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Whit Howland Jun 2024
slightly crooked
it hangs

but a painting
none the less

of a not-so-perfect
vessel

that carried us
down rivers

and out to sea
as we journeyed

far and wide
Another Rod McKuen homage
Whit Howland Jun 2024
the street you describe
I've never been there

but I have kicked a bedsheet
a time or two

and maybe I've reached
for cigarettes

I've been hot and cold
more cold blooded

you might say
in the true snake sense
An homage to Rod McKuen
Whit Howland Jun 2024
Peace

today
is what I've

made with age
and life

I love you

is what I wrote
this morning

on last night's
cocktail napkin
Whit Howland Jun 2024
Thunderclaps
lightning flashes

and the rain
pit pats on the roof

my fingers
snap crackle pop

and I'm distracted now
but I'll get back on track

as soon as I see
a rainbow
Whit Howland Jun 2024
a dead mouse floats
where water has puddled

in the driveway

and a  whiff of skunk
means

it must have taken port
from last night's storm

in the garage

a slow rusty drip
falls from the gutter

so many early morning
impressions

so many clues
and so many McGuffins

to distract
An impressionistic word painting
Whit Howland Jun 2024
muscles twitch
moonlight radiates
though still soft

a voice

angelic
or otherwise

sings
An impressionistic word painting
Whit Howland Jun 2024
a sharp blade
carving

shaving
after shaving

from a gnarled wooden
stick

or is it the sound
of your gravelly singing

and the many guitars
you've  owned and played

or the feel of stubble
or the smell of cologne

I don't know

but I'll can and will say
at the risk of selfishness

is your day is
mine too

and a day
will never be enough
Happy Father's Day to my Dad who I am fortunate to still have in my life.
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