Distant train whistles

and nearby car honks signal

humans on the move.

~

A few scant miles

away, the whistle’s nearby

and the care honks distantly.

Occasionally,

from unfortunate events,

wonderful rewards arise.

~

And we give thanks for

those rare, or maybe not quite

so rare occasions.

What is there to say

that hasn’t been better said

by someone else? Still, we try.

~

Others can not speak,

no matter how good they are,

in a voice unique to me!

Adventures abound

before being brutally,

capriciously, car contained.

~

It’s better to have

adventured, contained or not,

than to do nothing at all.

‘Twas a relief to

walk today in water which

was not of my own making.

~

Walking on water,

even of your own making,

takes a very special soul.

When strong winds and rain

threaten us with their approach,

can we hasten their exit?

~

I’m afraid we can’t.

We can either hasten our

exit or shelter in place.

In these contentious

times, subtlety and nuance

are left far behind.

~

Many find nuance

unbearable, demanding

such thought to see if they won.

Oh but how time flies,

not only when having fun

but also when hard at work.

~

Crawling or flying,

time moves along until it

stops for each of us.

Just enough light, just

enough warmth, just enough breeze

for another perfect day.

~

Let not the perfect

detract from enjoying good

because there’s ample evil.

Indignant protests

often fail to hit their mark;

stridency sounds insincere.

~

Yet police are called

for peaceful protests, perhaps

because the sincere are feared.

Civil discussions

between opposing factions?

Is it too much to hope for?

~

So long as ‘winning’

is the only good outcome,

hope for civility dims.

Encrusted in dust

when the rains began to fall,

thereafter encased in mud.

~

Strangely, this weather

reminds me of Congress, but

who on earth knows why.

The year’s second half –

may it be the better half.

There’s some make-up work to do.

~

For better or worse

and in sickness or in health,

we’re committed, none the less.

On hot summer days

it’s hard to rouse oneself, reach

for a pen and write.

~

Steamy southern nights

don’t lend themselves to writing

since other pleasures abound.

In this heat even

a short walk seems long for both

eager Knox and languid me.

~

Long walks in the sun

are often salubrious…

Not in Virginia summers!

Threatening weather

seems all the more annoying

when it brings no rain!

~

But not far away

there was a stunning rainbow

along with some flooded roads.

Does anything say

Southern quite like magnolia

blossoms and sweetened ice tea ?

~

Bless her little heart!

How could she have forgotten

the art of Southern Good-byes.

That which people fear

most often cripples them more

than true evil intentions.

~

Our minds can conjure

lots of dark scenarios

that cause us to dim our light.

Let’s celebrate this

just right Virginia weather

while we have the chance.

~

These fleeting moments

of salubrious comfort

soon succumb to canicules.

Why bother building

bridges, since it’s easier

drawing lines -on maps -in sand?

~

Building bridges is

not easy, but it’s the more

hopeful of the two.

Insistent demands

seem to be the currency

changing hands this Father’s Day.

~

What better honor

than to be asked to lend your

hand on Father’s Day?

What was once normal

seems strange after living through

an abnormal year.

~

Perception, it seems,

not possession, as professed,

constitutes nine tenths of all.

Premature warnings

that sad news is forthcoming

cruelly fosters foreboding.

~

Though well-intentioned

such warnings prolong, rather

than soften the pain.

Late evening diners

land on the feeder and are

aggrieved that nothing is there.

~

Bolder rodentia

knock and demand sustenance

when feed’s in absentia.

Why all the hurry?

I, for one, am in no rush

to expedite my exit.

~

Unfortunately,

we’re aptly designated

members of the human race.

Seems I’ve been drafted

again. Sometimes the clock moves

faster than the pen.

~

Those blasted clocks spin

faster as the years go by…

soon they’ll pass politicians.

That green leaf let go

and fell. Was it trying to

be a pioneer?

~

Despairers in Spring

are regarded with pathos,

not lost in rustling Fall.

There is naught like pain

to bring all into focus;

everything in sharp relief.

~

Sometimes pain narrows

our focus and everything

we see we see though that lens.