I’m pretty sure my
list of things to do stretches
from here to Kalamazoo.
~
The problem with lists
is all the things you will miss
on the road to Michigan.
I’m pretty sure my
list of things to do stretches
from here to Kalamazoo.
~
The problem with lists
is all the things you will miss
on the road to Michigan.
Blue Hawaiian skies
and bright tropical sunsets
can’t match Virginia breezes.
~
Spoken like a true
Virginian who Hawaiians
would say is full of hot air.
Any skeletons
in your closet you could hand
out for Halloween?
~
All my skeletons
have been outed long ago.
Such is the way with old men.
Ever less sunny.
these vanishing autumn days
wind down like a denouement.
~
Dwindling daylight –
both denouement and prelude,
Autumn’s goodbye and hello.
Gusty winds scatter
leaves all about, creating
a moving picture.
~
Add the unique sounds
and the scattered scents; it’s like
movies in “Odorama”!
Autumn Thunderstorms,
though lacking ferocity,
compensate with their surprise.
~
Sudden but mild
beats slow moving but wild
every single time.
It’s hard to keep track
when you feel like you’ve really
gone completely off the rails.
~
If it’s a train wreck
on which you model your life,
rails are unnecessary.
Many old grey men
long to secure the future
but won’t engage younger men.
~
Some old grey folks
want to secure their future
at the cost of younger folks.
Going with the flow
is fine unless you’re headed
for a waterfall.
~
Some folk just assume,
stout, oaken barrels they ride,
will carry them through unharmed.
Burning up the roads
leaves a poet feeling like
your basic dumpster fire.
~
If he took the road
less traveled, perhaps he’d slow
down and have a chance to write.
Sitting on the couch,
Knox by my side, I give thanks
for his silent company.
~
He’s a perfect man;
no muss, fuss, or opinion
to disrupt your quietude.
Perfection exists
in our imagination;
only there, and nowhere else.
~
An imperfect start
can sometimes take us beyond
our imagined perfection.
They tried to sell me
an anti-aging product.
I said, “No, I earned these lines.”
~
I knew long ago,
no matter what they tell you,
aging’s inevitable!
Meaningless meanness
seems to be the currency
of some elected leaders.
~
Meaningless meanness
seems to be the lunacy
upon which they thrive.
Is there anything
better than a lazy, fall
weekend afternoon?
~
A warm lazy fall
sunny weekend afternoon
is very nearly peerless.
The show must go on,
at least that’s what they proclaim
despite… in spite of the pain.
~
When we look back, we
may find it was the show
that helped us manage the pain.
The pond reflects light
from sun and moon and shimmers
with golden delight.
~
Beneath it’s surface,
the varicolored grass carp
bask in that shimmering gleam.
When profits eclipse
everybody’s suffering,
you must be a C.E.O.
~
In such an eclipse
Cruel, Egotistical
Operators thrive.
A rainy start, but
a blue sky, sun filled ending
to a hectic day.
~
Again, after dark,
the rains return with vengeance
to saturate the soil.
Seeking perfection
most often finds us wanting,
reaching beyond our limits.
~
What’s a heaven for
if not to encourage us
to reach beyond our limits?
Thank you, my son, for
all your help today. My mood
and the yard are much improved.
~
Your granddaughter cheers
the removal of the bane
of her rare visitation.
When we all assume
they’re just after our money,
are we doing them a wrong?
~
Whenever we make
assumptions, we could be wrong.
Pay attention. Time will tell.
It’s true that when it
rains it pours, but what if when
it floods you don’t have a boat?
~
Then you pray a friend
happens by with room in his,
or you trust the government.
None can deliver
a wound quite like a loved one,
mostly without intention.
~
And none can forgive
quite like the wounded who knows
the wounding one’s heart.
Some folks mistake roads
for raceways and on rainy
nights there’s much to lose.
~
In fact, there’s nothing
so valuable to warrant
such excessive, reckless, haste.
To those teacher’s names
long lost in my memory
your efforts aren’t forgotten.
~
We may not recall
your names, but what you taught us
is foundational.
Red signs everywhere,
asking for votes for a guy
who’s endorsed by Trump.
~
Political signs
maladorning the landscape;
unwelcome autumn color.
Today, I saw him
flitting, briefly, to repose
awhile on the milkweed.
~
Such a sight can bring
delight, especially when
we need it the most.
When winning is more
important than principle,
integrity bites the dust.
~
It’s easy to lose
more than you anticipate
when winning’s your only goal.