooling

because “remote learning” wasn’t really working for her.

She was struggling with the demands of being a second grader

during those uncertain times. She spent three or four days a week

at Grampa’s house doing Science, Math and English.

One afternoon during our lunchbreak she had a serious look on her face as she said,

“Grampa, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course”, I answered.

“Grampa, if I get the virus and I “…

She didn’t want to use the word “die” so, she simply stopped mid-sentence

and pointed to the sky.

“if I go up there…will you go with me? ”

Choking back a tear I quickly responded.

“Yes, of course I’ll go with you.”

What else could I say?

Early Warning System

 

I’ve learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call

from overhead or forest deep

they warn of danger great or small

 

a warning that goes out to all

protecting chickens that I keep

I’ve learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call

 

a time or two that I recall

woken from my morning sleep

they warn of danger great or small

 

in summer, winter, spring or fall

their information’s what I reap

I’ve learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call

 

appear from nowhere like a squall

in trees above the compost heap

they warn of danger great or small

 

and standing by an old stone wall

I hear that same familiar peep

I’ve learned to trust the Blue Jay’s call

they warn of danger great or small

Have a Seat

 

Inactivity is the next health crisis.

Doctors say sitting is the new smoking.

Now I am worried about second hand sitting.

What if I’m stuck in a room with a bunch of sitters?

Will restaurants now have a sitting section?

Will they still allow sitting on airplanes?

I worry about the peer pressure my grandchildren will be under to sit.

“Come on, just try sitting this one time. Maybe you’ll like it.

All the popular kids sit.”

Will chairs now be required to have Government Health Warnings?

I guess I’ll just go for a walk and think about it.

Our Current Situation

 

the earth is still turning

the waves are still in motion

the forests are still burning

as the plastics fill the ocean

we can’t pretend we’re unaware

as the earth continues heating

while pumping carbon in the air

the glaciers keep retreating

we know the changes we must make

is there still time? is it too late?

for children’s and grandchildren’s sake

how much longer can we tempt fate?

Scars and Stars

 

while not all wounds result in scars

and often things can be concealed

not every night do we see stars

clouds or feelings act like a shield

sometimes the cuts we thought were healed

or constellations we can’t see

quickly return and are revealed

exposing things we can not flee

Thoughts About Sea Glass

 We walk the sand beaches

looking for sea glass

like so many others

drinking out of plastic bottles.

They don’t allow

glass containers on the beach

and through carelessness or neglect

much of this plastic

ends up in the ocean.

While offshore

they drill for oil

to produce petroleum

to make more plastic bottles.

So, now we walk along the shore

picking up plastic

while looking for sea glass-

pieces of colored glass

being tumbled by the motion of the waves

slowly polished by the sand,

the same sand from which glass is made

Self Help

just a little something

to take off the edge

the self-medication helped for a while

but it never lasted

and the need for more kept increasing

until it became unsustainable

he couldn’t get access to mental health care

but he did have access to a gun 

Almost Thirteen

 

ever since he was a baby

every time I see him

I tell him I love him

and he always replied  

“I love you more”

but he’s almost thirteen now

and he doesn’t reply anymore

pretending he didn’t hear me

or looking away awkwardly

but once in a while

he’ll respond with a little nod

and I’ll take it

because I’m not going to stop

telling him I love him

because he’s almost thirteen now

and he just might need to hear it

even more than I need to say it

Winter’s Death Rally

Winter came back

to try and reclaim

its dominance over the landscape

but I think it’s too late

the geese have made their return trip

and they have come too far 

to turn back now 

the robins are here

waiting it out

the song birds have started singing

their mating songs

and have forgotten their winter tunes

patches of grass

have already seen the March sun

albeit briefly

and will not stay dormant any longer

the sap has started running

to nourish the swelling buds

as the sun this time of year

has found the courage

to stay out a little longer

and shine a bit brighter    

this snow slides quickly

off  the metal roof

and the dog barks every times it falls  

for today Winter has won the battle

but it’s just a death rally

soon it will be exhausted

and quickly give up the fight

and slowly turn to mud 

Labyrinth

as I make my way

through the labyrinth of life

I look for clues

and ask advice

but all the answers

are in my own voice

for it is I alone 

who must make the choice

which path to choose

but in the end

it matters not

for we all end up

in the very same spot

though the routes may vary

or our paths entwine

we finish like we started

one at a time

Waiting

 waiting-

            for the dust to settle

            for the smoke to clear

for removal of twisted metal

for the daylight to appear

 

waiting-

            for word about her spouse

for the lights to come back on

to hear the status of her house

quietly for the break of dawn

 

waiting-

for the “all clear” sign

to go back up to the street

for her baby to stop crying

to find enough food to eat

 

waiting-

            for her future to be decided

for some sense of order

for open corridors to be provided

for safe transport to the border

 

waiting-

            in line for a seat on a bus

            for children to gather their things

            to hear what officials need to discuss

             to see whatever the future brings

We Are Right There With You

 

We are right there with you

as the missiles light up the night sky

(although it is still daylight here).

We are right there with you

in real time (with a five second delay)

on a widescreen 55 inch T.V.

with surround sound. 

We are right there with you

just 7 time zones behind

a mere 5500 miles away.

We are right there with you

We get our vodka from Poland now.

We changed our cover photos to sunflowers

and put little Ukrainian flags on our profile pictures.

We are right there with you

sending thoughts and prayers

as we cringe at the images

coming across our news feed

on our cell phones

while we sip our Starbucks

and complain about the rising price of gas.

City Hall

 

I was a second grader

and knew nothing of politics

or the importance of history.

I knew only of the excitement

of watching a wrecking ball

smashing into a huge, four story building

made of granite blocks.

I knew nothing about Eminent Domain

or the Interstate Highway System.

I knew the glee of a seven year old

watching a bucket loader filling

dump trucks with demolition debris.

“I guess that’s one way to fight City Hall.” someone yelled.

Peopled laughed.

I didn’t understand the meaning of that statement but I laughed too.

I didn’t get the symbolism of the building in front of me being destroyed.

I do remember one detail which I still question to this day.

As the wrecking ball took out a huge section out of the third floor wall a bathroom became exposed.

There was a large, claw foot bathtub teetering on the edge of the opening.

I asked my grandfather why they would have a bathtub in City Hall.

“Politics is a dirty business.” is all he said. 

Pockets Full of Sunflower Seeds

 

they were grandmothers

but they met the occupying soldiers

face to face

armed only with their defiance

and baskets of sunflower seeds

they left the baskets with the soldiers

with the instructions to fill their pockets

with the sunflower seeds

so their graves would grow beautiful sunflowers

as their bodies decomposed in the Ukrainian soil

 

they left the baskets

so they could go back home to make “cocktails”

from a recipe

that was broadcast on Ukrainian television

they had many cocktails to make

because there were so many soldiers

and it would be getting dark soon

and they vowed to keep fighting

even if they ran out of glass bottles

or gasoline

 

they would resist with whatever they could find

right down to the last egg

or water balloon

or the last liter of diet Coke

and Mentos

 

but they kept sunflower seeds

 in their own pockets

 just in case

Older Trees

the constant swaying of the trees

from them a lesson we should take

the winter air, a steady breeze

bend with the wind so not to break

but with high winds the boughs do shake

shedding branches that are fragile

while leaving litter in its wake

the older trees are much less agile 

2nd Floor Window

she still watches the world go by

but only now through panes of glass

a narrow view of trees and grass

a little sliver of the sky

 

and if she’s lucky birds may fly

her expectations to surpass

she still watches the world go by

but only now through panes of glass

 

and from her window she can spy

the busy squirrels as they pass

with all the acorns they amass

yes, from her window way up high

she still watches the world go by 

Workshop

filtered light

through dirty windows

illuminates the ancient wood

a workbench

and some antique tools

tobacco cans

full of nuts and bolts

a hint of oil in the air

a faded, water stained calendar

hangs on the wall

1936

the last year this land was farmed

sometimes I sit in the workshop

on a hard wooden stool

not to work on farm implements

but to go back in time

and take in the sights

and smells of 1936

my only tools:

a pencil and a notebook 

Words

if only I could lighten up your darkness

illuminate the shadows in your life

maybe help relieve a bit of anguish

add some color to your black and white

provide some shelter from the storm

or build a fire to keep you warm

 

if I could help you keep away the demons

chase away the wolves from your front door

help you navigate through troubled waters

encourage you to plot a steady course

take some of the noise away

or just listen to what you have to say

 

I tell you things will be okay

but I have no way of knowing

and sometimes all I have are words

but maybe that’s all you need to hear

and maybe that’s enough,

enough to give you hope 

Dreamers, Lovers, Poets

 

we were dreamers

when all we had was time

we had no money

but dreaming didn’t cost a dime

watching the world through shuttered blinds

coloring outside the lines

ignoring all the warning signs

nothing could’ve changed our minds

 

we were lovers

of convenience I suppose

to ward off loneliness

no emotions to expose

but play with fire and you’ll get burned

another painful lesson learned

another pensive lover spurned

another of life’s corners turned

 

we were poets

and all we had were words

carried dictionaries

like awkward English nerds

with big ideas and things to say

and information to convey

but other things got in the way

like all the debts we had to pay

Childhood Nostalgia

There used to be cobblers in every town

back when people polished their shoes

and darned their socks.

My mother saved buttons

from shirts that could no longer be repaired

to be used on shirts that still could be.

On Saturdays a man in a truck

would park on the street

and sharpen knives and scissors

for those who wanted to keep their edge.

Another man in another truck

came around and collected old rags,

newspapers and returnable bottles.

Televisions, radios and washing machines

could be repaired instead of discarded.

Doctors would come to people’s houses

so sick children didn’t have to go out in the cold. 

A Deadly Dance

 

the owl listens for its prey

perched on a branch above the ground 

as daylight starts to fade away

a mole begins to move around

while borrowing without a sound

beneath the freshly fallen snow

and suddenly the bird swoops down

its talons strike a deadly blow

a mighty grip that won’t let go

with nothing ever left to chance

the owl isn’t lying low

and soon returns back to the branch

the winner of this deadly dance

but as the dawn replaces night

the bird now takes a different stance

and quickly chooses to take flight

in seconds it is out of sight

leaving feathered imprints far below

reminders of the deadly fight

delicate impressions in the snow

Fully Invested

all of his authority

all of his power

came from a yellow/green vest

without it he became a middle aged,

slightly overweight, adult male

who barely finished high school

but by simply putting on the vest

he had the power to hold

up multiple lines of traffic with just one hand

he could control the direction of cars and trucks

with just a pointing of his finger

by wearing the vest he became visible

the vest made him feel respected

the vest gave him confidence

if only he could have worn the vest at home

if only he could have worn the vest to bed

maybe his wife wouldn’t have filed for divorce 

Appreciation

I have a coffee can

from back when coffee came in cans.

It is full of old coins that are of little value.

Buffalo nickels with unreadable dates,

Standing Liberty quarters that are badly worn,

low grade Mercury dimes of common dates and mint marks,

and Indian Head pennies that show signs of damage and wear.

Most of these coins are only worth face value

or the scrap value of the particular metal they are made from.

However, I found a way to turn them into valuable treasures

simply by burying them in the sandbox for the grandchildren to discover.