Spark

 Spark

All of a sudden, it seemed, 

everything shifted, I mean, 

I look at myself in the mirror,

never bern stuck doing that with fear.

It’s my body, all right – 

skin grafts, check,

stitching scars, check, 

sagging lower belly, what the heck.

It’s a well-used body, this one,

each part a piece of my personal 

jigsaw puzzle, and then some.

Even my dreams have been changed,

by cosmic forces or aging nostrils, rearranged

Hopes and aspirations still exist,

but I can tell you this,

I’ve bought enough stuff, sold enough homes,

moved enough times, 

looking, seeking, reaching.

Now the goals are inward, 

searching for that place,

waiting for that spirit 

to touch me, continuing the teaching.

So I sit in my room,

staring at nothing,

lost in my thoughts.

Suddenly,

I find myself.

Change

 Unnecessary 

Our housing is perfect,

no reason to change,

location, location

must not rearrange.

Found some small change,

In the usual way,

in some old slacks

on laundering day.

Didn’t matter but if a million

should slyly appear,

I’d likely be grateful.

I might even cheer.

But my life is too good

to be spoiled by money,

with wife, friends, our cat,

I’ve no need, but my honey

might say something different,

might jump at the luck.

She’d know how to use it,

with aplomb and with pluck.

I’ve no need of profit

but she long ago learned

how to spend her good fortune,

even when unearned.

Her charities likely

would gain what they need,

especially stray kitties,

oh my how they’d feed.

But Macy’s and Nordstrom’s

And Chico’s, for sure,

would garner new sales

they have such allure.

Yet after the rush

of a bounty so vast,

we’d come to reality,

hopefully fast.

There just isn’t much

we don’t already have,

nothing to wish for,

nothing to crave.

So let that big bonus

find a home with another

and leave us in peace,

in love with each other.

Animals

 A Different Breed

No man alive loves animals

more than he, 

naming most birds in flight, 

and he’s usually right.

Laughs to see

dogs at play, 

kittens with their toys,

all part of his search for 

new and different joys.

He has no fear of death, 

heard too many reports of

waiting friends, tunnels of light,

once donated blood to see how it felt,

then threw away the donut to taste hunger,

went home and baked bread for the smell,

finding all of it just right.

He has a wonder filled heart

and finds hope in the oddest places,

in the smile of a toothless bum.

the wagging tale of a mangy mutt.

He never met a vegetable he didn’t like,

especially the purple ones, but

best are the wines, tried them all,

zins, cabs, even innocent merlots,

not so much for the alcohol,

just to see how it goes.

He’s made music a challenge,

especially opera, serving

as background, foreground too,

in his discovery of life this turn,

He reads fact and fiction, 

has friends gay and straight, 

transgender as well,

to him they all rate.

He sometimes looks tired, 

at least to his wife,

but that’s how he’s seen

by our eyes, not his,

in his full, artful life.

Snow

 Snow

Overnight snow falls 

without so much as a sound, 

blanketing the untidiness 

of yesterday’s ground.

I wake, see and smell it,

childhood memories receptive,

oh, it’s so beautiful,

but I know that beauty is deceptive,

even the strange,

not-quite-morning light,

which God has arranged

to begin my day bright.

Letter to Serena

 I hope you are feeling the love, my sister. It’s all around you. 

The last time I wrote you, I did so over a couple of weeks, kind of how I write many of my poems. Like the poems, at some point I have to say that enough is enough and send it out to the universe.

In the case of the letter, I delivered it to the local post office, since mailboxes have gone the way of pay phones. When I got home, the daily mail had been delivered and there was the card from you, with the delightful story of my old business card falling out of the book you bought. I told Barbara and a few friends and poets about it, then  headed out for an errand, which changed in mid-stream for no reason at all. At a grocery store I was wearing a mask because COVID and it was a gift with “Badgers” on it, my favorite sports team from Wisconsin. A younger man (40’s) in the store asked if I was from Wisconsin, which led to an enjoyable discussion and we discovered that he had grown up very near my childhood home. Moreover, as we talked names, we found many other connections, friends of his father being friends of mine. It was wonderful and I decided to tell him the story of you finding my business card in a used book. He loved it. I still had not done my original errand but there was a Trader Joe’s nearby that I rarely go to because parking is a hassle, but swung by just as a spot near the front door opened up, so I took it as a sign to go in. The store was packed but strangely, no one was at any of the checkout counters, except five bored but eager clerks. Having my choice, I picked the middle path, addressed the young clerk by name, and she too asked me about my Badgers mask. I decided to tell her the story of the business card and the man at the previous grocery, but her boss was sort of glaring. I told the boss to listen in, it was a great story of the daily miracles one might encounter, and she softened. I relayed my story, only to learn that the clerk was new to San Diego and had grown up less than a mile from my childhood home. What fun !  And all of this because I think lovingly of you and because you take the time to communicate with me. 

2021 Anniversary

 Anniversary 51

2020 was a tough one

and anniversary fifty

maybe wasn’t set up

to be all that nifty.

But it wasn’t so bad, 

I think you can see,

I mean after all, 

you got a new knee.

While we might not go walking

across Paris or New York again,

at least strolling and talking

can be done without pain.

Yeah, I know we’re merely

a couple of codgers,

not going places,

stay-at-home lodgers,

not drinking much,

eating just right,

still you know we’ll go out

on anniversary night.

We have all we need,

so no gifts or toys,

nope, we’ll simply feed

on the great meals at Roy’s.

Winter

 

Peace in Late Life

Ah, the winter solstice.

It’s time to start

bringing light 

to the darkness.

My summer did not

change me, leaves are falling now.

winter’s close behind.

When old age arrives,

every body’s in the same boat.

Not so our hearts.

Breathing in,

I see I’m living in Grace.

Breathing out,

I am grateful.

Every day, I am

invited to give and forgive.

I like this.

Can’t see what’s next,

but I’m eager to trade

history for mystery.

Return

 Reminiscing

Living between two eternities,

we always return 

to where it began

I mean, nobody really cares 

what your major was,

what you used to do,

who you used to be,

what your title was.

I fully grasp the desire,

even the burning fire,

to return to how it used to be, 

the good old days, but…

Everything is temporary. 

It’s helpful to know that, 

to let that be enough.

What new opportunities await my yes? 

What more do I have to offer?

Appreciating the past, yes, but also

engaging out, 

reflecting in,

enjoying the now.

Welcoming newness. 

Creating willingness. 

Being grateful for everyone.

Today is so very special. 

New Beginnings always are.

There  is so much to be joyful about,

and, satisfied, we might capture 

bits of today’s breezy brilliance,

enlivened by the simple pleasure of it all.

We can check our pulse, appreciate our heart,

check our mirror, give it a thankful smile,

grateful for this good day, today.

Intention

 I do not make resolutions 

in January anymore.

No point, I’d just ignore them,

quickly, that’s for sure.

Instead I pick a word,

to remind me what to see,

one word, commonly heard,

nudging how to act, who to be.

It started with Gratitude,

which truly improved my attitude.

What followed was Generosity,

reducing my pomposity.

The third year was Compassion,

quite helpful in its fashion.

One year it was Empathy,

oh what wonders I did see.

As New Year’s Day draws near,

what will I choose this year?

Peace? Faith?

Grace? Repose?

I think no, not this year,

it will be none of those.

I’ll continue to aim for civility,

stability in my increased fragility,

Improving upon 2021’s Humility.

That was last year’s aim, 

my 2021 plan,

and the Universe supported me,

a I worked to be a more humble man.

For 2022, I will be unsparing

in my plan to do more sharing,

looking everyone in the eye,

paying full attention without glaring,

to whatever weight they’re bearing,

doing my best to be more Caring.

Almost Open Door

 It’s Sunday morning again, once more,

time to open my spiritual center door,

no longer driving to a physical space,

making it work at home, my perfect place.

Struggle and strife are left at the door,

I’m centered in peace and love and much more,

choosing my service with each little tap,

finding wisdom and joy with my pad on my lap.

I do miss the feelings the sanctuary brings,

the smiles, the hugs, the community things,

but until the world heals at some future date,

it will be my home where I pray and meditate.