Onerous labor,

once the task is completed,

never seems half as daunting.

~

And yet when you’re in

the midst of it all, it seems

like you will never be done.

If lies were just taxed,

Trump would be bankrupt and our

country would be much richer.

~

He’d not stand alone

in the line for bankruptcy

if we taxed dishonesty!

I reap the wages

earned by procrastination

as tax deadlines loom.

~

Taxes are really

taxing for everyone but

the rich who pay none.

Hands poised on the keys.

I begin to type, but what

comes out is nonsense and tripe.

~

Today, there’s no time.

Taxes take priority,

poetry- the second seat.

It’s hard to find joy

when the world is exploding

in sorrow and misery.

~

But just this morning

I watched a male cardinal pick

up a seed and feed his mate.

Some not-so-little

birds told me it was past time

for them to be fed.

~

Even little birds

use their outside voices to

advertise big appetites.

When the bully gets

a pass on his behavior,

can he learn bullying’s wrong?

~

He learns instead to

continue his assaults as

he boasts of his “successes”.

Out on the pond geese

gather as they travel to

other ponds, other places.

~

Like Geese, Traveling

Men gather in fellowship

on their way to foreign lands.

This late into spring,

breathing its last icy gasp,

winter waves a sad goodbye.

~

But winter always

keeps its promises and will

frostily return.

The cedar tree said

to the dogwood, “You’re a

blooming idiot.”

~

The dogwood replied

to the cedar, sniffling,

“You gymnosperms make me sneeze.”

Sometimes it’s subtle;

other times, a tornado.

Either way, he bears ill will.

~

Ill will sweeps our land

as many imitate our

Tornado-In-Chief.

As the darkness fades

and the son slowly rises,

the pets ask me to rise too.

~

It’s the day for that.

As even dogs remember,

he rose to dispel darkness.

At a loss for words

maybe rather serious

for those who die by the pen.

~

But you came back to

life when the decision was

made to type instead.

What a different

world we’d see if love were our

guide instead of fear.

~

“Love’s the greatest fear”,

some learned in their infancy;

a vast fount of endless pain.

Interconnection

can be great so long as none

are hell-bent on destruction.

~

When destruction trumps

compassion and connection,

don’t elect him president.

April welcomes us

with sunshine and flowers, but

asks us to wait for showers.

~

And when showers come

they bring with them fireworks

to brighten moods damped by rain.

Some say all trees

have a right to grow and be…

These forty foot weeds, less so.

~

And yet the soil

welcomed them and gave them space

to expand and grow.

The green budded trees

reach for the sky announcing

a new season has arrived.

~

Legions of seasons

all in a day; Virginia

weather, kind of, goes that way.

Spring Beauties blooming

beside Common Violets

craft a springtime lawn mosaic.

~

Birds dining beside

squirrels create a picture

that enthralls our cats.

After so many

learning opportunities,

shouldn’t we be geniuses?

~

Opportunities

knock with such a frequency

we’ve all learned suspiciousness.

Civic engagement,

even when not signed up for,

always a worthwhile task.

~

It becomes harder

when such engagement is not

also civil engagement.

~

What’s more civically

engaging than a little

civil disobedience?

~

Civic engagement

in the form of “good trouble“

is done civilly.

Round and round Trump goes.

Where he’ll stop nobody knows.

He’s a human roulette wheel.

~

But how should he bet;

Since the only winning move,

is to never play the game?

Why name them Red Buds,

these sentinels of springtime,

when their buds are more purple?

~

Beats me, but that tree

by any other name would

still be just as sweet.

Dandelions dance

in the sunlight. They’re making

their Spring appearance.

~

All the lawn’s a stage

and all the flowers players

in the vibrant rites of spring.

Be not quick to judge

the competence of others.

All of us have had bad days.

~

It’s when those days

turn into years that we start

to confirm our fears.

Tiny bits of sun

have fallen upon our lawn

and put down their roots.

~

From those tiny roots,

with the help of some rainfall,

glorious gardens will grow.

Saturday sometimes

murders my motivation,

instigating indolence.

~

Sometimes we all need

a chance to let effort die

and indolence come alive.

Before I even

walk through the door, the dogs start

barking their welcome.

~

Their barking begins

before you exit the car!

Connoisseurs of gravel crunch.

When the door slams shut,

will you regret words exchanged

or will you seethe in fury?

~

On both sides of slammed

doors are hearts and minds that can

choose to open or stay closed.

What story are you

telling yourself today? Are

you open to revision?

~

Every day, a tale,

scripted by unchecked ego

unhampered by editor.