For 35 years

he would

man his little

starters golf shop

and each time

my sons and I

would dread

seeing him

there.


but we golfed

and he complained

about life

his wife

his dog

his general lot

in life.


and he

took no responsibility

with any

of it,


He woke up

that morning

and said

to his wife

that Tom Petty

had died,

and how

sad he was

but the

salvation of

the matter was

that that is

exactly how

he wanted to

die someday.

quick.


it was odd for

him to wake up

at 7:30 that morning,

his wife said

he would always

wake at 8:30.


but she figured it

was nice to

have him up

an hour earlier

so they could talk

and piddle around

the house.


the day

was last

Thursday, Oct. 4th

the day Tom Petty

died.


and two hours

later at 10:30

in the morning

that grumpy

old man Lester

died  too.


and it

was quick

like a rattlesnake

just jumped

up and

bite him

in the heart.


He died

grumpy,


but in some way

all of us

are somehow

the lesser

for it.


but I also

know inside

that God

won't handle

him much

better ..


my bet is

God sends

that grumpy

old man back,

We circle

round and round

in this

circle game.


I can see

your thoughts are  like

rough tides moving

through your

eyes.


storms at sea.


the overwhelming

feeling that

we have

both been  lost

in these
hopeless nights
before.

down and

under for

our final

breaths, there

will be more

second chances

or rolls

of the dice.


it is half

past love

in your eyes.


and nothing would

give more justice

to  this moment

than a gun

to our heads

pressed tightly

together.


one bullet

two hearts.


and no

regrets or

reasons to

lie about

love

anymore.

Find my

words in

your breath,

when a moment

takes your

breath away.


I write

to your

youth,


I write

to the woman

you are

and the

woman

you someday

might be.


the daughter

the wife

the mother

the grandmother,

the beauty

of all time

passing.


and though

always I

will just be a far

away witness,


think not less

of me,

for I have

written to

you, the best

that I can.


without need

without hunger

without pretending

to be anything else

that I am.


and love

seems like

such a

little word.


From a

thousand miles

away

I applaud

you.


as long

and as

loud and

as hard as

I possibly

can.

stars bend

at the sight

of you,


just to be

nearer to

where you

are.


just as you have

bended me.


and I

am so much

the better

for it.


I am so

much more

of everything.

tonight.

we move
around
each other
in circling
spheres.

of thought.

drawn to
one
another

like children
playing Gods
with the
stars.

running
in and
out of
view.

all the
while
with

eyes
set.

upon
one
other.

in perfect
tune..

arms
reaching
out
for a
beginning
of a dance

that
will
never
end.

and the
thought.

of a
brush
of your
hair

across
my face.

intoxicates me.

as you
stand
perfectly
still,

inside
my mind.

and as
I move
towards
you.

so does

the earth
the moon
and the

stars
collide.

Big brown
back  pelicans

sit a top

their

matriarch

perches

casting

their cynical

stares of

judgment

to all

who happen

by.


fat Mexicana

fisherman

skinny

Asian

fisherman

throw their

sights and

lines

beneath

the horizon

line.


dinner or

die.


two teen

lovers

holding hands

as their

walk

under this

splintered

pier,


stars in

their

eyes you

can see

that even

from

way up

here.


totally oblivious

to the half

eaten sand *****

that lie

lifeless

under their

feet.


and the tide

rolls in,

and the tide

rolls out.


and yet

to know

how I

fit and

breathe

amongst

all of this.


escapes me.


like the

punch line

of a bad joke

at a

holiday party


now without

you for

the first

time in


my life.

along this
shore that
I have seen
a million times
before.

and I still
couldn't tell
you what
my childish
loves were
for.

seemingly a
step forward
and then a trip
and I fall
there steps
back.

always having
someone cling
far too
hard to me,

and those that
threw me
away far
too soon.

no pearl
here.
just all
the agitation
and pain.

in my
gut,
inside
and out
of my heart.

and those echos
and those
screams
that live
with me
here,

over and
over

again.

and to
the tide
I sing
take me
home
take me
home

tonight.

all hope
lost
I witness

my face
in my morning
mirror,

like a flame of
heart as
it boiled
in open sky.


tears melt
to a glass reflection
thunderbolts
in my eyes.

cold white
wave linen
sheets
that can't
hide the
pain anymore,

they just
keep my
head submerged
and I
can't catch
my breath.

can't swim
any longer
against
their tide.

loves lost
to the
mistrust
of shadows

and lies

and distant
silhouettes
standing at
old cellar
doors.

don't
answer it.

don't
look back.


cause tonight
love doesn't
remember
me anymore.

What could
of mattered
most to
us is
now lost,

amongst the
paper towns
of your life
and all
of the
tumbleweeds
that leave
rolling
nowhere.

bottom of
the bottle
time to
tell myself

sober up!

about our
relationship,

have a
reckoning
with  the
moon and
stars that
we used
to dance back
and forth
upon every
night.

time to
empty my
tears for
you in this
waste paper
basket next
to my computer.

where sad
poems go
to die.

and now I am
left without
you.

and all of
the diamonds that
you held
in your
eyes.

and your
wet hot
kisses
that seem
to last
forever.

when first
light was
everything,

and naked
was our
flesh as
one.

It is

almost

like a

ritual

they left

me-from

Sunday

school .

  
every night

I search for

them

amongst

the sunset's

banquet

clouds.


I can't

touch

them but

I always

look and

they are

there.


mother's tangled

auburn hair,


my father's

gypsy

smile.



these moments

I hold deep

inside my

soul.

without

equal,


the night

beyond

comes to

finger paint

it's tapestry

of black

upon my

childhood

memories.


and  remind

me once

again

that they

left me far

too soon.


I was

just a child

and most of

my life

they have now

become just

clouds.

that can't

love me

back.


that can't

take me

by the

hand

with them

ever again.

Eat the sun.


then
pull the

rotted roots
out from
her naked
soul.

**** dry
her tender
marrow
bones.

she will
not be
saved.

let love
fall deaf,

to her
Sunday
school
prayers
and hollow
pleas.

God will
not listen
to her.

she threw
it all
away.

to be this.

and less
than this.

mother with
a neglected

child.

on her
back
constantly
looking up
at peeled

off colored

ceilings
of despair.

and as I
sit in the
corner.

with this
half moon
smile.

I keep
the secret

to all

of this
to myself.


that once.

she was
truly

loved.,

and so

beautiful

to my

naked eyes.

Last week

seven of my

children were

all together for

the first time

in a long time.


and as each one

came into the room

to greet me.

I felt my roots

grow

deeper and

deeper to

the center

of the universe.


and in their smile

I saw the smile of

my father,

the smile

of my mother.,


and as I drank

in their laughter

I became

drunk with

life.


and when night

fell

I looked up to

the heavens

took a deep

breath into

my soul.


then I

memorized

the exact place

of every star

and shimmer.


and I knew

I had finally

found my

place in

the universe.

He is leaving her

going back

to hide in his

peter pan

music and deep

bottle of boos.



She leans
back
naked
of thought
against
the cobble
berry
******
wall.

her jester
wind
has gone
to dance
in the hair
of some
other would
be lover"s
fool.

the stars
burned
out tonight.

no wishes
falling
in her
eyes.


not a
shred
of her
forever
after
princess dress
left to
mend.


left standing
in the dark
at midnight,

with only
an all

to familiar
Punkin,

and four
large hungry
rats to
feed.

The most
unsettling
place that
I have
known.

the darkest
place
that
I am
alone

are the
places

I am
without
you.

tangled
within
myself.

unsure
of even
my own
human
nature.

the world
still reaches
out to me.

yet I am
afraid
to welcome
it in.

afraid to
seek my
fortune.

of chance
or change
or Destiny's
wishes.

I knew once
I was safest
in your arms.

in your
dreams

in all that
surrounded
me that
was you.

and now
I have  
not felt
that way
in a very
long time.

and my  
greatest
fear
is that
I may never
feel that
way again.

why would
you ever
choose to
leave me
here without
you.

unprotected
in the silence.

unloved in
my heart

alone,

missing
kisses,

in the dark.

Life finally

kicked him

dead to

the floor.



and this time

he isn't

getting up.



no marine training

or marriage counseling

or running away

from his problems

is going to save

him now.



jack's not coming

back.



there will be no notes,

or apologizes,

or second serves.



his mind was made

up long ago.



he told us so.

and now he

has made

sure we would all

finally, believe

him.



in his

sixtieth or

so year now

Oregon

will be his final

resting  place

far from all

that knew him.



he was funny

that way.



get to close

to touch him

and his

temper

would only burn

your hand.



and those that

knew him.

will sigh.

and regret

his regrets.

and empty

their pockets

and lie on the

table

all of the memories

good and bad

about him.



but the gun

he allowed

to make

the final

verdict upon

his life.

will now lay

harsh and
cold and  silent.



and the

wish that

he always

carried

with him

just beneath

the surface

will finally be

true.



jack's not

coming back.



and my

world  for one

will miss

him.

For a
moment,
within
these whiskey
breath
shadows.

let me
have
your eyes
to dream
upon,

because
I have
been
beaten up
and battered
around,
for way to
long to

stand full

measure

of myself.


holes in
my denim
shirt
front
pockets

from each
time my
broken
heart
has fallen
from my chest.

tired
of being
lonely.

like the
last renegade
man stranded
at a run down
bar.

or the
last bouquet
of sundowner
flowers,
that
no one

tonight will
be taking
home..

in my gut
I need

someone
to take
me home.

to be the
vessel

to fill
if only
for a while,

that I
might
blossom
and bloom
with
someone
to tell me
their
secrets,

and let
me
give them
mine for

safe keeping
in return.

can you
promise
me this.

with
both eyes
closed,


and a

prayer of

salvation with

all of

your might.


and seal

it with a

kiss deep
with open lips,


and a million

promises


that this moment

will never  end..

Jagged and

scarred

memories

draped over

me,


now like a

spiders

cocoon

woven tight

against a

wall.


your voice

still

echoes on

the telephone

line.


the phone

receiver now

held useless

against

my ear,


my mind

lost in the dead

calm of

silence.


last words

spoken,


penny jar

gone broke.

the moment

holds me

naked.


cotton candy

stuck hard

to the back of

my mouth.


chasing forever

rainbows

that my

heart now

knows

will never

kiss the

earth.

Cumulus clouds

building up


like a child's


preschool

blocks on

the horizon.


neatly placed

one on
top of
the other.

uncertain what

their final

form might be.
and beneath them


we dangle
and tangle

in mid
afternoon
conversation



looking for
a word


stretching for
an emotion.


what left
footed


dancers
our hearts

we have

become…



both of us


unwilling
to be

the first
to admit

that our
relationship


wasn't ever
love

to begin
with.

Deep kisses.

and opened
wounds
to lick
and heal.

ghosts
of lesser
things.

lost and
found
in the
night.

cold bedroom
blankets.

no lover's
toes
to tangle
with and
dance,

no imagination
left to
paint the
watercolor
dreams
of your
youth.

and fear
shows
it's pinioned
yellow
teeth.

and it's
loneliness
bursts
through
you with
all its
might.

and love
is now
a fallen
fruit
rotting
from
the vine

for the

blackbirds

to pick at

and carry on.

and your
whispers
are pledges
of hope

etched in

blood
to the
night..

and I
pray
that God
will
hear you.

and that

the time
is coming
soon.

as the sun

watches you

on this hill

as you
sit.

looking for
faith at
2 o" clock
in the
afternoon.

both eyes
opened
wide.

You will see
her move
in and out,

like a cat through
the back alleys
of her life,

never staying
to long in
one place,

barely long
enough to
catch your
first name
and rarely
ever your
last.

and her
kisses will
lose there
conviction
after one
kiss maybe
two.

but her
claws in
your back
will run
deep,

and the
sighs in
her thighs
will hold
tight,

and then
in the morning
she is gone,

like she was
almost ashamed
of it all.

she says she
is looking
for true
love,

fat chance of
that.

stupid cat...

Salt and
pepper
clouds begin
circling
overhead,

wind slithering
through the
grass deep

and ominous
like a serpent

spreading sin.

red leaves
brown leaves

in this

solstice

afternoon
burning
hot and

and then

hotter,

then falling
to the
ground
exhausted.

summer
scratching
at my
window
sills,

cracking paint

fading all

color to

white,

regret
taking
hold of
my tired
bones,

and throwing

them away

like day old

left overs

from a

funeral"s

wake.

my breath
shallows
uncertain

as if the
next one
might never
come.

sorrow a
shredded bed
I lay my
soul within.

no rest

for a love
that  dies

alone..

love is
a highway.

that we
travel the
back
roads to
fate's
beginnings
and uncertain
endings.

that leave
us all
weary,

and confused
by the
headlights
of destiny's
verdicts
in our
eyes.

and the
lies
of first
kisses,

and naked
rides home
of our
youth.

the getting
on and
the getting
off of
one another.

and the
journey
carries us
and the
road
shapes us,

and the
grooves
and cracks
leave us,

for dead
sometimes.

alone on
the side
of the
road,

or squinting
hard
into life's
rear view
mirror,

trying to
recognize
someone
you thought
you knew
a long long
time ago.

or looking
across a
bed and
whispering
to the dark

a name
you vaguely
want to
remember.


love is a
highway

like that
sometimes,
.
that leaves
us passing
one another
in the night.

a broken
white line

you try
your best
to always
know

what
side
you are
on.

As we
scrambled
out the door
this morning
like two
eggs in
a frying
pan,

I woke up
at the
bottom
of your
purse,

smiling
like a tabby
cat from
ear to
ear cause

you finally
took me
too..

amongst the
perfume
samples

and wrappers
of gum

and butter fly
Bobbi pins,

had to
catch my
breath

as you
bee lined
for highway 1

had to
lay on
a pad
of feminine
protection.

grab hold
as I
jumbled
against

the make-up
kit and
the silver
case

of your
I pod
glistening.

but there
I was
right where
I always
wanted
to be,

surrounded
by all

in your
world
you love
most.

and 'wanted'

feels
warm.

"can't do without it !"

feels like
heaven.

here,

in this
everyday

moment

with you...

8/11/2017 10:50 AM

cupcake kisses,
the soft
sensation
of your
lips rolling
over mine.

best friend
intentions,

the look you
give me
from
across our
lover's bed.

simon says
embraces,

burying us
deep in our
wedding
bliss.

silk
sheets
bending
and sculpturing
our every
move.

morning's
tempest
giving way

to this
afternoon's
summer's
calm.

seventeen
years
our marriage
young.

this perfect
dream,

I have always

had of

you.

The colors
of her eyes,
like flowers
dancing
to me
from across
our bed.

no retreat
only unconditional
surrenders.

deep impassioned,
moments without
time.

toes tangled
in fish net
stockings,
deep sea
rumblings
stir our
canopy bed.

this love
I have come
to know
as well
as a baby
to first
breast.

one heart beat
completing
the other"s.

this morning in
the morning
bliss...

you are
everything
to me.

marriage poems 4/22/13

Let me
take a deep
breath
of you,

and then
jump in
your innocence
above
my eyes,

and quench
my thirst
in all
that you
are,

let me
dance
in celebration
with you,

under
this cantaloupe
moon
light,

and hold
your
heart
still,

and suckle
your *******
tender

and laugh
with
you in
naughty
giggles
throughout
the night

where our
lover's
embrace,

and sighs
are heard
over and
over again,

as I
make
love
to you
till our
bodies
ache of
love.

and the
morning
comes
to bless
our eyes,

and I
hold
my breath
again,

to jump
into
everything
that you
are or
will ever
become,

my best friend
my wife
my soul mate
the mother
of our
children,

my passion
lover,

my wife
in Christ,

and in this
morning........

the very
air
that I
live and

breathe.

4/13 /2012

and where
your dreams
lie in
deep slumber
so do
mine.

and the
crimson
sunset
each morning
is the
horizon
we dance
and sing
upon.

and forever
is the
place
inside
your eyes,

that I
have always
searched
to find ,

since
I was
a child
and then
as
I grew
to be
a man.

and peace
is the
field of
gold
our thoughts
lie tangled
in lover's
bound.

and to
each
other
we are
the mirror
to which
we see
God
at his
best.

and not
fire
or hell
could
ever
pull
us apart
from
each
other's
side,

we are
the soil
in which
each other
grows.

and this
world
is but
a temporary
glimpse
of what
we shall
become,

when the
time
of judgment
arrives,

and you
will be
the light
and soul
in my
eyes,

the moment
God calls
us home,

and my
life
will be
yours
in time,

just as
in this
simplest
of
moments,

like a
new bornl
child reaches
'in trust
and yearning

the first
time
he sees
his mother's

eyes.

Wed 10/25/2017 1:18 PM

falling into
your eyes.

the deepest
pool of
autumn
honey
brown.

that I
have
ever tasted.

hard to
catch my
breath.

your heart
running
wild
inside
my chest.

the morning
light reminds
me that
time'
like
love
has it's
own universal
place.

between your
smile
and mine.

and the
rest
of our
lives
together.

nothing can
ever
take
me away
from this
place.

all my
mornings
are promised
to you.

and all
of my
Godly
prayers
begin and
end with
you felt
deep.

in the
places
where no one
else
can go.

where dreams
are the
every
day moments
we live.

it is
the small
of your
back
as my
leg
moves
across
it in
the
morning"s
first blessing
of light,

that excites
you moist.

the drape
of your
neck
as my
lips
move
in ecstasy
all
around
it.

as my
voice
whispers
everything
into your
ears.

the emptying
of souls
to one
another.

this vessel
dance
of you
and I.

that we
can never
partner
with anyone
else.

these
moments
in our
day.

that assure
us both
that we
would
never
need
to.

or want
to find
heaven's
golden
gates
alone...

Out
of nowhere
from the
first time
we met,

I knew
someday

you
would be
one hundred
and one,
and I would
be one
hundred
and two,

bent to
our knees
in tenderness,
loved in
our hearts
full cirlce,

a sun
eclipsed
in love
over a
moon.

and rainbows
melting
above
our heads,

and gypsy"s
dancing
in our beds.

blame it
on our
youth.

one hundred
and one,

and one
hundred
and two.

this lazy
afternoon
sunlight,

will carry
me to
the charcoal
night.

where there
is only
one face
I want
to see.

waiting on
our
front
porch
for the
world
to know...

that you
belong
to me.

taking
nothing
for granted.

all is
a daily
prayer
in your
eyes.

and three
strong
souled
children
to raise
in God's
light.

and only
you will
do.

till death
do us
part.

with my
arms
raised
to heaven
high.

will
I go

and wait.

till God
brings
you

home

to me.

and the
underbelly
of your
love,

is the
softest
place that
I have
ever
known...

as night
shade
shadows
dance
over us,

and angel
wings spread
to the
beatings
of our
hearts.

I reach out
to you.
to find
eternity
in your
eyes.

to see
the child in
my spirit
running
free.

to you
without
hesitation
or doubts,

as I hold
you still,

turning
pages
in the
dark

of whatever
forever
may bring...

The soul
of a moment
as it pours
over you,

saturating
your thoughts
body and
heart.

the birth
of our
child,

the death
of a loved
one,

the look
at midnight
in you my
lover's
eyes.

points in
our life
that we
live between.

struggling to
get from
one moment
to the next.

it is the
reason
we breathe.

the joy
that we
love,

the purpose
of our
dance
with life.

it is
God's path
that we
walk upon.

and I
with you
this moment

we dance.

Her laughter
rolls from
her lips
like Kentucky
whisky
falling into
a paper
cup.

it intoxicates
me.

and heart
beats
skip
a beat.

whenever
we lie
naked
together.

and the
weather

in my
universe
comes from
her soul,

and the
words
she speaks

is the
siren's
voice that
she carries
me upon.

and between
her heavenly
gates I

have found
my salvation

for you
for me

in these

wet dreams

we make
reality.

we are
the one
in one
another.

the
union

of love
and total
devotion.

and from
that

our lives
and love

will forever

grow to God...

Through the
years
you have
become more
important
than air
itself.

the days
of my life
I give
to you.

the moments
in our lives
are only
for each other.

and the
children in
our bed
are our
first glimpses
of heaven.

and the
empty pockets
of our
days are
weary to
our lives,

but not
our hearts
or eternity.

we are not
of this
place,

but you
are of
me,

and I
am of
you,

and for
that I
am truly
grateful.

the taking

of seed
to root.

binding
of tried
heart and
weathered
soul.

is how
you have
touched me.

the fallen
to love.

the free fall
of existence.

never hoping
to land.

the carousel
moments
of first
kisses.

that have
lasted
fresh and
newborn
through
the years.

the grace
of our
children's
smiles.

holding
their prayers
safe in their
beds as
they sleep.

all you
have given
to me.

to keep.

and share
with you.

till our
time
passes.

till our
love fades.

the moment
next.

beyond

eternity.

the black
and white
hill billy
cow jumped
over the
moon.

and not
for a
moment
did it
cause us
pause.

to raise
our heads
from our
tempest
bed.

or misplace
one deep
kiss
or sigh
of deep
satisfaction.

we have
always
flowed
with grace
and devotion
to one
another.

committed to
the other
like sand
to shore,

stars to
the blackest
spaces of
this
velvet
night.

life to
death
in your
arms

forever

go I.

in jubilance

and celebration.

of you...

When I die.

my
dreams
will fall
naked
unafraid
to your
eyes,

my conscience
sheathed
bare and
honest
to my
*******.

to find
rest
for my
weary
soul,

and
inhale
all in
this
evening
grace

that is
you,

and then
bleed
away,

unnoticed.

save the
feel of
you in
my coffin
bones.

as time
goes by...

as time
goes

I.....

Moments passing

the capture

of God's light
'in your
eyes,

the sensual
touch
of your
lips exploring
my neck
and chest,

the deep
kisses
and tender
embraces

to one
another
as we
begin our
day.

such
are my
daily
moments
passing
with you.

perfect in
every
form,

the tidings
and giving
of pieces
of one another

to only
each other's
keeping.

the whispering
of secrets
the yearnings
of physical
touch.

where  nothing
goes
unanswered

in our
promises
of love
and intimacy
throughout
our days
and nights.

where your
soul
is my
hearts
pillow

for
which I
lay my
dreams
upon,

and your
spirit
is my
river for
which
I flow
through
life,

in these
quiet
times of
us.

in these
moments
that
bless
and pass

our days.

.

it has
been a
field mouse's
moment
since
you have
been here..

there to
now.
a twenty
year blink of
an eye.

and a
million
smiles
imbetween.

marriage
it never
has been
a roller
coaster ride
with you.

only the holding
our hands
high into the
air
and laughing
with the
sun.

the joy
has just
been
greater,

the love
has just
been deeper.

and the
journey
is that
which
heaven
surely

must be

made of

because
in my life

I have
tasted it

and you.

and it
is sweeeeeeeeet.

Neverland smile
firestone wine
splashes
across your
lips.

open arms
without
false
sentiments
to trap me.

love at
first sight
28 years
later.

my wire rim
glasses
to hold
your beauty
true.

footsteps
to our
bed that
I know
by heart.

waking
early eagerly
to hear
the first
thing you
might say.

wishing I
could marry
you all over
again
tomorrow.


you are the
beginning
and ending
of my love's
story,

and so
much more.
and you
have changed
me as
much as
I have
changed
you.

always
for the
better.

always
for our
children.

always
with God
our witness
do we

live.

Fairy tale
endings.

I have
tripped
over my
my fair
share.

and then
to awaken
for a
moment
with such
crystal
clarity
of you.

my failures.

were just
glasses
of wine
half empty.

with the
taste
of the
berry always
so much
sweeter
from your
lips.

your love
your patience
your
unconditional
giving
have kept
me here.

and this
life that
I have
around
me now.

is the
life
I gladly
take
to forever.

and one
of these
days
with you
is like,

no other
day with
anyone else.

and I
bend
to your
smile.

I sing
to your
laughter.

I pray amend

To my God
that gave
me you.

.

After  twenty -one
years of
marriage

our love
still plays
in one
another's
eyes,

like back
yard
children

on a
summer's
day.

not taking
rest,

nor needing
shade,

summersault
smiles
and gypsy
wish
day dreams

paint our
day.

and I
wouldn't
know
what do

without
your
heart to
take me

there.

I wouldn't
breathe

now would
I ever want
to again...

I run
home
like
an old
Wimbley
pegged
toy
to be
with you,

and at
the end
of any
day,

a nibble
of your
neck.

a deep
swim
in your.

fortune
teller
eyes.

and
everyday

I dance
and renew
my spirit
in your
peek a boo
smile,

and everybody
knows.

I can't
deny
it.

how much
I love
you.

you are
all the
water
colors
of my
dreams.

and with
every
beating
of my
heart.

my love
flows
within

you.

giving
life
giving
meaning.

to every
moment
that
I live

and breathe

I breathe

you...

2/11/2012

pistachio shells
bailing
unceremoniously
out of
my front
pockets.

tangerine
slices lie
peeled '
on the
couch.

fat golden
retriever
lies tangled
between
my legs.

my seven year
old son Noah
home
sick from
school.

crazy 8 cards
thrown across
the living
room floor
like bread crumbs
hoping that
someone might
follow.

tennis moms
calling all day
tring
to make
sure their
kids can
still get
into holiday
camps
next week.

my guitar
leans off tune
in the corner
of the room,

begging to
be played.


my son
joseph
comes
home from
college on
wedesday.

my wife
calls me  
from work
just to
say I love
you,

and I think
for a moment,
how simple and
how true
these are,

the captions
of my life,

and at this
moment
there

no place
else
or no one else

in the
universe
I would

rather be.pistacio shells
bailing
unceremoniously
out of
my front
pockets.

tangerine
slices lie
peeled '
on the
couch.

fat golden
retriever
lies tangled
between
my legs.

my seven year
old son Noah
home
sick from
school.

crazy 8 cards
thrown across
the living
room floor
like bread crumbs
hoping that
someone might
follow.

tennis moms
calling all day
tring
to make
sure their
kids can
still get
into holiday
camps
next week.

my guitar
leans off tune
in the corner
of the room,

begging to
be played.


my son
joseph
comes
home from
college on
Wednesday.

my wife
calls me  
from work
just to
say I love
you,

and I think
for a moment,
how simple and
how true
these are,

the captions
of my life,

and at this
moment
there

no place
else
or no one else

in the
universe
I would

rather be.

Last night
I had
a toothache
in my
bed ,

and as
if you
felt
it too.

you moved
to cover
me
with
gentle
kisses,

and a
healer's
hand
pressed
against
my cheek.

hours later
as I
awoke,

in our
marriage
bed,

you had
not
given
back
an inch.

as if
trying
with all
of your
might

to take
away
the pain
I was
feeling.

as if
to share
my discomfort
with me.

and like
everything
else

in our
lives
that we
do.

hallelujah.

my love
the depths
of my heart
that I have
given you

I can
never
take back.

or give
witness
to another.

entwined
and shadowed
as one
we have
become.

in the
breaths
that we
take.

the sun
and half
slivered
moon
that we
follow.

always I
will be
here,

and you
here
beside
me.

and when
we awake,

we will
nourish
each other

another day.

and support
and devote

all that
we do

to each
other's
needs and
God's faith
and our
soul's
salvation.

to the end
of days.


to God's
first light.

and eternity is

but the
first kiss

I give
you

tonight.

You are
the soul
of my
words,

the linking
of emotions,

the connection
the spawning
of all
the feelings
that I
write
in poem..

and not
for a
moment
do my
dreams not
dream you,

or the
words of
God not
touch
my chest,

and not
have you
deep inside,

bury
me in
your soul
as I have
buried
you in
mine.

and our
love will

never
falter.

and our
roots
will always
run deep,

up to
heaven
and beyond.

will I
always
hold
you

still, always
a miracle

to my
eyes.

8/10/17

Every night
I am blessed
to sleep in
the covenant
of your smile.

the nook
of your arms,
the shape
of your heart.

and I
have never
known
such a wonder.

this place with
you
I call home.

sunsets set
only for
the two
of us.

sunrises
rise only
for our eyes.

and love
is what we
define,

with
each kiss.
with each
new embrace.

and to the
three little
smiles
that share
our bed.

God knows.

we create
miracles.

3/30/13

you are
'my balance

you never
let me
fall,,

you see
the light
and dark
within me,

you endure
my life's
changing
seasons
without
question
or hesitation.

and in
your eyes
I feel
your unending
trust,

and in
my eyes
you feel
that trust
returned.

and in
your heart
I love
with
purpose,

and by
the letter
God's
eternal
plan.

we are
lives
in the
balance

you
and I,

and with
each
breath
that we
take

we become

so much
more
than we were
before.

and for us
my love

forever

is but another

moment

in our
lives.

to be
with you,

means
the light
of my
eyes
will never
leave,

for to be
without you,

surely
my eyes
would grow
old
dim,

and to love
you as
I do ,

down and
through
the marrow
of my
bones,

brings me
a completeness
I have
never
known.

it is the
order
of stars
and sky
that blanket
this night
that I
hold you,

it is
the certainty
of husband
and wife
that I
love  you.

the whispers
of my
soul
tells
me it
is so,

that in
this time
under
this open
sky

our
destinys
collide
to become
only one.

and God
smiles
upon us

as only
he can.

when all
is well
and done,

and we
make
our final
journey
to him

together
unafraid,

children
in his

eyes..