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.