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Jan 2022 · 117
Seeds in the Wind
Victor D López Jan 2022
Feathery seeds blown by winds of chance,
Over deserts, oceans, forests,
Thousands of miles,
Or only a stone throw away,
To land and retake flight,
Time and again,
Before taking root,
And thrive or die,
Helpless,
As soil and weather will,
Such is our plight.
Victor D López Jan 2022
In Spring I Dreamt of Summer's Sun
In spring I dreamt of summer's sun,
And all the things that I'd get done.

In summer I did dream of fall,
And lovely times we would have all.

In fall I dreamt of winter's due,
When rest and travel would come true.

And now that winter's finally here,
I dream of all the wasted years.

I dream of times we should have shared,
When all were still alive who cared.

I dreamed away my life it seems,
Instead of living it, I dreamed.

Longed for tomorrow every day,
And now I long for yesterday.

I wish I'd lived each day awake,
Left precious moments in my wake.

But wisdom comes too late I fear,
Too many dreams and wasted years.
Jan 2022 · 107
True Love
Victor D López Jan 2022
We search for true love,
Often for a lifetime,
Yet seldom find it.

Love's not hard to find,
Especially when we're young,
Consumed by passion.

As we age we find,
The embers still glow brightly,
But do not consume.

Yet the pain persists,
Emptiness that we can't fill,
However we try.

If we find true love,
No force in the universe,
Can keep us from it.

No matter the source,
No matter the circumstance,
We meld into one.
Jan 2022 · 150
In Praise of Dandelions
Victor D López Jan 2022
We love roses best,
Sweet smell, glorious petals,
We ignore the thorns.

Weeds are flowers too,
Saffron dandelions bloom,
With edible leaves.

Children's sweet delight,
Summer's snowflakes their blown seeds,
Gathered gifts for mom.

We protect the rose,
And poison dandelions,
Their beauty unprized.

Nature provides both,
Without judgment as to worth,
It is we who judge.

So with people too,
Flamboyant facades we praise,
Plain, true worth we shun.
Jan 2022 · 202
Happy Memory
Victor D López Jan 2022
Mom reading to me,
Bedtime stories, fresh and old,
Unhappy endings.

Loud protest from me,
Sometimes with effusive tears,
Mom revising end.

The wolf does not eat,
Grandma or Red Riding Hood,
All's well with the world.

If only her words,
From heaven could change today,
Real life with such ease.


Hear my reading of this poem at https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Iua0LTtHwczbN19aEiALg?si=DsYKH0OdRj6KiBCL0ZYeoA
Jan 2022 · 96
Galactica
Victor D López Jan 2022
Cylons and humans,
Can end their war, choose peace,
Why oh why can't we.
Jan 2022 · 268
Kiss a Babbling Brook
Victor D López Jan 2022
Kiss a babbling brook,
It will gladly quench your thirst,
With crisp, clear water.

Kiss raging rapids,
You'll be crushed against the rocks,
And drown, thirst unquenched.

Calm waters sustain,
Turgid ones excite us more,
Danger alway does.
Jan 2022 · 76
Life's Biggest Losers
Victor D López Jan 2022
Life's biggest losers,
Are those who when they're losing,
Want to change the rules.
Jan 2022 · 476
Yet Another Storm
Victor D López Jan 2022
The snow cleared away,
Only six inches this time,
More is on the way.

Lovely when it falls,
Powdered sugar covers trees,
Sweet treat for the eyes.

Lower back pain flares,
Winters in upstate New York,
Loveliest when young.
Jan 2022 · 121
Blood Paella
Victor D López Jan 2022
Frozen meat, knife slips,
Cuts ring finger to the bone,
Bleeding will not stop,

Late night ER trip,
Ahead of oncoming storm,
stitches or glue seal?

Tendon nearly missed,
Wound cleaned, sealed, and blood flow stopped,
Wound dressed and sent home.

Sleet and snow falling,
Got home, went back to cooking,
Unfinished main dish.

Washed my blood from plate,
$250 rice dish,
Completed at last.

Greedily consumed,
ER Fees won't ruin,
This cook's appetite.


Based on this week's latest ordeal. My carelessness had its price with a $250 ER visit despite my supposed "Cadillac" health plan. But there's no use crying over spilt blood--and I did pick up where I left off and enjoyed a tasty albeit now much more expensive dish. That's what I get for separating frozen chorizo with my favorite very sharp knife carelessly--even while knowing if I slipped I could get a nasty cut. As I've written elsewhere in one of my short stories, my wife is justified in calling me the smartest idiot she knows. *SIGH
Jan 2022 · 98
Writing Sets Us Free
Victor D López Jan 2022
Writing sets us free,
To transform that which now is,
To what it could be.

Render for others,
The world from new perspectives,
So that they may see.

One word at a time,
Ours the power to create,
A new universe.

Share my worlds with me,
A journey of the mind's eye,
With lessons to teach.
Victor D López Jan 2022
We are chained to earth,
By our hopes, dreams, appetites,
And loved ones still here.

But the bonds weaken,
As we experience loss,
Of those we most love.

Eventually,
Heaven wins the tug of war,
As grief seeks release.

And spirit flies free,
Its chains snapped by heaven's pull,
Towards those we love.

Thus we fallen rise,
If our lives made us worthy,
By the Grace of God.

Lonely, lost no more,
Open arms awaiting us,
To welcome us home.
Jan 2022 · 132
Memories
Victor D López Jan 2022
life's precious moments
swirl around time's vortex
slowly spun into fine threads
that melt away
like cotton candy
on the tongue
leaving behind
insubstantial
sweet, tenebrous
soft impressions
of what has been
Victor D López Jan 2022
My gift to readers,
Hire Lernin' free until,
1/15/22

Prefer poetry?
I'll make my new book free too,
Through the noted day,

Both books will be free,
Only through the links below,
Nowhere else that day.
The ebook versions of both books in all formats are available free only at Smashwords until January 15, 2022. You can find both bookjs through my author's page at the following link (cut and paste into your browser):

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/VictorDLopez

You can scroll down on my page to findthe books. When you click on them, the price will show as "free" until 1/15/22.
Jan 2022 · 191
Childhood's End
Victor D López Jan 2022
A child is transfixed,
By a rainbow in full bloom,
Adults curse the rain.
Jan 2022 · 85
Childhood
Victor D López Jan 2022
Wonder in all things,
Magic, trust, discovery,
Joy in simple play.
Jan 2022 · 775
Ever notice . . .
Victor D López Jan 2022
The louder the man,
The weaker his argument,
The smaller his brain
Jan 2022 · 185
On News Reporting
Victor D López Jan 2022
Education is the lie you believe.
Propaganda is the truth you dislike.
Jan 2022 · 101
On Truth
Victor D López Jan 2022
Opinions are made of flexible cloth,
That can adapt to drape any body,
Regardless of how strange or fine its shape.

Truth is made of rigid, hard, brittle cloth,
That must be worn exactly as it comes,
Alter it for comfort's sake, and it breaks.
Jan 2022 · 99
When Men Rape Nature
Victor D López Jan 2022
When men **** nature,
Sterile children may be born,
Of concrete and steel.

Angles sharp and tall,
They grow to the sky daily,
On their mother's grave.

Then in false homage,
They build a fake monument,
With locks of mom's hair.

This is Central Park,
A manufactured green space,
For all that was killed.

Malodorous meat,
Offered to the hungry dogs,
Who think it prime beef.
This poem is a variation on a theme I wrote about when still in College titled "Central Park". You can hear me read "Central Park" at https://anchor.fm/victor-d-lopez/episodes/A-reading-of-my-poem--Central-Park-evjmgg
Victor D López Jan 2022
Few things shine as bright,
As a new adventure's start,
Hope springs eternal.

Siren's song beckons,
Calling us towards the rocks,
Will our course hold true?

If the course is true,
The vision clear and focused,
All may yet end well.

Battles may be won,
Pyrrhic victories are these,
If innocence lost.
This is another teaser, likely the last one, for my novel "Hire Lernin': An Idealist's Quest through the Realm of for-Profit Education." You can sample 20 percent of the book free by using the "look inside" feature at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XPTYDPD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Victor D López Jan 2022
Apply for dream job,
Three days later,  interviewed,
Next day, job offered.

Would you celebrate?
Jubilation or caution?
Dream job or nightmare?

Chapter 3 details,
An actual interview,
Which one will it be?
Chapter 3 of my novel details the protagonist's interview for a dean's position in a proprietary, for-profit business school. Although the novel is fiction, this chapter (as with many others) closely parallels my own experience in my first academic posting for a similar position in NYC in the late 1980s. My girlfriend's reaction at the time (now my wife) parallels the protagonist's girlfriend's reactions exactly. Some of the humor in these early chapters--including the examples used by the protagonist's girlfriend in holding up a mirror to his naivete are also based on my actual experiences--including the four gentlemen in a car offering me a management-training position at a bus stop while I waited for a bus to take me to my part-time job. Fact is often stranger than fiction, and common sense is too often inversely proportional to intelligence--especially when dealing with idealists of all ages. You can preview 20% of the novel and most of my current published books at my Amazon author's page at https://www.amazon.com/Victor-D.-L%25C3%25B3pez/e/B001KMII74%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share or at any major bookseller's site. As always, thank you for your support.
Victor D López Jan 2022
Whom does the law serve?
Society and justice?
Or is it lawyers?
As I hope is true of all of my fiction, my novel has many layers and subtexts that are intended to both entertain and expose the reader to ideas and concepts that I hope will leave her/him thinking after they put down the book. Like my favorite contemporary novelist, Dean Koontz, there are threads of social commentary throughout my modest published fiction. In this novel, beyond the obvious criticism leveled at for-profit education, I touch on a variety of other serious issues in both direct and subtle ways. In Chapter 2, for example, I briefly explore the theme of this short poem using humor to temper what is deadly serious criticism some aspects of my profession. You can hear my reading of chapter two through one of my podcasts at https://open.spotify.com/episode/1NeYlH158LslBXOwQa0Ikz?si=80biKWFUSjaIxRdYPuidbg
Jan 2022 · 83
Judge Not the Words
Victor D López Jan 2022
Do not judge people,
Based only on what they say,
Actions show the truth.
Jan 2022 · 77
Relativity
Victor D López Jan 2022
Relativity,
Shows space and time can be bent,
It can't bend the truth.
Jan 2022 · 555
No Sweeter Perfume
Victor D López Jan 2022
No sweeter perfume,
Than the warm, familiar scent,
Of the one we love.
Jan 2022 · 166
Hire Lernin' (teaser poem)
Victor D López Jan 2022
Naïve young lawyer,
Quixotic quest to right wrongs,
Deemed unrightable.

What could not be done,
Creativity, hard work,
Would soon accomplish.

Love won and love lost,
Humor, drama, will expose,
Higher ed's failures.

Triumph bought with pain,
Life altering lessons learned,
Was it all in vain?
This is meant as a teaser for my novel which involves a fictionalized version of my experiences in my first academic posting as the dean of a for-profit business school in circumstances not very different from those of the fictional protagonist. You can sample 20 percent of the novel at Amazon and other booksellers, and until January 15, 2022 you can download the full ebook versions of the novel at a 40 percent discount, but only at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1071699 by using the coupon code GL56P at checkout. The novel is also available in paperback, hardcover and ebook versions at Amazon and most booksellers.
Victor D López Jan 2022
Drunkard, homeless, god,
With billions of supplicants,
Praying for his help.
You can hear me read a preview of the short story with the same name and theme at https://open.spotify.com/episode/0i6GfdaVIaE00rZR6rMWHK?si=hLLzjfmGQwKcaJppZtzHRA
Dec 2021 · 91
Eternal Quest
Victor D López Dec 2021
Why do we search for truth,
In all the wrong places?

Why do we trample true love,
Eyes fixed on the horizon?

Why do we build the crosses,
On which we are crucified?

Why do we sacrifice ourselves,
On altar to our ego?

Why do we discard the pure,
In Quixotic quests for the perfect?

Why do we always find answers,
Only when it is too late?
This free verse piece is inspired by one of my earliest and still my favorite short story, Eternal Quest. I wrote the original version, largely unchanged but for some light editing, when a freshman in college. There are layers to the story--unrequited love, friendship, philosophy, human frailty, and the duality of the human spirit--that were beyond my years and are still central to the core of who I am today.  I am older but not much wiser than my former young, old soul grappling with what it means to be human and to learn inconvenient lessons we prefer to ignore. You can hear me read cold reading of about half of this short story/novelette in one of my podcasts at https://open.spotify.com/episode/6c9kOS2skPxzNJaYtquQKR?si=-DFvQA6gTHW61H5RKWnzuA (a professionally produced version by voice talent Dale Wilcox is also included in the audiobook version of my short story collection, Mindscapes distributed by Audible and Amazon).
Dec 2021 · 152
Deer Food
Victor D López Dec 2021
Peaches from my tree,
Eaten by deer every fall,
Before I pick them.
Dec 2021 · 75
Good Bye 2021
Victor D López Dec 2021
I used to be sad,
At the passing of a year,
Not this one or last.

Hope 2022,
Will be better for us all,
Peace, health and good will.
Dec 2021 · 94
Flight of Fancy
Victor D López Dec 2021
The child in me still yearns,
To sweep above cumulus clouds,
Afterburners engaged,
Contrails marking my passing,
For a time before fading,
Silently screaming,
I am here,
Flying with the angels,
For just a moment,
Leaving behind the chains,
Forever binding me to clay.
Dec 2021 · 71
Lighthouse in Spain
Victor D López Dec 2021
Briny ocean breeze,
Fishing boats shepherded home,
By your guiding light.
Dec 2021 · 89
Nature's Art
Victor D López Dec 2021
I love museums that house priceless art,
Strolling quiet galleries transports us,
To worlds masterfully rendered by minds,
That can enhance our vision of the world.

Gaze at a worthy work of art awhile,
And it will speak to you in its own tongue,
It will engage your senses, feelings, mind,
Plant fertile seeds that blossom later on.

But nature too can reach us with her art,
As she inspires artists, poets, you, me,
All around us, all the time, day, and night,
If we but take the time to stop and look.

Lanscapes we notice, sunsets from the beach,
Crystaline pine trees on white winter roads,
Faraway nebula through Hubble's eye,
Earth's blue-white image as seen from the moon.

Her subtler art is also all around,
Sometimes sculpted in moments, like a snowflake,
Some worked for ages by oceans, rivers,
Glaciers, or desert sand blown by the wind.

Whether wrought by intelligent design,
Or mere happenstance devoid of intent,
Nature reigns supreme in art great and small,
A living fine art museum for all.
Victor D López Dec 2021
A warning defiled,
By hubris of a pharaoh,
Its purpose revealed.

The puzzling riddle,
And purpose of the Great Sphinx
Revealed in prime time.

A curious world,
Searching for enlightenment,
Ashes its reward.
This is a teaser for my short story by the same name. You can hear me read the entire short story free of charge through in my podcast--direct link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PHC2O2OJI7FH7fryQ5d3q?si=FAjS_UjMTFaAiL2q9ktGiA
Victor D López Dec 2021
Scientists' hubris,
Terrorists' evil cunning,
End our universe.

Black holes and Big Bangs,
New theory will reveal,
their close interplay.

Dark vision of truth,
The end of the world revealed,
Already begun.


You can hear me read about half of my short story by the same name in my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/episode/2UaNRr1aRdran3DEcidYu9?si=S1Gy0KlISFyRzTUxnj5KtA
This is a teaser for my short story End of days from my Echoes of the Mind's Eye collection. It is by far the darkest, most disturbing and most plausible scenario for events that will soon lead to not just the end of the world, but the eventual end of our corner of the multiverse. This story posits a novel theory of cosmology and offers a warning about the dangers of providing extremely expensive, dangerous toys to individuals who for all of their collective intelligence are little more than the brightest amoebas attempting to understand the complexities of the multiverse by examining in minutest detail the fetid drop of pond water they inhabit atop a leaf drifting in a stagnant pond.
Dec 2021 · 94
Busy Bees Fret Not
Victor D López Dec 2021
Busy bees fret not,
For their endless toil will yield,
Sweetest recompense.
Dec 2021 · 177
Possess Not the Rose
Victor D López Dec 2021
Possess not the rose,
Once cut, it bleeds, withers, dies,
In freedom, it blooms.
Dec 2021 · 151
Justice
Victor D López Dec 2021
When conformity,
Is imposed by government,
Tyranny has won.

If freedom of thought,
Comes at the cost of one's life,
It is worth the price.
You can hear me read my entire short story of the same title and related theme at https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oEx2bqyLeKqlPCwm25XMe?si=giVmk2xfTZuUetweuhx7tw
Victor D López Dec 2021
Success obsessed man,
Beautiful apparition,
A life turned around?
Hear me read a preview of my short story by the same name at https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JMPqo2zjpjeQNdykL7920?si=_UfXMsjfTKyROXQhw9MNjA

A young executive on the wrong track meets a beautiful apparition at a friend's party that has him take an unvarnished look at his life. Will he change his ways?
Dec 2021 · 49
Madness
Victor D López Dec 2021
Why do we explore,
All dark, pothole-riddled streets,
Not bright open roads?

Why do we stumble,
On the same obvious rock,
Time and time again?

Why is it we vote,
For mendacious fools each year,
Hoping for a change?

Are we that obtuse?
Do we thrive with pain, failure?
Or are we insane?
Dec 2021 · 137
Most Prized Christmas Gift
Victor D López Dec 2021
Most prized Christmas gift,
Humble table, a meal shared,
With loved ones still here.
Victor D López Dec 2021
Can our dreams **** us?
One man's struggle holds the key,
Proof his legacy.


Hear me read a lengthy preview to my short story with the same title in my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qtz2Dr5ESxdMYa9DsgLNC?si=25Rpx3kpR1WaM_mijZWM5w
Dec 2021 · 85
Twin Fawns' Visit
Victor D López Dec 2021
Mom dropped off two fawns,
My back yard their romper room,
Watched them for the day.

Nibbled grass and leaves,
Gave them cool water to drink,
Feared, would mom return?

Seemed happy but shy,
Cute, tiny and oh so frail,
They seemed unconcerned.

At night mom returned,
Rounded up her twin darlings,
All scampered away.
Victor D López Dec 2021
Free short story book,
December 24-25,
At the link below

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1056565
My book of SF and speculative fiction short stories is available for free download in any eBook format through midnight, December 25. It ius my Christmas gift to my readers.
Victor D López Dec 2021
Extinction event,
Two years to prepare to save,
Seed of humankind.
This is a teaser for my short story heralding the end of the world due to an asteroid strike and humanity's efforts to ensure survival for some. You can hear me read a free preview of about half of this novelette-length short story from my Echoes of the Mind's Eye short story collection at https://open.spotify.com/episode/2K6dDI5bOek1dokvEiw5BR?si=FvHwcHYXQhGRDnGBGaHFJQ
Victor D López Dec 2021
God made flesh is born,
Innocent, pure lamb of God,
To die for our sins.

There's no greater love,
Nor is there a greater hope,
For all who believe.

Unwortrhy am I
And yet He still died for me,
Forgives me my sins.

Believers rejoice,
But let us all remember,
He loves ALL of us.

Believers and non,
All humans are our brothers,
And our sisters too.

Let us not forget,
God made man came to teach us,
To love, not to hate.

Whether you believe,
That He is the Son of God,
Or you believe not.

Believe in His message,
Love your neighbor as yourself,
Regardless of faith.

People of good will,
Embrace at least the message,
Of the messenger.

May you each know peace,
Health and joy throughout your lives,
This my Christmas wish.
Victor D López Dec 2021
A Holiday Gift,
My second book of poems free,
Expires Christmas day.

Download all formats,
With my thanks for your support,
At the link below.

May you all stay safe,
As you enjoy holidays,
With loved ones this year.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1035449
Victor D López Dec 2021
Enigmatic Sphinx,
Its true purpose discovered,
Its warning ignored.
This is one of my favorite brief short stories in my Echoes of the Mind's Eye collection that tries to explain both the original nature and purpose of the Great Sphinx of Giza before it was defaced by a megalomaniacal pharaoh carving his image out of the original lion's face and mane. the truth is finally revealed by the world's most famous Egyptologist in prime time to a world-wide audience. You can hear me read the entire short story in my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PHC2O2OJI7FH7fryQ5d3q?si=R6UhNkTvTICSiIiLOyRgFw
Victor D López Dec 2021
Scientist's playthings,
Cause the end not just of earth,
But of our universe.
This is one of two quite different end of world scenarios in my Echoes of the Mind's Eye short story collection. This novelette is at once the darkest of my short stories precisely because it is quite plausible. It posits a completely new theory of cosmology that explains both the birth and death of universes in the multiverse (or omniverse, my own coined phrase) based on the role that black holes play in the creation. and extinction of an endless number of bing and colossal crunches of universes both large and small. If you would like to hear me read a free preview of about half of the short story, you can do so at https://open.spotify.com/episode/2UaNRr1aRdran3DEcidYu9?si=NPJbA-uIShe3JSyQWJb87Q
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