Whether in full leaf

or completely bare, a tree

is always truly itself.

~

Self-identity

comes from a solid rooting

for both people and for trees.

I devastate you!

And I devastate you back!

Did not! Did too! GROW UP, BOYS!

~

They have a chance to

show their friends how tough they are

and that’s all that counts.

Not to be outdone

by the weather, he chose to

really heat things up.

~

His birthday parade

was not adequate enough

to display his giant might.

Before you profess

your love to God, remember,

he sees how you treat his children.

~

Through everything we

say and do the breadth and depth

of our professed love is shown.

Bird feeder battle 

between two squirrels – those guys

don’t know when enough’s enough.

~

Someone must believe

that some resource scarcity

mandates bellicosity.

Come on, crybabies!

Celebrating both

does not detract from either!

~

Or so you say, but

I want that spotlight to shine

only on myself.

 Daisy glared at that

 haughty group of Queen Anne’s lace:

“I’m not just a pretty face.”

~

Daisy’s got the hots

for that Bachelor’s buttons

turning Queen Anne’s lacy head.

A resounding thud

roused me from my rocking chair

to scold a masked invader.

~

He’s staking his claim

because from his point of view

the invader’s you.

After the downpour

came a gentle mist. Perhaps

the sun will follow.

~

Whether sun or no,

deer and rabbits venture forth

to feast upon rain soaked greens.

That Flag Day display

did nothing to inspire

any patriotic zeal.

~

It’s not through speeches

and parades but rather through

service that patriots shine.

It’s hard not to wish

it would rain on his parade

and mirror how wet he is.

~

Will he have the grace

to stand, out there, in the storm

honoring what they endure?

Friday the thirteenth

should invoke no less terror

than any day since winter.

~

But I became so

paralyzed, I could not take

my pen to paper.

He has never served

in the military, but

uses it to serve himself.

~

All the Noblesse,

he clings to, cloak and banner,

sans that troublesome oblige.

The first amendment

does not guarantee your right

to be shot on your way home.

~

No, that guarantee’s

from a misunderstanding

of the second amendment.

All along the way,

Knox stopped, but it certainly

was not to smell the roses.

~

What is in a nose?

That which you name “Rose”, dear mom,

doth never, swear, smell as sweet.

Some riddles can’t be

solved, but that has seldom stopped

us from giving them a try.

~

Plumbing unknown depths:

noble work for curious

scientists and theologues.

A few days of rest,

relaxation, and healing

is recharging energies.

~

Overwork and stress

can drain our batteries dry.

Routine maintenance can help.

On this sixth day of

this sixth month I hope something

magic will happen.

~

Like this “Lovers Spat”

blossoms from it’s little bud

into The War of the Roses?

Something’s in the wind!

Poems and text disappear;

vanished into the aether!

~

You know what they say:

out of sight, out of mind. Guess

everything’s been blown away.

Inevitably,

when I went to sell a home,

the market chose to soften.

~

Buy high, sell low seems

to be our family’s motto.

We’re every realtor’s dream.

An army of ants

parade around our trash cans

eager to be fed.

~

Chemical warfare

remains a ready option.

Some armies need no mercy.

Silly Tanagers

struggling to get inside

where not one thing meets their needs.

~

But they overheard

the squirrels saying the source of

tasty seeds could be found there.

It only takes one

cantankerous squirrel to

spoil their dining pleasure.

~

It only takes one

cantankerous narcissist

to wreck a once great nation.

Waiting in the rain

for the family to arrive

enjoying the quietude.

~

A quiet prelude

to coming cacophony –

a welcome first act.

Even in the rain

birds and squirrels approached, waiting

for the birdseed to be spread.

~

Some things just transcend

even the foulest weather,

like basic necessities.

Those astringent fumes,

“Icy Hot” and “Aspercream”,

serve old men as fine cologne.

~

Only the finest

of scents can alleviate

the pain of old men.

The wind’s whisperings

to the trees are overheard

by those nesting birds.

~

Also, far below,

timid mice go cavorting,

shielded by whispers above.

A Memorial

Day requires some respect

for those memorialized

~

His “bone spurs” kept him

from serving: an early sign

of his disrespect.

Swift is the small fox

running across the vast field

chased by barking dogs.

~

Swift, but wily too,

he’ll soon shift to shake the pack,

knowing what he’s driven toward.