Before

 

Before we all knew what an N95 was

and a mask was something we wore on Halloween.

Before the restaurants closed their doors

and left the food at the curbside

to be scooped  up by hungry customers.

Before the kitchen table was turned into a classroom

and the teacher, the lunch lady and the janitor

were all the same person. 

Before the cashier was stationed behind Plexiglas

and we waited six feet apart standing

on a line of tape that had been stuck to the floor

to buy a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.

Before the National Guard took over the school parking lots

placing boxes of food in the back of any car

whose driver wanted to wait in line.

Before the supply chain had broken it’s links

and we started counting on UPS and FedEx

to bring us everything from snow tires to underwear. 

Conversations With a Second Grader - 2020

 

She told me that she loved second grade and that she had made a few new friends. The twins from first grade were in her class and so was her friend Tommy. Tommy with brown hair not Tommy with blonde hair.

 One of the things she liked better about first grade was that the closet had a lock on the door. The closet in the second grade classroom doesn’t have a lock on the door so she doesn’t feel as safe when they do the “active shooter” drills.

 She liked second grade even though it was only two days a week.

 She had grown enough over the summer so she could reach the drinking fountain without standing on the stool but the drinking fountain had been shut off because of the pandemic.

 She still liked recess even though the swings and slides had been removed because of the virus. She liked it because it gave her a few minutes that she didn’t have to wear her mask.

Freedom

Even though the sign declared they were “free”
the used stove, the washing machine and a box of books
remained together on the front lawn.
They had nowhere else to go,
this was the only life they had ever known..

Under the Bridge

beyond the edges of sobriety
pass a bottle, take a turn
with the dredges of society
light a fire, watch it burn

no one left who cares
nothing left to lose
long since out of prayers
will soon be out of booze

trying to dull the hassle
underneath a blanket heap
living in a cardboard castle
numb enough to fall to sleep

Eat A Sandwich (Villanelle)

eat a sandwich at Chick fil a
tell yourself God’s on your side
bring up children the Christian way

life-long member of the NRA
parade your guns around with pride
eat a sandwich at Chick fil a

show support this special day
by all God’s rules we must abide
bring up children the Christian way

it’s black or white, no shades of gray
your son's secret, he just can’t hide
eat a sandwich at Chick fil a

said he’s going to the range today
took his gun out for a ride
bring up children the Christian way

authorities would only say
appears to be a suicide
eat a sandwich at Chick fil a
bring up children the Christian way

Celebrities

celebrities die and it’s a shame
must be the doctors are to blame
but regular folks get hooked on drugs
well they’re just gangsters, crooks and thugs

when superstars get in a mess
it’s because their lives have so much stress
but you and I, our lives are cake
when we fuck-up it’s our mistake

we go to court and pay our bail
come up with cash or go to jail
the famous people get more chances
to go to five-star rehab ranches

massages, gourmet food and spas
there’s everything except the bars
thirty days and they’re released
keep messin’ up ‘til they’re deceased  

As Seen On TV

I know my teeth aren’t white enough
my laundry’s just not bright enough

my dog has fleas and ticks and worms
my mouthwash isn’t killing germs

my eyelashes are much too thin
my soap is drying out my skin

a simple strip and I won’t snore
one click to find my credit score

more women would look my way
if my hair had just a touch of gray

I should adopt a rescue pet
Am I paying too much for internet?

I could enjoy a peaceful slumber
if I only knew my true sleep number

time’s running out to buy a Toyota
shoe insoles control foot odor

my cell phone’s slow and makes me wait
my credit card’s too high a rate

so to be the best that I can be
I must get rid of my TV

The Good Old Days

it was a simpler time
we didn’t have cell phones
or the internet
we got our exercise
running from the bullies
who had to confront us face to face

we played outside
and breathed fresh air
then went back inside
to breathe second hand smoke
everybody smoked back then,
even the doctors who let us play with mercury

we had plenty of energy
from the dyed, sugary, breakfast cereals
with sweet surprises
that were “Magically Delicious”
and we drank Tang

moms liked doing dishes back then
because the dish washing liquid made their hands soft
they wore dresses and smiled
vacuum cleaners had just been invented
so women actually enjoyed housework

our school desks were made in the USA
from sturdy American hardwood
strong enough to hide under
in case the Communists
decided to drop an atomic bomb on us

we collected pennies
to feed the poor children
who were starving by the thousands
in Third World, under-developed countries
while in our First World, over-developed country
children starved alone, just one or two at a time

political correctness wasn’t popular yet
it was still okay to make fun of fat people
and the Blacks were just beginning to start trouble
so we put them on busses
and tried to mix them in with the rest of society

we were at war with the Soviet Union
but it was a “Cold War”
which meant that whatever country
won the race to get to the moon would win
and the other country had to disband
it wasn’t even close
we beat the Commies by over 238 thousand miles

it was a simpler time

Invasion

the robot invasion
we waited for
so many years ago
while wearing our Dick Tracy decoder rings
has arrived
but I have no way to contact you without tipping them off

as we were watching for armies of large steel men
shooting lasers from their eyes
the clever little bastards slipped
Androids disguised as cell phones into our pockets
keeping track of where we’ve been
and what we’ve bought
and who we were with

they ingeniously distracted us
with innocent games of chance
or killing zombies
or angry birds

while we text and tweet and photograph it all
becoming increasingly dependent on these machines
still desperately trying to remain human,
they are getting into our bank accounts,
our medical records and mapping where we live

so I enter my observations into this mindless device
and send them off to strangers
hoping someone out there
still has a Dick Tracy decoder ring

Dollar Store Poems

not every poem is elegant
not every one’s a gem
may not even be relevant
but how can I condemn

if words are weak
or meter’s wrong
in crazy speak
it drags along

is poetry just for the rich
to read and pick apart and bitch
or is it also for us fools
who never went to high-priced schools

nor learned the rules made way back when
by so called educated men
men you’d think could have done better
than to start a word with a silent letter

are the thoughts less viable
’cuz the words are unreliable
is the message we are selling
watered down because of spelling

will it affect my disposition
to end a sentence with a preposition
I think that I’m okay with that
but wondering where you all are at

Pretend

I rub your back, I stroke your hair
pretend to listen, pretend to care

you fake a headache, pretend to weep
pretend to quickly fall asleep

I pretend it doesn’t bother me
I go downstairs and watch TV

Late November

Steel grey skies
outline naked trees,
the earth littered
with debris of summer.
A few procrastinating squirrels
frantically scurry,
looking for anything
to hide away for later.
The smart birds
have all found hiding places,
the smarter birds
have all gone south.
It’s coming, oh, it’s coming

The Twenty-Ninth of August

the images are flashing by
they stream on my computer screen
while TV too, plays out the scene
and rain keeps falling from the sky

while people stare and wonder why
Mother Nature must be so mean
a hurricane they named “Irene”
still rivers rise and people die

as trees uproot, their branches fly
a gentle brook, once so serene
now cuts an angry, wide ravine
all I can do is just stand by

the bridges that once stood so high
made crossing rivers so routine
as crumbling banks and rocks careen
then disappear before my eye

I just watch and testify
water levels we’ve never seen
churning like a mad machine
go find a place that’s safe and dry

Use Your Words

you were a baby long ago
what words to use, you didn’t know
all your needs, all your questions
were all conveyed through your expressions

I could look into your eyes
see joy, contentment or surprise
you didn’t really have a choice,
you were too young to use your voice

complaints, agreement, interaction
frustration, envy, satisfaction,
words you didn’t need to say
often now get in the way

but now each time I look at you
I really haven’t got a clue
you’ve learned to mask your feelings well
now what you’re thinking I can’t tell

your words they tell convincing lies
while your expressions you disguise
you’ve learned to use words to deceive
and I can’t tell what to believe

Steel Wheels

they plow the land
and plant the fields
and do it all
on steel wheels

use gasoline
and diesel fuel
but rubber is
the devil’s tool

when they travel
along the road
horse and buggy
the preferred mode

they try to stick
to their ideals
and ride around
on steel wheels

On This Big Lonely Ocean

sometimes it seems that we’re all set afloat
on this big lonely ocean in our own little boat
just set adrift at the mercy of the tide
waiting for the current to give us a ride

sometimes you’re out there floating in the middle
and you’re feeling alone, insignificant and little
when you’re all by yourself just drifting away
you gotta hang on for one more day

I’ll throw you a line, I’ll put out a net
pull our boats together and see where we get
try to remember you’re not on your own
there are a million little boats trying to find a way home

and there’s a much better chance if we all band together
we can survive any storm, endure the bad weather
and if collectively we fight off the attack
there’s a pretty good chance we can all make it back

The Play

she gave me a full access pass
orchestra pit
back stage and all
the play was fantastic
even though there was one act
that still makes her a little nervous

Infrastructure - (Villanelle)

we notice not the slow decay
of rotted wood or rusted steel
as manmade objects fade away

diminished slowly day by day
while over time the cracks reveal
we notice not the slow decay

the corners bend, the edges fray
these damages we can’t conceal
as manmade objects fade away

a coat of paint, a short delay
but soon that paint begins to peel
we notice not the slow decay

great monuments were built to stay
on solid ground with grand ideal
as manmade objects fade away

there’s nothing more that we can say
just act as if it’s no big deal
we notice not the slow decay
as manmade objects fade away

Canning Jars

packing the pantry
when cupboards were filled
with jars of tomatoes
and beans that were dilled

once a key player
in the family’s survival
patiently waiting
the home food revival

stashed away in the basement
all but forgotten
as now meals are made
with the push of a button

sitting for years
in the cobwebs and dust
the metal wire bails
beginning to rust

pulled from the cellar
or bought at yard sales
gather the lids
and tighten the bails

called into service
once more from the past
as food now again
is preserved under glass

a hot water bath
to ensure a good seal
holding the contents
for a mid-winter meal

The Wait of Water - (Villanelle)

a shift in the tectonic plate
early morning siren screeches
across the ocean people wait

awakened to this twist of fate
tsunami warning, clear the beaches
a shift in the tectonic plate

minute by minute news update
listen to the experts' speeches
across the ocean people wait

all trying to anticipate
how far this devastation reaches
a shift in the tectonic plate

don’t live in a complacent state
lessons Mother Nature teaches
across the ocean people wait

as the local pastor preaches
although his prayers come too late
a shift in the tectonic plate
across the ocean people wait