Lord, help us be kind

when we are the least inclined

for the sake of unity.

~

Help us accept this

challenge to open our hearts

even to those who’ve caused pain.

It’s possible to

admire a man and still

question his choices.

~

There are differences

between admiring men

and trusting them with blind faith.

Stanley Kowalski,

at first glance, seems the hero.

Not unlike some other guy.

~

Not unlike someone

we know who much desires

to make himself great again.

Sometimes we want time

to slow, sometimes to speed up,

and sometimes to stop.

~

Like the great river,

time rushes, eddies, or stills

all at the moment’s mercy.

Here we go again;

allowing life’s distractions

to derail creation’s train.

~

Ii’s not long before

we’re back on track and ready

to begin chugging along.

Surveying the land,

that red fox sat patiently

in the morning sun,

~

Keeping watchful eye

for any who might approach

with less than benevolence.

Despite differences,

people of goodwill agree

all deserve civility.

~

Civilization

is based on civility,

but some prefer anarchy.

So far this summer

is filled with heated moments.

Cool reason has departed.

~

Heated rhetoric

is designed to blind the mind

thus freezing our reasoning.

As the heat rises,

one might reach the conclusion

that it’s an election year.

~

All the lies simply

fan the flames, maximize our

chance of dying from heat stroke.

Should we be surprised

that the Grand Old Party chose

Bloody Red to stand behind?

~

When their primary

strategy involves wounding

not dialogue? No surprise.

The United States

of America…was it

all just a pipe dream?

~

In Flint Michigan,

the pipes spew toxic nightmares.

Are these American Dreams?

Old familiar pains

turning up in new places?

Is this same old something new?

~

Recurring questions

such as these can become more

frequent as we age.

Time and time again,

we humans get it wrong. Will

AI do any better?

~

AI is designed

by us fallible humans,

so, garbage in, garbage out?

In the brief respite

between one storm and the next

this dog clamours for a drag.

~

To be dogged by storms

in sweltering heat can be

something pretty neat.

We’re slogging our way

through summer’s swelter and it’s

not even July.

~

Preparing ourselves

for the inevitable

five months of August heat.

If you don’t maintain

your history and legacy,

what good are more possessions?

~

Some things that money

can’t buy last much longer than

all our purchases.

What is not open

to debate is that much is

at stake in this election.

~

When SCOTUS decides

it’s fine to fine the homeless,

this election’s just the start!

A poetic voice

may take time to cultivate,

or it may just be innate.

~

In either case, such

a voice needs attention and

space to flourish and to grow.

Knox seemed puzzled when

that turtle didn’t run from

him like the squirrels he’s chased.

~

Within his fortress,

that turtle was safe as gold

stockpiled within Fort Knox.

Nothing can compare

to the ribald mirth within

simple misunderstanding.

~

Shared laughter over

misunderstandings rights what

we once got so wrong.

Caution, hotter days

ahead. Climate deniers

move to the right lane.

~

Only when the poles

are completely free of ice

dare they let up on the gas.

Living in contempt

of everyone all the time

must be unbearably hard.

~

The inferior

have to feel superior

and thus the contempt.

According to dogs,

cats, and visiting birds, there’s

no such thing as a day off.

~

Dependent beings

demand our intervention;

it beats fending for themselves.

Adventures abound

when you’re young and on the road

following the Kerouac.

~

Adventures abound

too when you’re old and can’t roam

on foot, but can in your mind.

As these summer days

grow warmer, I find myself

feeling a bit cold toward them.

~

Arizona heat

left your grandson by the roadside

when his tires melted down.

That Coyote’s howl

serves as a sonic challenge

my dogs are keen to answer.

~

All it takes for ours

to rise to the bait are steps

moving up the long house ramp.

It can take some time

to say something meaningful

in line, verse, and rhyme.

~

Oh, politicians!

Please take equal time and care

when drafting your rhetoric!

No one thing costs less

and yields higher dividends

than genuine courtesy.

~

It’s worth investing

in that clear and simple truth,

the best stock on the market.

Speaking of fathers,

I impartially attest

you’re one of the best.

~

At least I never

made my son seem less a man

to make myself feel more one.

Caught in a vortex,

not the fun Sedona kind,

some things fall by the wayside.

~

Sometimes we let them

go and sometimes we retrace

our steps, bend, and pick them up.