One towering oak

can’t a healthy forest make;

No one thrives alone.

~

As Thich Naht Hanh says,

“we inter-are”. How well we’ll

grow when this we deeply know!

Let us listen to

the wind whisper secrets to

the trees – natural wisdom.

~

That’s a much better

whisper to which to attend

than hatred’s sharp scirocco.

When the “new normal”

begins to seem psychotic,

what is the best sane response?

~

Become abnormal

as fast as you can and join

with others marginalized.

At seventy-five

this is what I have to say:

find what you love and do it.

~

And at fifty-three

I have but one caveat:

live a lifestyle your love buys!

What purpose is served,

on this ninety degree day,

by that giant bonfire?

~

Got kids out of house,

roasted hot dogs, burned private

records – a three-in-one win.

We leave behind our

own humanity when we

deny others theirs.

~

Those without a soul

don’t know ’bout humanity

neither do they care to learn.

There’s healing power

in hard, manual labor.

Is this why our culture’s sick?

~

If those at the top

used their power and paid good

 wages, we’d be well.

Trump’s minions quickly

come in, pause, go out, leaving

chaos in their wake.

~

Some would say chaos

is just part of the milieu

in Trump’s “White House” asylum.

When the smoke obscures

the fireworks display, that’s

excessive exuberance.

~

 By now we should be

used to smoke that obscures. That’s

what our president is for.

Wandering among

the stars, she suddenly saw

that moon-jumping cow.

~

Realizing she

was that fabled dish, she thought,

“Where’s that spoon run off to now!”

Loudly, the masses,

proclaim their independence

eschewing diversity.

~

We know who they are

who proclaim independence

and eschew the truth.

As July simmers

we whimper, wishing for cool

days and cooler nights.

~

Until we get them!

Then we’ll all wail and whine for

halcyon summer splendor!

Negotiating

life’s little disappointments

is how we learn happiness.

~

We can till the ground

and tend the soil so that

happiness can bloom.

In good times and bad

family and friends have given

me much to be thankful for.

~

Family and friends,

yes, are two of life’s blessings;

…taken in moderation.

Time marches onward,

relentlessly toward post time

and I remain unprepared.

~

Nevertheless you

and I persist. We show up

and sometimes poetry comes.

When our leaders put

both reason and compassion 

aside, what is left?

~

Demagoguery,

knee-jerk ideology,

and “fairly unbalanced” news.

On returning home

I find, much to my chagrin,

reason’s still on holiday.

~

It’s been quite a trip

here at home since reason has

fled for parts unknown.

As the time draws near

for your return, what do you

hope to bring with you?

~

Broadened perspectives,

a deeper understanding,

and so many memories!

As we wing from one

adventure to another,

can we find time to reflect?

~

Time for reflection

will come soon enough; for now

just enjoy your adventures.

We really do care,

and we hope our leaders find

a way back to caring too.

~

And if they do not,

do we care sufficiently

to replace our leadership?

Change trains in Brussels:

an hour hardly seems time

for great poetry to sprout.

~

May small brussel sprouts

of poetry nourish you

 as you journey on.

When did outright lies

come to be preferred over

basic human rights?

~

Trump’s America:

Where the only human right

is to lie despite the cost.

In old Amsterdam

there’s a quality of light

that defies explanation

~

Appreciation

without explanation can

result in a deep delight.

Defending what is

indefensible won’t make

America great again.

~

Restoring greatness:

exercise for foolish men

who perceive some fall from grace.

Still Paris morning

punctuated by pigeon,

Parisians still slumber.

~

Taking time to eat,

taking time to rest? Foreign

ideas abound.

Whispers of wonder

accompany my driving.

Bet you’re not surprised.

~

Unlikely whispers

were what you heard while driving.

Could you use a hearing test?

Wandering the Louvre,

wondering where people are;

Ahh! Queued for Mona Lisa!

~