dissonance…

unable to sleep
still hear yesterday’s noises
with night’s lullabies

sydney skyline…

embedded history
old buildings
embraced
by
goliath glass
engineered dreams of
the future
these senior citizens
stand
defiant
and
unfazed
by
these
juveniles
knowing
full well
the cost
of
survival

simple words #30…

box camera
snapped many kodak moments
left in old deserted farm-house
where love was served daily

stagnant waters…

leafs through old yearbooks
re-reads about past glories
won’t turn to today

no es facil…

aunt bea
always says grace
before eating
even if its
some takeout
that i dropped-off
on my way home
from work
she told me
there were times
when
there wasn’t much
on the table
but
family and friends
would stop by for dinner
everyone brought
something
a rabbit
or possum
an uncle had caught
cooked by his wife
some greens and corn
harvested by others
and
the occasional
bottle of whiskey
given as gift
from a wealthy employer
for
house cleaning
well done
and
even though
it wasn’t as much
as some folks had
everyone left
with
a full helping of love

abandoned…

staring
into the night sky
tears
wrapped around
her tomorrows
like fingers
grasping
a bottle of dreams
a bottle
now empty
and
ready
to be tossed
into the sea
she awaits
her new lover
death

a spring walk…

deep in the woods
i wondered
on a windy
new england day
and found
a lone lilac bush
growing strong
amongst some rotting boards
this place was once
a home i thought
a place of hope
and love
where children
swung from trees
and
fathers scolded
for chores left undone
but all that remains
is the lilac bush
view it not
as a grave stone
to their lives and memory
but as a living temple
proclaiming
and celebrating
the love
they offered
to each other

This poem was inspired by a recent post by my friend Marilynn Mair.

right here in river city….

aunt bea
said
i remember when
salespeople
would come
door-to-door
with an array of things
that
most folks couldn’t afford
and
didn’t really need
but
the br’er rabbit sales pitch
got a lot of people
to sign on the dotted line
for the
easy
payment plan
which
never proved
to be all that easy
when there was
a family to feed
but
back then
folks weren’t
as sophisticated
as young couples today
with their
underwater homes
that
they keep track of
on their new ipads
and
will be
far more able
to go to the poor house
dressed in the latest fashions
yes indeed
can’t fool folks
these days
into buying
needless
hyped up
knickknacks
or
surgically implanted
snake oils

memorial…

sometimes
what
we see
is simply
not there
a glittering star
in the sky
that died
centuries ago
but
still offers
a glimpse
of beauty
like
the unquestioning
devotion
in a lover’s
eyes

christmas cheer…

Image Source: Media Violence Org.

so this
is what
you’ve been
waiting for
an empty box
full of words
broken promises
lies
and
deceptions
all bundled up
for another
christmas
you’ll avert
your eyes
when they ask
do you like it
you will
of course
say
yes
why should you
break from
your tradition
on telling
them
what
you want
them to hear
hell
at this point
even you
have begun
to believe
your
lies