Time Alone
16 January 2023

Edged alone a verdant recluse,
Green, maroon hedges,
Fluttered impatient,
Hormonal male sparrow, 
Previous years seen by children,
Who named him lumpy,
Failed, too late.

Seasoned time incessant ,
Damaged by age,
Hungered by arrivals,
He Held.

Times
30 March 2021

When I was young, each morning filled with hope,
Skipping school, jumping rope.
Rode my bike, hide and seek, played games till pedaled weak.
Stayed outdoors, till lights came on.
Energy, dawn to dusk, dusk to dawn.
This morning from my bed, kissed my wife, on her head.
Rose for breakfast, and with those oats,
Headed bath for comfort soak.
All those games just a joke.
In my gardens where flowers grew,
Arthritis blooms, pains renew.
Bills seem bigger, challenge looms.
Wife says groom, pickup brooms.
Seems to be so many rooms.

Today’s Life
16 September 2021

Today filled pictures, coloured ads,
Table talks take place, on pads.
Family now lives in ether.
Two thumb account of love and weather.

Values change from what you do,
Contribution to needs of others.
Rather follow purchase covered.
Moment to moment for yet another.

Private talks wired everywhere,
No quiet chat by grandpa’s chair.
Patriarchs have lost their joss,
Good old days torn and tossed.

Basics now the fastest car,
Golfing course and making par.
Fishing rods high on hooks.
Computer shelves all the books.

Like the highway bypassing town,
Personal touch on vacant ground.
An old man stands on heaven’s door.
Who can know what will his score.

Toilet Seat
23 Feb 2022

Broken-day, torii brick shard, lying grey furred furrow.
Dust scarlet covered berm, breaking morn of plain plaid kids, unearned plastic, horror films.
Bones were home, no  longer borrowed.. They never lived.

White marbled Torso held court in  dark brown sack, dreaming bloodied, past ivory beige scars.
Soil green-lined paper reel, only new light, burning orange in midnight star wars.
Seal pink toilet seat stays, winds farrow, foul blast exaggerated by cracked silvered mirror candle, weeping.
Broken azul sky, cloud black bar. A red bacardi label, torn, 3 rusted cars..

Ash, twisted ***** sculpted tan oak, on a blue T shirt.
Somehow resting, orange flat steeple *****.
Reminds past heroes were longer, discarded, purple neutered..

A nose and an ear. Vulvae. A smashed CFM TV.

Somehow these pieces form the picture of tall thunder.
Holding me here.
Chaos grows on my living room floor, wait!
I  lower the toilet seat, crying over a dead cow, last night's beer.


Today I will hold my own.

Cheaters Need a Lie to Bed On

Cheaters need a lie to bed on,
A quilt of falsehood finely spread.
Their whispers weave a fragile fabric,
Where hollow dreams dare rest their head.

Each thread is spun from fleeting shadows,
Each stitch a secret, sharp and thin.
But lies, though soft in their beginning,
Soon unravel from within.

The weight of truth, a restless burden,
Presses heavy on the frame.
And though they think their bed eternal,
It’s set alight by sparks of shame.

For honesty, though slow to waken,
Carries with it steady might.
And darkness flees when it is met with
The piercing dawn of morning light.

11 December 2021
Tradition

And so I wander the steadying hand of tradition.

An gray homestead, weary wallpaper and waxed wooden floors, frozen pipes.
Green and yellow enameled table bowled with oatmeal and brown sugar.
Window covered in leafy spirals of frost dripping, heat of wood stove crackle.

A bed warmed overnight by feathered covers and heated stone.
A metal pan in the sink holding my father’s soap, brush, and brass razor, awaiting a hot kettle.
Snow in my rubber boots, waxed paper sock lined, crunching as we struggle to class.
Charcoal ash marking paths through snowbanks, ice puddles on the road, horse track.
Milk standing at attention, saluting the rising sun of winter’s doorstep.
Hockey sticks and skates resting in the back porch, worn and ready.

Tomato soup with a pat of yellow butter, salted ******* crumbles.
Burnt bread crust trying to hold onto marmalade from the ice box.
Tea leaves in my cup predicting the upcoming fortune of the day.
A naughty calendar pinned to the garage wall, Dad over oily steamed mechanics.
Call of my best friend to dice, a color squared cardboard game, and an afternoon of challenge.
Hands of the girl next door brushing her unkempt, unruly hair in her front window.
Galvanized tub of warm water for the weekly Saturday bath.

A fir tree with the promise of sweets and a gift, sparkling at midnight, filling home with pine scent, holding lit candles.
Toy filled sock on the bed, half a cookie, and an empty milk glass on the bedside stool, Christmas morning.
The first phone call from family that morning, bacon and eggs, extra time lying in bed.
Butter tarts, turkey in the oven.

Tradition, tradition, where are am I now?

23 June 2022

Travel Unstressed
23 June 2022

Waiting, the airport is crowded and full,
Announcements taking their noisiest toll.
Security playing it's cluster f*cked roll.
One passenger, weeping bag overflow.
Mamma 4 kids, all squawking in tow.
Baggage lost, no place to stay.
Travel past, was never this way,
Horse only needed, one bale of hay.
Price is inflated, oil price today.
Never the less.  we're ready to pay,
Adventure pending, awaiting life weighed.
Cabins out on that  rocky lake  shore.
Fish jumping, hooks already gore.
Canoe drifting, fir green on trees,
Oak logs in fireplace,  burning my knees.
Going to open that lost deck of cards,
Two weeks not mowing  backyard.
Look forward, each summer season,
Straying hot summer, no stress or reason.
Chores left at airport. the master plan.
Mountain country, awesome, so grand.
Passport quaking in shivering hand.
Cameras hanging, old dust and sand.
Can't leave my bag, here at my seat.
Take it with you, if needing a leak.
Safety warnings,  hang every aisle.
Terrorists coming with all their wiles.
No one really daring to smile.
Hearing now that loud roaring sound,
Meaning my flight has been final found.
Finally time to get out of town.
Next year. again, will travel bound.
Friends all gather, end of my journey.
I tell them I never hurried.
Vacation was best ever scurried.
Bank account empty, now my big worry.

Tremors
13 Sept 2023

With shaking hand, he holds  his ghosts,
Memories blurred by illness, pain,
Sweet tastes of honeyed  times, on a wooden post.
Baskets of mead, red wine, ***, stain. Spin again.

Their faces shimmer, lights to guide, lead.
Still alive in dreams. Thrive on me, said.
His smile, wrinkles, delighted in tender touch.
Passions, love partners, families, friends, such.

On the rails of time, he steadies, moving upslope.
One mountain to climb, one gate left to ‘ope.
One last great amour, stays his cold hand.
One soul, steady, true, eternal , grand.

The earth tremors, cracks, and groans.
He tremors, laughs.  He is home.

True Love
18 June 2021

True love lives in an empty tea ***.

Trust
25 August 2022

Blood red on edge,
They pledge,
Blood thick edge,
Home hunger stolen.

Truck gray rolling,
Soldiered stripe,
Green to rust pipe.

Held memory lost,
Promise morn frost.

Truth
19 April 2021

To read, is not to learn.
To cry, is not to suffer.
To love, a fantasy.
To pray, is not ecstasy.
To search, is not to find.
To give, is not to be kind.
To take, not greed.
To do well, is not to win.
Who can speak the truth?

21 June 2022

When truth exceeds your reality,
Your are living last stage of life.
Acting fool for an ardent audience.
Deceived by frailty.

Yet applaud your effort for they too,
No longer fit the breadth of their shoes.  
Staggering  tracks on a wandered path,
Follow a dimming light that cannot last.

Discontinuity cues the final moment of the play.
How did i lose the way?

Tuesday
13 September 2021

Tiw’s day solo anon
The time seconds to dawn.
Heart thirsts love song.

Quietly stir the bed of stars.
Skies open on many wars.
Child broken by youth,
Little soothes me.

Calm is sparse, unreachable.
Harsh too feasible.
Time to reach the well,
Cast coin for voten’s spell.

Twilihht
26 January 2022

In the dimming light,
My vision clears.
I see the gifts that I have.
I feel the love we share.
The embrace of those not here.

You warm me, shelter me.
Twilight in my home.

8 May 2022

"two dollars said I won.
used to buy a bit of fun.
now worth only one"

Not enough to buy a bun.
A loaf of bread? sorry none.
Tried for galloon of gas,
Tossed  me out on my ***.

Taxes seemed came to three,
Took my money "abc".
Now wonder, two dollars free?
Can't buy one dollar's need.

Told it's called inflation's gain.
Least it's got a pretty name.
Pay it now, all day long.
" 'for it's over, dollar's gone' ".

Uncertain certainty

17 May 2021

Twisting left and right for place to stand,
When certain worlds seem shifting sand.
Truths soft in hardened hands,
Confusion near in distant lands.
Mortals search for friends and foe,
Which is witch no one knows.
Standing tall  falls, strong winds blow.
Opinion fast while facts stay slow.
Times fade as history passed,
Distortions brighten every class.
Keepers in that ivory  tower,
Waivers sweet our fruit to sour.
Careful in this war of strife,
Risky now our paths of life.
Honest used to be our goal,
Uncertain now certain takes its toll.

Unconditional
8 December2021

Innocent child has basic need,
Fulfilled parents, to feed that seed.
Marriage contract, every level,
Course not filled, delights a devil.
We live our lives in trade and debt,
On conditions bet or set.
Gift always does some burden bear,
Loads lifted only wear and tear.

Love bears it’s own heavy cost.
Unconditioned, always tossed.
Dream of less forever lost.

23 August 2021

There is a tombstone,
Written “I too once was there.”  
"How do I get back? "

(Still have my coat and bags)

Unhugged
7 JUNE 2021

Unplugged and disconnected,
Estranged the viral way.
Time lost forever,
Socially astray.

Unarmed by sadness,
Care  by stranger names  ,
Forgotten days of gladness,
Life is rearranged.

One day the doors will open.
Never be the same.
Age line steeply sloping,
Most not in the game.

Clock slowly tocking,
No one can it tame.
Some are still talking,
Don't know who to blame.

15 August 2022.

Without judgement or restraint, you curled me,
Celebrating our love and passion, true and free.
Dancing on sweet air,
Hold me, caress me, touch fair,
Every nerve feasting.
My soul, my body, your spirits intwine.
Medusa's blessing.
Kisses soak unbinding, no moral taint,
On a sea of love, we travel heaven’s gate.

Be free, you said, anything you want, I will.
I trust you. Such love God's fill.

The Unlucky Pirate
10 August 2021

Born needs that poke and pry.
Hungered treasure other eyes.
Will to take, till love died.
Happiness fought from ding-a-lings,
Diamonds, bracelets, golden ring.

Other vultures heard her sing.
Many others just like her.
Picked partners she made purr.
Close, not smart enough,
To get away, with other’s stuff.
Began to treat her ruff.
Trouble followed everywhere.

Damage she left didn’t care.
Tried to blame cards and stars.
Attitude like one from Mars.
Nothing ever got her far.
Could never jump, that big bar.

Grab pirate’s top cigar.
Now hangs from pover-tree,
Still swings so needlessly.
Envies all she has lost.
Can’t acknowledge, just because,
Little brain, mostly claws.
Never found her Santa Cause.

BTW Sep 2023
I Wish
I wish
Sept 7, 2023.

I wish I could give you all you will need.
I wish I could give you more years, less tears.
I wish I could keep you ever free of pain and sorrow.
I wish I could promise you tomorrow.
I wish I could keep you safe and free.
I wish I could give you a world to see.

I can only give you all of me. .

Up All Night
26 April 2021

Surrounded by lack of light,
Where is the boundary?
Sudden spirit in flight,
Where will I roam?
Walls have no home.
Child runs alee.
Is that the devil I see?
Who set me free?

Up in the Attic
18 August 2021

Up in the attic a young boy laid his head.
An old army cot and mattress were his bed.
Cold in the winter, wool blankets were his stead.
Hot in the summer, an old fan buzzed mosquitoes dread. .

Painted wooden steps led up from the front hall.
Downstairs two sisters night time played toys and dolls.
Dinner cooked and boiled on an old wooden stove.
Dad made money with the Eaton’s truck he drove.

Never was much change in that cookie jar.
No nights for sitting long in local bars.
Front steps were broken, loose, and tinted rust.
Trip to school luxury would be a local bus.

Old family doctor had long passed eighty three.
When he came to visit never was a fee.
Cures came from lore and our family history.
Never saw the inside of a pharmacy.

Old dog slept on a torn and tattered rug.
Bed sheets from flour sacks withstood every tug.
Music came from Dad’s old banjelo,
He sang like Bing, every song we know.

Clothes came down the line from friends and family.
Most shoes and boots were found somewhere else for free.
Winter coats with full newspaper stuffed,
Warmed us through the winter’s coldest rough.

Wood stove stone warmed the bed at night.
Coal soaked with kerosine easy Mom to light.
Sometimes that old kettle gave the dog a fright.
Tea stayed in the teapot lid sealed down really tight.

Ice box held the dinner, carrots peas, and spuds.
Breakfast in an oatmeal box came easy with our  morning hug.
Washed our hands and elbows, faces were the test.
Checked each day in classroom for the very best.

Was a privilege when you the blackboard cleaned.
May you shiver when the bad boy strapped and screamed.
Said the good Lord’s prayer start of every day.
National Anthem sang the same old way.

Spelling tests were common, had to do the math.
End of each year we all hoped we’d passed.

Games out in the schoolyard made our bodies strong.
Most had joined the choir and forgot all those songs.
Summer went so quickly, winter stayed too long.
Friends and team mates were where you belonged.

Conkers and alley games always stood close nearby.
Also often bullies tried to make you cry.
Yoyo’s some swung and danced. Tricks that would enchant.
Ball games and soccer ran till all  need
huff and pant.

Were those few who won ‘bout every race.
Girls sat front of class who had the nicest face.
Hero’s of the football field stood big and tall.
Those with highest marks never seemed to fall.

Many years have passed us by, leaving hopes and scars.
Some of those in our class helped us plan on Mars.
Some now only found, parts in brine filled jars.
Youngest memories fade in daylight stars.

Upside Down
27 May 2021

Today.
My world seems upside down.
Like being on the wrong side of town.
I can find my way home, but not in a dream,
Stopping for ice cream and peace.
Deep breaths thru my skin to my soul.
Noises, sounds, you - strange,
Hold me.
My world, upside down.

Upside Down
27 May 2021

Today.

My world seems upside down.
Like being on the wrong side of town.
I can find my way home, but not in a dream.

Stopping for ice cream and peace.
Deep breaths thru my skin to my soul.
Noises, sounds, smells - strange, hold me.
Hold me.

My world is upside down.

Vigor
30 August 2021

You welcome vigor and energy in our love making.
In the deepest moments of life we find peace and meaning.
Those times endure in memory of a lifetime well taken.
Comfort from the passion of life short lived, unseaming.

In your touch, your kiss, your loving, I am revived.
So grateful to be with you, I feel so alive.
You have awakened me again, welcomed me.
The vigor of your seas, I gratefully seize.
I will ride your wave, until the sun fades,
Until the winds of life, freeze.

2 September 2021

Vivacity hit,
Right in my gut today.
Too late, couldn't wait.

Vulnerable
21 July 2021

When you hear a cry for help.
When you hold a loving heart.
When you question your firm belief.
When you help one ride the street.
When you take the pain of others.
When you accept a lie to cover.
When you are hungry and still share.
When your partner makes you dare.
When a child holds tight your hand.
When you eat sand right grand.
When you trust an enemy right.
When you forgive the one who fights.
When you see poet stars of blue.
When poetry stars see you.
When you love without condition.
When you live love song’s rendition.
When you share your home and table.
Vulnerable, to be able.

24 August 2021

Waiting is the hardest,
Where do I wait startled?
Can we know what could be won or lost?
Can we know what will be the cost?
I long waited for you.
Now you, my life is at risk, you are my life.
Flowers or music hardly tell the tale.
You are my freedom from pains of life.
You are that awesome gift fate has tossed.
Waiting is precious time we have lost.
Yes, we have to take the cost.
Waiting is hard.


Yes we have to take the cost.
Waiting is the hardest.

Wakening Ten
10 July 2021

Special day of 10 still free.
You are here in love with me.
Journey we will each day take,
Waiting as you my love wake.
Filled with love, we found our way.
Never lost our memory day.
How do I live life with you?
Ten gifts you bring my truth.
Beauty, gentle, empath, youth.
Sweet days, love maze, humor wiles,
Loving smile in handheld miles.
Tradition holding with our pen.
Two ten wakens me again.

Wanderer
24 January 2023

Old shoes  tired feet
Home, an empty surrender.
He is complete.

War
3 April 2022

They watched you go.
Time stopped, they wanted free.
Every dream stayed with me.
Every dream😲agony.
Tomorrow’s pain will show,
Moon and fire only know.

Sleep alone,  little ones.
Strife  is here with his guns.
Over there behind those trees.  
Men die on broken knees.
Loved once, they hold their brave.
Soon they’ll sleep near tags in graves.

War forever holds their eyes.
Tomorrow time for all to cry.
Today I hear sweet good byes.
They stay here so you can fly,
Ignore the pain.
War comes to us again.

Welcome Summer
4 June 2021

Quiet sounds of the ‘hood’ deft with the summer rain.
You are so welcome again.
Grateful praise for those warm days,
And nights when it’s hard to sleep.
Soon the rains will come soft and plain.
Somehow I missed the sheep.

When It Happens to You

When the storm clouds gather near,
And the winds howl strong with fear,
It’s easy to speak of courage bold,
But harder to grasp when the night turns cold.

When the world spins out of control,
And the weight bears down on your soul,
The words you offered to others in need,
Feel distant, hard to believe, or heed.

The road you once saw clear and bright,
Now twists in shadows, devoid of light.
The strength you preached in better days,
Seems lost in this darkened maze.

But deep within, a flicker stays,
A tiny spark that guides the way.
For even when life tests you true,
The heart remembers what to do.

Hold on to that thread so fine,
For it’s the tether to your line.
When it happens, and it’s all too real,
You find your path, you learn to heal.

The storm will pass, the skies will clear,
You’ll rise again, despite the fear.
For strength is born when we make it through,
Even when it happens to you.

When you are a dreamer
14 September 2022

When you are a dreamer,
Your dreams show all true.
If you are a schemer,
Trouble waits you.

When you’re a dreamer,
Rewards thin and few,
Old love kisses are due,
Romance waits impatient anew.

When you are a dreamer,
Passion steams drum.
Heat weans in shelter,
Sheets left benumbed.

Music fill the morn,
Trumpet blow your horn.
Body holds no warning,
Love sweet and warm.

When you are a dreamer,
Need of great success,
Dreams lost manifest.

12 September 2021

When you are a mountain, no hill to climb.
When you are a mountain, stars mill your time.
When you are a river, water clear falls.
When you are a child, you hear my call.

When you are away
19 June 2021

I see you in every rainbow.
Taste you in each summer shower.
Immersed in sweet wet flow of you,
Falling from your tower.

When You Are Not Sure
24 July 2021

Doubt hindered my progress.
Opportunity at the margins.
Now I may have less,
Than I should bargain.
We took a risk and won.
So much undone now done.
Let’s take the chance.
Come close, let’s dance.
So cute in those pants.
Let’s take a chance.
You had me first glance.

25 August 2024 Fit Me In Once in a While

Fit me in once in a while, when you can,  
Like a soft kiss in a fleeting span,  
A stolen glance, a whispered word,  
A secret smile that goes unheard.

In the moments between your busy days,  
Where passion hides, and hearts obey,  
Find a space, just a fleeting touch,  
To fit me in, though it’s not much.

I don’t need long, just a tender embrace,  
A shared laugh, a moment of grace,  
To know that love still finds a way,  
Even if it’s just for a day.

Fit me in once in a while, when you can,  
In the quiet nights or the morning’s plan,  
I’ll be waiting, patient and near,  
For those brief moments when you’re here.

Where you are known
19 July 2021

Nothing hidden, secrets hanging clear,
A pool of aqua green waters.
The eagle circles a moonlight sky,
Waiting.

11 June 2023

Your whisper echoes,
Revealing truth's solemn gaze,
Now aware, alone.

Is there ever going to be enough time
19 July 2022

Suddenly it’s over.
Sun is setting in the west.
The darkness creeps in.
So much today was noted done.
Yesterday was full and felt complete.
Tired and ready to sleep, I pull up the covers,
Put my head down in the pillow, and wish for pleasant dreams.

Waiting this morning, I am blessed with a new day.
When the tears of morning are done,
Excitement of new possibilities sustain me.

Each day is full of promise.
Will there ever be enough time?

15 October 2024

Sunlight shortens my mood.
Fall colors wet and fertilize the forest floor.
Furniture on the back deck covered with maple keys to open spring.
This morning there was a momentary snowflake.

Overhead Canada Goode honk to clear their road south warning of North Lights.

I turn on the Mavericks, their voices to wake my efforts.
Mornings need my guidance and, perhaps a dance.  
Bed needs made, things need to dry from last night’s dew.

A strange celebratio of today.

Winter Comes
3 November 3024

Cold deep into my glass.
Martini.
Eyes of a dead fish,
Search endlessly for peace that lasts.
Eyes of dead fish,
Listen. Unheard.

23 June 2021

Somedays I fill with wishes,
Winning lottery, youth and yacht.
When I put dishes in to dry,
I ought no lie,
To be more grateful.
For what I got,
Before I die.

So much dangled on display,
That will never come my way.
Grateful that I'm still free,
Don't need those things controlling me.

Life amazing every day,
Think I like it just this way.
Family, friends, smiling faces,
Everywhere in my favorite places.

Still once in an ever while,
I'd like to try that lovely style.
Wishes keep me in the aisle.

Wishes Lost
20 February 2021.

Time the greatest mystery.
Riddle history lost.
Why so quickly past?
Times of trouble noted.
Pain, suffering promoted.
Now wishes unfulfilled,
I bade the time to ****.
History be what I will.

Wishing
11 August 2021

Wishing no pain or sorrow.
Joy and love for all tomorrow.
Pictures past of times we knew,,
Always bring love renewed.
Let me live blessed today,
Sharing with you wishes I prayed.

WONDER
6 October 2022

Today I start to wonder,
How this love will end.
Last love of my life,
Has now twist and bends.
Time wears on the corners,
Of the cards we sent.

Vowing love forever,
Then truly meant.
Passion tired the nights.
Hid away the stars.
Kept the cold frost melting,
On the winow bars.
Ordinary than more the days.

Little left of games we played.
Tomorrow comes too soon.

On the street at dawn,
Love awaits it’s doom.