Morning smells of Lilacs rapture me,
Taking me back to Kinderhooks Chatham Street….June 21st 1961……not a cloud in the sky.
Lying in bed I open my eyes to the hum of a window fan.
And in the distance I hear a Hudson River barge blast its horn.

This moment in time, well it brings tears to my eyes.
Eleven years old, brown hair, hazel eyes, a toothy smile,
Grins in the mirror, hoping to find a whisker or two…
My cat Oscar sits there on the sink purring out his contentment.

“Oscar” I say, “today I leave for the Freedom Farm”
The Freedom Farm is the one place where I’m free to be me
Without the fear of a negative comment or a boot in my ***
I climb aboard the Greyhound bus with suitcase in hand, And looking down at Mom and Dad....I wave…. So Long Suckers!!              

Walton NY, June 22nd, Dunk Hill Road, the smell of cow ****,
The land of Milk and Honey, Fields of four leaf clovers and 10’ corn stalks.
It was here that all my friends lived, Shorty the horse, Mrs Blue the Holstein,                                                        ­                      
And there was Uncle Ike, Aunt Minnie and 9 Cousins. I loved them all!

On this little dairy farm……my potential was unlimited,
Uncle Ike taught me to drive the Tractor, water the heifers,  
Milk the cows, shovel ****, spread manure and have some **** fun!
Hell Uncle Ike even let me try a piece of his plug tobacco... (Note to self…Just say No Thanks next time)

A summer filled with character building experiences and an eight year olds understanding of work ethic.
But we still had plenty of time for fun and cousin bonding.
My Cousin Tom taught me to ride the cows and honed my spitting skills.
And in my downtime I'd perfect the finer points of armpit farting,
Four weeks of heaven on earth where nothing was impossible.

*Once you work on a farm you get dirt in your shoes. And when you get dirt in your shoes, you can never get it out!"

Why are babies aged by the month?
Oh Jimmy is 14 months
And Oh Sally is 22 months old now
And blah blah blah

And once we reach the terrible two's
Our ages are so important that we now broadcast them in half years.
How old are you Jimmy...Beaming, he declares "I'm 6 & 1/2 Yrs Old!"
How old are you Sally...Shyly smiling she boasts "I'm 7 & 1/2 Yrs Old!"

I think by the time I reached 9 yrs old,
I felt it was no longer cool to announce my age in half years
How old are you Jimmy...In a yodeling  & cracking voice he replies "I'm 14"
How old are you Sally...."I just turned 18"...Well hot **** your all growd up!

14 months and 22 months are still 1 year old in my book.
But the 14th month old crawls and the 22 month old walks
6-1/2 is still only six but when we're young we are always in a rush to be an adult.
And in our teenage years we become "know it all's", but not really.

Ever heard "Yeahs she's 10 going on 21 yrs old."
Next time you open your eyes she's off to college.
14 year old Boys dreaming of four spinnin' wheels
And now he's driving the baby home from the hospital.

Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.
Time is free but you can never get it back.
So slow the hell down and enjoy your life, your wife, your girl friend, your boy friend or your significant other, your kids, your grand kids,  your family and your Friends!

NINETEEN

We walk together through scorched ravines.
Cutting paths through ashen yellowed undergrowth.
Beads of perspiration, our faces flushed,
The gusting wind embraces us as if to hold us back from completing our objective.

Six minutes of Safety our mission, premise clear,
We attack the fire with grit & opposing force.
Smoldering vegetation extinguished beneath our feet
And a Jack Rabbit makes his move to escape the approaching flames.

And in the distance, the Demon ‘Fire’ & his accomplice ‘shifting winds’ plan their conspiracy,
They look down upon there victims with malicious contempt.
Hands clenched as if to enjoy their fatal actions….
And with swift exploit they entrap the men.

As the men peer through the flames they see Angels on the Horizon.
And they arrive to carry off their heroes to paradise.
Making their way through the Milky Way……. past Jupiter & Mars,
Bound for a place called “The New Jerusalem”.

A welcoming carpet of stars marks their arrival and the Son shone bright!
And as they approach the city, their smiling faces are welcomed by oceans of loved ones & friends afar.
No more tears, no more pain, no more worries…only happiness abounds
Because the hotshots from Granite Mountain have arrived home, safe and sound.

-Kurt Carman 2014

Sometimes when people can’t see you for whom you are,
They try to force you to be someone you really aren’t.
Real beauty is being true to oneself, Not by trying to be someone your not
A flower cannot change its color nor can Spring become Fall.

Don’t lose the person you really are
Because you are you and only you;
The mold was broke when they formed your star
Cheer up young one don’t be blue

I once knew a boy who always bought shoes two sizes larger,
Because he couldn’t bare the ridicule of having small feet.
You see, when you were conceived, genetically you became one of kind.
There’s no else like you, and believe it or not we all have physical imperfections.

Don’t lose the person you really are
Because you are you and only you;
The mold was broke when they formed your star
Cheer up young one don’t be blue

I once knew a boy who was thin as a stalk of corn,
And he if turned sideways and stuck out his tongue, He looked like a zipper.
He would get teased unmercifully, but if he had done just one think different,
Because when you laugh at your own flaws, disparagement and criticism are defeated.

Don’t lose the person you really are
Because you are you and only you;
The mold was broke when they formed your star
Cheer up young one don’t be blue

**Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions,
          it is governed by our mental attitude ~Dale Carnegie

In memory of Bill Berkson Poet - Rest in Peace**

...  cantered light-heartedly downstream to their doom.
 — Patrick Leigh Fermor

Somebody down there hates us deeply,
Has planted a thorn where slightest woe may overrun.

Disorderly and youthful sorrow, many divots picked at since
Across the thrice-hounded comfort zone.

Can't cut it, sees permanent crones
Encroaching aside likely lanes of executive tar

All spread skyward.
You got the picture, Bub:

This world is ours no more,
And those other euphemisms for grimly twisting wrath,

A wire-mesh semblance bedecked
With twilight's steamy regard.

Look at the wind out here.
Delete imperative.

Hours where money rinses life like ***,
Whichever nowadays serves as its signifier.

Memaw & Pepaw ..Mason Dixon Saturday night,
Just sippin' muscadine wine by the Tennessee moonlight
Rockin' chairs...Zenith Black and White
Roy, Buck, Minnie Pearl a Hee Haw delight.

Crickets a chirpin' and a Frogs a croakin'
Toe tapin' rhythm's got em all in motion.
Corn fields swaying like a metronome
Watching those two dance to cotton eye Joe!

Sunday mornings best at the Church of Christ,
Me, I'm Thinkin' bout Memaws country gravy, my fav-o-rite!
Fried Chicken, taters, eggs sunny side right,
These are the memories I like to recite.

We as humans tend to put off living,
Forgetting to take the time to smell the proverbial roses.
You know the ones that grow just outside your front door?
Take a few minutes, close your eyes and begin to breathe again.

Celebrating life each day is a rite of passage.
It’s a virtue our creator gifted us with.
It makes ones soul fulfilled and allows us to project a positive energy.
So reach out…And feel the earth move while your inner self embraces the Universe

If you have forgotten how to listen to the birds song or the grasshoppers chirp,
Or to observe a sleepy orange caterpillar crawl to the next branch,
Or watch the cutthroat trout sip a spent mayfly from the surface of a stream,
Then the earth is calling you to return to your conception!!


Stop dreaming of the magical rose garden and enjoy the roses blooming outside your windows today - **Dale Carnegie

Found out today that a grand baby
Is due to arrive in November, the very first.
Anticipation whelms over, I take a deep breath,
And step into the warm sun light to take this all in!

Thoughts race through my mind
What will it be boy or girl? - Note to self “Hey man does it really matter”
Praying for health, ten fingers and ten toes,
And an extraordinary heart and soul!

Wishing I could I write a poem for you,
You've been gone 18 years today.
I did find this quote on an Irish headstone
It explains nicely how I feel about you!

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal
Love leaves a memory no one can steal

**Pops I look forward to having a beer with you on the other side of fence!

Hard to believe it was 18 Years ago, 1998.
Waiting that long to make love is an unfortunate fate.

A July rain awakens the sleeping nymphs’,
Like old Rip Van Winkle, a yawn & stretch those limbs

Clawing their way out of an earthen cocoon,
Metamorphous begins by the light of the moon.

An electric buzz fills the West Virginia holler,
Charlie Cicada says “Connectin’ with them females is the problem”

And not long after… a loving relationship is bequeathed,
For the less fortunate, the brown trout waits beneath the Sycamore for a tasty treat.

Well there you have it; such is the life of the Brood Cicada,
And for new born nymphs’, it’s time to go sleep until the next Mania.

K.E. Carman 2016

She walks down this path so many Mothers have walked before her,
Crisp uniforms line the path..a heavy heart..Tears in her lap.
An American Flag snaps to attention as if to say we know your pain Mother, but we don’t.
Through this all, she carries on the pride and resolve despite an unthinkable loss.

The twenty-one gun salute resonates through every city in America
Reminding everyone to take a moment to honor this fallen son.
On the 6 O’clock news Taps plays on every television.
And we shake our head in disbelief.

An unbroken line of Patriots that passed before him,
Line the stairway to heaven to welcome their brother home.
And a banner hangs in Moms living room window..Displaying  one Gold, two blue stars
“Lord please bring my boys home safely”, she prays

I hope you’ll think of some of the reasons why our brave sons & daughters make the ultimate sacrifice…..Here are just a few……..

The American Flag
Our military men and women
Freedom
Patriotism
America the Beautiful
Land of the Free
Home of the Brave
4th of July
Memorial Day
The Bald Eagle
Democracy
Free Enterprise

God Bless America!

Eyes closed, I clear my mind,
Meditation breathing, stars aligned
Letting go I begin to soar
A delightful destination, a feeling of warmth.

And when clouds fill my skies
I simply rise above to bluer highs
Because If I think of beneficent thoughts
I can change the world a lot.

And when the sunshine fills my eyes
I spread my wings and begin to fly.
Soaring right through trouble and despair
Putting a smile on my face with love to share!

Like the four seasons, we are all delicate...
In Winter each snowflake is unique
in Spring the blossoming flower carries much mystique
The Summer rain washes our soul complete
And in the Fall we renew our souls for all to see!

In many ways we are all simply children,
Age has no barrier does it?
They say it's an individual's state of mind.
Wrinkles are merely character
Grey hair? I'm waiting for the next color to come in. Hoping for Pink...

I think I can refuse to submit to OLD.
I reach back to a 1970 Chicago Tanglewood concert on YouTube.
Was it REALLY 45 years ago?
Does anyone really know what time it is?

Ok, I know I'm biding my time.
I lost my friend last year,
And just before he passed, just before his last breath...
I convinced him that life doesn't end here!

Journey on my brother , journey to the next dimension.
Hug our loved ones..give my upmost love to my Mom & Dad
I KNOW you are there in a distant galaxy because
I can hear you whisper..."he was right".

I love you Buddy!

As the blue moon climbs over the Potomac River,
I lay my tired body down next to the planted field.
Momma tells me that I’ll turn 13 tomorrow; my birthday wish….to be free
Like brail, the scars on my back speak to the humility in my life.
My dog Jip lays beside me and with a warm tongue conveys everything will be fine.

It’s the early fall here at Georgetown University
My name is Cornelius, Cornelius Hawkins and I write these words so you know my plight.
Here with me are my father, mother and 2 yr old sister.
We toil the field from dawn to dusk…the salt herring and cornmeal give us strength.
And my hands are forever clinging to this rosary and I pray God will hear my prayers.

I can’t begin to tell how afraid I am each and every day.
I try not to dwell on our strife and struggles, but day dream of downright happiness.
My family and our ancestors before us have been confined to slavery for 200 years.
Momma always says “There is no slavery, just ignorance”.
I hold her words near and dear to my heart and I never give up hope for a better life.

I'll be dreaming tonight..
Yes I'll be dreamin' tonight
Of a Trico hatch that's goes off like a New England snow storm
A Loaded five weight by my side, with plenty of backing to spare.

I'll be dreaming tonight
Of a Montana highway leading me back home,
Home to the Firehole bridge, a purple sky ablaze
Salmo Trutta, my brother from below

I'll be dreaming of Casting tight loops below Kilpatrick Pond,
I catch a glimpse of Ernest smiling on the bank
The Hemingway legacy lives on at Silver Creek
As we wait for the  green drake hatches to fill the air!

I'll be dreaming tonight of days gone by,
When a young boy caught his first German brown.
Neversink, you  beckon me to the days long ago
I feel the force of the river pull me from a deep sleep.

And I awaken to the thought of......Tight Lines!

My 72

Most mornings when I arise,
The thoughts of you run through my mind.
I stare at your high school picture wrapped in Crimson and blue
You've left me and dad, left us to soon at 42.

And now I'm left to look through all those old photos
To get a glimpse of the way you were in sober days,
You know the one, with you & Auntie in the snow on Albany Avenue
Smiling as if your world never stopped, as if you had no idea....

As I stood watching them lay your body to rest...
My feet no longer touched the ground, weightless, I reached towards the sky
I cried out for you to take me to your new home.  
The wind moaned, the lighting kissed the sky and the rain caressed my face.

Here I lay on the rain soaked ground pitying myself
How, Mom ....do I begin to handle this void in my life.
And I realize that the misery and affliction
Must not consume my mind and soul...

Out of silence the blue bird warbles a message of calmness.
The breeze wraps its arms tightly around me as if to say,
Young man, "I'm here to dry your tears and give you warmth."

I wish for nothing more than to hear you say... I love you.

Racality* / reɪsˈæləti/ - *An awakening when one realizes that regardless of outward appearance or inward ideology, unconditional love for mankind conquers narrow-mindedness.

Regardless of one’s fit, form or function,
We must be mindful that judgment is a natural instinct.
It’s time to pause and think about the words before we speak them.

K.E. Carman/ 2016

On this hillside where the homeless rest
The Song Sparrow bursts into psalm,
Reciting beautiful exclamations to the heavens above
For the forgotten souls that are concealed below.

In this place called Potters Field lay one million souls
Unknowns from 200 years ago....more & more arriving everyday.
Nestled thickets of wild trees hold these memories past and
Shadow the headstones with prayers inscribed.

How could one small place hold so many forgotten souls?
How could we have forgotten those less fortunate than us?
Saint Benedict's tear filled eyes scan the field
As he try's to to make sense of what has happened.

Lift up your eyes New York and make your voices heard.
Don't let their memory fade away.
God holds a special place for these children because....
In the Kingdom of God....
                                 The last shall be first.

K.E Carman 2016

One Born in October
One Born in November
Four Years Apart
Born of the same gender

Both names contain four letters,
Big brother, the faithful protector.
Albeit they were different, they had
An inseparable love predestined forever.

As I peer across the Mountain range of my life,
I see a vast array of peaks and valleys,
Roads that wander near and far.

Some roads seemed unsurpassable,
Some roads were thought to be inconceivable,
Some roads I felt were unapproachable,
And I see them all as landmarks in my life.

The one road in the very middle of my lifescape,
The one that's known for being less traveled,
I so often avoided and I don't understand why.

Some roads seemed impossible,
Some roads were thought to be infallible,
Some roads lead to intimacy,
And I see them all, good or bad as milestones in my life.

Standing at the base of the mountain top,
I feel a presence encouraging me to climb the summit.
My breathe becomes heavy, my limbs are numb but my mind is focused.

Advancing the summit, I pull myself above the misty clouds,
Peering below I find oceans of generations that have gone before me....but were never forgotten,
And one stands at the forefront, with arms outstretched, an unforgettable smile, and love thats unending.

There's only one road that leads us to an island universe where we live on forever past fatality.
All roads have the same waypoint which leads us to forever.
Close your eyes and imagine a place that does not judge and only loves.

K.Carman 2016

Trying to Breathe**

I'm sure when my Mom brought me into this world,
She would have never imagined I would have done something so stupid.
That day 1964 is still clear as hell..blowing clouds of "killa" with my very first smoke.
Kissed my first girl and smoked my first cigarette all on the sameday..Milestone..NOT
Nothing but a cool fool...So Cool.....My *** was frosted over!

This COPD death sentence reeks of a smell you never get rid of.
Shallow strained breathing keeps time with syncopated heart beats.
And if your a smoker my friend I know this message is gonna get your attention.
Let the message sink in and swirl around your head like those clouds of "killa".
And remember this................

"You can't delete racism. It's like a cigarette, you can't stop smoking if you don't want to and you can't delete racism if people don't want to. But I'll continue do everything I can to help!"

-K.E. Carman 2015

Has it been that long since I saw you last?
A breathe of fresh air from my past.
Warren street on a Fall Friday night...
Just you, me, a waning moonlight.

Leafs falling softly from the maples above,
Walking Sidewalks of grey With my ladylove
Our time together was..................
Percy's takes the words right off my lips...

( When
        A
          Man
              Loves
                ­A
                  Woman)

I can only hope you made it past our love affair
Cause deep down I'm still smelling your hair,
I'd like to keep you here with me baby.
Letting you go one day seemed so crazy!

Let's forget those lines I just erased,
Way to ******* for this old mans taste
Let's leave it at this..you made me so very happy
Cause When the sunshines..I know we'll both be stronger!

I may never be a Nolan Ryan fastball pitcher,
But I can play any position the coach asks of me and I’m a helluva hitter.
Try to be a sponge in everything I do,
Resourcefulness, Adaptability and Work Ethic are your conquest clues.

So make every second count young person!!
Wear your heart on your sleeve..express yourself for all to see!!!
And as Dale Carnegie once said…Be the better person and don’t worry about anyone talking incompetence
Cause “Unjust criticism is often a disguised complement”!

-K.E. Carman
Dale Carnegie – How to win friends and influence people

Life is a progression of r====
                                           o====
                                               a====
                                                   d====
                                                       s====
Making good choices lightens the load.
Feet firmly planted on the road less traveled
2020 Hindsight will make your dreams unravel.

                                                  -K.E.­ Carman

Snow-day 1959

Monday, 6:00AM clock radio trips,
And WTRY Sounds off one of those top 40 hits.
I half hear the School Closings for Monday 12/12,
Sitting straight up in bed.....Was that Greenport Elementary do tell?

"Here are those school closings one more time kiddies"........
"Hudson HS Closed".... Oh Please God let me hear my city.
"Greenport Elementary...Closed" my Hands Raised Victorious..
I think I can hear Mrs Healy's entire 3rd grade class celebrating gloriously!

Just as I settle in for an uninterrupted, relaxing snow day in my room,
I hear my Mom yell, "young man come get this dust mop and broom"
"Oh snap"! "what shall I do with these dearest mother" I inquire
"Clean that pig sty you call a bedroom or your gonna feel some hellfire!"

Seeing that there we were only 10 days before Christmas
I decide Its to my advantage not to put up a fuss.
So clean I do.....pulling dust bunnies and underwear from beneath my bed
A miss matched sock and a couple bugs that were dead.

And to my surprise I find that fake dog **** I been looking for,
Time for a stealth mission to Mom's special bedroom behind that closed door.
Doing my best army crawl I make my way to Ma's special place
And put that rubbery dog **** on that bedspread made of lace.

"Hey Ma come quick the dog crapped on your lacy bedspread"!
I don't think Ma hit one step climbing those stairs she was seein' red!
And with a gasp she began to rub that dogs nose in the mess,
I'm like Mom it's just fake dog **** relax and don't stress"!

NINETEEN

We walk together through scorched ravines.

Cutting paths through ashen yellowed undergrowth.

Beads of perspiration, our faces flushed,

The gusting wind embraces us as if to hold us back from completing our objective.



Six minutes of Safety our mission, premise clear,

We attack the fire with grit & opposing force.

Smoldering vegetation extinguished beneath our feet

And a Jack Rabbit makes his move to escape the approaching flames.



And in the distance, the Demon ‘Fire’ & his accomplice ‘shifting winds’ plan their conspiracy,

They look down upon there victims with malicious contempt.

Hands clenched as if to enjoy their fatal actions….

And with swift exploit they entrap the men.



As the men peer through the flames they see what seems to be Angels on the Horizon.

And they arrive to carry off their heroes to paradise.

Making their way through the Milky Way……. past Jupiter & Mars,

Bound for a place called “The New Jerusalem”.



A welcoming carpet of stars marks their arrival and the Son shone bright!

And as they approach the city, their smiling faces are welcomed by oceans of loved ones & friends afar.

No more tears, no more pain, no more worries…only happiness abounds

Because the hotshots from Granite Mountain have arrived home, safe and sound.