If Not For…

 

If Not For the Attempt

The trick is to live a good life,

without worrying about rewards,

be it from others or your gods.

If they judge you and are fair,

they’ll admire your effort,

even when you fail,

and fail you will.

If they are not fair and just,

their opinions should not matter,

and you should not have them as friends,

you should not worship them.

If there are no gods,

the trick is still to live a good life.

If you are steadfast in your goals,

devout in your goodness,

someone’s memory will hold you dear,

long after you are gone.

Full Life

 

It’s not hard to remember

that younger Marine,

full of himself,

a lean, green machine.

But there are mirrors in the home,

so it’s easy to know

that the warranty passed

a long time ago.

The tank’s low on oil,

some parts in distress,

the flex-drive’s departed,

and this he’ll confess,

the hands are arthritic,

the eyesight is poor,

the homestead, of course,

is only one floor.

The doohickey’s broken,

the gizmo’s a bust,

the thingamabob’s full

of whatsis and rust.

And yet, though much life

is confined to quarters,

he’s still a Marine,

home, awaiting orders.

Risky

 

The world could end

by lunchtime, so

enjoy this moment now.

Let it breathe.

Peril will come in time,

in all its untidy dress,

complicated and deep,

feeling a lot like dread.

Lifelong friends may think enough

of each other to call,

to lie once in awhile,

even as we traverse oceans and

mountains and valleys of emotion,

preparing for who knows what,

with hope that there’s another way

to be in the world,

even without an immediate plan.

Uncomfortable as it is,

afraid as we might be,

we can only listen to our breath,

find a calm corner inside,

engage with the world as it is right now,

and live with an open heart.

Dawn breaks for me

as some of my friends live in twilight.

I only know that

night will come soon enough.

In the end,

the world will proceed,

with or without us.

Nature

 

Just Our Nature

We long ago tore out the grapes, 

not because we didn’t have faith in them,

but because we knew the raccoons would eat them first,

and they’d wake the cats in the middle of the night,

and the cats would wake us, 

and then nobody would get back to sleep.

We tore out the roses too,

since they only bloom a little 

And they make me bleed,

and require expensive feed.

We tore out the big greenery. 

The drought, don’t you know,

and we’d face a hurtful water bill,

and everything would die because 

we didn’t want to be hurt.

We left the trees planted by others,

orange and pomegranate,

tangerine, apple and figs.

They only drink a little.

We planted cacti and succulents,

and shaded Epiphyllum.

We adore them and their brief flowering,

because they’ll live forever.

We also planted stones and granite.

We have no hopes and dreams for them,

but they’re nice looking and don’t drink.

We just hope the Santa Ana’s don’t come through 

and throw sand and pebbles at our pricey windows.

If they do, I guess we’ll simply replace them.

The windows, I mean.

It’s just the nature of things.

Number

 

One Thing

Craving freedom

from painful emotions,

but suffering exists.

All Buddhists know this,

at home, across oceans

Feeling helpless,

alone,

doing nothing.

Would it help if

I alone

did just one thing?

So I write,

stay mindful,

light one candle,

give my friends

the love they deserve.

I fall short, of course,

but this is my path

An Ekphrastic poem Day 9

This one is from a photo of our backyard, found on my phone…

A New Day’s Promise 

It’s the perfect time 

for many things,

the sun just breaking 

over Mount Woodson.

A mockingbird sings

his daily score,

covering the distant freeway noise,

while our elderly cat roams the yard,

making sure everything is

as he left it the night before -

every plant, each water dish,

his outside toys.

It’s going to be a grand day,

don’t you just know it,

sitting here writing,

waiting for the rising sun to show it.

Love or Anti-Love

Love Is A Daily Choice

Love is everywhere,

in the coffee in the morning,

in the movies that we share,

in the songs that others sing.

True-Love survived

the upsets, the rages,

sees us steadfastly 

through our now golden ages.

Breathing in with love,

I absorb your pain, 

exhaling,

I send you love, again

Love is in the air,

in odd spaces so it seems,

in the cat for whom we care,

in our wishes, hopes and dreams.

Blessings and grace,

love overflowing,

joy in our place,

our happiness showing.

Reaction

 

No doubt, life is suffering..

How does one respond?

Truth or dare?

Certainly, life is a challenge.

How does one react?

Play or hide? 

Honestly, opening your mind

to the truth helps clarify.

Your heart will follow.

There’s but one question,

summer, winter, spring and fall.

Would you have peace?

Unexpected Mess

Don’t mess around.

Whatever you are doing,

do the hell out of it.

Do not mess around.

Whatever you are doing,

play with all your heart.

For the second time

in sixty years, I’m beset

by Agent Orange.

What is the one thing

I can do today to help?

I can practice peace.

I’m aiming mostly

for calm, happy, content,

not cool, rich or desirable.

A short poem (or two)

Nirvanna

You pout,

a kitten cries,

fog curtains the sun.

————————————

Cycles (a Tricube)

It’s raining

but that’s fine,

it’s needed.

Flowers bloom,

with rain, yes.

and with love.

Summer will

soon be here.

Dry will come.

From where I am sitting

 Today’s prompt for National Poetry Month is to write “from where I’m 

sitting “… my attempt…

17’s From Where I Am Sitting

Wondering what I

was worried about last year

at this very time

Have I expressed love,

today, yesterday, ever?

Now’s a good moment 

Have I forgiven,

today, yesterday, ever?

How about right now?

When there is unease

in my life, it is because

my thoughts are fearful

I try to keep my

thoughts and actions agreeing,

harmoniously.

Adding peaceful thoughts,

feelings, words and right actions

to a needy world.

My friends, may you be

safe, at peace, happy and free

from all suffering.

Be Best (April Fool)

 

I am not living

the life I imagined.

This one is far better.

I’m on a path which

I never anticipated.

It’s pretty cool.

I try my utmost to  

show my spiritual self

as harmlessly as I can, 

yet I feel the need sometimes

to do more than my best.

One of those times is now.

Still, I'm happiest, 

when I bring 

everything I have.

We are all

just passing through.

Might as well do so

with joy and laughter,

rejoicing in the day,

walking more slowly,

maybe even feeling 

a little groovy.

Looking Good

 

Old men can’t help themselves,

it’s the nature of the beast,

the looking back,

the wondering about change,

about the passing of time.

No matter the age we make,

one can’t forget the days,

the unfettered joys shared 

with friends

that time has taken.

Still,

There is nothing I would change

about my life, even if I could,

because it all brought me to her.

There is nothing else I would build,

not from paper, stone or wood,

except that which created me and her.

There is nothing I could say,

not even if I should,

that speaks louder in me than her.