junk drawer or 2 tankas

clutter in drawer
dust ridden unnoticed junk
silently waiting
for a new place to call home
drawer would like it to stay

my friend, the clutter,
"won't you please stay here with me?"
i've been collecting
pieces of you forever
i'll be empty if you leave

the story of a little girl (or word of the day - smirch)

she smirches her skirt
as she sits in the dirt

carefully creating the perfect
mud pie

her billowing white sleeves
catch the wind blown dirt
darting out of her hands

she giggles and rolls
like a farm pig
cooling off

nothing finer
that her fancy
patent leather
mud-covered shoes

fancy free
this young girl
rolling in the mud
and wrecking the soil

squinting her eyes
as she watches
day dull into night
asking
"Can I stay up a little longer?"

summer love

this summer's path
is far and bright

it stays up late
leads to the lake

drenched with desire
for a midnight fire

in our underwater fort
we sing songs to the moon

an ode to the creatures
down in the lagoon

an ode to the love
that grew with a splash

of summer time fun
once the day was done

this summer's path
is dark and deep
filled with the shadows
of bugs and thugs

overrun with mosquitoes
and sweaty hugs

this summer's path
led me right to you
but summer's short
and the path is long
and summer love
is not so strong

and so in fall
once we've said it all
the mosquitoes leave
and the lake drains

our desire falters

no, we won't
make it to the altar

this summer's path
ephemeral fun

and once your'e gone
we'll still have this
the momentary bliss
of a moon lit kiss

too many lovers

meddling in love's
triangle of affliction
is only for squares

in the morning

the breath of the air
rises
to meet the clouds
light and birdsong
descends
upon the world

some sink more deeply
under
their bed covers

some slowly rise
up
soaking in each surprise

some hop right to it
carrying out their plan
perfectly pre-devised
set
off
by any variation

first the kids wake
with
a jump
pound the floor
with
a thump
arrive in their
imaginary world
where the squirrels
are most certainly in charge
and being good is dependent
on
sharing

violet in summer

Violet is a girl

drifting slowly in summer

upon a river raft

not rowing a single mile

singing with birds all the while

retail robot

fake and in fashion
following the cliche crowd
a carbon copy

sinners all

yes they have rights
they are are a person after all

sinning goes on
right or wrong

lost in fear
a city burns from fear
from imposed greed

men steal to feed
their babies
and they are sinners too?

love still rises
from the ashes
of the demolished remains

unwed and born
out of wedlock
love all the same
and they are sinners too?

and the corporations
that are people
that play by the law
the loopholes,
the lawyers,
have all the money
they are not sinners, no?

the warehouse of boxed
goods and foods silently
waits to expire
while lives
expire from hunger
and the person
corporation
feels nothing

but the man who
works 2 jobs and still
must steal to feed
his baby
he feels guilt
he is led by his church
to believe he is a
sinner
but sin he must
we must survive

and the corporation
is human?

the time machine

time is timeless
a pervasive theme
overriding the earth
with its never ending

tick tocking, click, clicking
ring, ringing of the bell tower

the pages turn, the calendar
whisks another year
of birthdays, holidays,
anniversaries
away, away, away

time is the motion of
the seas rocking back
and forth as the sun
melts into the dark sea

time, time
i have a place to be
rushing so fast
I can't see

i'm so lost in time
i can't find my watch
i think i will
turn back the clock

love is a plague

Love is  ferocious plague
afflicting humanity's senses

a complicated compromise
fraught with indecision

a meddlesome thing, really
arrives unexpectedly
overwhelming life with its
great consequence
all in your face
when you just want space

love is the place
where dreams begin
the school where you learn
its best not to win

love is not a race
for whom does most
or a list
of whom does least

love is a dream, love is a plague
love is life, fear of death,
wishing to feel someone's breath
as their comforting words wash
over your whole soul completing
your thoughts
starting a new

drowning your worries
spreading everywhere

a contagious plague
love is

word of the day - blithesome

bells and ribbons shroud
her long, flowing auburn hair
in blithesome fashion
she readies her best ball gown
for a certain suitor's eyes

a fine awakening

awake in a dream
actualized by beauty's
borrowed lovely looks

"for you" or word of the day "evince"

your eyes blue evince
a sparkling persona of
chilly wild rapids

your hair, softly brown
is a comfortable place to
rest my head upon

your chest burly grey
reminds me that our love grows
older every day

our love a rainbow
that never reaches its end
the gold is our hearts
traveling time together
hand in hand through each moment

blue summer

blue as the water
splashing across the ocean
bouncing brightly
into the sun's reflection
cooling her sizzling rays

this morning

the morning waits for
no one, as it rises its air
showering blessings
over the everyday people

saying prayers
for the people
it will not greet today

wondering if afternoon
will once again
be in its way

this morning
waits for no one
but exists for
everyone

meet me this morning
at the pier
near the bay
i will be waiting
and have much to say

i will not leave you
behind
i am not morning
i am your friend
 

word of the day - garboil

trapped in my garboil
i imagine a dancing
lawn gargoyle laughing
as i stumble through the door
barely escaping capture

a summer hike

green bears witness to
blenders in, forest ramblers
drinking of the stream
emerging from tree's shelter
contented by concealment

the plague of the bathing suit

a red bikini
mocks me from the clothing rack
wearing only strings

natural lemonade stand

lemon tree growing
tall by the grace of the sun
a polka dot scarf
tied to its delicate branch
advertises lemonade

orange in the summer

tangerine spritzer

poured in a tall tinted glass

bubbling with joy

conversing with a best friend

at summer's divine table

seeing red

anger is a fire
raging in a blood river
sunk only by hearts

love and nature

upon a mountaintop
dressed in my desire and doubt
we talk sweetly

as the sunsets
our minds melt away
into orange blue sky

desire defeats doubt
entangled hands and legs

the mountain moves
making room for our love

the fight

captured by the dreams
of others, gently jousting
for my own desires

thank you world

awake and forward
i dart into this wondrous day
with a run and jump
the world beckons me to bask
boldly and free in its light

tonight

upon my pillow
a weary head sinks deeply
into a good dream
of today's love, gratitude
for tomorrow's certain light

in me

poetry in me
produces a passionate
fervor for living
words alive and filling the
heart with a luminous glow

Realization

the world sits
undisturbed
for a moment
as it waits
for the sun to rise

the birds bring music
the trees air
blue skies and clouds
everywhere

the world sits
undisturbed
'till we humans awaken

i cry at the thought
of all we have taken
the lives, the ground,
the souls forsaken

it is time
that we humans
awaken!

word of the day, gauntlet (as glove)

her gauntlet of lace
reflected the intricacy
of her finespun face

war or word of the day - gauntlet - as competition

word of the gauntlet
appeared in this morning's news
we've too much to lose
our bodies, brothers, sons, wives
cherish these beautiful lives

matter

Tiny particles
Are the matter of the earth
what is the matter

are connections gone haywire

burning martyrs at the pyre

Awakened senses

The chirps than greet me
As I startle and open
My two good brown eyes
Bring upon a new respect
For the beauty I can hear

Sleepy tanka

Under my eyelids
Warm rainbows are coloring
Pictures on water
And as I sway in my boat
I sleep I dream and I float

free

definitely dance
shoes off, hair wild - spinning
'round like a child

breathe

the soul's breath is a
light whisper chanting slowly
reverberating
through this bright and glorious
wise, infinite universe

your muse

if i was your muse
i'd move the moon
so you'd always have
light

plant the softest grass -
and tend to it daily
so your barefoot feet
could gently walk

i'd sit for hours
as you watched
motionless
i'd wait
for your inspiration

the art would burst
from your mind
like firecrackers
on the 4th of July

if i was your muse

a quiet poem

coveting a silent path
overgrown and distant
easily missed
by passersby

a place to plant flowers
and write
to wonder at the stars
that fill the night

searching for silence
a place unknown
searching for silence,
a path overgrown

being young

sideways on Sunday
splashing, flipping off the dock
skipping rocks in socks
soggy socks on splintered decks
sticking summer memories

Let the races begin

the pre-school races
are called non-competitive
i'd call them fun runs
so my child is not misled
by this false oxymoron

painting my nails

its funny how i
never let the polish dry
every time I try
to hold still, my body revolts
and my mind follows along

word of the day - agrarian

green agrarian
pastures alive sprout blessings
for body and soul

waiting

the red sailboat yearns
for wind, rocking patiently
waiting for his crew
along the harbor he feels
the too familiar stillness

word of the day flak

despise the attack
of the nonsensical flak
invading my ears

eyes of the sea

about your blue eyes
a raging sea reigning me
into willingness

Yesterday

I remember you
as if it was yesterday

a day so far, so close

staring at me
whole heartedly

across the table
lights alive
and jukebox on

fingers first
slightly stuck to the
sticky placemat
glaring at me
with its laminated ads

and the lightning struck
as our fingers touched

your piercing, gentle
eyes
have never let me go

FOUND

Far away
Over there
Under my bed
Nicely tucked away
Dear letter box

The Queen of his grilled cheese parade

The Queen of his grilled cheese parade

It feels like a masquerade

Sometimes I feel like a piece of candy

That's good when it's sweet

But when it breaks

The earth quakes

The parade stops

The cheese leaks out

I am not candy I say

Or a float on a parade

But I like being the queen I say

So I question often

Which way?

You say I'm not a piece of candy

I'm better than that

I'm much more dandy

Do you mean that now

Of forever

Will I once again be

Reduced to a twizzler

Slowly chewed till its

Quickly gone

word of the day scofflaw or "one person"

ripping out the claws
of society's so called
civilization
a scofflaw outside the grid
the world's unbound apostle

word of the day diffident - or "silently suffering"

wallflower wilting
while waiting in the sunshine
for a cloudy day
diffident in his distress
too weak to ask for water

undercover dreams

undercover dreams

disguised by a daylight town

i'm walking around

friendly faces smile

i have been here awhile

this stark nameless place

rickety fences

and squirrels playing gymnast

fast, the night has passed

day breaks through the sky

a tender summer birdsong

answers my question

predictable

in every story
when the villain dies
i am not surprised

dead

the veiled predator
prowls the streets in pointed heels
killing evil rats

drenched in sun

summer's heat dresses
me in sweat and buries my
feet under moist sand
and i greedily await
a wave's splash to cool my toes

word of the day "transfigure" or metaphor for a pale girl

a pale girl adorned
by beaded sandals and a
red swirling sundress
transfigures to a summer's
shade tree harboring picnics

word of the day "incongruous'

me, you together
hopes, goals, dreams superfluous
hearts incongruous
and so our paths met and crossed
our love, soon sorrow, tired, lost

I am a word

poetry is a good life
for words

if I was a word
i'd appear mid-sentence

a subtle surprise
to transform the energy
of the poet's picture

i'd echo in your
dreams as you
recall me

stuck between

peace and beauty

hoping
to be noticed

understood

a lone riddle waits
as a mind endeavors to
solve its furtive trick
many mistakes wear him down
until he tells his secret

"word of the day - matriculate" or "enslaved"

today's graduate
matriculates into an
indentured sentence

"word of the day - gallinipper" or Bite

gallinipper lurks
in a sly summer meadow
a dot in tall grass
sneakily searching for its
next fleshy dinner

Tanka is poetry

poetry stirs skilled
singers to chant in awe of
sparkling star light
words, bright twinkling sublime
songs seize our treasured seconds

word of the day "poutine" or "out too late"

night diminishes
self-reliance as the dusk
becomes dawn and I
am eating poutine with her
thoughts of you unrelenting

The wave

At the turnstile she
Waves, her flood of tears constrained
As she walks away
Her growing eyes swallow her
Grief as the man stares so lost

pot of gold

searching for rainbows
around a garden green, I'm
a leprechaun, round
and mean, my gold supply lean
dew droplets where will you end?

"in space"

out, zooming about
zipping zestfully with zen
as my spaceship lands

castaway

under a bridge lives
a man wearing fears and tears
the same faded clothes
darkened by the restless years
alone,  with a can of beer

up, left, right, down

think up an idea
then let it sway left, right, through
my head, write it down

4 elements, 3 haiku, 1 tanka

I found the fire first
flames flying free, unrestrained
rudimentary

i am the water
blue and free flowing, finding
my way to the sea

i went with the wind
west, east, wherever it blew,
until I found you

i worship the earth
with its life-giving prowess
blessing its beings
with every sun-filled hour
its water, wind, fire power

home again

if i wander out of sight
i will make it home all right

you will find me in the crowd
doing cartwheels, humming loud

gently you will tug my hand
talking of your reprimand

and gentle disappointment,
that I will thoughtfully lament

until the next time i run free
from the chains binding me

scampering in a meadow along
a stream, while I sing my song

you'll find the place where I roam
and again, bring me home

word of the day "crowdfunding" or thoughtless solicitation

perfect persuasion
wrapped in the email's disguise
crowdfunding for all

world guardian

the moon is a nightlight
for the world at large
finding us
when we are...

lost among the stars
roaming through our mind

lost in the space
between words and time

lost in the humdrum
of a paper-filled day

lost in a love
long lost


oh moon
oh night
i thank you
for being here
for me
tonight

Park bench

Beckoned by the need
Of the man on the bench
Under a stormy sky
I asked "do you need this?"
He smiled and spoke Spanish
In a thankful tone
I said, "no abla,  you keep"
As I placed my
Umbrella beside him

Envy

Angry daisy yells
Wants to be a begonia
Jealousy stemming
From deep in her root system
If only she saw herself

under the night sky

not a trick, magic
under an astral web, a
tryst of kindred souls

a collection of beauty

small, pudgy feet
a tiny hand
curled around your finger

awake at sunrise
a witness to the blessing
of nature's portrait
welcoming you

to your new day

kisses, regular
and Eskimo

watching an epiphany
happen right
before you

the realization
that we are not alone
and never were

staying up all night
with your new best friend

dancing squirrels
in the park

dancing by anyone,
anywhere

love

in any weather

dream on dusty rain-
cloud, my picnic will go on
despite your design

word of the day - ambrosia or "immortal death"

alone ambrosia
furtively waits for victims
of life eternal

happy spring

the smile of spring jumps
lightly over a puddle
wearing galoshes

a sad winter's tale

the silence of the
slipping tear sledding down a
weathered, wintry face
imperceptible sorrow
concealed by this mist of breath

word of the day - prate or "sad shopper"

the lady prates on
oh why, long line, lack of help
as her Saturday
slips slowly away in a
retail haze of scented  lines

in reverence to time

another day turns
quickly away by the hand
of the clock go I

the blissfully blind

the sun rises
and sets
it hasn't
reached us yet


the sun rises
and sets
as people
take bets

as children
go home
with keys
'round their necks

to dingy
apartments
where they
can't afford
rent

as some
drink champagne
and whine
about clothes

others gossip
and giggle
then paint
their toes

the sun rises
and sets
but if
it should fall
it'd burn
us all
and we'd
regret

the horrors
we left
unmentioned
we saw
but ignored
the mutations
we pretended
not to abhor

the sun
rises
and sets
it hasn't
reached us
yet

remembering you

only in the quiet
can i hear your whisper

and the rhyme
of time

when all
the souls
have gone to sleep
it's just your secrets
that I keep

tucked and cherished
and snuggled tight
under my pillow
till morning light

and through the day
they are dreamed away
by the lull
of cacophony

revelations

all the answers clear
at the bottom of my mug
wake to more questions

stand beside me

are you the man
who's been following me
through this forest,
plush with green

are you the man
that I had found
sprinkling trinkets
on the ground?


hoping you
might
find your way
through this deep
and lusty day

walk with me,
don't stand behind
i'm not so scary
i think you'll find

my quirks
most spirited
my spirit
most kind

so please
don't stay
there
way behind

Uncommon

bring me closer
to the man
holding the sign
and waving his hand

let him speak
to me his word
although insane
and absurd

i want to hear
so draw him near
as others run
from him in fear

he carries secrets
no one knows
driven by a power
that grows and grows

and when he's gone
we'll miss him so
call him to me
lead him here

it is the common
man I fear

at the ball

i'll be wearing the
brightest ball gown, emeralds
and a smile, serene

You

I am the one
Who loves you best
Throughout this dark
Summer day
I am the sun
That lights your way
To pass by this next
Dear hour
With my beauty
A super power
And as the day
Fades to night
I am the one
Who holds you tight

And if the sun
Should fade for good
Ill be the one
Who understood

a dance

dance with my body
feel the rhythm of my heart
and pull me closer

good morning haiku

the morning light skips
around in coaxing shadows
drawing a new day

Quiet

Without a thought I
Glimpse at the moon following
The clouds every where

a love poem

i wake
and think of words
to tell you

i speak
because you listen

i breathe
to drink
your air

i smile
because
you're here

I'm strong
so you
won't fear

anything
far
or near

and in
the mornings
next and next
i'll be the one
who listens best

i'll be the
one upon
your chest

right beside
you I will rest

and once
again
I will awake
with words
to share
and stories
same -

and stories new

many words
words for you

and in the
mornings
next and next

Lasting words

may our words perdure
forever more
our bodies long gone
our souls endure

our thoughts remain
written in the sky
alive among stars

the living listening
in their cars

changing lives
and directions
erasing pain
with connections

building love
towers
that begin
with letters
that make
the words
that heal
the world

petaled aisle

the blushing bride brings
a bouquet of begonias
to color her way

word of the day - peregrine or "outcast"

being a human
on a planet peregrine
never fitting in

a thoughtful pacifist

heed the kind man's call
for a gentler, calmer world
ruled by love, by peace

the decorated spirit

if you hear the sound
of the wind among lilies
breathe in carefully
its vapor, a delicate
trim for your mortal soul

flight of the flower

the flower's shadow
sleepily slips into a
soft, summery breeze

"Silence in nature"

The silence of the water

on a still afternoon

The silence of night

when you stare at the moon

The dew settling

on grass-

without a sound

The ants stealthily

building their mound

The lurking shadow

in silence catches up

As the sun sets-

the day,

speechless

becomes the night.

dark passage

further along the
vacant wayfarer's alley
mute voices echo

word of the day - sparge

sparging sprinkles on
top of a strawberry cone
giggling as it drips

A T haiku

turning towards me
telling ten terrific truths
of the talisman

arrival of the imposter

wearing a mysterious,
blue, felt hat
the charlatan comes
to town

a shady appearance
in the mid-day's heat

Dr. Wezel, M.D.
sets off to rent
a nice office space

smiles with charm
and beguiles the
people, disarmed
by his humor
by his wit.

despite his
nice smile
and clever wit
no one got better,
no not one bit

word of the day - embroil

in hatred, she planned
a wicked plan to embroil
a lovely affair

a suitor

man follows woman
with each tilt and whirl, dizzy
and misunderstood

yellow cat

yellow cat
i knew you once
when i was young

you were patient
as i had fun
pulling your ears
and grabbing
your tail

yellow cat
you didn't scratch
you took what i gave
without an attack

thank you
yellow cat

Talk

The warble of the
bar room's dim conversation
a verse of pipe dreams

red bird's secret

red bird
by my side
tell me a secret
something you hide
from the other birds

a story
they haven't heard
sing me a song
just for me

red bird
in return
i'll not tell
a soul
of your truth

and as the tune
does fill our air
i'll stand by you,
always be there

thank you,
red bird,
for your refrain

for living
in my yard
and for being
a friend

thank you
red bird

your lyric lives on
alone in my mind
a sacred psalm

word of the day - xyst, or "magical trail"

the traveler's talk
of  a long, enchanted walk
in the ornate xyst

word of the day - augur or "the gypsy's bode"

the woman's augur
revealed a fate not unlike

her hidden nightmare

"summer squirrel"

a summer's squirrel
spins and nibbles, not alone
playfully jumps and
loves to roam, then returns to
a knotty pine, he calls home

romance

the flower's blossom
brings spring to life and strangles
the feuds of lovers

"being awesome in high school"

jaded, motley clique
strives to stand out, stand up for
high school liberty
freedom from the grisly rules
of teachers they know are fools

"word of the day - palmy" or "being famous"

people were flocking
knocking upon the doors of
his palmy estate

word of the day - braggart or "disregarded"

the lonesome braggart
shouts out his accomplishments
begging to be heard

I do it!

a discourse on
the juice in the cup
i pour it