It’s a Bob Dylan World

It’s not the traveling as such,

nor the destination too much,

at this age I seldom care

other than memories I share.

Lemonade days, watermelon nights,

backyard cookouts, seaside delights.

Fireworks explosions, root beer floats,

Sun tan lotions, no need for coats.

Traveling the nation, frilly light tops,

happy staycation, beach time flip-flops.

Prizes from fairs, carnivals after dark.

seasonal pears, Shakespeare in the park.

Thundering skies, sandal-free feet, 

bright fireflies, ice cream so sweet.

Hopscotch skip, travel in time,

family road trip, poem some new rhyme.

Swim in a pool, bonfires with friends,

try to stay cool, the heat never ends.

Relax on a swing, just yakking and lazing,

to America we sing, nighttime stargazing.

Mad games of croquet, telling white lies,

oh how we did play, my how time flies.

The Gift of Life

 

Who Can Tell

Our life is not a dream,

there’s no magic in our art,

though to others it might so seem,

we are simply playing our part.

It’s no accident, no stroke of luck,

we do not bumble,

seldom stumble,

satisfied each day

with what life has to say.

Even if our life were a dream,

it would need to be embraced,

but no golden palace, no silver hill,

no white elephant need be chased.

Our life, like our love,

though not a dream, remains

unfathomable, indescribable,

it simply sits there, glowing.

We cannot forever keep it,

so for a short while, we 

bathe in its perplexity,

revel in its complexity,

be content in never knowing.

Satisfaction

 

Speak softly, carry

a big agenda: 

peace, calm, empathy

and undemanding love.

Make me smile and

laugh until it hurts.

Go ahead, I dare you.

Be a little wild,

use your imagination,

avoid snark to snark combat.

I Reserve the Right

 

I want to be 

seduced by beauty, 

have it look a lot 

like truth.

Not too quickly,

not all at once.

I want to let it 

come at me slowly,

give me time 

to get a feel for it,

before I bid it flow

in my material world.

As with my

experience of Grace,

I want to be primed,

relaxed in readiness,

wishing more for wisdom

than for intelligence,

praying more for peace

than for just a good time.

No Poem Is An Accident

 

He knew it was best to

follow his gut when it

came to his scribblings,

to let his stomach tell him

the truth, when his desire for

approval tried to

lead him astray.

He knew that every poem 

was born from a need,

each one a mystery,

yet all of them on a mission,

a fight, or flight,

to reveal his life.

He knew it best to

follow his gut, but

those damn buttons,

send and post and share, 

so easy to push, so easy to

lead him into temptation,

when he knew it best to

follow his gut, to

attend to his heart.

If Not for Me, Who?

 

I will not sit idly by,

allowing all those hurtful words,

the weak should not be made to cry,

if they are harmed, then we cross swords.

I will not sit idly by,

by my quiet allowing bullies to berate,

to abuse the weak, as they often try,

and when they do, I won’t hesitate.

I will not sit idly by,

hearing hebe, spic, nigger, dyke,

faggot, cripple, crybaby cry,

rag head, slope, slut and kyke.

I will not sit idly by,

or I would be the same as them,

I will not allow these words to fly

without response, never again.

From Mary Oliver

 

From “May”, by Mary Oliver

“As a poem or a prayer can also make.”

Peace

A simple piece is best, as

only a 

poem,

a letter or

perhaps a

prayer

might bring, if it can,

contributing also

to the peace we make.

Dear Friend

 

Here Shall My Heart Find its Haven of Calm

Dear Friend,

I find myself thinking

of you, me, us.

It’s a lovely, gentle thought,

leaves me with a smile.

I don’t always expect nuance from myself, 

yet once in a while, it just pops out, 

most often in a poem, 

frequently inspired by another person, 

their writing or speaking.

Someone like you.

Sometimes, when there is a strong breeze, 

it blows right through the hole in me 

that was formed by my own

unmet dreams and expectations.

Not so when I think of you.

As busy as I know you to be,

I’ll only take a minute,

just to tell you to a certainty

that the world I know is

better because you’re in it.

After Ferlinghetti

 

“Pity the nation whose breath is money

and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed”

(Lawrence Ferlinghetti)

Just a Moment 

Life is too short.

Period.

It might be too short for

a lot of things, like

worry and jealousy and regrets.

Could be.

So people say.

The ones who are not dying.

Not yet.

My friends who are dying now know.

Life is too short.

Period.

Money doesn’t matter.

Period.

It might matter if you’re short

of food and meds and rent.

Could be. 

So people say.

The ones who are not dying.

Not yet.

My friends who are dying now know.

Money doesn’t matter.

Period. 

Man plans, God laughs.

Period.

It might help to have a strategy, 

with wills and trusts and next of kin.

Could be.

So people say.

The ones who are not dying.

Not yet.

My friends who are dying now know.

Man plans, God laughs.

Period.

My Heart

 

She has a perfect

sense of style,

lifting me and my

faded pants and

tee-shirts up 

from blandness.

She has an acute

sense of taste,

precise and never faulty,

keeping me and my

cooking mistakes away

from matricide.

She has a demanding

sense of honesty,

for others, for herself,

keeping me and my fears

in check, moving ever bravely

toward the truth.

She is true in her

love of all living things,

especially her cats at play,

lies only a little, like when

she doesn’t like my cooking,

saying, “its okay”.

When I hear her truth knocking,

I know I should open the door,

begin some new unlocking,

see what new might be in store.

Let go, let it flow, and for an honest start,

listen with an open, peaceful heart.