How do we keep our

minds when all about us, the

news tells us,”Don’t try”?

~

One way to assure

that no one will rock the boat

is to float a great big lie.

How dare we find joy

in simple acts of living

while death awaits in the wings?

~

One of the few dares

worth taking is this one, though

we know death surely awaits .

How can something so

simple be forgot?  Is it 

old age or simply my lot?

~

Sorry. I know you

can’t respond to a question

that was never asked.

As these decades pass

and the shock fades from our minds,

can we still address our wrongs?

~

As long as there’s breath

there’s time to address wrongs

done to us and the ones we’ve done.

We Americans

seem to think all problems have

solutions. What if they don’t?

~

Every problem does

have a solution but some

are fixed sans Americans.

Nearer the bottom

of the whiskey bottle lies

something; but is it the truth?

~

The word on the street

is that truth comes when we, not

the whiskey, hit rock bottom.

When worry elbows

its way into our lives,

how best to escort it out?

~

Pushing and shoving

may sometimes do the trick but

a softer approach is nice.

When constant drumming

plucks on your very last nerve,

how do you respond calmly?

~

Perhaps you should try

responding to the beat of

your very own drum.

When dealing with that

stubborn child within, what

would you recommend?

~

Heed the little one.

Ignoring their every whim

just makes them more demanding.

When life gets tougher,

How do we meet the challenge;

with grace or resignation?

~

 No matter what, may

we be compassionate as

  we meet life’s tough challenges.

What is sweeter than

sugar, higher than the sky,

and will never, ever lie?

~

Midnight fantasy!

Like ordinary lovers

that never, ever, disagree!

Infectious drama

is sweeping through the household;

what might offer some relief?

~

Infectious laughter 

brings quick relief for dramas

of most any kind.

What would you say to

a child who asks, “Why do

clowns have to wear masks?”?

~

Alarming truths, dear,

can have a deeper impact

when clad in disarming masks.

When the need to be

right is so strong, how can we

ever admit we are wrong?

~

When we surrender

ego in the name of peace,

we demonstrate divine strength.

What helps us open

our hearts when the first thing we

encounter is pain?

~

Water is made of

hydrogen and oxygen;

likewise love and pain make life.

If agony serves

us as proof of life, are you

living to your fullest yet?

~

Living life to its

fullest, we experience

both extremes and the middle.

When someone asks, “How

do you do?” is it ok

to let them know that you don’t?

~

A “Howdie do” can

be courtesy or question.

Which can be hard to fathom.

Must we always rush

or can enough be enough

so we can enjoy the hush?

~

UnAmerican 

questions such as these are proof

we need to guard our borders.

 As we look ahead

to a new school year what would

be better to leave behind?

~

Car accidents and

shattered cell phone touch screens and

chronic procrastination.

How can flowers bloom

buffeted by ceaseless gales

mired in this vile sludge?

~

Is it our current

political climate of

which you poetically speak?

Has anyone tried

to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge

lately and did you buy it?

~

I would rather buy

a “bridge to nowhere” than one

that would take me to Brooklyn.

Will happiness be

found in some abandoned place

far from internets and memes?

~

What if it turns out

we are the abandoned place

where happiness lies waiting?

It’s Twenty Sixteen,

but why does it seem more like

Nineteen Eighty- Four?

~

Now, is the hour

of our discontent, beneath

Big Brother’s scornful scowl!

Does summer’s swelter

only saturate the skin

Or also soak the spirit?

~

Summer saturates

and simultaneously

inflames, but what can we do?

What greater pleasure

than awakening at home

after those lengthy travels?

~

Perhaps the heartfelt,

tail wagging, joyful greeting

from four-legged family.