Verdant fields need the rain, but also the sun
Life responds to both and depends on each
A duality of necessity, a melding of purpose,
A lesson to teach

We need each other in our communities--
      and the communities need us.
We are finite, limited, incomplete, 
absent all the skills needed for the
      common good,
skills our brothers and sisters possess
Tolerance recognizes our interdependence
      and our independence,
It's the virtue that lets us live together,
      but be ourselves

The greater good is unification, inclusion
A single principle for diverse elements.
The nonsensical question that unifies:
"An apple falls, does the moon?" asked
      Isaac Newton
Lesser minds parse and carp,
Greater ones unify.

We are the verdant fields needing rain and sun
But unlike plots of grass we need each other.

The human spirit, the human spirit
How can I, or anyone, comprehend it.
But actions concretely take the measure
Presenting headlines for your pleasure

I spent months interviewing people about their *** lives
I was worried about empty-nest syndrome – so I began rescuing injured hedgehogs.
How to eat a really messy sandwich
The Family Tree Stops Here, Darling
Pretzels were invented by Catholic monks
An interview with a vampire
A pioneering artist once planted two acres of wheat in New York City as an act of rebellion.
Titian masterpiece once found at London bus stop
The world’s largest 3D printer is building cozy homes from woo
How do you make beans and jerusalem artichokes less gassy?
World’s longest road and rail tunnel is being built under the Baltic Sea
‘It’s not beautiful, but you can still eat it’: climate crisis leads to more wonky vegetables in Netherlands
How to go plastic-free for a day at the beach
Could robot weedkillers replace the need for pesticides?
I retired from teaching – and became a blacksmith
Is moving like an animal the secret to good health?
Wine-poached eggs, lemony sole and puffed potatoes.
A clowning class changed my life
It’s never too late to keep bees, build a sailboat or become an artist
Stamp celebrating French culture: a scratch and smell stamp
Feline scientist says your cat may actually like you.

Everyday pursuits somehow seem a bit sterile from this perspective

On the edges of things, I see
Bosch’s vision of hell
with dark comedy thrown in.
So many actors, all at odds,
acting just for themselves.  

Actions indescribable, vile, senseless,
confusing and chaotic,
occasional good to randomize.
Chickens chasing corn.
Is there a collective moral consciousness?
Shifting, transactional alliances,
where is the common good?

Outside, I see a constantly shifting scene,
so many moving parts,
all independent, all self-indulgent
Kiss up, kick down.
What can happen next?

Better to be insulated in negative space,
disassociated from the brawl.
Or am I just being smug,
thinking I’m not a part of it all.
The empty self-delusion, that I’m different,
There is no negative space--
I too am in the pit,
fighting to survive.
Minute by minute.

The diameter of the quest pointed indirectly into the fog.
The fog that hid the ****** damsel, captive, far from home
With my trusty blade and my rusty horse,
my  whole mission, saving the princess.
My sword slammed into dragon, far and sqware.
I packaged the carcass, put it on the curb, and grinned.

Looking in all the wrong places
In Boston, I shared a bed with a stranger,
In New Orleans, it was rope...
In Memphis, I sat with a stray cat,
I smoked-- the cat did nat...
Just trying to lose the loneliness blues.

2. It’s just around the corner
a warm night in spring
flowers fragrance the air
is this the one?

3. The 90-day half-life
From like rabbits to sustainable passion,
The “inluvy” hormones
are nearly as exhausted as we
Time to work on friendship,
 and commitment to our future.

4. On the shoals
"It wasn't what was said, it was what wasn't said"
negative space shaping the conversation--
dancing, flitting from safe to safer,
like stepping stones across an angry creek,
we just try to get by.

5. An assessment
Love isn’t static
No, it evolves,
waxing and waning
to an uncertain end.
It can fade,
or it can continue to grow
and become something 
truly wondrous.

6. Live and let live
Hanging the toilet paper roll,
evil sister-in-law peeve.
Yes, the toilet seat thing.
A sock warming a room corner.
Not ******* on screwtops 
The toothpaste top, classic.
Every flat surface a shelf,
every car trunk a closet

7. Requiem
Alone again
I miss my friend

grotesque, banal,
sorrow and suffering
meted out to all,
but unfairly spread.
the litany of evil,
endless and pointless.
it's the four horsemen,
joyfully at work.
oh god,
how can you permit this?
a wiser man* than i,
in the stead of god replies,
it's just part of the deal.