How far from the grid

do we have to get before

even Santa can’t find us?

~

Santa delivered

the gift you sought. Seagulls filled

our stockings instead.

Help! Even though I’ve

said hello, the ocean keeps

on waving at me.

~

Beckoning you come,

play among the foamy Sprites,

disregarding floating ice.

Just imagine Knox

bounding up and down the strand

chasing after those Seagulls!

~

All the while he

would probably be barking,

begging for some wings.

Beaches in winter

sing to a smaller group of

folks, but still they sing.

~

Seas are hard to beat

for providing an expanse

in which to contemplate and breathe.

Sudden snow showers

falling from a sunny sky

took the highway by surprise.

~

From sun-lit beaches

to sun-lit snow, Virginia

has something for everyone.

It seems the only

qualification needed in

Trump’s world is incompetence.

~

Not incompetence,

but, rather, sycophancy,

are the chops appointees need.

Why must we battle

violently about the means

if, on the ends, we agree?

~

Sometimes the means we

take to get somewhere matters

more than the fact we arrived.

It takes so little

(food, water, companionship)

and dogs and cats are content.

~

So too, some people

are contented with the like.

Other crave more… to their loss.

In our great hubris,

we believe we understand

the impact of our actions

~

Hubris always fails

to acknowledge there are parts

of the story we don’t know.

When the choice is sticks

or squirrels, it’s squirrels (paws

down) every time for Knox.

~

He should jump higher!

And thus, therefore, acquire

both stick and squirrel entire.

Signs, Omens, Portents;

products of anxiety,

or just grokking history?

~

The universe speaks

to us in multiple ways –

sometimes using sign language

Reasonableness

is truly out of fashion

in contemporary discourse.

~

Who applies reason

while heeding a delusion

propagating enmity?

The new policy:

Redistribute wealth some more;

Making the have nots, have naughts.

~

And greed again trumps

common sense, outreach, and care:

me first policy laid bare.

Knox was so thrilled

when the flowers arrived, but

dismayed when they weren’t for him.

~

Flowers bring pleasure

to people and dogs alike,

more so, when unexpected.

Endless nights praying

for a word, of any sort,

be it fair or foul, but soon!

~

Don’t know why patience

has to take so long to learn.

I mean come on, speed it up.

Just to let you know

I might get used to all this

care and attention.

~

Just to let you know

we’ll quickly break you of that

with our third-world nursing skills.

They’re now all adults,

our children and grandchildren.

How shall we, now, interact?

~

In the past what’s served

us best is few suggestions

and lots of humor and love.

Birthday 82

is being celebrated

in unconventional ways.

~

Unconventional

is the hallmark of our clan,

whether two or eighty-two!

Some great adventures

are better left untaken

preferring boredom instead

~

Sometimes it’s not left

for us to decide. All we

can do is go for the ride.

Discontent must breed

before citizens will cede

a need, at last, for progress.

~

Progress is best made

when want is not confused with

need and needs are met.

As December wind

blusters, the sun rises up

and attempts to soothe.

~

That wind reminds us

It’s time to lock our windows.

With each gust we feel the draft.

Tiny ice crystals,

dissecting frozen sunlight,

paint rainbows ‘cross frosty grass.

~

December magic

brings a shivery smile

to our freezing lips.

I still remember

your response when I read you

the book, “Where Did I Come From”.

~

It’s probably best

I’ve long since forgotten

that pre-pubescent response.

Let us not forget,

poetry is a language

steeped in metaphoric hint.

~

If you’re looking for

obvious clarity, you

might try the phone book.

In December’s cold

my mind simply froze and thus

this poem’s delayed.

~

Likewise my response

suffered a similar fate

and posted equally late.

Sudden arctic chill

presages winters approach

warning of dark times ahead.

~

Through it all the sun’s

still there giving whatever

warmth and light it can.

Dreamed of disturbing

a skunk while removing trash

from under the outside steps.

~

Hark, Thane of Cawdor!

Your dream, surely, doth profess

something rotten in Denmark!

Will his crony court

curb the president’s ego

or will more of our rights go?

~

On Thanksgiving Day

let’s smile and exercise

our right to a Trumpfree day.

Tempers grow hotter

as days grow colder, but there’s

still much to be thankful for.

~

Heated rhetoric,

lingering past November,

amplifies global warming.

November forgets,

sometimes, and presents us all

with beautiful, balmy, days.

~

Let’s cherish each day

November forgets because

December will remember.