Spitting out the words again
Spelling a sense of thoughts unheard
Casual chances dance in the night
Muttering phrases lock into step

The siren wails out a resounding tune
Reporting the cause of time unfurled
Carrying the sound to the edges of time
Granting the passages that fill my mind

Sometimes the story dissolves in the wind
Noticed in passing, the fire burns within
Mine is the true but gentle concern
Of course, a new notion makes the world turn

Surely a poet can let it all in
Pruning the measure of a lifetime in years
The drums and the fife sound a haunting refrain
I could hear it so clear in the pouring rain

The moon shines bright on the desert sand
Nothing can stop me, the one who I am
Random stiches compound the suspense
It’s already a complex tale to defend

Lost in the book where the story unfolds
The end is to come but it’s not been told
Like you, I’ve been sold a half-finished page
I’ll finish it now and not waste a day

A river flowing
Through the channels of my mind
Just dreams streaming by

I was trapped in your time and lost in your space
There was never a moment that we didn’t embrace
Our tears turned to laughter and then back to tears
Our fears led to silence in the waning of years
The moment got past us then slipped out of sight
The memories must last us, they’re all that we have
The bridge that we crossed was burned in the night
And the passion we lost chased us out past the light
We came to the crossroads where our souls they did part
Your face in the mirror defied a new start
I’m caught in the chaos of your lasting refrain
It was such a disaster, when we stepped off that train

Please remember what you mean to me.
Remember with your heart and
Remember with your soul.

Let passion evoke the memories we’ve made
While our thoughts drift together
Through the realm of our dreams.

Remember that vision we’ve shared for so long.
The world may be turning but it can’t drag us down.
Let’s walk here together through the landscape of life,
Charting our pathway through fields of delight.

Remember the hills and the valleys we’ve roamed,
The rivers we’ve forded and the roads we have strolled.
Believe in this journey we’re taking through time.
Let love be our tether and a light in your eyes.

Born in the tempest of a rising tide
In a whirlwind turning
At some place in some time
Testing the water
I look deep inside
The wind keeps on churning
There’s nowhere to hide

Never been down this path before
I’m lost in the hedgerows
On the stage of my mind
Caught in the menagerie
I’ll see what I want to see
Lost in the fantasy
I’ll walk with tenacity

I know what you said
That it’s all in my head but
I’m really that limber
With all things considered
I won’t be defined and I’ll never resign
I’ll just ride on the tide
Through the winds of my mind

Watching you today
The way you played in the rain
Drenched from head to toe

A soul like new-fallen snow
Such wonderful glee to see

It’s a terrible book. So hard to read.
Is it really such trash? Then make it ash.
No need to act like you like it so.
I know you’re burning just to let it go.

There’s no real sage between these pages.
Mental gyrations never tend to engage you.
I caught you smiling but was that so real?
I can’t really say but I know how you feel.

So now that the ink has stained your brain.
The paper cuts, they made you insane.
Now that the words are a big fat mush.
You can hush right up and light it up.

It takes a spark just to end this lark,
A little swish from the candle stick.
A puff of smoke and this joke is toast.
There’ll be nothing left of these words I wrote.

Reason will fade in the swirling flame.
Thoughts will get lost in the blurry haze.
If your mind’s made up then what’s to say?
I named it that way, so just do it OK.

Don’t let these words tend to lead you astray.
Settle on down and have it your way.
The bridges you burn are made of straw.
Burning a book’s not against the law.

Unless you do it in a public place.
Then, of course, you’ll have an egg on your face.
You can burn the words if you think it’s alright and
Flicker away in its glowing light.

Here’s the secret to your growing angst.
A simple solution to your mental trance.
Your mind’s made up so don’t get sick.
Just flick your Bic and get done with it.

Cherry trees bow down with fruit.
The cardinal whispers a joyous tune.
Time has come to seize the day
and whisk away the cares we have.

To reach my soul, I won’t contend.
There is no thought I need defend.
Summer days can fly away.
Just like the ones we had before.

We’ll always take a little more time.
The road is mine and yours to find.
Just come on in, I’ll hold the door.
We’ve much to do and to adore.

The dust of time** rains down in swirls
Above the roiling sand it whirls
Riding the wave of a desert breeze
It rises up high just to seize the sky

The dust of time, it drifts and it dreams
Clouding the vision of all that would see
It parches the throat and boggles the mind
Breaks down the walls that we cannot climb

The dust of time is all in our minds
The measure of moments perhaps not defined
The meaning is lost at the edge of the stage as
The winds of change work to sweep it away

The dust of time is all that we have
It marks each moment as we strive to get past
It rains down on us in a glorious hue
Clings to us here in all that we do

The dust of time is all that we are
Just tiny grains to set us apart
We’re here for an instant and gone in a day
The winds of our season will blow us away

Cast  in the shadows of a waning moon
Carrying on to the arboreal stand
Wandering around for a tune to sing
Lost in the words we have not heard
Memories dance in a somber rain
Leaves on the trees sing a rustling song
Crafting a message in time unbound
Found in the tune that traps our soul
We listen for a moment to take it all in
Caught in the magic we choose to behold

A drip in the clouds...
One drop…
                      flowing down…
                                                    across the wind…
and to the ground.

A pitter a patter,
       it doesn’t much matter.

Rain keeps on dancing
       as this teardrop evolves
And quickly dissolves…………….into ripples.

Take a look inside my mind
There is no telling what there is to find
A shiny tale you may want to see
Or maybe it’s something that cannot be

Bide your time, it’s all entwined
Set yourself down and look for a rhyme
You can let it hang out for another day
But it’s seldom I have this much to say

There’s nothing to lose, no place to be
Never will we have this day again
You can tie your shoes or read the news
I’m not going to stand in your way

Let’s settle our debt and take our leave
I’ll see you again if you pass this way
Thought I had something more to say
If I figure it out I’ll let you know

So have yourself a very great day
And don’t get lost in the words I write
Watch for the brilliance if you feel you must
But it’s best to reflect on your own shining star

While distant memories fade to grey
And time takes them so far away,
Others stay, locked deep inside
Where visions lie but cannot hide.

I miss you now but you’re still here,
Whispering songs into my ear.
I take you with me every day,
Remembering games we used to play.

Dear God,
What is your will today?
I want to hear what you have to say.
Each treasured view
of your grand design
leaves me entranced
and willing to climb.
A little bit higher
I’d like to fly.
Into your *****
I can take my rest.
There is no reason I can’t accept.
Your will is mighty
and I’ll take the test.

A kid can flee so easily
Running out the open door.
They’ll climb a tree and find a world
So different than before.

Some dig a hole and pile up snow
To make themselves a fort
Or take their leave across the fields;
A different kind of sport.

Crawling through the hayfields,
Picking berries in the grass.
Celebrating little streams;
Watching them flow past.

Cats and dogs and little frogs
Birds and squirrels and ponies
Draped in mirth and soiled with dirt
The earth is not so lonely

Stepping through the stony fields
Hoping that first kiss will last
Playing past the summer glow
The days flow by, it starts to snow

Suddenly a memory grows
It grows into a dream
Moving on into the haze
Entranced we fail to count the days

It’s just a game we have to play
The rhythm of the years descend
Pretending all the dreams are real
We pass our time inside the wheel

Then at last, in the light of day
We look around and feel the sound
Of the trumpets blaring in our ears
Gently teasing all our fears

We deny the facts but that won’t last
Stemming tears we’ve gathered here
Passing time inside our minds
Believing things we cannot find

So clouds drift by, time ticks away
The games we played are getting older
From little kids just playing soldier
The world now sits upon our shoulders

Twisted around again
Not sure which way to turn this time
I found my way here and that much is true
But there is no sure way back that I know
It’s a dizzying scene, I can’t pretend
Something I see every now and then
There’s a course wind blowing in my face today
If I can just turn around, I’ll chart a new way
Confusion reigns in the maelstrom I see but
I see it so clearly there’s a harmony brewing
The world doesn’t stop as I walk on by
It leaves me right here for another try

Believing in you
Captured deep in your magic
I’m lost in your song

A blank page tries to stare me down.
Devoid of words, the empty space
Surrounds my mind and
Fills it up with little thoughts.

Forget-me-nots, that’s what they are.
Just IOUs awaiting payment.
A keen arrangement with the empty sheet.
How sweet it is and very neat.

A thought takes shape, the space is bare.
But ink conveys a tender kiss.
Sprawling there my words resist
The emptiness I cannot bear.

That lonely space is now set free.
The story flows and grows…
Into a mighty tree where
Thoughts to be are simply leaves.

I climb that tree so all can see
And leave behind a memory.
Across the page, no longer bare,
I stare into infinity.

Just got the news that you died today
Just when I had so much to say
But now that you’re gone
I can’t sing that song
The words are but echoes
Inside my mind

My thoughts are so blind
To the feelings I have
I can’t stop the tears
While trying to dance
I’ll say a goodbye
And wish just for you
A happy journey
You so well deserve

The pain is gone
I've set it aside
And I’ll live with your peace
Inside my mind

This trembling earth
Spins us around
As our time ticks away
And dwindles on down

Now is the moment
We live in our dreams
Later is something
We’ve never seen

Yesterday came
But now it’s just gone
Only memories are left
Of that passing song

Tomorrow may come
But it certainly won’t last
Nothing can live
In the future or past

Sunlight considers
It’s memories while dancing
Light everlasting

4/23/2017

Sitting alone in a darkened room
Pondering here…
…………………………..what should I say?

This pen is almost silent now
These words depend on what I write
I wonder how the story goes but
I not so sure that anyone knows

My muse does not attend today
She’s left me here with naught to say
The pitter-patter of her tiny feet
Is nowhere near that I can hear

Her wafting jewels of thoughts unfurled
Are locked up tight beyond my mind
Her patient touch I love so much
Is just a memory (a phantom's touch)

I figure if I write this down
The world will turn around again
Perhaps there’s something more to say
Or maybe there’s another way

I can’t be sure—I won’t pretend
The thoughts I have are better said
Than written down and left for dead
They’re churning now inside my head

So listen close and you will hear
The mystery of this darkened place
The chance there is to make it clear
Is almost gone and not so near

The mirror reflects a quiet face
But beneath the surface
A tempest rages
Caught in a moment
Of unwitting design
A casual glance
Reveals the question
Can’t really tell how the story goes
Don’t truly see where the magic flows
Wrapped in a mystery
And fraught with desire
The tempest is tossed
And I burn in the fire

The measure of pleasure is hard to explain
Caught in a tempest, what a song we might sing
They say that the moment cannot truly last but
Don’t let it go, hold on to it fast!

Catching the train to a lost destination
The tune that we’re riding is not for the faint
With gestures we made just to get through the day
The fact remains that we can’t walk away

There’s nary the time to settle the past
We’re holding on fast to our very last chance
For miracles passing and echoes dancing
We tender reflections of our own sweet intentions

I’ve lost it again,
My one working pen.
But then,
Things should be simpler
Than that.

I need a piece of paper too.
I’m so lost without it.
This simply won’t do.

My mind is racing.
The words are escaping.
Like a fleeting rainbow
They’re drifting away.

Got to sit down
At this old computer
And type them all up
Before they can stray.

The world keeps on churning
Assaulting my brain.
The words tumble out
And onto the stage.

I do miss my pen.
We were the best of friends.
Nothing could get in our way.

Times may have changed
But he phrases remain.
I’ll say it again
I still miss my pen

I hope he’s OK
In the very best way.
We had so much fun
There out on the page.

But the thoughts keep on coming
The computer is humming.
The words bubble out
So I tuck them away.

I’ll say a goodbye
For the time that remains.
Destined to fight
For the words that I write.

the tempest rises
and then subsides into night:
a beautiful fight*

4/25/2017

I’m sick and tired of
Being very sick and tired
But things could be worse

The moment is tiny yet grand in scope.
It’s all that we have but riddled with hope.
The point of the arrow is sharp and true,
Threading its way through the expanding view.

It’s the only time we’ve ever had,
The only thing we we can hang on to.
Building our space around each new moment,
Time is woven into magical dreams.
With nothing left but the threads that we weave,
The tapestry unfolds for us to believe.

Tossed into battle
I break with the pack
The world flows around me
But I’ll never look back
Drenched in the moment
I sip at the wine
Caught in a whirlwind
Don’t know what I’ll find
Blessed with a mission
I go with the flow
There is no tomorrow
So today is my chance
I’ve paid at the door
To dance one more dance as
My time moves along
And I sing this short song

Content to live in the moonlight
Accepting the offering as it comes along
Feeling our way through the dark of night
Spilling our thoughts out over the page
We render the fat to make a candle
And drift though the eyes of its flickering glow
The measures we take and
The memories we make
Are caught in the fire of divine escape
There is no thought of getting it wrong
It’s all about the time that it takes
To get it right and carry on
Time is the tempest but
Life is our song

“Truth can be told in an instant, forgiveness can be offered spontaneously, but reconciliation is the work of lifetimes and generations.” Krista Tippett*

A healer by trade
The best he ever had
“stitches and backbone” was the operative term
Defender, protector, fan, and motto
Holder of the family tree she stood
A hen pecking out her given order
Tough as nails but a curse with vegetables
Pressure cooked cabbage Yuck! Beets. Yuck!
Good salads though
Dad got me eating green beans
Ma kept ‘em coming
Food, family, fun and memories
That’s all we have for now
That’s all we can ever have
Martinis and memories

How is it
that I can’t see your face?
I love you so but
where are you now?
How did we get so far away?
The music we made
still rings in my ears.
The laughter
has drifted away is seems.
Just echoes are left
of the dreams that we made.