Seventy five years

ago a magnificent

creature made her earthly debut.

~

Twenty five years more

basking in its radiance

and we may all get a tan.

When we see beauty,

is our first question, “Is that

Lotus or Waterlily?”

~

If questions are asked

at the sight of beauty, they

tend to be ones of how, not what.

Any thoughts on how

to keep your cool in heated

times such as these?

~

Heated spirits rise

in these uncertain times but

surely cooler heads prevail.

When illness rises

and spirits, likewise, descend,

how can we find time to write?

~

Sometimes writing can

soothe our sickness and distract

us from our lingering woes.

A truly sunny

Sunday lifts the mood, opens

hearts to gratitude.

~

Sunny warm Sundays

in this chill, frosty, season

must be counted as a gift.

How long will it be

before they begin to see

the cost of sycophancy?

~

When screwers become

screwed their learning curve improves..

Until then? Who knows, my friend.

Early December –

fifty-eight degrees outside.

Who turned up the heat?

~

Everybody has

there hands on the thermostat

but will we, yet, turn it down?

Looking for some lights

on this darkest evening:

found them in a traffic jam.

`

It’s funny isn’t

it, how light can be found if

we only slow down.

We may be out of

school, but there’s a lot to learn

that can’t be shared on twitter.

~

But all the wisdom

we post here on the daily

fits easily in a tweet.

On a bell shaped curve

occupying both tail ends

is not a thing of pleasure.

~

No one likes where they

fall on such a curve. They think

it could always be better.

He looked everywhere

for happiness, thinking it 

was somewhere out there.

~

But it wasn’t found

in Kansas or Missouri;

it was in him all along.

Being a sandwich

means you’ll be, forever, squeezed

between two crusty slices.

~

If you’re a sandwich,

my metaphor-loving son,

you’re the squeezer and the squeezed.

                                                                                                           JDG

Peace of mind – how do

we find it in a world filled

with endless chatter?

~

Insist on silence.

Silent strolls through silent woods

with cell phones in silent mode.

My apologies

for the grimness yesterday;

it was the migraine talking.

~

With a migraine, you

still chose to join this noisy

bunch – that speaks volumes to me.

So, can we just say

a little bit of being

together goes a long way?

~

If we knew today

was the last we had to live

is this how we would spend it?

As the sun descends

after another long day,

shall we not embrace the dark?

~

Evening and night hold

a gentle offering of

sanctuary at day’s end.

Can you tell me what

sun says to morning dew that

sets her ashiver?

~

His protestations

of hot incandescent love

reduce her to steamy vapors.

Thanksgiving’s approach,

for the over-functioner,

means more work than giving thanks.

~

Under-functioners

give thanks for their existence –

makes their own much easier.

Countdown to that time

of year when friends and family

gather and flaunt politics.

~

Just keep “Uncle Don”

and his crotch-grabbing cronies

far from the children’s table!

How many times can

they paint unchanging landscapes

before the gallery revolts?

~

The landscapes, they are

a-changing even if the

big painters persist.

When we’re broken, friends

 and family help us pick up

the pieces and help us mend.

~

But don’t expect that

help to come without a price;

sarcasm and snarky wit.

Why must tragedy

inevitably contrive

to strike amid swirling chaos?

~

Swirling chaos, love,

and tragedy intermingle –

such is the nature of life.

Since Moore is less, can

 Alabama do what’s right

and remove the blight?

~

Kudzu is a blight

Alabama can’t remove;

a little Moore can’t be tough.

Young poets sent me

lyrical birthday greetings.

What else could a man ask for?

~

There’s nothing better

than personally crafted 

messages from the young.

On this your birthday

please share the profundities

you’ve learned through these many years.

~

After many turns

round about this yellow star,

I’ve yet to learn very much.

~

Aw shucks!

When the curtain falls

and the set is finally struck,

what beyond memory stays?

~

New skills mastered, new

limitations seen, old friends

and new  – these and more remain.

When I saw your tears

flow with pride at your son’s good

work, my heart danced with both of you.

~

Oh! Dyspepsia!

An unwelcome counterpoint

to a pleasant evening…

When the lights go down

and the music starts to swell,

will it be a trick or treat?

~

You never know ’til

the last curtain falls. Sometimes,

even then, it’s too soon to tell.

As the temperature

plummets, will government turn

a cold shoulder to the poor?

~

No turning needed.

Governmental indifference

is established precedent.

Rainy November

voting night – New Jersey and 

Virginia spoke loud and clear.

~

Spoke both loud and clear

but will it have an impact

on those tuned into fake news,