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