The results are in.

The people have spoken. We’ll

have some leaders who listen…

~

yet some still deny

the voices of the people

as they cling to the big lie.

VOTE… while you still can.

In this contentious era

apathy is no excuse.

~

We need to augment

beliefs with actions and step

up and cast our votes.

There may come a day

when differences don’t divide,

but first we have to listen.

~

Listening, my dear,

is only the beginning.

We must, also, learn to hear.

Hanging on the wall,

Sakura rendered in glass,

is beautiful, but shallow.

~

Still, it reminds us

not to lose hope. It’s autunm

now, but spring’s blossoms will come.

Knox’s natural coat

kept him much warmer than my

manufactured one.

~

Artifice can not,

under normal circumstance,

compete with Mother Nature.

There is much to do

before Autumn rains begin

to prepare for Spring‘s return.

~

And when that’s all done

hopefully we can settle

down for a long Winter’s nap.

The leaves say goodbye

to the place they once called home.

It’s a real downer.

~

Falling from a place

where you have, long been, rooted

can presage new adventures.

Once upon a time

a mother and son began

a whole new way to relate.

~

Sharing their thoughts with

each other in a very

public way day after day.

Amidst all the noise

the sun still rises and sets

even on the bleakest days.

~

Hiding in that noise,

not quite lost in the chaos,

resonates our greatest joys.

Even though it warns

of the coming dormancy,

autumn color warms the heart.

~

And prepares us for

the eventual leaf fall

and the stark beauty to come.

I needed to sleep.

Knox and the cats had different

needs. I bet you know who won.

~

Cats, Dogs, and Crows,

like elected officials,

masters meeting their own needs.

At that burger joint,

they hand out those cardboard crowns,

I bet that just might suffice.

~

A cardboard crown for

a high flying cardboard man –

a real ham….bummer.

His video shows

clearly what we already

know: he’s full of s….

~

Clothes may make the man,

but even the finest suit

won’t make that donkey human!

Hints of fall color

come, begrudgingly at first,

building in intensity.

~

None of us like to

show our age even if it

means we will make a big splash.

When did they replace

hands gently placed on hearts with

robotic salutes?

~

When reverence succumbed

to the heartless hollow quest

for unitary power.

Lounging here, abed,

contemplating roads ahead,

thrilled to find hope not yet dead.

~

Sometimes it just takes

a break from activity

to recharge hope’s batteries.

Would that October

had some old prophetic ides

our Great Caesar could ignore…

~

Great Caesar deplores

any and every thing which

fails to honor him.

I look down and see

a pair of old and weathered

hands that can’t belong to me.

~

I look up and fail

to find any sky above.

Aging is beyond the pale.

Let us celebrate

this holiday, regardless what

you choose to call it!

~

Who do we wish to

honor, a land’s natives or

a man who mistreated them?

When faced with a choice,

 he prefers to give

nothing and take everything.

~

Well… since what’s ours is his,

at least inside his twisted mind,

everything’s merely his due.

How can one be known

as a champion of peace

as one foments civil war?

~

Only he who shall

not be named would qualify

for such an honor.

He can’t see beyond

his noes to a place where yes

might serve many of us best.

~

Does he know we no

longer know or even care

whether he can see or no?

One photo reveals

naive gullibility

hidden in a warm embrace.

~

A photo captures

a moment, but only with

time will we know what endures.

Sun struggles to shine

as clouds try to steal the show.

The stakes are sky-high.

~

Son struggles to get

the bloody tractor to start

before the rains steal the march.

Has the day returned

again for Knaves of Sherwood

to rebalance injustice?

~

You don’t have to be

a knave to restore justice.

Each of us must do our part.

I’m sure generals like

to listen to speeches from

daft, draft-dodging presidents.

~

I’m equally sure

they like being ordered to

side-step The Constitution.

Early morning sun

filtering through tree and fog

casts an ethereal light.

~

An encouraging

beginning of what may prove

to be a long day.

Those politicians

may have shut things down, but they

still haven’t shut up.

~

If they can’t agree

how to help the people thrive,

then what purpose do they serve?

As the days shorten

and autumn colors emerge,

we prepare for winter‘s bite.

~

We also take time

to enjoy those fall colors

along with cooler weather.

Not all surprises

arrive precisely on time,

even though it’s October.

~

If lies were not told.

if reason ruled. if care was

shown, that would be a surprise !