You can’t avoid them,

all those uncomfortable parts,

of this adventure called life.

~

No adventure is

without uncomfortable parts,

but in the end it’s worth it.

What dreams await your

sleepy head, I do not know,

but may they be sweet.

~

I have no response

To your salient wisdom,

Saccharine to its very core.

Time’s hasty passage

is mimicked in the rumble

and flash of sudden monsoons.

~

And time’s slow passage

is mimicked in the drizzle

of gray, rainy afternoons.

Everything changes

but when things are going well

we strongly resist.

~

Some resist even

when everything is peachy;

folks can be cussed that way.

Wind, rain, and thunder;

tangibles suffuse the sky

recharging our batteries.

~

Gives us energy

enough to prepare for a

possible loss of power.

This crazy weather

provokes even butterflies

to show their dark side.

~

Some things just defy

even my dark fantasies;

evil butterflies are one.

It’s a conundrum,

this intermittent voltage

shocking me through the door frame.

~

It’s a conundrum,

this intermittent nighttime

rain that we have to weather.

How many rainy

days or nights can nature squeeze

in this hot August?

~

Better to ask how

many gallons of rain can

August heat wring from clear skies.

On the Interstate…

outpaced by some dragonflies

and rodents on the shoulder.

~

Sounds like the slowness

allowed you to see some things

you otherwise would have missed.

Just once I’d like to

be as excited about

a frog as Knox is.

~

Some people thought they’d

found their prince and, like Knox,

they were hugely excited.

People make me sad:

like rabbits in the roadway,

paralyzed by decisions.

~

It’s hard to witness,

especially when we don’t know

how we can make a difference.

As thunder rumbles

loudly in the distance, trees

grow bright in the setting sun.

~

And the gentle breeze

slowly becomes a tempest

shredding all those, still green, leaves.

Diffuse brotherhoods,

bound by common commitments,

enlist strangers to our aid.

~

Standing on common

ground, we can seek and give help

to one another.

Knox meets butterfly.

Butterfly is not impressed,

leaves in a flutter.

~

He attempts pursuit

but, so sadly, lacking wings,

is, too soon, left far behind.

Parents understand

that, so ironic, smile

watching other’s kids act up

~

They heave a big sigh

of relief that they’re the ones

smiling and it’s not their kids.

Everything’s grist for

the poetry mill as my

ODE TO VOMIT shows.

~

Pyloric sphincters

are under-rated muscles

too often disregarded.

Gastronomic bliss

undermines every diet

given half a chance.

~

A passing pleasure

is sometimes needed, then we

return to healthy eating.

If we could find one

delight a day, it might keep

our despair at bay.

~

Joys exist, always.

Us taking, but a moment,

to regard and honor them.

All this fun and games,

leaving us so exhausted,

we need to come home and sleep!

~

Sometimes play can be

more exhausting than work, but

in a very different way.

May your vacation

be both vital and restful.

It’s been a hard year.

~

Restful and yet full

of excitement and surprise,

much like the preceding year.

Major frustrations

accompany vacations;

that’s just the way they begin.

~

Yet what we long for

is a vacation from all

those day to day frustrations.

Birds just sing their songs.

They don’t hesitate because

they find their songs unworthy.

~

Birds lack frontal lobes

with resulting cortices,

and, therefore, inhibitions.

Adulting is hard

and takes a lot of practice

before we can do it right.

~

At seventy eight

I’m still practicing and I

only sometimes get it right.

Life’s complications

can be an inspiration

but they also interfere.

~

Unexpected work

in a distant location

leaves little time for writing.

When you have to choose

between the head or the gut,

which way do you tend to lean?

~

At my best, I give

them equal weight, but when I’m

in a pinch I go with gut.

We’d feel better if

we held onto joy as long

as we hold onto grudges.

~

Some burdens are hard

to put down and leave behind,

therefore, we still carry them.

What’s she waiting for,

an engraved invitation?

It’s her contest after all…

~

Sometimes we wait for

acceptance, acknowledgement,

or a gentle nudge.

Scorching with a touch

of rain seems to be one of

Summer’s favorite games.

~

A refreshing tease

that instantly becomes steam

wilting every starched collar.

Though we disagree

about this country’s problems,

we both remain patriots.

~

Civility would

be restored if more of us

could do the same without blame.

It’s not easy to

make space for poetry when

life is so crowded.

~

A poet’s garret

may be the perfect retreat

from the great thundering herd.