burn bare the earth
tip the seas with waste
declare oneself king of money
Dave Wilson
waldomaui
For about 27 years my adult life has been enriched immeasurably by my friends and co-conspirators in the Maui Live Poets Society. It is through these exceptional folks that I've blossomed as a poet. Best of all, my loving wife Cindy Albers and I met through MLPS. Cindy--a truly accomplished writer and poet--and I both will be pounding out poems on our respective laptops here on the windward shore of Maui. (Already I feel the need for a nap.) Once again, thank you to Caitlin and Jacob and the other volunteers for this sterling opportunity! Good luck to us all! Big Group Hug, waldomaui (sometimes known as Bear)
Apartment Across the Way–Hour 3
In the apartment across the way
the one above the laundry room
chaos tumbles
in chalk scribbles
in toys strewn
in childish bursts of joyful shrieking
in galloping footfalls
in resounding curses from adults
In the apartment across the way
the one above the laundry room
Christmas lights have stayed up for months
in the children’s bedroom
their bunkbed pushed longways against the picture window
an alarming outline silhouetted
against colorful lights
In the apartment across the way
the one above the laundry room
the children’s uncle died in his sleep
from a troubled spot on his lung
The apartment across the way
settled down for two weeks
They went to the mainland
on vacation we were told
Then the children’s father returned
to the apartment across the way
He was found still warm on the couch
the paramedics had no miracle
and he grew cold
The mother and children have yet to return
to he apartment across the way
although it’s been said they will
and above the laundry room
the picture window has remained unvisited
by lights of any color
Comfort–Hour 2
The night before my surgery
bed rested body
but the sleepless mind fell away
into a soothing reverie of
bananas milk and sugar
As a treat Mom would slice a banana evenly
a succession of sweet ivory coins
into a cereal bowl
add milk
then a sprinkling of sugar
yellowing slightly against
the jumbled islands
a memory completely forgotten for sixty years
resurrected
sweet on my tongue again
Halfway Down the Snack Aisle at Costco–Hour 1
My wife said
“See anything you can’t live without?”
I said “You”
A man pushing his cart
glanced back and said “That’s a good answer”
Testing 5:56 PM HST
This is a test.
Gift — Hour 24
The answer to my prayers this gift it is
A head full of pudding
The buds they’re not budding
Good night is all that remains to say
it is…
Penultimate — Hour 23
I have an imaginary friend who
writes poetry in my head
he’s on strike right now
so I can’t prove a thing
If he wants to play an hour from now
I’ll let you know
Experiment — Hour 22
She surmised it was the feathers
that made birds fly
she searched and gathered
that first week
and headed for the dune
with a handful of white
Sleep — Hour 21
Drown me under the ceiling fan
in my lumpy bed
dear to me
familiar
turn out the light
I’m ready for 14
my brain toasted like a fruit strudel
oozing fluid unusable
pen me up
folks
It’s a quality control issue
okay?
Get Real — Hour 20
The LED desk lamp sits on my shelf
sidelined
Hate its cold blue light.
Give me the old dim light as long as it’s warm and yellow.
I’m not the inside of a fridge.