night presents herself
stars are lighting up the sky
the ocean is black
still darkness speaks quietly
whispering across the bay

imagine he was your child
your infant
imagine your child clinging to
and fighting for life
breathing on his own
after ventilator’s plug was pulled
imagine the doctors deciding
against your wishes
to let him starve to death
depriving him of the strength
to hold on
and the nourishment to function
and grow
(miracles do happen, after all)
imagine that you have another doctor
a second medical opinion
telling you there is HOPE
but the medical monopoly
and the courts say NO!
imagine your helplessness and frustration
imagine your rage and pain
imagine a piece of you dying
with your child
How do you get over that?

Del Maximo
@06/27/2019

knew a guy who robbed a bank
an old ‘friend’ of mine
the kind I don’t hang out with anymore
the crowd I walked away from
he actually got away
and made it home
don’t remember the details
even though I read about it
in the paper
I just know they caught him
and put him away

once watched him
dissolve a pill and cook it
in a bottle cap
then draw it into a syringe
a rubber hose strapped around his bicep
Lord knows where they get
the paraphernalia
slapping his veins to make them pop up
he stuck that needle in his arm
and let the blood flow
back to the syringe
to ensure a good hit
shot up and released the tourniquet
he closed his eyes as in ecstasy
and leaned back
I felt sorry for him
a slave to madness
he asked me if I wanted to try crack
I knew a true friend would never offer
who in their right mind
would want that for anyone else

I saw him recently
after 20 years or so
he must have gotten that 3rd strike
didn’t recognize him at first
then pretended not to know him
those days are gone
forever

woke up to gray and white
streaky Van Gogh clouds
with patches of cerulean eyes
peeking through
the house is cold
and I am old
but it feels like spring

calendar says we’re past equinox
sunshine seems to be getting longer
flowers bloom
forecasters say Raiden’s not done
but it feels like spring

dreamt last night
that I was outside running
and easily leapt over an obstacle
drove my car
city sights and sounds whelmed me
in pleasant memories of living life
flashing by like a fast motion freeway
it felt like spring

been shuttered with infirmities
and limitations
but strength training and tai chi
have become habit
unassisted walking toddles forward
but feels and looks good
I’m getting there
it feels like spring

Del Maximo
(c)03/27/2023

a cold, rainy day so apropos
as an era comes to close
what could have been great
what should have been great
is tumbling like Jericho’s wall
some (including me)
see cause to celebrate
but a loss for one is a loss for all

like a phoenix from civic ashes
it came to be
raising noble purpose and intention
helping throw away’s child
kids fallen through cracks
fostering transition from poverty’s cycle
from gangs and crime
to mainstreaming
to expungement
to independence
to jobs
to college

then the blame game came
like a virus
attempting to fix
what wasn’t broken
pointing fingers
instead of looking in the mirror
and falling on one’s own sword
in support of others

telling lies and making **** up
faking knowledge of laws and procedures
expressing ego angrily
without getting to problem’s root
tossing morale to wind
favoring brown noses

ding **** and heigh **
with melting waters thrown
it’s time to rise again
from sage’s ashes
a rededication to leadership
to loyalty
to noble purposes
to service
to new beginnings

have we met?
is time a circle
that we’ve travelled before?
will we get it right this time
or are we destined to repeat
the same mistakes
never learning our lessons?

is each day the same old play
but with different actors
in different places?
does life move  on
from theatre to theater
with tryouts, auditions, and fails
keeping it real?

has it always been like this?
softness, wetness, and passion
like the first time?
from strangers to friends to lovers
my body and heart remember
and I swear I’ve known you before

is life a Mobius strip?
a one sided infinity
fate twisting upon itself
a roller coaster with no beginning
or end?
I swear I’ve known you before
and I want to know you again

for many
Christmas is a time of traditions
tree decorating
lights
gift exchanges
caroling
candles
family dinners
where planning all the above
is half the fun
and caring for one another
is proof of the pudding
(razzleberry dressing)

for some
traditions go on
skewed and miscued
existence shattered
heartbeats shuttered
life just holding on
but the world keeps spinning
albeit upside down

inconsequential, random memories
trigger teardrops
bird sightings and dragonflies
stir yearnings
both measures of comfort
and reminders of unbearable loss
proverbial double edged swords

time doesn't heal
but it moves on
doors close
windows open
and dreams show the way
for new beginnings
every year lights a new candle
of hope

so
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
and Happy New Year!
'Tis the season of change


Del Maximo
©12/22/2019

if I could
I would soar up high
surfing the clouds
embracing blue breezes
chasing and catching
golden reddish colors of sunsets

I would look down with fondness
upon earth
green trees swaying in conversation
with one another
majestic mountains wrinkled with age
dunes riddled with the language of winds
the scintillating sparkle
of oceans’ movement

I would dive down only to feed
avoiding the negativity of human kind
blessing some with my droppings
admiring the perseverance of others
absorbing the good and hope
that give rise to my wings

if I could
I would never come down
to witness the sadness
not just man’s inhumanity to mankind
and to the earth
but the natural sadness
people and places lost and forgotten
with the passage of time

but soaring above
doesn’t undo pain and hurt
and by avoiding the negative
in duality, you pass over joy

it seems we are hardwired
to form relationships
that both break and heal us
make us lonely
and fill our hearts

but on this day
I would rather fly up high
and forget about everything

Del Maximo
(c)08/01/2022

another day
another active shooter
our hatred has loosed the hell hounds
foreign and domestic terrorism abounds
when will we learn that it’s us

there’s a madman behind the curtain
who doesn’t understand theatre
with the whole world watching
he normalizes hatred and apathy
unable to see beyond the foot lights
unwilling to look beyond his own nose
or his wallet’s bottom line
wearing narcissisms blinders
this **** stirrer has emboldened the **** stirrers
with everyone eager and willing
to jump into the cesspool
but I don’t blame him
it’s on us

social media has bloomed
an anarchy of tongues wagging
through clacking keyboards
it’s safer to speak up
when you can’t get hit in the mouth
judgement day is now
the threads are teeming with
name calling
immaturity
arguments for arguments’ sake
hatred
vehemence
the traits we hold back in real life
are somehow acceptable online
but I don’t blame social media
it’s on us

tomorrow's skies will be blue or gray
regardless of what weathermen have to say
the futility of a random universe
with each advancement both a blessing and a curse
license plates used to ask
“will we **** the last whale?”
the bigger question today:
will we **** the last human?
ecology’s breakdown
GMOs and pesticides
social injustices
racial divides
domestic violence and teen suicides
new ‘worst ever’ shootings
WMD in little boys’ hands
will we do it?
will we **** the last human?
it’s on us

it makes perfect sense now
but I didn’t quite understand
that health and fitness is proactive
that health and fitness is a
present tense action

all these years just going to work
was my main exercise
walk to the car
walk from car to office
walk around the office
walk to the car
walk to the house
repeat

found some good programs
wasted money on gym memberships
bought lots of equipment
but my main exercise remained
walk to the car
walk from car to office
walk around the office
walk to the car
walk to the house
repeat

my daily regimen ended
when I stopped working
and sat around most days

diabetes
kidney failure
internal bleeding
cardiac arrest
have proved to be
good teachers
covid was a good scare
nursing facility meal portions
have shown me the light
physical therapy provides
incredible, professional knowledge

King Kong make me strong
formal daily exercise keys up
strength and mobility
but the mind is a terrible thing to fight
attempting to lock me up
with doubt and second guessing
“the spirit is willing but the body is weak”
is an effable excuse
‘F’ that

my body and brain know
but my mind gets in the way
my mind tells me it’s hard
my mind tells me I have to figure it out
my mind holds me back
my mind tells me, “later”
or “tomorrow”
you’d think my mind would know better

Del Maximo
(c)09/24/2021

everyone knows they have a million eyes
we saw it in that movie
what was it called?
they go buzzing around like
bees without purpose
infiltrating my airspace
snooping around like cats
so curious
or like thieves on recon
scoping out a heist
are they magicians
disappearing when you return
with a swatter?
are they dumb or arrogant
flying in your face
knowing they can get away?
do they seek out food
with their milligogles?
or do they have noses?
do they smell doo doo
from a distance?
I wish they spoke English
so I could tell them
“shoo, don’t bother me
it was just a ****!”

Del Maximo
(c)07/26/2021

sometimes
when I looked into your eyes
I saw an entanglement
of two souls
reaching into another universe
where impossible was possible

sometimes
when I looked into your eyes
locking on without blinking
I knew that moments like this
were all that matter

sometimes
when I looked into your eyes
I saw every hurt I ever felt
and knew you understood

sometimes
I saw the speed of light
speckled in your irises
and thought we were on our way

sometimes
that last little peck
added as an afterthought
is more meaningful and joyful
than all that came before it

sometimes
inevitable
is wishful thinking
pipe dreams left wanting

sometimes
things are better left
unsaid and undone
and regret is just another word

Del Maximo
(c)08/29/2023

I was quiet today
all day
life is peak and valley
but even with all I’ve been through
this day was low
call me Chief Joseph
I’m tired
authorities say one thing
practioners say the opposite
embattled and entrapped
in bureaucratic *******
I will fight no more
for now
my voice is parched
my limbs are weak
my spirit is diminished
today they burned down the fort
I will lay low and rest
among the ashes
maybe tomorrow
or the next day
I will rise
like a phoenix
and fight again
but tonight
I’ll take some warm calming tea
and close my eyes and rest

Lord,
give me sweet sleep
and pleasant dreams

Del Maximo
(c)11/13/2024

I can’t do justice to this day in a short poem, but I couldn’t sleep last night and had to get this out:

9/11

living on the west coast
I didn’t see the first one
but I do remember that second plane
watching it on tv was like a dream
is this real?
explosions booming
streaming out smoke, fire, and pulverized debris
thought I saw the building shaking
and people jumping or falling
from way up high
then I saw the collapse
twin towers imploding
crashing down to ground zero

the stories in the media pinched me
nightmare became reality
life’s losses tolling
first responders bravely
and gravely giving their all
reports of survivors scrambling out
but still helping each other escape
carrying a disabled lady down the steps
wheelchair and all
cell phones flash-lighting
through corridors’ darkness
I saw a lady emerge from the smoke
a thick layer of gray dust
covering her head to toe
the whites of her eyes
and her coughing
as proof of life
I saw tears in the eyes of reporters
and heard their voices quivering
was this all a dream?
or a Hollywood-like fabrication?
I only saw this on tv
and can’t imagine the horror
of actually being there
the moment when they realized
they were going to die
the last thoughts on their minds
first hand sights, sounds, and smells
sensory details impossible
for survivors to forget
I saw stories on the news
of a third plane crash
a box cutter highjacking
cellphones bidding good byes
to loved ones
as the plane descended
onto the Pentagon

I remember fearing a U.S. retaliation
thoughts percolating
of how the world had changed forever

Del Maximo
(c)09/11/2021

thought he was weird
poor old guy
constantly throwing off
his sheets and blanket
pulling the cases off his pillow
would see him wiggling his feet
and moving his arms
as if reaching for something
as he laid in bed

because of my deafness
we never spoke
but I would see him talking
to the caregiver and nurses
he didn’t eat or drink much
a little eerie at first
an old bald man with pale skin
and not much life in him

one video call
the caregiver smiled
when she brought the phone
to his bed
it must have been a loved one
but no one came for a visit

a table between our beds
prevented a full body view
but this morning
his feet weren’t wiggling
his arms weren’t reaching out
thought he might still be asleep

at curiosity’s urging
I sat up in my bed to take a peek
his face was turned towards me
couldn’t see the whites of his eyes
like in the movies
where the eyes turn all black
his mouth was open
as he lay there motionless
a nurse came to check on him
removed the velcroed cushioning
from his feet and covered them
with his sheet
she didn’t bother to check his heart
her stethoscope remained
draped on her shoulders
then quietly walked out of the room

took another peek
to see if she covered his face
she hadn’t
arms at his side
face straight up
looking at the ceiling
he laid in state
in the royal position
with a viewing party of one
awaiting the coroner

death may seem sad
but I was happy for him
freed from the confines of a life
where seemingly
no one remembered him

Del Maximo
(c)11/27/2024