He has never served

in the military, but

uses it to serve himself.

~

All the Noblesse,

he clings to, cloak and banner,

sans that troublesome oblige.

The first amendment

does not guarantee your right

to be shot on your way home.

~

No, that guarantee’s

from a misunderstanding

of the second amendment.

All along the way,

Knox stopped, but it certainly

was not to smell the roses.

~

What is in a nose?

That which you name “Rose”, dear mom,

doth never, swear, smell as sweet.

Some riddles can’t be

solved, but that has seldom stopped

us from giving them a try.

~

Plumbing unknown depths:

noble work for curious

scientists and theologues.

A few days of rest,

relaxation, and healing

is recharging energies.

~

Overwork and stress

can drain our batteries dry.

Routine maintenance can help.

On this sixth day of

this sixth month I hope something

magic will happen.

~

Like this “Lovers Spat”

blossoms from it’s little bud

into The War of the Roses?

Something’s in the wind!

Poems and text disappear;

vanished into the aether!

~

You know what they say:

out of sight, out of mind. Guess

everything’s been blown away.

Inevitably,

when I went to sell a home,

the market chose to soften.

~

Buy high, sell low seems

to be our family’s motto.

We’re every realtor’s dream.

An army of ants

parade around our trash cans

eager to be fed.

~

Chemical warfare

remains a ready option.

Some armies need no mercy.

Silly Tanagers

struggling to get inside

where not one thing meets their needs.

~

But they overheard

the squirrels saying the source of

tasty seeds could be found there.

It only takes one

cantankerous squirrel to

spoil their dining pleasure.

~

It only takes one

cantankerous narcissist

to wreck a once great nation.

Waiting in the rain

for the family to arrive

enjoying the quietude.

~

A quiet prelude

to coming cacophony –

a welcome first act.

Even in the rain

birds and squirrels approached, waiting

for the birdseed to be spread.

~

Some things just transcend

even the foulest weather,

like basic necessities.

Those astringent fumes,

“Icy Hot” and “Aspercream”,

serve old men as fine cologne.

~

Only the finest

of scents can alleviate

the pain of old men.

The wind’s whisperings

to the trees are overheard

by those nesting birds.

~

Also, far below,

timid mice go cavorting,

shielded by whispers above.

A Memorial

Day requires some respect

for those memorialized

~

His “bone spurs” kept him

from serving: an early sign

of his disrespect.

Swift is the small fox

running across the vast field

chased by barking dogs.

~

Swift, but wily too,

he’ll soon shift to shake the pack,

knowing what he’s driven toward.

Herbs and pork and smoke,

of these three, it is the last

heralding a great repast.

~

Following the scent

of all three, folks come hoping

it tastes as good as it smells.

Virginia’s magic

is on full display these days

and we are bewitched.

~

Nature bewitches

all who wander with eyes wide

and minds and hearts attentive.

Life moves so damned fast

we barely have time to wake

before darkness falls.

~

And the sun seems to

rise only minutes after

we finally lay down our heads.

Tree branches reach out,

hoping to catch the sun,

but catch falling rain instead.

~

Tree, really, cares not,

knowing that today’s rainfall

will support tomorrow’s growth.

Wheeling and dealing

for neither fun nor profit

is no way to spend a day.

~

In the end when all

is done and we are spent, may

there be little to repent.

Rabbits are hopping

all about as the crows call

for a moratorium.

~

Those pallbearer crows

think the world’s a solemn place

where merriment should be shunned.

How can they believe

exclusion and giant walls

pave the highway to greatness?

~

The smaller you are

on the inside, the more need

you have for these barriers.

A big day has passed

leaving behind a promise

that more of them lie ahead.

~

If room still exists,

the diversity displayed

promises greatness to come.

Three generations.

Poetic family shrieking.

Will this third move the dial?

~

The switch has been flipped.

The dial has moved. Today

we honor the third in line.

My poet grandson

will soon get his diploma.

Will it be written in verse?

~

In the olden days

almost all diplomas rhymed

since they were scribed in Latin.

Dark scuttling clouds

Rushing angrily about

Threatening dire outcomes

~

Turns out it was just

a lot of stormy bluster

as the dark clouds slunk away.

If a bribe can be

seen in the air does it land

on Trump to repair?

~

Called bribe or baksheesh,

the essence remains the same:

The cost of doing business.