Again, the decisions

we would never chose to make

open doors to the future.

~

Often we opt for

the unsatisfying known

until life closes that door.

Though they dine amidst

plenty they still manage to

squabble over crumbs.

~

These entrenched beliefs

about resource scarcity,

do us all a disservice.

When what we observe

wars with leaders’ assertions

can we trust our gut?

~

When our gut and eyes

and heart are in agreement,

they’re the leaders we can trust.

We can easily

squander precious time fearing

things that never come to pass.

~

Fear is the dragon

hiding in our hearts and minds

waiting to consume our souls.

One person’s ways feel

much like someone else’s means

if life’s a zero-sum game.

~

If one person’s ways

and the other person’s means

are honored, it’s a win-win.

If we’re on one side

of a closed door and our dog

is on the other – sad whines.

~

When there’s food at hand

forlorn looks and some barking

will soon replace the whining.

Why is it I see

these surrealistic trees

in every spiraled wire?

~

Some would say it’s just

because you’re wired to be

an inspiraling artist.

As the sun slips from

behind the whitening clouds,

my spirits rise in greeting.

~

Cloudy skies convey

endless emotional range

ever changing day to day.

You can’t avoid them,

all those uncomfortable parts,

of this adventure called life.

~

No adventure is

without uncomfortable parts,

but in the end it’s worth it.

What dreams await your

sleepy head, I do not know,

but may they be sweet.

~

I have no response

To your salient wisdom,

Saccharine to its very core.

Time’s hasty passage

is mimicked in the rumble

and flash of sudden monsoons.

~

And time’s slow passage

is mimicked in the drizzle

of gray, rainy afternoons.

Everything changes

but when things are going well

we strongly resist.

~

Some resist even

when everything is peachy;

folks can be cussed that way.

Wind, rain, and thunder;

tangibles suffuse the sky

recharging our batteries.

~

Gives us energy

enough to prepare for a

possible loss of power.

This crazy weather

provokes even butterflies

to show their dark side.

~

Some things just defy

even my dark fantasies;

evil butterflies are one.

It’s a conundrum,

this intermittent voltage

shocking me through the door frame.

~

It’s a conundrum,

this intermittent nighttime

rain that we have to weather.

How many rainy

days or nights can nature squeeze

in this hot August?

~

Better to ask how

many gallons of rain can

August heat wring from clear skies.

On the Interstate…

outpaced by some dragonflies

and rodents on the shoulder.

~

Sounds like the slowness

allowed you to see some things

you otherwise would have missed.

Just once I’d like to

be as excited about

a frog as Knox is.

~

Some people thought they’d

found their prince and, like Knox,

they were hugely excited.

People make me sad:

like rabbits in the roadway,

paralyzed by decisions.

~

It’s hard to witness,

especially when we don’t know

how we can make a difference.

As thunder rumbles

loudly in the distance, trees

grow bright in the setting sun.

~

And the gentle breeze

slowly becomes a tempest

shredding all those, still green, leaves.

Diffuse brotherhoods,

bound by common commitments,

enlist strangers to our aid.

~

Standing on common

ground, we can seek and give help

to one another.

Knox meets butterfly.

Butterfly is not impressed,

leaves in a flutter.

~

He attempts pursuit

but, so sadly, lacking wings,

is, too soon, left far behind.

Parents understand

that, so ironic, smile

watching other’s kids act up

~

They heave a big sigh

of relief that they’re the ones

smiling and it’s not their kids.

Everything’s grist for

the poetry mill as my

ODE TO VOMIT shows.

~

Pyloric sphincters

are under-rated muscles

too often disregarded.

Gastronomic bliss

undermines every diet

given half a chance.

~

A passing pleasure

is sometimes needed, then we

return to healthy eating.

If we could find one

delight a day, it might keep

our despair at bay.

~

Joys exist, always.

Us taking, but a moment,

to regard and honor them.

All this fun and games,

leaving us so exhausted,

we need to come home and sleep!

~

Sometimes play can be

more exhausting than work, but

in a very different way.

May your vacation

be both vital and restful.

It’s been a hard year.

~

Restful and yet full

of excitement and surprise,

much like the preceding year.

Major frustrations

accompany vacations;

that’s just the way they begin.

~

Yet what we long for

is a vacation from all

those day to day frustrations.

Birds just sing their songs.

They don’t hesitate because

they find their songs unworthy.

~

Birds lack frontal lobes

with resulting cortices,

and, therefore, inhibitions.