When a president

rages in the rose garden,

do skies darken in Kansas?

~

Stormy visages

and incoherent bluster

won’t dim his faithful’s luster.

When will we react

to slowly increasing heat?

Are we not smarter than frogs

~

All creation took

a poll and they decided,

at this moment, no.

He hands out pyrite

in seeming oblivion

that his glitter has no gold.

~

Who’s fooled by fool’s gold –

the one who passes it out

or the ones who grab a load?

Why do we hurry

through our days when the sun, moon,

and stars keep a steady pace?

~

Perhaps we rebel

against time’s stately pace from

our ephemeral fears?

Rational people

can agree to disagree

while civility survives.

~

Oh Civility, 

Civility, wherefore art

thou, Civility?

If you knew where all

the flowers had gone, would you

let yourself pick one?

~

Those of us who’ve learned

listening to Uncle Pete,

pick neither fights nor flowers.

Are words relevant

when just hearing his voice breeds

instant incredulity?

~

Even though his words

lack credibility, WE

must speak. OUR words do matter.

At day’s end sun still

shines bright. I wish I could say

the same about me.

~

Our glorious sun

burns ceaselessly, day and night,

while we humans have limits.

What is the sound of

two poets past their deadline

sleeping soundly at the switch?

~

After pondering 

this poetic riddle, I

vote for the sound of silence.

I sit and wait as

my familiar companion.

anxiety, natters on.

~

That’s one companion

whose omnipresent chatter’s

best stifled by joyous song.

Lengthy silences

punctuated by quiet:

Family meal’s finest moments.

~

May we feast on this

and other such fine dining

moments when we can.

In honor of my

son and daughter, I call this

fond memories day.

~

Holy effing hell!

Where can I possibly go

from that softball pitch? Thanks, Mom!

Just because you hear

and see and speak no evil

doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

~

Sometimes evil casts

a spell so insidious

it leaves folks senseless.

As the school year ends,

how do you plan to survive

summer vacation?

~

Perhaps unending

education will teach us

not to sweat tiny details.

Sometimes things work out

even better than we plan

but can we rely on fate?

~

Whether fate turned in

our favor or not, we’re left

to work with what is.

What do you plan to

plant this Spring that you hope to

harvest this Autumn?

~

That which I would plant

now, in this bitter springtime,

will take longer to flourish

A tyrant is born

of ludicrous proposals

rational minds disregard.

~

When arrogance is

deified and ignorance

sanctified, tyrants are born

Though we know things aren’t

necessarily as they

seem, we act as though they are.

~

 From an abundance

of hope, we delude ourselves;

we fake it ’til we make it.

I will be amazed

or so I have been assured.

What if I remain nonplussed?

~

When things don’t add up,

it’s certainly no wonder 

that you are nonplussed.

The inside story

can be radically changed by

external events.

~

Unfortunately,

external reality

doesn’t march to inner drums.

When words escape me,

will inarticulate howls

convey meaning just as well?

~

Keep howling until

you find your pack. Who knows what

good changes you all will bring?

At day’s end, before

dozing off, what moments do

you fondly recall?

~

 Today was a day

in which all fine moments come

AFTER dozing off.

Sometimes I feel like

a frayed old rope tied between

irresistible forces.

~

Sometimes I feel like

 a frayed old rope tossed into

 a dusty corner.

That sudden burst of

roadside blue – could it be some 

bachelors eager for summer?

~

Anticipating

a buoyant Beltane ballet

with Buttercups and Bluebells!

The ground we’re standing,

often governs who we see

as heroes and as villains.

~

Taking the high ground

will help us see them far more

comprehensively.

How many aides does

it take to change his light bulb

when dark thoughts fill every room?

~

Since roaches relish

dimly lit nooks and crannies,

where’s the incentive to change?

Waiting two hours

for this pointless appointment:

Federal Efficiency.

~

Hours come and go.

Some move fast and some move slow.

Mind and heart take their measure.

If it’s progress we

want, let’s stop building walls and 

shredding the truth.

   ~

Some believe they’re Right

to build walls to keep folk out,

to lock truth deniers in.

Endless foolishness,

flowing freely from the swamp,

inundating hearts and minds.

~

Nothing that flows from

that swamp is free, as many

soy farmers have discovered.

Just trying to be

patient with my impatience

and that of others .

~

Just so long as you’re

loving to the odious

and their patent odium.