decide which
petulant shadow hides
integrity.

honesty abounds yet the flags
will find us.

is an old fashioned thing

which can mean many things

mostly in black and white

films

recently it came up again

and was challenged

regarding the personal space and bony joints

funny bone

&

foolishness

A single gull in turbulence soars strange
Beach wind-groans whipping sand to concrete hail
In mute fatigue, the blue-grey sky submits
Obedient to winter’s shore-lashed slap
Until pacific breezy balms prevail

Across the roadway suburbs roost on dunes
Dry salt-sand soils, poor beds for cottage plants
Post sand-blast rain provides a rare life-drink
Wet softens crunchy grasses wielding burrs
Now possible their jaunty wind-bend dance

Three weeks have lapsed since breath was morphed to talk
Your silence cuts - ice words would waste chill air
I huddle under muddled blankets shield
To hide-sleep travel time to spend the day
No warmth in lonely waking waiting there

This chatless treatment, stony, icy hush
Sound muffles as a newly fallen snow
In quiet, distant cool is bitter fierce
Cold time a sorry echo of disdain
As timid clock dull thud-ticks glacial slow

New sound returns thawed tempers given days
Shy cautious in first breaths, as blue-grey sky
Out-waits the stinging punishment in sand
Outstretched the quaking warmness-seeking hand
As spring comes melting frost to snug and dry

The Fugacious hurricane came and went
Useless helpless frustration spent.
The power of prayer Was in the air
Swirling Destruction everywhere

I know better than to worry
Life is always in a hurry
Florida’s Milton hurricane
Had my emotions insane

Predicted to be in the path way
Evacuation at all costs, they say
Phone numbers on your body pray
To notify next to kin if you stay

Predicted a category five house ******
It turned out to be category 3 pretender
15 to 17 ‘ water surge and flooding
Was mild mostly an accumulation of mud

by the grace of God, it grew in size
20 miles north  October surprise
A much wider hurricane appeared
Relief for some Florida’s shift of fears

That’s not to say some were worse for wear
Most Lost power, High winds House, tares
My grandson felt underwhelmed
No Gas he had to stay prayed at the helm

Extreme Wind and Rain Power out
Craziest worry turned to relief doubt
Was this as bad as it will get
Guesstimates It all fell short

All the media hype predictions fizzled
The hurricane rain turned to drizzle
The aftermath clean up will take awhile
People emerged tears grateful smile

Inspired song
Dust in the wind
by Kansas

I wandered lonely as a rose by Autumn's gate
as I lay there in still repose, petals strewn      
I fell apart like dessert moon;
The scent that once perfumed my reign
were mellowed by September's rain
I drifted distant in the woods.
All my husks fell to the soil
each petal dried right where it stood    
No gardener's hand of hue embroiled
that filament that quivered slow  
like dying embers of nights glow
Shambled, windblown as the wind
beneath the last of summer's ray
regretfully I did rescind
As summer lost her fired splay
I wandered,
Lost and alone like a rose,
until the end of summer froze.