Let us ask ourselves

what we can do to lighten

someone’s load today.

~

Burdens must be borne.

But, perhaps, with compassion,

they may seem less burdensome.

Since fear motivates,

those unscrupulous actors

motivate us to their ends.

~

Not if we follow

those who call us to act from

 the best within us.

Whether we attend 

mosque, synagogue, temple, or

church, we should be free from harm.

~

Just as free as those

who have sought and found freedom

from secular tyranny.

Fear of foul weather

can guide our preparation

or lock us behind the door

~

Foul weather doesn’t

evoke as much fear as foul

human beings do.

What lies ahead is

partially influenced by

what we leave behind.

~

From where we have come

influences our journey

but not our destination.

What’s a guy to do

when an old friend spews hatred

over social media?

~

That old story of

the contest between the wind

and the sun might apply here.

Each of us has some

pieces of the puzzle, but

no one has them all.

~

The puzzle of peace

has oh so many pieces,

no one soul can hold them all.

 Follow their voting;

 see where it goes. Does it help

 mainly wealthy Joes?

~

As a “wealthy Joe”,

voting hasn’t gone my way.

Maybe not “wealthy” enough?

A poem tossed but

uncaught remains a poem

in search of a receiver.

~

Received your message,

drifting upon the aether,

undamaged by its sojourn

Watching us go to

the jungle gyms of our minds

and have very little fun.

~

Mental gymnastics,

though they may keep our wits keen,

provide scant satisfaction.

Ahhh! Melodrama!

For some, it’s the “staff of life”,

for others it’s a cudgel.

~

The schtick of these sticks,

staff of life or cudgel, can

become a real show stopper.

Let’s pause and collect

these treasured moments in the

baskets of our minds.

~

Our minds, like baskets,

are most imperfect vessels

for such tiny precious things.

The boss’s day gift

was a large wooden mushroom.

Lurid office revelry.

~

For a high old time,

wood’s no good. Injest magic

mushrooms and watch your boss glow.

Unpleasant changes

don’t get any easier

even when they’re “for the best”.

~

What we think will be

an unpleasant “best” can be

a change we come to value.

Any wise words to

share with other members of

the sandwich generation?

~

Ketotic diets

are highly recommended

for those stuck in the middle!

Cleaning up debris;

the new national pastime

surviving this storm season

~

We do what we can

to prepare and afterwards

we do what we must.

Not so long ago

I carried you in my arms.

Now you chauffeur me.

~

The bearer is borne

in the process of aging.

So goes the cycle of life.

Global Climate Change.

Can we weather this cyclone

of our own manufacture?

~

All the himicanes

in charge twist in denial

 of multiple winds of change.

This morning I wished

there was a crow whisperer

who could get those guys to hush.

~

Huginn and Muninn

only listen to one voice!

The wise don’t ask Him favors.

Honor and respect

and accountability:

benchmarks of justice.

~

How can a judge hold

others to a standard he

himself does not meet?

Let’s bring all the light

we can to these dark times – each

of our lamps is needed now.

~

Evil flourishes

in all the ill-lit places;

let’s illuminate them all!

The die has been cast.

The Rubicon has been crossed.

History will reveal the cost.

~

We’ve paid in the past,

we’re paying now, we’ll keep on

paying ’til enough VOTE  NO!

When ambition flees

from a search for facts, avoids

 fairness, there are those who cheer.

~

“This is how freedom

dies; to thunderous applause’,

Padmé Amidala said.

His vainglorious

longing for recognition

blinds him to his impotence.

~

 Bound by self-interest,

hungry for praise, he attracts

lost, recognition-starved souls.

What will October

leave behind – a memory

of dark days or bright sunshine?

~

Both are possible,

but October’s one sure gift

is always a big surprise.

Adapting to change;

an indispensable skill

in this chaotic era.

~

Change is a constant.

There are positive ways to

adapt and negative ones.

Public displays of

 unrighteous indignation –

“You don’t count” from those that count.

~

Count on self-righteous

indignant public figures

to minimize people’s pain.