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If only I could write a poem
as brazen as an orange autumn leaf
tumbling along the street,
or sounds like rain
drumming of on an iron roof
or the rich, deep smell of earth
after the rain squall passes,
even the murmur of breeze in trees
and the song of cicadas
on soft summer evenings.
Yes, the single call of birds that thrill me,
or the magnificence of the setting sun
saluting the end of day.
The spin of sycamores
like little helicopters in the wind
and then, of course,
the dragonfly that darts and pauses
so impossibly along the lazy rivers.
And what about the lotus blossom
and the flowers that bloom in billions,
every day unseen?
The hulk of mountains holding up the sky.
The effervescence of the Milky Way
wheeling across forever.
Then there’s the kaleidoscope of colors
caused by a single drop of oil on water.
Smudged mascara after tears.
The majesty of self.
A child’s hand holding yours.
The gift of love.
A smile.
If only I could write these poems.
If only I could write.

Mike T Minehan
The evening twilight covers us,
The scent of Lilacs wisp the air,
A sensuous  musky aroma
Draws me to a beautiful woman.

Her taught golden body calls.
Flowing silken hair, like sun rays,
I can not disturb her
As I tiptoe to her side.

The warmth of her hand
As she caresses my cheek.
The flame inside of me
As I wrap my arms around her.

My fingers, softly and with feeling
Lead my hand down to her hips,
As her hands firmly and surely
Pull my face to her lips.

A flash, a spark of flame
From my lips to my toes.
And my blood boils and steams
As the passion fills my soul.

Her waist so firm but yielding
As I pull her cvlose to me.
I kiss her damp neck as
My hands slide up her back.

A caress against her skin,
But not to hug too hard.
This hot luscious body
Wrapped in my arms.

Her musky scent fills me
As my lips touch her neck.
Slowly going around and down
To her moist trembling breast.
A walk in the garden
Your warm hand in mine.
The sound of silence
Fills the air.

Listen, can you hear it?
A butterfly tiptoes across a rose petal.
A breeze carries a babies cry,
This is God talking to us.

Can you feel the warm
Upon your cheeks?
God loves you, and His Son
Is giving you a kiss.
Here I am, it is 2am,
Sitting at my counter.
What did I do today?
What will I do tomorrow?

The cats and dogs,
Dreaming animal dreams.
  I wonder what
  They dream about.

My mind is free to wander,
Nothing to hold it down.
What do I really want to do?
  I will listen to the quiet.
The doctor gave me some pills,
Said these will help you sleep.
My eyes are getting heavy,
I think they are going to work.

My room is dark and quiet
I will finally get some peace.
The soothing sounds of music
Thunder and lighting fill the air.

The lighting of tracers,
The sound of dying men.
The thunder of the rockets,
I'm going back again.

Now I'm safe, I found a hole.
You guys are dead,
How did you get in here?
What do you mean, we're going for a walk?

I hate this time of year in the Delta,
There's red dust everywhere.
Wait, I think it's going to rain,
The red dust turns to red mud.

Frank, where are you going?
You've got the point again?
Step lightly brother, stay alert,
The ***** are all around.

Hey, Lt. let's take a break.
This radio weights a ton and hurts.
Yes Sir, I know, everyone has problems.
Yes, I'll be sure and tell the chaplin.

From the front, a M-16 on rock and roll.
I think Frank has found a problem.
Yes Sir, the radio is ready,
I think we are going to need some help.

Everyone spread out, find cover.
But watch out for traps where you go.
Radio guy, get over here, now>
**** I don't want to move.

He called the birds, help is on the way.
I see the tracers, going out and coming in.
Is it my imagination, is my radio the target?
My 16 is so hot, I grab one from the ground.

The captain calls our position,
Everyone drops and hugs the ground.
We can hear the jets coming
And hell is what they bring.

Something is not right,
I'm choking on the dust.
We are walking down a road
Me and the dead looking for a enemy.

I've learned to live with the
Loud ringing in my head.
But now it is drowning out the
Sounds of the bullets and guns.

The heat and fear, I'm soaking wet.
The sounds and smells cover me.
The mud is pulling me under.
My wife is shaking me awake.

The smell of ****** and burning bodies,
Gun power, burn pits, rice paddies, bugs.
You can leave the war behind,
But it follows you home.
You can escape for a while but never forever.
So. You lit up our world
like the trajectory of a blazing comet
and landed in the middle of our lives,
plonk. Just like that.
We’re talking here of a little supernova,
and a whole, dazzling, new dimension.
Yes, you were smiling, crying,
shamelessly dependent and incandescent,
lighting up the world with love,
while saying, in effect,
don’t worry, I’m the future now,
what isn’t written yet is here with me.
Well, you didn’t actually say those words,
because you’re only ten months old,
but that’s the essence, really,
of your arrival in the terrestrial
and your trajectory from the stars.

Mike T Minehan
The years have come
The years have passed,
All I can think is
They have gone so fast.

I remember thinking of
The things I wanted to do,
New places and people,
Every day would be new.

Now here I am,
Tired, old and fat,
Sitting in my rocker,
Me, my dog and cat.

Every day I would watch
As the trains went speeding by.
Next one, I told myself,
A ticket I would buy.

"Hey dad," I heard,
"Let's do this, let's do that"
Still sitting in the corner
Is my bag and my hat.

The kids are gone,
It is my traveling time.
The ticket is a quarter,
I've two nickels and a dime.

Back to my rocker,
I'm on the road I know.
My mind is full of wonder
For the places I didn't go.
I look back and wonder what could have been, what chances were missed.
I am by myself
But I am not alone.

I hear a song
From 50 years ago
And a memory
Tiptoes thru my mind.

I am by myself
But I am not alone.

I hear children laughing
And playing in a park.
  And in my mind
I hear my children playing.

I am by myself
But I am not alone.

A teenage boy and girl walk by
Laughing and holding hands,
I smile thinking to myself
How young we once were.

I am by myself
But I am not alone.

A song, a laugh, a kiss,
They bring memories to life.
And everyday with memories
I am wrapped in love.

I am by myself
But I am not alone.
My hands died slowly,
with blood vessels surrendering
to the chill.  They turned grey, yellow, lavender,
dusky. Dusky, like the sun had been setting
for hours and I only just realized it.
Pills made them pink again,
but I can’t help but notice
you flex your fingers after we shake.
A cold grip doesn’t suit you

yet. Gloves on, or else I’ll hold the
palm over a light bulb in the bathroom
before running it along his spine.
Blood thinned out to
water, bouquets of nerve

endings wilted.  I lost a piece
of each pinky promise, the weight
of a wedding-band.  Flipping the bird
at the catcallers carries one joint less
meaning, and I have trouble
getting to the point. As I
brush my thumb along my lover’s
wrist, back and forth and back
and forth, I only feel the holes.
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