one winter’s early eave
as I was leaving work
I sat in my old Carolla, facing east
a rainless sky was threatening
promising a cold, windy storm
contrasting light grays, dark grays and blacks
shapes shifting and swimming slowly
like fish in an aquarium

as I sat spying the skyscape
a conspicuous cloud caught my attention
a large, ashen football against a flat dark field
began to split horizontally across the center
slowly opening like eyelids
long, thick lashes connecting top to bottom
when the lashes finally parted
the aperture revealed an angry Asian face
with fiercely focused features
the interaction looked at me without meeting my eyes
I watched mesmerized for moments
then drove home...wondering

back at work, I described the incident
to curious and amazed acceptance
only one poor soul tried to discredit me
poking fun at my “hallucination”
“You don’t have to be afraid, baby”, I replied
“It’s just clouds”

I like easy days
yesterday was so busy
pushing those deadlines
stayed till 10:00 p.m.
left from empty parking lot

I worked like a dog
but I did get a lot done
so today...easy
no one's bugging me right now
I have time to write tanka

feel the heater on
warming my resting shoulders
slouching in my chair
not feeling guilty at all
letting go of all the stress

I like lazy days
time for appreciation
time for some slowness
enjoying it 'cause I know
tomorrow will be crazy

icecaps come undone
crushing into the ocean
as she sheds her frozen tears
penguins and p0lar bears shudder
as their habitats recede
like the snows of Kilimanjaro

volcanoes explode
spewing smoke and ash like billowing pillows
into the stratosphere
diffusing sunshine's heat
like a cold compress
floes of lava melt glaciers
rivers of mud cause flooded folks to flee

fissures crack and snap from her pressure
towns and countrysides split
floors rumble and roll like the ocean
walls tumble, crumble and roar
bells toll an all too familiar melody
families cry out, wailing and ranting
chanting dirges of great loss
an inconsolable cacophony
rubbled lives lying in ruin

but she is not to blame
the earth is a no fault state
this is our doing
ecology's consequence
greenhouse gasses and other pollutants
have given her a fever
her pores are opening to vent the warming
she is not angry or vindictive
punishment is not her goal
and evil has not played its hand
the planet is just cooling herself
it's how Gaia gets her groove back

Yo Terry, you gone loco?
talking to yourself all the time now
oh, yeah?
is that a blue tooth or a blue ear?
is it surgically attached?
do you wear it to bed?
take it with you into the shower?
Man, you would never be so crazy
it can’t be you
it’s got to be your cell phone clone

hey lady, can you see that green arrow
it won’t last forever
what’s up…honk, honk
you’re on the phone?
we’re gonna to miss the left …turn
honey, you must be blind
how’d you get your license?
is that Lynne?
**** girl
it can’t be you
got to be your cell phone clone

A. K., another call?
and we’re supposed to be having a conversation
kickin’ it
now you’re text messaging under the table
and you think I don’t notice?
Dude, I’m not that stupid
and you, my brother, would never be that rude to me
it can’t be you
got to be your cell phone clone

yo Brenda, who you talking to out there?
oh…(whispered) cell phone clone

Leon, dude!
How many cell phones you need?
You’re talking on the one you got pressed onto your ear
There’s another on the table in front of you
Do you have one more?
You could be a juggler
Join the circus

Girlfriend, don’t you realize the light has changed
and you’re standing in the crosswalk in the middle of the street?
hang up the phone and step—yeah, you

Jeez...I…I see cell phone clones
They’re everywhere

to watch the stand of trees across the street
while sitting perfectly tall and still
on a summer afternoon
to notice the contraposto stance of the trunks and limbs
to breathe with breeze blowing foliage
to discern the veins, texture and color of each leaf
seeing the dark greens within
the lighter greens without
to alternately observe
within, without, within, without
to let your mind sway in the stillness of the earth
as your eyes drink in its warmth
to experience the space between the leaves
and the space between the trees
foreground to background
to know that God is there
He fills the space in between
He is the emptiness

a beacon of misery
shining his light on the neighborhood
selling his wares on dark curbsides
or servicing customers in broad daylight
a 24 hour drive thru
the projects never sleep
good at his trade but hit houses and hos
dip into merchandise and revenue
he had to keep his day job

they roamed the streets in search of landscapers
scoping unattended pickup trucks
and snatching whatever they could
power mowers, blowers, spades and rakes
they called themselves garden snakes
fencing their ***** on Slauson Avenue
their profession requires reliable transportation
so every now and then would find him
rolling in a new stolen car

caught in a police chase once
“Finally got him”, they thought
the projects campus is a two way street
only one lane in and one lane out
his criminal genius spied a window of opportunity
a silver haired angel was stopped in the exit lane
he entered the two way and screeched on the brakes
drifting up next to her car at an angle
put it in park, jumped out and ran
effectively blocking the entrance
the poor old lady didn’t know what hit her
intimidated by flashing lights and sirens
she froze like a mannequin
not having the presence of mind to get out of the way
my friend disappeared, blending into the ghettoscape

we were going to the movies one warm summer night
he showed up at my door with eyes like fire flies
a gray sport coat draped his forearm
to cover up the fresh track marks
didn’t seem to realize
his long sleeves were already doing that
I enjoyed a movie that he couldn’t remember
shown at a theater he couldn’t recall

tired of the trappings of addiction
the violence of every-day-dealing
the disloyalty of his gangsta boys
the threat of being caught
the bad hits and three day highs
the smell of living in stolen vehicles
or finding some strawberry to shack up with
he tried to clean up
enrolled in a residency program
way out in the mountains
they called it Warm Springs
afterward he started attending meetings
going to church holding his palms up
in praise and supplication
praying in tongues
he gave it a good honest effort
but he lacked the skills and temperament for real life
I watched him slowly, steadily decline
rolling back downhill like a Sisyphus rock
with ***** hair and smelly shoes
didn’t see or hear from him for a while
then one day he drove up in my driveway
music blaring in an older, blue Cadillac
flashed some bills at me
fanning through them like a deck of cards
“Congratulations”, I said
“You made it all the way back.”

panhandling daily
sympathy cards all used up
tired of all this
slashes his wrists then sits down
on the curb eating pizza

his blood dripping down
his mind is on the pizza
does not care to live
EMT's take him, fix him
72 hour hold

dude's a survivor
gets psyche evaluation
returned to the streets
proudly bragging about it
to anyone who listens

came to my office
asking my friend for some change
friend's a minister
rejected, the dude cusses
picture of humility

he doesn't ask me
he knows what my answer is
done enough for him
all I can do is just wait
then spray the air freshener