Laughter < > the balm of the soul
Loving touch < > inner vision for the 'mole'
Imagination < > the flame nascent within the coal
Evolving into my true self < > the goal
The life gourmand's avarice < > my dangerous shoal
I think of my Dad tonight, & his paperweight of coal
I remember his impregnable wonder, and I start to again feel whole
Imagination < > the flame nascent within the dark coal

Brush the dog tenderly
Create the time
Slowly, gently caress the cat
Doesn't it feel fine?

Stroke her jaw, her chin
Scratch around her ears
Feel her lean into your hands
For she has not words nor tears

Give your weary sweetheart
An attentive foot massage
Invest some time in affection
Praise her new hat or corsage
For a moment, be their reflection

Water your plants
Spritz the leaves, and a little new soil
Take just a minute
It's such an easy yet rewarding toil

Go for a slow walk with your beloved
Taste the evening air
Give her your ear
Visit a reflective place there

Create for her room to ruminate
About her aches and pains
About her ailing Uncle Bob
About her new job

Touch her cheek gently
On your pillow at night
Before your eyes they close
Before dreams so fleeting and light

Say something small, sweet and simple
About you and her and your heart
Not about that invoice or pimple
Or what you both need to dissect apart

For magical, hidden roots are growing!
Or languishing as they will
Simple, daily things nurture them
Not a one-time magic bullet or pill

Marlowe once said,
"Talk not of wasted affection!
  Affection never was wasted!"
Water the hungry hearts around you
And the juiciness of life
Will be the sweetest you've ever tasted

I share my wife and bed with another guy
They look into each others' eyes and with love they sigh
It's not easy, but there is so much love
And support from the angels and devas above

It is a challenge, we are all full of desires and need
We share laughter, massage, mystery, and games
With careful, open eyes we proceed

In the morn sometimes she's exhausted from their labors of love
I serve her a fruit shake, creamy and cold
And we listen, dazed to the morning dove
As the sun rises, hues of bronze and gold

Some may think a ******* is the cat's meow
An exciting adventure of discovery, and how!
But there's a lot of homework on this path of old

Even if the other guy is only eight months old!
Even if it's all about lactation
Not *******
It's still a path to walk where so many riches unfold!

Gabe's off with friends, road trip to Valley View
Gadzooks, oh my
No work on Friday
Which of a quadrillion projects
Will I pursue?
There are poems to be birthed
Sculptures to be honed
Power bars to be cooked
Appointments to be booked
But the Big One, that towers over all
The Once a year, Grandfather
From which one mustn't stumble or fall
Elevation of fourteen thousand, two hundred fifty five feet
Of 15 miles of hiking, massive and sweet
Says now or never, tiny mortal…!
I must summit Longs Peak
Inside me the need churns
To visit the Old One, & learn what I must
There are memories to be made, lessons to be learned
And learn what I must
Before I turn to dust

Can you see
The nebulae and stars
At bright noon?
Come my friend
Come watch them with me.

Can you feel
Our ascent inside the descent
Through, and out again
The earth's molten core?
Come my friend
Come feel it with me.

Can you see
The luminous light
Of sunshine in this dark night?
Come my friend
Come see it with me

Can you see
The sage old man in the child
When he's or asleep, or wild?
Come my friend
Come watch him with me.

Can you feel
Your luminous death
Inside your luminous breath?
As you breathe and move
Vibrating and free

Come, my friend
It feels fine
Come feel it with me

It is easy to romp and play
In lighthearted levity
When the sun doth shine so merrily
And the mallard flies so free
Yet to laugh when the stygian dark clouds grow
To dance when the gale winds blow
To smile & bow to the Reaper spurned
Is staunch strength well earned
Is God's fuel well burned

Hailstorms with big winds, trees writhing in breezes
Coyotes howling in moonlight, dogs when they sneezes
Alloys and carved toys, stone gargoyles with wings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Skunk smells carried gently on nocturnal breezes
Sly double entendres and tickley teases
Beautiful salmon colored sunsets that make my jaw drop
Smell of pine 'n cedar in my sauna and wood shop!

Dolphins and doggies and toddlers and mooses
Saunas and cold plunges and honking V-flying gooses
Small mutts and storytellers and Pixar cartoons
Crazy call of the Maine dark of night loons
These are some of my nurturing tunes!

Volcanoes with lava and magma all oozing
Cross country skiing just gliding and cruising
Receiving massages unwinding and unbruising
I love my collections of adhesives and strings
These are a few of my favorite things!

So when the wasps sting
When the bored people whine
Wen I'm feeling dispirited and sad
I just think of a few of my favorite things
And I don't feel…so…bad!