Kudzu and bamboo

battle for supremacy

in a place neither belong.

~

Invasive species

are everywhere. They even

besieged our own capital.

As hard as we try,

we can’t magically turn

all wrongs into rights.

~

The best they can do

is convince us that are right

are too wrong to be preserved.

Cerulean skies,

so blindingly electric…

I think I’ll go back to bed.

~

Cerulean skies,

blinding sun, or shifting gray

clouds – any excuse will do.

The days sail by but,

having missed the boat, we stand

on shore lost at sea.

~

But if we remain

on the docks, our hats in hand,

our journey makes no progress.

Have we had enough

accepting just good enough

when we never get enough?

~

Is enough ever

really enough for any

dissatisfied soul?

The Anything Goes

As Long As It’s Ours party’s

leader aptly sells sneakers.

~

Guess that old soft shoe

isn’t slaying in the plains

as it had in yesteryears.

Watching the birds peck

at the seed til the rail’s cleared

enchants the two indoor cats.

~

Aren’t we all enthralled,

just like those enchanted cats,

by what’s always out of reach.

Sometimes it’s the small

little things that make the big

differences and the most noise.

~

The huge, silent things

that go unnoticed also

make huge differences.

Planning is the bane

of this procrastinator,

drawn to crisis management.

~

Crisis management

requires immediate

focus in a condensed way.

Little by little

the day goes by without our

help along the way.

~

As passengers, we

are often discontented,

determined to take the wheel.

Branches wave hello

to the rising sun, goodbye

to descending moon.

~

Rising sun smiles

brightly on waving branches

as sleepy moon slips away.

Leaving thoughts unpenned

can create great frustration

when the time for writing comes.

~

Without either time

or the means, many a good

idea just slips away.

Our dreams let us know

what is stirring down below

asking for some attention.

~

Whispers from the deep

often contain messages

lost amid surface chatter.

Prodigals return

when life gets hard to manage

without family support.

~

It can be hard to

return and receive what we

once denied needing.

Seems January

has decided to leave like

a quite docile lamb.

~

Spring-like winter months

may seem meek as little lambs

when, in truth, they harbinge doom

Circling the drain,

through less pleasant vertigo,

is like riding carousels.

~

Circle your wagons

instead, lie down, unwind, breathe,

and let yourself be.

When I close my eyes,

images of what once was

tumble into view.

~

Oh, would that visions

of a future, bright and fair,

were so easy to find there!

Stunned by the sunshine,

the poets found themselves filled

with wordless pleasure.

~

Unlike in the past,

No one rushed to post a like

on our blank untitled page!

Eyes and teeth and back-

what’s the next to go kaput?

Aging’s not a young man’s game.

~

Sometimes we wonder

what kind of game we’re playing

when there is so much to lose.

The sun snuck out from

behind the clouds and briefly

blessed us with a bright smile.

~

Blinding solar grins,

despite the joy they provide,

are sneaky fleeting flashes.

When viewed from within,

that old tune “Cotton-eyed Joe”

hardly seems so jocular.

~

So many versions,

all pretty dark, of what is

called “Cotton eyed Joe”.

The way my shadow

fell distorted my vision.

A slight shift might set things straight.

~

Slight shifting of light

and stirrings at vision’s fringe

are the realms where monsters hide.

Now, that time permits,

I find no greater comfort

than lounging long, here abed.

~

Treasure it while

you can because in no time

you will be off and running.

After five days of

quarantine, a short trip to

the dump made my day.

~

Such simple pleasures,

seldom appreciated,

are amplified by illness

Welcome fellowship

warms even the coldest day

if you’re willing to reach out.

~

We’re more aware on

these real cold days of how much

warmth simple presence can bring.

.

Without a compass,

it is easy to get lost.

With one we can find our way.

~

Moral compasses

work exactly the same way;

if you’ve got one, you get it.

Sometimes good enough

is the best we can hope for

given the circumstances…

~

Knowing when we’ve done

enough, have enough, worried

enough makes things easier.

Against a background

of slowly melting snow, birds

line the porch rail for their meal.

~

At my place today

a cardinal decided

screened porches make good pulpits.

Still in its beauty

this white chiffon on the lawn

sure looks good enough to eat.

~

As a child I

made and ate snow cones, but those

days are now long gone.