Aromatic smoke

permeates the meat and scents

the air with deliciousness.

~

And all the while

I am sitting here waiting

for a quick invitation.

The day may soon come

when a certain convicted

felon gets what he deserves.

~

Or injustice reigns

and instead of just deserts

he get what he thinks his due.

Adversaries meet

In a public social space

And, somehow, remain civil.

~

Perhaps they could teach

their strategy to Trumpers

on this final lap.

November may be

the longest month. I guess we’ll

have to wait and see.

~

Not Long: momentous-

Surely to be, chock-a-block,

full of pivotal moments.

…and what’s your costume?

“I’m a cisgender, white male,

denier of all privilege.”

~

In other words. you’re

a much feared goblin who has

the awareness of a rock.

As beautiful as

the sunrise is, there are days

when I’d much rather sleep in.

~

I see sunrises

mostly when I’m up all night

or when on vacation.

Seek that quiet place

mid the clash of chaos

where Divine whispers their will.

~

Because those Divine

whispers help us more than our

human clamoring.

A train whistle blows,

announcing it’s coming down

the track. Step back. Step way back.

~

Whistles, Train and Dog,

serve to warn those up ahead

to prepare for what’s to come.

Noises in the dark,

some are welcome, some are not.

Faint profanity? Your guess!

~

Are they music for

the soul or are they warning

us to hurry up and go?

Losing ourselves in

Autumn’s golden glow restores

our depleted inner glow.

~

Does it seem funny

finding ourselves requires

losing ourselves in something?

Country roads offer

autumn stained-glass canopies

under which to drive.

~

Whether we’re coming

or going, we’re encouraged

to pause and wonder.

Running in circles,

Knox chases his tail just like

some politicians.

~

Knox, at least, has grace!

Tail he’s chasing, unlike some,

is, consentingly, his own.

Like the rushing wind,

hours just evaporate

until the day is no more.

~

When hours and words

evaporate, we often

wonder where they’ve gone.

What if every day

we remembered beauty was

there for our finding?

~

Just remembering

is not enough to make change;

we must also seek it out.

Today, I’m feeling

aches in excess of my years

or years far beyond my own.

~

We soon discover

aches of both body and heart

know no bounds of age.

Passing train whistles

to the slowly rising sun –

just a passing flirtation.

~

Some things resonate,

far beyond all reasoning,

in the chorus of the spheres.

In the scheme of things,

how significantly does

any action we take matter?

~

In the scheme of things

both action and inaction

affect the outcome.

As the honking geese

fly by, cardinals seem disturbed.

Where did they learn their manners?

~

Some birds honk loudly,

not because they’ve much to say,

but their noise makes them feel big.

Sharp, fall zephyrs gust,

reminding us, seasons change,

will or nil our liking thus.

~

So many changes

occur without our consent,

a fact we often lament.

Knox found a big bone,

drug it home, and was dismayed

we didn’t praise him.

~

Let us not discuss

Knox and his enormous bone

since this is a family blog.

Oaks; black, white, and red,

in their reproductive zeal,

bombard my cars with nuts.

~

They whisper among

themselves, “Why doesn’t he build

himself a garage?”

When tension mounts it’s

probably best to dismount

and find something you enjoy.

~

As with computers,

when all things go haywire,

Rebooting can set them right.

All the joys of home-

through the door and straight to work,

catching up for that time gone.

~

Homing in on what

needs to be done gives a sense

of time well spent, work well done.

He balances his

budget by not paying bills

and shortchanging everyone.

~

Parsimonious,

when it comes from his wallet;

spendthrift, with other folks funds.

In this quiet wood

Far away from beaten paths

Deer browse without care.

~

Except for the fawn

we found lying unbreathing

far from the house on our lawn.

The chilly air nipped

our heals, hurried me along,

but Knox preferred to linger.

~

In his canine mind,

he needed to slow and show

upstart air he won’t be moved.

Basking in the sun,

turtle remains attentive,

ready to dive from danger.

~

Even turtles know

attentiveness is the way

to best save the day.

How can there be a

meeting of minds when no minds

come to the meeting?

~

With no agendum

minds can meet on neutral ground

even when all are absent.

Repetitive croaks

from somewhere outside makes me

question to whom they belong.

~

Given the season

and the climate, it’s likely

groanings of croaking old toads.