Unseen influences

Enjoy the rain
under hidden stars
for the duration
that has an end
a year lingers
the unseen mmoon
Masked by rain
above
below
I still feel the pull
of Luna
the tug of will
teeth and fang
I howl at the emptiness beyond

Coffee and Change (Hour 2)

I reached into my billfold
to pay cash for coffee, black,
and reminisced about the days
when cash was the only currency.

Or pen and ink …
typewriters,
record players.

I remember the smell
of the coal-burning furnace
in my childhood home
and the excitement of delivery day
with coal rumbling down into the coal bin.

Trains on the track
going past our house.
Card catalogs.
Encyclopedias.

The cashier hands me my change
not knowing about my memories.
Or caring.

21~1

two years or less

They told me

out of the blue

As she laid there

dying

In front of me

 

~

 

We slowly went home

through my tears

I held out my hand

rubbing against her cheek

While she purred for me

like the fighter she is

So we put on our gloves

starting our dance

Together

 

 

My eight legged friend?

You are seen

Sprawling across my wall

Maybe just getting from point A to B

But you scare me

Why do you have 8 legs?

Out Out

But I’m not going to touch you

So reach for something else

And now you’re gone

Well played

All Will Be Well

My child boy now a grown man

or solidly between the two

helps an elderly couple load

their mulch in the back of their car

in the parking lot of Home Depot.

Me, 20 minutes away, sipping tea

and grading papers has no idea

that at the moment, the life I raised

saw another life in need and reached

out to extend his humanity.

The joy of this unseen convinces

me that we will be all right.

That maybe I am a good parent

for all of my trying

who knows when it comes down to it

until moments like this

and suddenly my blood courses

with a hope that just might save us all.

 

Hour Two

Poem 2 : A Tribute to Ogden Nash “Olives”

There is something about a Martini,*

It’s a bikini in a glass

Clear

much more than a demi-tasse

 

It would be nice to have one

While writing like a silly goose

Crisp

shaking my brain loose

 

Yes, there is nothing like it

Vermouth so dry

And that juniper juice

that makes me fly

 

It will enhance my humour

To a notable level of sophistication

Just like Dorothy Parker

no doubt of the causation

 

I will take my last mighty sip

But won’t be my last

I have a forty ouncer

yes, I’m going to have a blast

 

*taken from A Drink With Something In It Ogden Nash

Gooseboy

He is a SIFE

Give him a break

Let him slide from school for 8 months

After all, his family makes him move to other states for migrant work

Let him get credit for the Regents in NY

Let him pass even though he has failed for three quarters

and has not completed work

He is a SIFE

He deserves a free ride and the same credentials as those

who worked all year – Right?

He is a student with interrupted formal education

 

Clocks

Meaningless indicators of time

that seek to subjugate us to their will.

But we will not be subservient to

unseen forces trying to control our every move.

 

The free will granted to us will supersede

any constrictions they attempt to impose on us.

Because we’re alive

because we’re free

because we are infinite.

and no one can take that away from you.

 

I’m Making Waffles

Tonight I clean up
the kitchen
Tonight I wash
the dishes
Tonight I finish
the laundry
Tonight I vacuum
the floor
And in the morning
I’m making waffles

Tonight I pick up
the toys
Tonight I sweep
the floor
Tonight I organize
the desk
Tonight I read
the book
And in the morning
I’m making waffles

Tonight I do it all
the cleaning
Tonight I think of
tomorrow
Tonight I plan
ahead
Tonight I get tired
and sleep
And in the morning
I’m making waffles