As Autumn mists rise

and leaves begin to color,

can we enjoy the changing?

~

Color me full of

joy at the prospect of change

after a heated summer.

Isn’t our country

great? Even an idiot

can run for public office.

~

I’ll reserve judgement

until checks and balances

prove they work to good effect.

When we exercise

those old creative muscles,

does just our vision sharpen?

~

What grew dormant springs

into life at the first twitch

of those old muscles.

When we look into

the future, what happens to

this moment right now?

~

When looking ahead,

it’s easy to overlook

today and forget the past.

In this day and age

of instant news and sound bites

who would welcome the limelight?

~

For some the only

worthy news is news of them

in limelit splendor.

If our head is in

the clouds and our feet are on 

the ground, where’s our heart?

~

Soaring in between

solid ground and whispy dreams

having taken joyous flight.

Can we seek the joy

that’s been manifested by

unlikely combinations?

~

Joy can be found in

many combinations – some

likely and some not so much.

Doesn’t how we get

there help determine whether

we should even make the trip?

~

The means of travel

distinguishes a mere trip

from an epic adventure.

Parenting is hard.

Without a united front,

Is it even possible?

~

We parents need all

the help we can get. We give

thanks for loving villages.

If a sharp change in

weather affects car tires,

what is its effect on us?

~

When the weather cools

we can feel deflated too

until we turn up the heat.

When contemplating

spirals, is it better to

focus on inward turnings?

~

Focusing on both

movement in and movement out

is best for spirals and breath.

As the chaos fades,

have we gleaned any wisdom

from surviving the Tempest!

~

Have no fear even

though chaos is ever near,

Trump may bigly disappear.

Any advice for

how to find shelter amidst

 a hurricane of harsh words?

~

Construct fortresses

of thickened hide, present the

other cheek, await November.

How can you respond

when a long time, cherished, friend

propagates propaganda?

~

We can hold open

 our hearts while disowning our

friend’s propaganda.

When Christmas begins

in late September, what is

left for December?

~

What remains is that

which December always brings,

cold and snow and frigid dark.

Will donning the yoke,

though pleasing to the ploughman,

ever really please the horse?

~

Workhorses sometimes

don the yoke to survive and

learn to put pleasure aside.

They say one measure

of a man is how he treats

his dog. What say you?

~

Measured temperament

displayed both to man and beast

will prove a man’s full measure.

When inner tempests

remain despite autumn sun,

what else might shake the maelstrom?

~

Sometimes tempests aren’t

shaken by looking high. Go

slow, dive deep, look low.

When pots are calling

kettles black, have we entered

Donald’s fine kitchen?

~

It’s all another

integral, tasty, part of

America’s fine cuisine.

Rising and shining

has become a thing of dread.

How can we brighten the son?

~

Surely such a task,

dear son, requires baby 

steps. Just begin by rising.

Why do we wish for

perfection when it’s the flaws

that make us human?

~

Simple folk believe

recognizing their mistakes

somehow reduces their worth.

Must he obfuscate

his naked shallowness with

fear and vitriolic hate?

~

When we don’t know what

it means to be loved in our

nakedness, fear dominates.

What if we don’t want

to face that the problem is

not in the stars but in us?

~

Why then, of course, we

casually recall

that we are all just stardust.

What happens when we

seek our fortune in the stars,

but we find only problems?

~

Human stars have their

problems just like the rest of

us. Seekers, beware.

Why will people buy

that same old tasteless pablum

from a flashier huckster?

~

Insipid fare, served

with a flash, seduces folks

into thinking they’re well fed.

What prevents us from

following the best of us

in the worst of times?

~

When times get toughest

weary people seek safety

from overbearing fathers.

As nights grow longer

and time in the sun grows short,

how can we combat darkness?

~

Darkness, whether in

the natural world or in us,

is lessened when we bring light.

Can you envision

a nation where reason is

fostered and not fear?

~

Vision always fails

in a nation that fosters

fear over reason.

Wherein lies the joy

of allowing past foibles

to quietly fade away?

~

While the possessor

of foibles prefers fading,

others like the relating.