night out

a long night out
fades into a cool
evening wind
that blows through
the straps of my
silver sandals
to reach the tips
of my big toes
I sleepily gander
to my husband's car

another sleep
will soon become
sunlight

girl or boy

tag
I am it
this or
that girl
that baby
next to me
has a meatball
head
it is made of love
and squishy bread

have you
thought about me
in a while?
I'm sorting through
a laundry pile
mine and his
and his and his

I would not dare dial
have you thought about me
in a while?

running late

time travels in bits
made up of salt and rain
warm sunshine
and pain

life, a runner
nearing the finish line

if I am late
it is usually because
I can't find something
to wear
clothes are tossed
everywhere
and I don't know
what can possibly
be done
with my hair

terrible Tom

ten terrible times
the tall and tiny
teenage tattletale
told and told
'till totally alone

a tortoise in a shell
tucked from light
a terrific hell

trust like time
takes time to tell
for terrible Tom
the teenage tattle
telling the truth
was his battle

it was not 'till time
turned his
solitary friend
that he told the truth
'till the end

A Teacher's Words

I am not a scapegoat
an enemy of the state
a spender of your taxes

nor am I the reason
a student fails or passes

I walk the halls
stand tall
ardently speak
to the treasures
that learning seeks
a beacon of wonder
that shines like
a cloudless day

in front of your children
I stand afraid
of their future
of ours
I carefully plan
four hours and hours

with the hope
to never bore
and restore
the want for
knowing more

a parent's sleep

sleep is a creep
that drop's me
deep
I try to leap
straight past sleep
but it returns
without a peep
i'm crumbled in covers
a big heap

sleep, sleep
i'd like to keep
an hour extra
of mine to reap

woes

treats
and trails
and pretty
nails
have a drink
if all else
fails

lean over
tipsy
stool
on its side
drool and stammer,
let go
your pride

your hair's
a mess -
a spot
on your
dress
strange man
at your side
a foul caress

world in distress
i would confess
i like
to see you
in duress

now, please

tall, trim
the tree

small, steal
the bow

now, kneel
for God you know

Fall, feel
the trees
red, orange
blows the breeze

snow, seize
the freeze

shiver
from head
to knees

cherish the summer
won't you please

fragrant flowers
fill the breeze

stuff

things, things,
on the shelves
things, things,
made by elves

at the back of the line
I stare at my phone
and wonder
what I did on line
before Facebook

chatter and scurrying
dehydrated mice
in a maze searching
for water

the newest thing prevails

on the way home, a newer
version is advertised
in your email

while you wonder about
the next thing
a person in your city
sits, shoe-less,
begs for any

thing

never again!

in the midst
of Capri sun
and crustless lunch
the sandbox
empties
small, cute,
mischievous feet
run for the picnic table

behind the snack bar
Marylou smokes
a cigarette, her last

A teenager wakes up
she has to pick
up her brother
from camp
she says she will not
drink again

Tommy hops
into his big sister's car
She is tired
He complains he is
never going back
to camp again

The next day
Marylou buys
her last pack of cigarettes
while Tommy, joyful,
swims with his camp
friends and his big
sister texts
her friends about
the next big party

too much

today I turned
around after
going somewhere
came back to the fridge
and closed it

returned to the computer
and looked up
something about
home structure
right before
i used the internet
to diagnose myself

suddenly
i find I am a doctor and an
engineer
but  I still don't
know what's wrong

probably nothing
I can remember

vacation

ten words wait
to be written
then ten more

blank the line
becomes longer

eyes closed
the ruled marks
disappear
the ropes
around the maze
fade

back on the line
ride
and alive
I ask for
a fast pass

we run
to the front car
excited to
see ourselves
steeply drop

and then there's the
kid in the back
who says
he will feel
it more

soon, I will
have a scoop
of chocolate
mint
and you will
eat a funnel cake
we will
be fast asleep
under hotel sheets

passing days

the breeze passes
through your wobbly knees
like puppy love
at summer camp
beautiful, fleeting
a joy with permanent
bits of innocent
satisfaction
attained
only with the newness
of youth

today may be
a breeze
or a perilous wind
either way
it shall pass
through you

over

she and the elephant
departed
leaving the room
silent

nothing left
to talk about

return to normal

normal passes through us
as our age
creeps up like a vine
that grows upwards
and wanders into
an upstairs
stained-glass window
until its gossamer
wisps crumble
and eventually
fall to the ground

and return to normal

tell me

tell me when
does rain become the water
I drink

what becomes
 of wilted leaves
wen they fall
to the ground
do they sink
or rise to heaven

to make more rain
to water flowers

tell me
will you dance
among the flower
patch
with me
in the rain?

dinner date

wash your mind
with me
and wine
eat fancy
cheese triangles
philosophize from
all angles

our index fingers
faintly find
each other
our small
talk tainted
by desire

we admire
the delicate
sheets,
unraveling
as we start
a fire

living the dream

I am on a road
that does not end
no destination
in mind
I run behind
from the future
and back to
the past

I am in a rut
that stops here
at my dream
imagined
ahead of time
I am here
and before
I was there

at the spa

banned from being born
an organ deteriorated
by unwarranted
ecosystem degradation
gmo nation
global dehydration

this one earth
depletes daily
and you
alone
in your
studio cupboard
try to recycle
while somewhere
in a spa
someone
pays to be
patted and smeared
with clay
wrapped in plastic
and rinsed
with gallons
of water

a draft to comment on if you could

dance eternal
in the depth of the night
think and forget
quickly as a
sun that vanishes
behind clouds

a rainstorm
you are
life is

thunderous
ephemeral
a mountain of
man-made problems
technological solutions
to develop
more 1st world
21st century
learning issues

ADHD
I can't put my tablet
down
ADD
attention deficit
disaster

summers off

a time to be untied
barefoot
scraggly-haired
sun-screened
visor-hat wearing
vacation having
throw on a dress
run out lazily
onto the sandy
sun-drenched ground
wrapped up
in the flip flop life
stay inside
air-conditioned
game playing
lounge out
lazily
couch having
living the
potato life

holiday fun

see the small child
that searches for Santa
land merrily on his lap
like a Christmas ornament
being plopped
on a balsam branch
in the perfect spot
to be revealed by
a colored bulb

P

the puzzle's in pieces
a piano plays till dawn

pack your possessions
apparel - trappings


pray for a penny
to pool for your prize

popular and pretty,
perfect property
plant the pink pansy
upon the patio's edge

put on pajamas
wake up again

to your piles
of papers to
sign with your pen

open the rolltop
pen your plan
you've signed
and signed
and now you're a man

random stanzas about life

i am a beacon
a lightsaber
a master
of arts
a bachelor
of recreation

under god
I live in the
nation
whether
or not
you believe
in creation

I tour the world
alive
I am here
from a big bang
someone's dream
a gift of the sky

I am here
fashionably
educated
living to the norms
sheltered
from storms
by a shingle roof

I believe in
Santa
The Tooth Fairy
Miracles
Magic
the power
of Mystery

I am here
I tour the world
alive

poem

my poetry
is a place for my thoughts
to wander free
to make up their own life
line up words in rows
neatly from left
to right
create a poem

much like a class
of 1st graders
with giggles and
funny thoughts
they are changeable
and sometimes
appear out of order

a walk

freedom lies
in the sphere
between the
finite street
and the
indefinite chasm

in sureness
of the subtle
path
that veers
that endures
that does
not end

alleyway

inside the alley
is a deep chasm
infinite and filled
with unfettered space
for the unknown
predators that lurk
in and through
the lonely, dark,
chilling gloom
of darkness

along the streets
people swell and shrink
clustered and fixed
a busy street beckons
people collide
friends are abound
around and about
sunlit-filled
cheerful voices
fill the air

midnight roam

i dreamed a picture
of an  intangible
misty grey raincloud
with a warm wind
breathing upon its curves
in sync with the heartbeats
of the lovers meeting
under the gazebo below
and I, a tide
controlled by the moon
prayed to a silver star
unreachable and far
i toured through the night
in a stolen convertible car

i almost touched
the air in the space
between Cassiopeia
and the moon
I returned the car
too soon