"How are you?"

The question is asked
Over and over and over

I do not bother asking you
Because I find the question
Obnoxious and pointless

She does not understand
The way of Tao

Idle mornings
And Idle years

Checking her phone
Watching the news

The time slips away....

This is your life

You chose not to live
But to simply exist

Incredibly sad

I have witnessed
A person
Simply do nothing
For an entire adult lifespan

American society
How it isolates

How it isolates
The individual

I am 30
I am poor

Do my job
And save money

It's just like monopoly money
Now anyhow

I spent an hour or so
At the nature park meditating

The woman in her car
Stopped in her civic
In the middle of the street
For no apparent reason

As I ate my dried apricots

Do I live on some type
Of matrix computer simulation?

Things seem predetermined

I'd like to hang out with friends
For a bit
Or just relax with a woman
A kind and caring woman

But I'll go to the gym
Then go to bed alone
Like I always do

Would just like a good female friend
Maybe one day

So what is "it"
What is this life?

The only thing that can be
Agreed upon is that
We have to keep on keeping on
I guess

Wheel in the sky keeps on turning

Sad at times
This life

The loneliness of it

And my shoulder
The akwardness of it

And how should I feel
What should my feelings be
Toward this human existence

I like humor
I guess I'll go to the gym again
Later tonight

I send a hug out
I hope a woman returns
And gives me a hug
I love caring women
They are wonderful

A man of Tao is
Not understood
He seems dull

The Tao of heaven
Is work without effort

An army of drones

****** recognition
And voice recognition

And the "happiness industry"
Employee productivity

Britain's enldless
Security cameras

All these devices designed to
Record, recognize, to objectify
Human beings

We are human beings
We are not machines

An end of desire
The destruction of the ego
Serve the needs of the people
That is my duty

No striving
Non action

Full moon
Clear midnight sky

The Tao is eternal
It cannot die

Look at you!!!!

Standing in front of that mirror
With that ugly akward shoulder

Never hugged
Or cared for

I do my duty
I do not believe in retirement

Life on this miserable
Earth rock

So beautiful
Yet terrible
Wonderful
And agonizing
At the same time

They prepare the drone army!
Empires prepare for war

Do you remember the hard times
The hard times in history

There could be a hard time coming
For you and me
A tortured soul
In different ways

I tell myself it will all be okay
Even though my shoulder
Never goes away

There are stronger
Tougher men
Not many with a bigger heart I'd say

I feel so much pain
And yet all I have is love to give

Why, Why, why is my body this way
Holding a pillow at night
There is no loving woman on this day

Hours and hours
Spent at the gym

Everybody talks about Him
"God this, God that"
Saying His name everyday

Well, I take the Lord's name in vain too
And I am sorry for it, okay

My akward body
Nobody cares
Sitting alone in this chair

The therapist went away
The physical therapist
DIdn't fix my shoulder
It's just how things turned out
I can't have things my way

Stop whining about your shoulder!
You may say
I don't blame you anway

It's just a small problem I suppose
For a loving female friend
I would give a yellow rose

Life is a journey
With an open heart
WIth good will toward
My fellow man and woman
I set forth on the journey

With an akward shoulder
With a body
I do not feel comfortable in
It is a burden

I hope to meet
A female friend
The 21st century
Is a lonely place

I enjoy probiotic yogurt drinks

The beautiful woman
At the gym
I saw her again

I wouldn't know what to say
Besides
I feel akward in my own body

My akward shoulder
Makes me feel akward
On the inside

Why couldn't I just have been symmetrical?

I prayed and got physical therapy
I wanted it to change
It hasn't changed much

My left shoulder takes over
It dominates
It is akward
It is out of place

Go in, go in!
I press it against a foam roller
You are too big left shoulder

I try to enlarge my right
Still, I can't make them match

It's just a shoulder
I try to forget about it

I am thankful for my health
I am a runner
And I stay fit

I wonder what it would be like
Not to feel akward

I wonder what it would be like
To hug a woman

My shoulder, my shoulder
Why oh why

I'll never know
It's okay

I just want to be
A loving person
Respectful and kind

I do my duty
I want to improve the lives
Of others

I will not become rich
I do not care

Return to simplicity
I had the best fruit
I have ever had
From a fruit stand in Oakhurst, CA

An older man talked
About his racing pigeons
He had sent to Oregon

He stopped sending them
Because the hawks would get them
If he didn't bring them in right away

They were tired from the journey I guess

Quite a story teller he was

And the woman there
Was she Greek or Armenian?

I'm not sure
She was middle aged
And gorgeous

A beautiful smile
She told another guy
To feel free to try a grape

She talked about her fruit
17 years
She has owned that store
Bless her

I had to get cash
So I could come back and
Buy some fruit

I had the best grapefruit, small avocados
And grapes I have ever had

And there was something wonderful about her

And I thought of her holding me

My shoulder, my shoulder
I can't make it right
I cried to her

But she told me it was okay
And that she loved me anyway

Maybe I could help her with
The fruit stand

I would like to go back there one day
To but some delicious fruits

And learn more about
The lady who owns the fruit stand

In my lifetime
America will see
The end of its prosperity

And isn't everything
Just going along great

One day
I'll be eating canned foods

Underground facilities
Being built throughout the country

I see a hard time coming
For this country

We won't just continue on

Our debt crisis
Not solvable

I'm saying
To all you young Americans
On facebook
And instagram

Have you ever faced a hard time

I have a feeling
A hard time is coming to this country

No one that I know
Really wants to talk about it though
Just business as usual

Oh look, the game is on
Turn on the tube

We will always prosper here
Right?

There will always be
An endless supply of food
In our markets

War
Man has always been at war
And I think there could be
Another great war

This human race
A primitive race
Hasn't changed much over time

I went fishin'
And I was feelin' fine

I took my fly and leader
And tied it to my line

Spent a few hours casting
And enjoyed the day

I caught no fish
But that's okay

It sure was peaceful there
I have to say

Won't you heal
My shoulder Jesus?

I saw the Curry attendant
Again today

He walks with a limp
He lists to the side

Like me

I write about
This problem here

I just wanted
To be symmetrical

Then maybe a woman
Would want to be with me

Forever alone

The therapist
Said a stupid saying

"God never gives us
More than we can handle"

Tell that to
The poor and starving

I sit and watch
The divine play

Sitting in the ampitheatre
Behind the old check in
Currently the wireless internet lounge

Just me and my akward shoulder
And I live inside
Some type of matrix computer

Even the machines at the gym
In Oakhurst were called that
"Matrix"

Inserting times
Just times
In front of a brain

Alone again
My shoulder bothers me

Observe the human life
Withdrawn
Contemplative
The big picture

I look down on myself
From above

This life
Oh life
And I'm always alone

No caring woman
To comfort
Or console me

And the world is
Always in turmoil
And the suffering saints
Grow weary
Weary of this life

And Jesus won't fix my shoulder
Neither did the physical therapist

And at least I'll
Have some work soon

I think America is in trouble
A debt we cannot pay
One day perhaps
I'll be opening canned foods
Struggling to survive another day

I've almost always been kind
And loving
To my fellow man

My shoulder makes me suffer
I guess this burden
I'll have to learn to withstand

My akward shoulder
Is not going away
The left larger
Than the right

And this is difficult
For me each day

Alone again
That's nothing new

I send my love
Out to you

I like it here
The trails
And Lukens lake too

I wish she hadn't smiled
At me
At the old check in

At Camp Curry

Beautiful
Kind smile and eyes

I'd rather not see
Something beautiful

She'll just haunt my memory
Someone else's lover

Life is sad

I am a man alone in nature
Back to Lukens Lake I may go

I'm running out of money
I didn't realize that Amazon
Was going to charge
My Prime account
So soon

And that smile
Will forever haunt me
The lady at the lounge

I prayed to Jesus
To fix my awkward shoulder
Turns out he doesn't care
And it bothers me everyday

And I may hike on
Into oblivion

**** life
Nothing is ever okay

One more day
I'm going there

5 years ago
I was there too

Granite rocks
Waterfalls
And lakes of deep blue

And the chapel
Is also there

This is the Father's creation
The love of Jesus
I hope to share

Desireless
One sees the big picture

Non striving
The tao is like water
It loves and nourishes all things
But does not strive

The western man
Does not understand
The way of tao

Like a man mounted on horse
In the springtime
He strives
And puts on a show

Like the noblemen
Of the Chinese village
Who wear fancy clothes

It is not necessary
It is extra

Humble
And simple

The man of tao
Loves his fellow human being

To the good person, he is good
He is also good and loving
To the unkind

The soft and yielding
Overcome the hard and strong

How should we measure
The value of someone's life?

What have you done for others
How have you tried to improve
The lives of others

In your work
Or in daily life

I create a vision
Of the person
I want to be

Kind and caring
It is what suits me

The tao is like water
It loves and nourishes all things

Remember the stoic calm
Tranquility and inner composure

The man of tao loves the whole world
As his own self

My body is somewhat akward
With my shoulder
It's okay
I accept that

In nature
There is peace
I remember the
Woodpeckers three
Perched in the sycamore tree

Tap tap tapping
As content as could be
I walk beneath the trees

A cool September evening it was
The monastery bells
Could be heard again

Live
Live with your loving art
Act
Act with your love in your heart

And I can
I will
I will live and love

Despite the endless hours
I spent alone

Be virtuous
Be good
Kind and caring
Simple and humble

Some say we could be nearing end of days

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Which was, and is, to come

On and on I run
Every other day

The gym is almost like
A sacred place to me

There is no "pushing"
Just breathe deeply and relax

Believe, you must
Believe in your heart
With your whole heart
That you will be
You will act
As the person
You envision
Yourself to be

The tao of eternal vision

Human life
Quite a thing
The days
Coming and coming once again

A final judgement
Only fair I would say
Everything counts here
During our earth days

Kind and loving
Return bitterness with care

Jesus was like the tao
He loved and nourished all people
And it is His love
That is greatest of all

We sent her off to India
To make a living there

This fake and phony Christian
Who sits all day in a chair

Now she'll work in an orphanage
12 hours a day

You pathetic human being
You have a debt to pay

For all the years of nothing
Doing nothing
For your fellow human beings

Now they'll put you to work
For a few rupees

This is no lazy American Dream
You are a selfish and lazy person
And no one really cares

Never doing anything of value
Just sitting over there

The television comes on earlier
And earlier each day

I'd like to throw it away
All this television is not okay

I'll donate the car to a charity
You don't need it anyway

You can walk down to the market
You don't need a car to earn your pay

Yes there still are people out there
Who never live at all

They just exist for nothing
Content to ignore God's call

I figured out
I always sleep on my right side

So my left shoulder is larger

Now I'm sleeping on my left side
And pressing my left shoulder
Into a foam roller

There has been some improvement
And I feel more symmetrical
The left shoulder is now more
Equidistant from the center
Of my body
And is closer to
Matching my right

I don't ask how he is
Because I don't care

Get a clue

Sit in front of the television and stare
Stare at the screen from 7 to 10

All you can do is repeat
The same cycle again and again

Don't ask me how I am
You'll never know

Remember
I don't ask you
How you are
Because I don't care
I don't care how you are

I don't care to know
How many anxiety pills you had to stuff down
To make it through the week

I wish you well

I worked my whole life
And this year
I'll be working part time again

America the ship
Sinking down
Down down down

In deep waters
Buried in the ground

Trillions in debt
What a shame
To the bankers
I guess it's just a game

I have an ipad mini
With a green case now

All I can say is wow

With my wireless keyboard
It is like a small computing machine

The green case works like a dream

Bird flies into tree
Truly I have seen the Tao
Return to the One

A lazy idiot lives in this home

Countless hours she spends glued to the television

Never bothered to contribute to society

An unexamined life is not worth living

Did I get some dinner?  

Said in this pathetic tone

Yes, I saw the food

I grow weary of this person

She sits all day

Doing nothing

And each week

The news comes on earlier

A wasted life

A life spent doing nothing

Simply sitting

Like some type of clam

Truly worthless

I will not be here for Christmas

It's cool to have an Ipad mini
Do you have one too?

Web, email, youtube
Dropbok, Ibooks
And Itunes U

Just look at all
The things I can do

On my Ipad Mini

I propped it up
In the little box
My iPad mini
Really rocks

I hope you enjoy
Your Ipad Mini too

I would love to read a poem
About all the things you do

On your Ipad Mini

I like to watch the documentaries
The human stories I like those

The Syrian refugees
Stuck in Calais, France

A mother and her son
And the son's leg was injured

The reporter interviewed them
But he had to leave because
The rest of the group didn't
Want them getting attention

They didn't have a way
To make it to England
Some migrants managed to
Get into the back of trucks

The son made jokes
As he had difficulty walking
What a strong person

So I remind myself not to complain
As some people have much harder lives

My akward shoulder
Is not going away

I went to a physical therapist
At least now they are even
But the left is bigger than the right

And that's just okay

I spent alot of time in the gym
Just wanted to be symmetrical

I guess it will always be this way

Alone on the driving range
Or on my computer too

I guess I'll spend alot of time alone in life
Theres nothing much that I can do

And at least I found a part time job now
And that will be fulfilling in a way

This human life is fleeting
Hope to meet some good friends along the way

I'm grateful for your service
If you served our nation
And you did what you had to do

One grandfather served
In North Africa
And faced Rommel's Korps

The other survived countless hours
Of depth charges
On a submarine
And returned safely to shore

Thank you veterans for your service
We are in debt to you

I had some baked beans
And some canned pineapple too

Turns out fiber
And vitamin c

Is good for you

Much Ado About Nothing

People are blabbing and blabbing
About life

And it's just much ado about nothing

This time
Then that time

Then the seasons change

It's a big computer
The earth

And there is no ego

And on this planet
There are people
Who have lived into
Their sixties

And they scream
At people
On the television
Lol
Really lame

The Tao Is Like Water
It nourishes all things and does not strive

You cannot "dominate summer"
Despite what the ad says
In the fitness club

It may dominate you
Complaints of heat

They never learned that stillness overcomes heat

You cannot dominate the seasons

This is a life cycle
Repeating seasons

Summer was here long before you
And it will be here long after you are gone

You live within summer

You think you can "Dominate Summer?"

Hahaha
It simply can't be done

Oh how I enjoy the idiotic statements
I see

And there is "Peak Fitness"
Everyone hurry to reach your peak
Train Train Train

And once you have reached your peak
You must train even more
Use more force
To maintain your "peak"

The low is the root of the high
When force is used, the Tao is lost

The Tao Of Heaven
Is Work Without Effort




C

I won't be part of the family Christmas
I won't be celebrating it here

Maybe I'll show up at a random church
Attend at two or three different churches

No presents
No stockings please

Don't take it personally
I hope my family does enjoy
Christmas

But I won't be here

I won't be here to put up the lights

Oh well
I'm canceling Christmas
I'm canceling the family Christmas

Yes
They still follow politics

What a joke

He still shouts at the television
Getting upset
At something a candidate said

They need pills
Because they could never
Find peace within

Turn Off the television
It doesn't matter

Who wins the election
They still don't get it

NC State
The Wolfpack

Coach Jim Valvano
Jimmy V
He was telling the team
About going to the
National championship

I watched the rest
I didn't realize
What a wonderful story it was

How they won so many close games
Just to make it to the tournament
And then beat Houston

One of the most moving
Sports stories
I have ever seen

The men who loved
Each other
And inspired each other

Sounds cliche
But a moving story

The new three point line

Whittenburg
Goes out with an injury

Virginia wins
Over NC state
88 to 80

Whittenburg out with a broken foot

Gannon thought there run was over

Turns out they did win the
National title in '83

Well
I'd like to watch the rest
Of this ESPN 30/30
But stuff to do I guess

It's too good
I will watch the rest
Lol

And more notes on this to come

Good quality beans
Black, pinto, kidney

Canned beans

Mmm, mmm

Protein, fber

Got to love those canned yams too
Vitamin A

10 for 10 on the protein bars

And I didn't even know
They closed at 2 a.m.

Last customer to pay with the card
Then they shut the system down
Last guy behind me had to pay cash

Do Nothings

Oh you know those middle class
Do nothings

Content to do nothing
There entire adult lives

I think a terrible time
Will come to America

It will require you
To get away from the television

Yes, you spent your life
Doing absolutely nothing

And we all get so tired
Of you repeating the same thing

Over and over

So please
Just shut up

Now she'll be watching the news
At this time

And playing golf at this time

And it was an entire life
Without using the mind

A mindless life

The unexamined life is not worth living

What a colossal

Idiot

What a stupid person
Incredibly stupid

30 years
Of no work
Of doing nothing

A complete and total
Psych job

Idiot

Idiot

Didn't do the dishes again

Idiot

Homemaker

Who can't keep home

What a pathetic waste
Of a human life

I won't be here for the holidays
Haha

"My God"

She says in an annoying voice

Go to sleep

Your whole life

You have slept

Done nothing

The American housewife

You are a do nothing

That cannot keep the house clean

One day I realized
That the earth is just
One big computer

Non-action is required

It spins and spins
Around the sun

Is this the real life
Or just a fantasy?

And then I was in my car
Listening to the dogs bark
And the crickets

And the car lights went off
Up the street

As I inserted my key
In and out
The blue light
Of the dashboard

Hold fast to the center

And I pictured myself
In various places
At various times
Picturing
My future life

And thinking how
I'll always feel the same

Blahhhhhhhhh

The suffering saints
Are tired of waiting Jesus
Tired of waiting for your return

Two times and one half
Three years of tribulation
Before the return

I won't ever have a family

And you know what

I'm just going to watch comedy
Again

Hitchhiker's Guide
To The Galaxy

And I got some clothes at Sears
Wandering through the store

Like I wander through the world

I need to eat a bit more
And run a bit less

Because at 6 feet 167
With about a 31 inch waist

The bands on those elastic shorts
Well the small fit a bit better
But the small shorts fit too tightly
Around the quads

And the medium could be a bit tighter
At waist level

So I guess I could gain a few pounds

Bleh
Human Life

These people
I live with
Are completely oblivious
To the danger
This country is in

Completely oblivious

But that's how most Americans are
These days

And when the system is down

Then the real trials will come
No facebook or instagram

Or stupid celebrity news shoes

Maybe our country will be attacked
Who knows

Gotta plan ahead
Buy tighter clothing

In case I drop down in weight
Food may become scarce

I think a difficult time might
Be coming to America

This shoulder
It is some type of burden

This life
So strange

I visited a woman who has cancer today
She was in good spirits
A woman of faith

And as we walked in
Her cousin and her friend
Were just leaving

They were in their 80's I think
I bow to them as I shake their hand
They are the ones who have lived

And I'm living this life
And thinking about this life
And isn't it strange

It's just a shoulder
I know

I went to the physical therapist
And although they are even now
One is still larger than the other

And I write these poems
And I read my book on Lincoln
And the Shemitah
Is coming to a close

World economies in trouble
My gut feeling
Tells me a trying time
Is coming to this nation

These women they were probably
Born after the depression
And lived through World War II

I see my life unfold before me
Live with the heart
I have a caring heart

And I do love to share stories
With people

And that therapist
He was supposed to fix my shoulder
To make me symmetrical

Oh it's not a big deal
But it is to me
I've spent about 20 hours a week
In a gym
For the past 7 years or so

If you can't be comfortable
In your own body

Then you can't find someone
Because I feel akward
With this shoulder

It's not that noticeable
But it is to me

Talk about
"Shouldering"
A burden

And my Kenmore fan blows
And I hope I will have
Some work this year

And time goes on
And it is a journey
A journey

The stoic calm
Year of the Shemitah

Trying times
They are coming
I think
They are coming to America

Hey West Point Cadets

A message to you

Use your head

Think before you act

Wise people have said

Swinging pillows stuffed with rocks

Now some lay injured in hospital beds

I drink white Ambrosia tea
I read a book on Lincoln

The Kenmore fan blows

No money to go out

This is Friday night

China is showing off
It's cruise missiles and tanks
Putting everything on display

China's cruise missile
Renders U.S. carriers obsolete
The news story does say

I hope there is no big war

Those chimps
Just wanted to be left alone

They used the stick
As a tool

And started hitting the drone

That will teach the drone to stay away

These chimps are planning ahead
How interesting
I must say

I ate my arugala salad
With fresh tomatoes

My Kenmore fan blows

It's so easy don't you know
To try to show the love that Jesus
Showed

And everything will just
Keep on continuing as
It always has

Here in America
I'm told that on the news

We are a financially stable
And powerful nation

No harm can come
To our completely exposed power grid
Some say

Or to our economy

Politicians are promising
On the television
To make America
Great again
And on and on

Meanwhile we are
18 trillion in debt

I went to college
I have a credential too

And I'm still broke

Many people are

And our nation is broke

The day the war started
I was not surprised

Nation warring against nation
Governments unable to maintain peace

I sure hope it doesn't happen

My left shoulder
Is a bit bigger
Than the right

I don't know why

If this could change
I would be a more content guy

Still it's just a small thing I know
I just try to let it go

A touch of honey
And a bit of spice

This apple is a delicacy
And tastes quite nice

Misery is the root of happiness

Says the Tao Te Ching

I wander from place to place

My left shoulder

Larger than my right

At least I know

It's permanent now

Remember the stoic calm

I hope to meet more friends in life

Beautiful women

Please don't smile at me

Like this asian woman

I saw as I looked out

Across the offices

On the second floor

Beautiful she was

And I wonder what it would be like

Not to have an akward shoulder

To feel comfortable

In my own body

And to have a female friend


Same dull expression
Workout at gym everyday

Hear same meaningless expressions
Like "Step it up"

Please don't say that to that poor guy
Yes he was unemployed
Many people are in California

I practice the way of non striving

From time to time
I go through this life

The psychotherapist
Blah

She is gone now
A distant memory

And no
I will not contact her
Once I find a full time job
Like she suggested

That time is gone

And so the Taoist approaches life
As one meaningless moment to the next
He has not experienced
The union of man and woman

I cannot fix my left shoulder
Despite all the good physical therapy
Exercises I am doing

Why does it have to be bigger than the right

Oh well
That's life

Better to let go of all desires

Live in the present
The present moment is powerful

And that lady smiled at me
As if she could tell I was sad

I suppose so
I looked out on the horizon
As I did when I was young

Life

And Jesus will come one day
Who knows when

I hope heaven is a fun place
I just want to play golf there

And have female friends

I enjoy sweeping my home
And now I am going to pay a parking ticket
As my food digests

I am 30
And I have spent many hours
Alone

A wise person
Is shy and humble

He or she
Does not have a mind of his own

Approach people
With kindness
And gentleness