soon my children will fly from my firm embrace
to that worldly gaggle of spit, and fire and chance and
unleased all... opportunity, happiness, love, and desire

but for now, I'm holding tight to their smiles and stylings...
and petulance and arguments and laments... pitched battles
that end up soon in smiles and hugs goodnight

and dressing up.. posing and posturing for a tik tok
dance or feisty Instagram... silly but so now...
flippancy and admonishments roll out like a lucky seven

going out, coming in, that's up and then down
here's the doorbell being rung one, two, three times
fast, so fast... "open up Dad keys are in our backpacks"

a blink from diapers to destinations... on their own
with friends and futures in tow... be home soon
maybe midnight, maybe three... really not sure

time waits ready to treat the destiny for each one's
sonnet, symphony... jazz riff or rap synapse...
solely and uniquely fitted like a fine dovetail joint

glowing bright as a midnight star
a daughter strong as a towering oak
that's what I am getting... her name is Tahlia
wrapped in curls and manners bespoke

for me, her siblings and mother
frames filled with awards and recognition
we all know she is like no other
with focus, determination, and erudition

skills self-taught she crafts and smiles
folding, sewing, painting... singing away
her manner is engrossed as she beguiles
then off she goes all ready for play

not six, not twenty, just eleven in years
so knowing, and caring... always ready
"honey, can you find"... she's already up the stairs
her wit and knowledge are amazingly heady

a joy, a triumph to be called her "Dad"
I stop always to do whatever she'll ask
that is the way to guide and show her how glad
to know for me it's an honor... never a task

we are shredding our sensibilities
into mindless, endless affirmations of guilt
if by a freak of nature we are all now a disease
by birth our skin.... white and pale as silt

stumping and pumping hands high in shrill
gasping moments in the public square
banged and pummeled our mouths fail our will
but against those men with muskets do we compare

thrown across flickering screens that rage
with acid and foment eliciting condemnation's hate
are we just players in the second act on stage
if you fail and are plowed under there is no rebate

the mustering blustering sanctimonious deceit
has crept in brains and deranged the synapse
flagellating babbling chauffeur-driven elite
deliver the death knell, clock sure without lapse

take heed and know your forbearance is fully tested
against an evil with spikes at every turn and bend
if you falter now or run from the beast to be bested
surely the light and lift of all mankind will be but a bitter end

a cascade of Pavarotti high cs
the turbulence of ocean tsunamis

a casual duck quack, quack
the clacking of a nine-ball rack

a boot dropped with a thud
the splat when falling in the mud

the morning doves coo coo coo
a diamond rings ooh ooh ooh

a sudden unexpected insult
the response and inevitable tumult

the joy in a finely aged wine
a smile from whom you choose to dine

food just dropped on your pants
the casting of an unapproving glance

a lofting climb of a high flying kite
the tug you make with all your might

the hostas now dead under the snow
will surely soon blossom, that you know

your children's tinkling joy and laughter
will be your symphony in the hereafter

today its Gauguin
fiery fauvist palette
where snow used to reign

pink purple fuchsia
and bits of white and mauve puffs
bathed in azure skies

soon bursting sunbeams
complete the symphonic scene
with feathered singing

sipping my coffee
quietly I watch the show
hum Pavoratti

here eyes woke with smiles
I said good morning... sleep well?
yes! and so did you

inescapably
love conquers every human
if you allow it

the mind finds its way
to every enlightenment
when your heart seeks it

joy comes from your strength
against every upheaval
life throws in your path

power grows in truth
in every undertaking
make it your work

kindness is the hope
for your every utterance
you make others smile

spring has a fragrance
and sultry pastel palette
to work its magic

flying things buzzing
and veridian bursting
lilting warming air

soon rabbits nibbling
with deer and turkeys trotting
through our back windows

love is permanence
trust makes it immutable
and it perseveres

it thrives in conflict
many seductions arise
defend it each day

it's your solemn oath
when you are most powerful
joy will fill you up

full dinner and wine
tasty healthy and filling
reflect on the day

the night was quiet
until a siren's loud blast
someone has problems

a pale white full moon
you feel it in your quiet
it rouses ideas

smooth out the bedding
hmm the pillows are perfect
now it's good night time

clever is the fortuitous man to surmise

the ever-changing meaning and machinations

of life's tinsel and flagrant floppiness

flipping and bending about immeasurably

to whims and claims and vignettes of

times past and future just guessing

and murmuring assumptions and platitudes

irascible mendacities or sagacity ever plain

in your mind's eye to blink or close

perceive or persuade the idle viewer or

dedicated neophyte all matter is but

conjecture for sure it illuminates the heavens

and darkens the pits of hell

vitamin d good
sit a bit under the sun
nature does it all


lift weights carefully
and everything works better
simple and easy


try hard to stay slim
small waist size gives big health boost
eat less live longer


take a walk today
stroll your favorite places
your heart will enjoy


smile everyday
happiness helps your body
warms peoples hearts too

winter's breath
froze the last driblets
the slate gray mist
  soon covered the once green field
chirpings waning concert
  fell silent to the leafless winds
darkness hastens to days end
as cerulean skies fired magenta
  the painter's lush palette
now earthen mahogany and umber
children chant for
fluffy white mornings
  houses puffing chimneys
and frosted window panes
  time twisted tight
awaiting the flourishes
of the springtime symphonies
tuning up beneath
our feet and beyond the stars

a full closed hand thumbed and gripped
mankind's power uniquely equipped
casting buildings into the clouds
monumental gestures covered in shrouds

force wars to quell interim lust
make impervious machines unable to rust
forge landscapes that snarl the mind
heal the masses, undone... left behind

irrigate parched places, seed an endless reserve
patch brains, restore heartbeats, and spark a nerve
watch plainly with those modern eyes
miracles and wonderment bereft of surprise

hook up make links, connect and make small
all that has come, once so mighty and tall
the click and clack and smooth vibrato
sinewy synergies and pounding staccato

do it, done it, here and there, then and now
what stuff, what things... take a bow
cross your legs, unfurl your hearts, embrace the stars
for soon, it will all be coming to you from Mars

tomorrow's hunger
steps on today's sweet produce
best walk carefully

six months she ignored
then we danced ate kissed and laughed
wed three children now

supper done
  eyes cast
here
   then
  there
cerulean rain... dropping violet

melodic
     piano tickles
and smoothed out bed sheets
soft serpentine
moves stretched arms
up high
      dried iris and begonias... fall

Sunday
        will also come
  filled with
turned pages
and folded things

songs of shepherds
sweet stark
nakedness
  honed
     soft corners...
   ruby red
places
shudder to
      think
not caressed and
  sweat, and breath laughing smiles and
lips
lingering  
   with eyes
            deeply set
as a rudder
on course
      to...  all purpose, the ancients
        and joy  
              the heart... a bottomless
place.

******* in a net
baby raccoon snarled loud
police undid her


snap I heard it clear
mouse met its end quick and sure
sad but wife is happy


deer me he's resting
in our wooded green back yard
a nice site at 6 am


two munching rabbits
I opened the door
lightning-fast they are gone too


a flock of turkeys
wanders our front yard often
not just on thanksgiving day

the screen flickered on
and up came my new emails
good news for a change

bursting are the buds
sun is heating up each day
where are my swim trunks

twigs clicking soft steps
earth and leaf waft fills nostrils
woods give all delights

sun dancing above
flashing through waving treetops
and you pick your path

go up down left right
each way a new horizon
your special places

back to the gray and hard
city redolence busts in
home you are right now

her breath sweet and warm
eyes sultry blue half-opened
lips met and our hearts tingled

morning

the dew was frosty
looking through thin cotton drapes
the sun opened them


noon

shimmering heat waves
nice cold drinks all around now
play and giggles too


dusk

orange pink purple
put on a comfy sweater
eat under the stars

walking slowly on a concrete path, sandy strip, grassy hill
we make our way... push on...  soon enough until
a spot is reached, a need is met,
lofty places, joy-filled or with regret

little girls amusingly play and slip and slide
dancing ladies, fervent smiles and eyes filled wide
are you looking for me in that slow adroit glance?
do you know what you've found with your stance?

deliberate sure... imbibed with glee
pages turned, doors shut, where do you have to be?
flowers bloom and tears dry
how far you go, and where to, we wonder why

early on it was simpler, no trust needed or fear
consequences now fall free and come so very near
when I was told not to go or where and when
I shudder to think, how I feel now and how I did then

songs singing blunted behind the door
friends how they shine in the night's allure
raspy voices filled with lateness and talk
stumbling, rumbling away as slowly they walk

halleluah
  my my and then
some
what nonsense
  did you just say
hey cut that
  out it sounds
stupid
   and it suits
you to a tee
  yes
more of the same
  it's like
when you have
to listen
   to some
idiot

I twisted my thumb
  pain in the ***
gripping is very
         important
   even for your left hand
then you can
leap to conclusions
        about fixing and
setting things
   right
yes with that other hand
the one
    you use to brush
your teeth
   and hair
point the way
    and feed your face
sometimes  
   hold up your head
when you
  are thinking
    deep and the
more I think
           about it
I think we should
   shake on it
and call it
   a night
cause I think
   I want to
  soak my
    thumb
I said soak
   not ****!

moments ago
   through an untapped
spread of ******
    snow
hearing the soft sigh
under my shoe
   flakes pressed
     tight like glue
cold air kept
  them in place
though the landscape
      now echoes
my new space
    cut under
my human weight
  it's now patterned
       by my rhythmic gait
regular steps
   going to and
       back
on the snows' edge
  my trash arranged
    sack by sack
a mornings hum
  will break the air
   as the trashmen
  soon will appear
   then all is gone
in a clatter and
    clunk
another day
   passes and
along with your
    junk

my wife
  bakes wonderful pies
and
      cakes
not very often
   though
she should
do more
              I think

  but
           sometimes
when I watch
   her
crimping the
  edges
       I wonder

the
    Granny Smith
    pies have
such a tangy
          after taste
        I like

The Pecan
      Pie is just
a crunchy
     casserole
    I love

But
her simple
     Bundt Cake
    is
      indescribable
       I know

FOLLOW DAD GUYS

I remember, with great fondness
     moments
walking amidst a soft, hidden
           wooded place
       tall trees shrowded the
            light
which fell filtered in a soft misty
   dewy haze

         at my feet
as far as the eye could see
    were gently wispy ferns
                   moving ever so slightly
with the rising mist
               in total quiet

        it was always early in the morning
because
         that was the ideal time
  my dad knew
      that
              taking his children
to this special place
    at this time would enable us

          to witness these wonderous
    moments

THANKS, DAD


            LISTEN TO MOM GUYS

mind where you
  walk

as the floors
were covered in
     newspaper

  to protect
              the freshly dried wax

  for it was Wednesday,

      the day of the week
that our
      home and all in it:

bedding, dusting
organizing, cleaning, washing,
   polished, set up
discarded, rearranged, thrown away,
brushed, fixed,
  fastened, folded, stacked,
       closed, shut,
shelves, pantries,
    closets

  was to get done
put right
  
so we could
  all enjoy the
simple
     comforts of a clean,
  orderly
             upbringing

THANKS, MOM

yesterday is the workshop of your tomorrow
   craft well, be careful... avoid pitfalls and sorrow
if you can... and you believe it's writ and all done
   or think, you can change, rearrange how it's begun

step around distractions and divets that come your way
   with practice and living, you'll not go astray
but, as you put more past in your backpack
   weighed down, closer to earth you'll fashion a deeper track

steady ahead your journey will pass filled with life
    it's coming your way with joys and strife
be bold in your words, manner, and thought
    take heed to contrasts... and embrace support

it comes inexplicitly when your eyes will not hear your heart
    fiercely defend your place... do not fall apart
as your dreams and days sync to your, presence and time
   seize the smart sense of it all... stay unafraid and sublime

there was a knot in this otherwise lovely piece of pine
and sometimes a squeal of a wheel when making a turn
odd little things that seem out of place...

or are they

like a sudden bang... at an unsuspecting moment
when a thing came apart from where it should stay
an errant word in a masterful speech

maybe it's really where the magic is

all things fixed and fashioned by us humans
are meant to perform intact for long
but nature too has bumps a plenty

so when a little thing goes awry

we could think more about the fullness of the world
those little clinks and clanks and fizzles and falls
could be the things set there, to make you stop and think

how nice when things remain where they should be

great to find an un-knotty piece of pine
stop and repair that squeak or squeal
or make more secure the things we hold dear
reread the tome your going to give
or more properly tighten up what we have too
reminders of our ever needing to set right all we see

maybe it's our sharpening stone where we can hone
our on-going quest to put things straight, find the perfect
thing that fits our fashion, and say what we mean
make loud quiet and small bold and sad happy
and old young, and young a bit older, and hate, more love
and words more telling of what we wish to tell.

what do you think?

in wholeness or any part thereof
play fervently in gossip and love
recant insist and break your word
you may have to when doubt is incurred
step aside now let others pass
but walk fast not to sink in the morass
evoke your best in manners and grace
speak brightly and smart, then take your place

upright and virtuous is the way to go
and your grace and learning will surely flow
people take all you plainly give to dispense
even when you know deeply you make no sense
for you pick and pack your daily norm
like petals blown free in a summer storm
and that's all you really need to do
for friends and family find love in you

I will say it again as plain as can be
what you think you know you can not see
like a ship westward not in the lee
drifting along aloof and carefree
it's not that you don't really know me
or the things I search in reverie
more too it and stringent probably
You think the answer is in the "we"
But, it is not at all entirely
My needs are plain... and put simply
For you to do for us explicitly
Is gently to recognize our incompatibility

her name is Tahlie
   she's a wonderful girl
her name is Tahlie
    she's like a deep sea pearl
her name is Tahlie
    she's oh so sweet
her name is Tahlie
    she can't be beat
her name Tahlie
    she smiles like the sun
her name is Tahlie
    she's ready for fun
her name is Tahlie
     she's her brother's joy
her name is Tahlie
     she's not even a boy
her name is Tahlie
     she's smart as can be
her name is Tahlie
     she's deep as the sea
her name is Tahlie
    she reads so well
her name is Tahlie
   she's a clear as bell
her name is Tahlie
   she's loved so much
her name is Tahlie
   she's got a golden touch!

a link to break away your thought
may not be found in everyday musings
look higher or lower... in dusty books
or secret places and undiscovered  nooks

your search as needed and wanting
could solve your days need
or even longer term desire
may have already been tossed into the fire

so be it, but just wait a bit...
more of it! comes to a determined mind
keep on seeking and making your way
before you know it, it could take just one more day

winter's breath
froze the last driblets
the slate gray mist
  soon covered the once green field
chirpings waning concert
  fell silent to the leafless winds
darkness hastens to days end
as cerulean skies fired magenta
  the painter's lush palette
now earthen mahogany and umber
children chant for
fluffy white mornings
  houses puffing chimneys
and frosted window panes
  time twisted tight
awaiting the flourishes
of the springtime symphonies
tuning up beneath
our feet and beyond the stars

say what you want
want more than your share
share what you can
can you spare some change
change your mind
mind your manners
manners are character
character defines life
life is the all
all or nothing
nothing happens without faith
faith in yourself will guide you
you have nothing to fear
fear only your fantasies
fantasies create great art
art is the blood of spirit
spirit will guide your journey
journey to all you desire
desire will fire your destiny
destiny is not final
final is just a place
place your hands together
together we make our way
way not your fortune
fortune is in your eyes
eyes see the truth
truth sees the way

the mystical mythologies and cantankerous denizens
who color our worlds of chance and charm and breed the sinewy
allure of destinies and courses filled with adroit
memories and admonishments and forgiveness
replete with repentance and giving away of
fortune, fame, youth, and all endeavors of heart and mind
wherein we dwell as toilers of charity with humanities
highest escalations of power, meaning and forthright
values that permeate the ever present alacrity or miasma
that all existences are mere proclivities of the stars long
passed and the hallowed secrets of scrolls and spirit
that weaves the corset strapping all of humanity to
the lustrous, industrious penchant of a secretive smile
from the muse or satyr that has encased, enchanted and
left you no escape from your destiny... thankfully

her arms placed wide were met
by
a
firm
slow
embrace
her head rested quietly at peace on
his
shoulder
sore
from
relenting
defense
eyes closed she drifted into a quiet
place
free
from
all
fear
and
care
they clung to each other like dew to a petal
quietly
still
unmoved
alone
together
his war was now over her loneliness
filled
calmly
with
the
joy
of
eternity

eliminate and profligate your endless sorrows
tedious trepidations reservoirs of hence and morrow
effortlessly esteemed and steeped in splendor
wrought free from inclinations what you render

passions aflame the minds needs and ignore
what stiffens and loosens your need to explore
delve swiftly aghast in times to forget
appease and set forth long after needs met

epiphany drones on with a deluge
more information you need or can use
step lively and stern of face and of mind
in justice and peace relevance you will find

a simple night passed
and blessed all in attendance
they cheered and held close
their convictions and salutations
uplifting engaged and full of
recompense, in fact, plain
as the day they strolled amongst
the fern covered marsh
unto they found the righteous
and past amongst them all
tributes and forbearance
for it was known and congruent
to the assembled enshrined
and evermore awaiting the
glorious eruption of the new beginning
that ****** upon them a flight
of genius the world had never
known to or from all time.

placate yourself all you want
want what is coming to you
you needn't keep staring at the wall
wall yourself against injury and blight
blight can rob a quiet soul
soul is where you think you are
are you done with all that flattery
flattery could get you everywhere
everywhere you go seems to be home
home away from home is good
good riddance and don't come back
back and forth without a single care
care to follow up on your promise
promise everything and fill many
many days will transpire effortlessly
effortlessly you will find your way
way down among the dark is light
light your way to where you want
want what is coming to you

mark time
time out
out pace
pace yourself

take time
time in
in bound
bound up

come home
home spun
spun around
around town

promise broken
broken down
down spout
spout lies

face time
time due
due now
now go