a summer whim

i wait for the pot to boil

it is like waiting for frozen molasses

to melt

and yet the summer flies by

like an eagle on methamphetamine

and the noodles are overdone

I have spent too long in the sun

I have played lots of scratchers

and still haven't won

we eat mushy grains

and lament September

while the kids roll

their trains

once the round table is clear

I hold my kids near

there is nothing so dear

as being right here

content

the fury of the unheard

remains a burdened silence

unremarkable and unrelentless

a quiet nightmare for the many

who purport contentenment

a lie they tell themselves

to continue in the society

of the sane

awake

tossing through nighttime
tyrant toddler takes over
and I am awake

D

drive the
indeterminable distance

dedicate your dimes
to the desperate cause
of youth

do not dare age
or be defected

draw a stain
upon your dolor
disguise to
block your disdain
for the day
with your dainty walk
and dapper look
the doldrums
disappear
until the burden
of the day fades
and you
are deserted
with your Vera dress
and bars of gold

and so
you drink
then drive
to the edge
destined for a
dire phone call
to anyone

this time part 2

i'll get it right
I will roll
careful
down the hill
and land
not on the
cement sidewalk
but stop
on the plush
grass
next to the daisy
I planted
a year ago
with my best
friend

i'll breathe
in each second
of the dawn
and paint each color
of the sunrise

i'll note down
each hue
each shade
of bird
each word

i will remember
this time

everything etched
with a delicate
ink pen along
the protected
corners of my
inner mind

this time
i'll remain
myself
all along

this time

ride fiercely
through wildfire
or burn
as if
dropped
on the sun

the night
does approach
and so does
the next

in this
moment
you are
your best

tomorrow
comes next
and next
and next

in this
moment
you are the best

L

let me clench
your hand tightly
while you hold my
heart lightly

little child that
marvels at a lemon lollipop that lingers
on the linoleum floor

and the long light shadows
shapes that line the walls
with a loud lion's growl
and leopard spot clouds

love is the light
in a wide smile

a child's love
is a rainbow-lined
field of lilies

is lasting bliss

out of time

time is an elusive beast
large, perfectly round
unbeatable
clever from the go
its hands our master
thin, sharp...decisive

no escape
until the moment
you become
your soul
and  your
freedom takes
you anywhere and
when? is  a question
answered with now

toxic revolution

blurred lines
between safe
and closed

the ledge on
which we sit
tilted and spiked
with China's
influence
fixed to exhale

strings and things

there are strings
and then
there are the things
that travel on strings

the space between strings
gets filled with light
and other things

sometimes
the end is
tied to a new string
then it becomes
a completely
new thing

no strings attached

string cheese
doesn't ask for anything

a shred of thread
is fine to be left alone

but the tattered strings
on my old shirt
beg to adorn me

so worn-
forlorn they suffocate
in a white string-tied
kitchen garbage bag
and hope to be pulled
so they can become
a zig-zag fabric mess

a pile of carpet fuzz

the doorbell dings
phone rings
i think about
those sullen strings

 i toss aside
the clothing bag
will bring to the bin
another day

W

i wait for the wind
to whoosh by the window

while i'm thinking
up wishes
the warm breeze
wafts through the waves in my hair

white ribbons weave
and wind
themselves 
around my locks

the wind waits for me
to watch for it

a wizard
that wind is

awake

awaken
to feel the light
wash yesterday
away into
a river of
past memories
like daffodils
that blow away
in the wind
gentle as
a pillow's breath



the morning sun
bursts with
uncharted possibilities

superannuated

not a superhero
sort of the the opposite
no longer usable

could be retro
like the new-fangled
modern
record players
for extra-expensive
sale
at Urban Outfitters

or you could just
look in the attic
or wear
your old parachute
pants
and go garage
sailing

String Theory Too

i feel i could go on
about strings
they are so long
and so short

a violin

a story must
be strung together

a strung out
rock star
plays with silly
string on the
sidewalk
at 4 am

he, too,
knows string theory

string theory

i am trying
to be clever
without sounding
too smart

i start
with opening my
mouth to explain
my theory
on strings

like fishing line
is a thin string

everything
is connected

they are
a great way
to communicate
with a treehouse
neighbor
as long as you
have paper cups

kittens love strings

strings make music

strings are beautiful

throw a penny

black chasm well of charm
ricochet the coin, collides
with other wishes

to stop for a moment

the eternal buzz of time
is a bee that flies
decipherable only
by the space
it occupies
in the continuum
of your mind
hearing the zzzz
and whirrr
and zoom
of the bee
suddenly
it ends
and begins again

a butterfly of magenta
and royal blue hues
round-faced with
fishing line antennae
sends Morse code secret
messages with each
flap as it flits by

time stops
and you marvel

round toes

I frame my reality
with a sky-blue
wood-trim
tree-lined
pool in the center
for dipping
bare feet only

the sun
shines on
my face as
my cotton-ball toes
enjoy the merriment
of the splash

the star

her angel wings are copper plated silver
she swings herself to a spire
breathes her words to a star
that's been left behind a cloud
unnoticed tonight by lovers
holding hands on the rocky
river's ledge

even though
no one notices her sparkle
her shine will be seen
soon, maybe tomorrow
maybe by a passerby
that reaches with
a weathered hand
up to the sky
for hope


the angel rests
her wings atop the cloud
and falls into a dream
about wishes
to the glimmer
of the star

a first meeting

she fell
into a sea
of salt water, sun,
a deep blue pool

of eyes attached
to a gleeful man
with a grill
built into his
rusted tailgate

he saw her seeing him

invited her to share
his summer fare

splash
into apuddle
barefoot
two hearts
take a brave
step forward
into the
summer heat

flicker and fade

a quick light

flicker

then fade

a man at

the pace of a tiger

runs through

the crowd

stomps a cigarette

down 

pushes through the crowd

opens his paper

sits to read

about crime

cancer

the 21 year old brunette

seated beside him smells

like last night's vomit

he arrives at work

to gather his coffee

have a chat about

the crazy weather

another quick flicker

and fade

before the official

9 am bell

calls him to 

reluctantly face

again...his computer,

telephone, fax

his eyes

flicker, fade

bye

i have found you
in a far, vacant corner
a black picture frame
covered with lint, dust,
...regret

a faded, distant
memory tucked
lonely inside
an broken Ikea
dresser drawer

ready
for ascension to
the dark sky
to be
free among
the stars
that twinkle
bright
for us
tonight

the present

the past -
the place to never
slip into quicksand

the present, where you
are and must be

the future, a mystery
akin to world creation

don't let your anger about
what is wrong with
the world
stop you from
experiencing what is right

what is right
in front of you

right now

wealth

love and mirth
wealth of the earth

I pray at dawn
rest at dusk

a body
carved in soil
created
by sun

an imprint
placed by
hands that
belong
to the universe

delicate, tedious,
and encompassing

I am lifted

my design
becomes the air

to scheme in a swing

today my feet
move easy
in toe-less
striped
socks
that sit silly
along a rickety swing

I swing fervently
and exist
with passion

I am at ease
with my purpose
to write
this down
in one ferocious
motion

a coloring page

this life is color

it blesses us
as the sun rises
to bring tulip
reds and songs
of blue
burnt orange
sands
mountains topped
with winter white,
spring green

as new as the day

this life is new
with each breath

and the slower
I exist
the more intense
the color becomes

My heart rests
upon the twine hammock
that  sways
with the dallying
colorless wind

life is not color

Affirmation #4

I accept with grace
the sun, rain,
light, dark
all directions

I see signs that the
angels send

I wear a smile
and travel along
a daisy-lined path
holding a small, smooth
silver pebble -
a sentiment of home

I travel
I am tranquil
I arrive

I am tranquil

my brunette friend

icicles form at the tips
of my brown split ends
i wonder does the world
go on forever?

I gaze with hope
to see a driver-
any ride
to any place
in my boot leg
frayed gray
corduroys

my sandy hair is tousled
with sea water and sun
i hope my world
is always this way

I rest easily
on my ocean raft
happy to stay
afloat
in my new
Lycra, yellow
bikini

Stanley

Stanley

his sleep
is quiet
it is a light rain
that lands
on a cushion
of grass
barely audible

peaceful
it is friends
holding hands
by the pond
after a long day
of play

tranquil and
blessed,
angels speak
to him
while I, in
awe,
listen
and watch
but cannot hear

Affirmation # 3

I celebrate
deep breaths
of calm
the still wind
that barely drifts by
after the storm

the clean,
rain-soaked air
cleansed by
clouds

a drop of water

inhale

I sustain
myself