A FAMILIAR PLACE

This place looks familiar
A lived-in look
The odor is not off-putting
No wine in the fridge
But the cheese isn't too old

HUMAN FRONT

Compulsion has no place
In a mediocre society
All is quiet
Along the human front
Behind the scenes though
There's a quite
Different entity

LONELY PLANET

It's hard to realize
And also to comprehend
What's going on
On this lonely planet
In this forgotten
Star system
We're on the fringes
Too far away
To do any good
Only capable
Of hurting ourselves

RESPONSE?

Out on the distant ocean
A storm is headed
For the shore
All is serenity here
Some grow restless
At the inactivity
And wonder if some
Response is warranted
No one has yet
Supplied an answer
Meanwhile
The storm rages

QUITE A DAY

Quite a day
Shouldn't that be enough
Why long for
Other pastures
You relinquish
The breeze of your youth
For contemporary chaos
As you disdain
Friendly chatter
White-washed walls
Seem more sincere

ITTY-BITTY

Absolute charity
Is a doggerel version
Of supreme command
Itty-bitty is the word
Of deep thinkers
And pretenders
To the throne

RECKLESS BEHAVIOR

Does a dog
Bark at nothing?
Is there a reason
To shout?
Outside our little corner
Of the universe-
Is anyone listening?

Our fate is certain
To think otherwise
Is to fool ourselves
We're ants
In the cosmic scene
Not dogs of war

Numbers go on
Without end
Moving restlessly
In search of a destination
But when finding it
Not stopping

Is there a point
To this reckless behavior?
If there is,
I'm not seeing it

PURE COINCIDENCE

What is beating
Inside your chest
Is not your heart
But an artificial device
That can float on water
If need be

And what is necessary
But the love
That comes from travel
And interaction
With foreigners
Whether they live on earth
Or somewhere beyond

Some places
We recall
Not even as places
Where we stop
But as places
That we merely pass by
Yet they remain
In our memory

You thought you
Were saving your soul
But you were really only
Making this life
A little more austere

He cast his vote
And it was no
He was right
But sadly, sometimes
The majority rules

To be sophisticated
Requires sophistication
Or lacking that
An ability to cast
Caution to the wind

Who moved the rock
Who jumped for joy
Who was left standing
There is no simple explanation
Other than
Pure coincidence

I'm not out to write
A perfect sentence
But I'd like to see one
I need a formula
For success
A new recipe
That ensures my survival
But if cream rises to the top
Should I get use to
Skim milk

CRACKED PAVEMENT

What sounds do you hear?
What are you listening for?
Footsteps in cracked pavement
The rumble of a
Washing machine
The dishwasher
Spinning mightily
Valiantly fighting
Dirt and grime
Or are you listening for
Something else?
What could it be
But murmurs
Little tidbits of information
Pouring out of
Wall-papered walls
Trickling down from
Holes in the roof
No relation to the
Sun above
It's not that life
Is complicated
Though it is
It's just that we wish
To simplify it too much

EMERGING CHAOS

On a stormy afternoon
Some things congeal
A happy coincidence
Where strands of matter
Dissolve
Into the ether
And miracles
Happen on
A quotidian basis

My life
Is a poor substitute
For what people see
In the emerging chaos
There they find
Comfort
And a sense of belonging
A whirlpool
Of inactivity
And a dazzling
Display
Of cosmic fireworks

He wasn't here
To win accolades
To himself
Or acolytes either
All he sought
Was in the wind

It's silly to be afraid
Isn't it?
Because we know
Our time is short
And nothing
Of gravity
Is pulling us down
We should therefore
Soar above our travails
And leave behind
Our fragmentary existence

CLOSED BOOK

Your rock is
Beginning to crumble
Your foundation
Will soon be no more
How will you handle
The disintegration
Will you eat an apple?

I'm only human
Whatever that means
I want to believe
In something more
But just believing
Is a closed book

While the children sleep
The madmen work
Building their doom machines
Who are we
Trying to destroy
But ourselves

In the beginning
What a lovely thought
That something can begin
Was it something
That I said?
No, it couldn't be
I wasn't around
At the beginning

THE DAY BEFORE

The day before
I stopped to ponder
I was speechless
When I saw
Ultra-violet rays
Skipping lightly
On flesh and bone

I've never turned away
From a simple meal
My digestive system
Works better
When it has less to do

I remember the morning
There was a coolness there
It came from
Nether regions
And higher altitudes
I remember being
On the edge
Of something big

SPINNING FAN

We take our weaknesses
Too much in stride
We should try harder
To overcome
Even if it means
Boasting
About our success

One word is all I need
Sure, I've been waiting
A lifetime
Doesn't matter
Measuring success
Can be difficult
And is not for
The faint of heart

Wonder why
We try
To delay the night
Is not the day
Too long

The spinning of a fan
Disrupting the air
And moving it
Across our sweated brow
This interval
Was much needed
It gave us a chance
To breathe

PARABLES OF NON-UNDERSTANDING

In the quietness
Of a broken morning
I long for parables
That I do not understand
Because there's too much
In the world
That I do understand
And it's understanding
That I never wanted

If you live in coolness
Too long
Won't you forget
How to sweat

There are patterns
That I am not perceiving
There are thoughts
And concepts I resist in believing
There's not a whole
Lot more to say

Were we supposed to use
Words that were written
Thousands of years ago
Aren't they somehow
Irrelevant
And if they're not
Doesn't that mean
We've gone nowhere

Who are we
At the end of the day
I wonder
If there's any reason
To speculate
Who will we be
When all is said
And done
Will we be able
To recognize ourselves
Will we want to

Do not be dismayed
Our day will come
Just hope it doesn't rain
I'm waiting
To be surprised
Had a couple of false starts
Then memories have gotten
Mixed up with dreams
And so my reality
Is shifting
Under my feet

HOLIDAY

Isn't it time
To be on holiday
Walking on the cool, wet sand
And repelling solar rays
Through the agency
Of a sun blocker
Isn't it time
To discard
These earthly concerns
And be free
Like the birds
In the sky

Ever since you
Acquired your soul
You seem less concerned
With mundane matters
But in many ways
You're still not
Quite there

I have a premonition
Of what not will be
And I remember every thing
That ever was
it's just the details
That escape me

When will we know
When will we see
Will it be presented
In layers of complexity
Will our doubts
Extinguish
The fullness of it all
Or will our thoughts
Not matter

Whenever I think
I've been humbled enough
I know then
That more humbling
Is yet to come

MASQUERADE

They're searching
For truth
In the parking lot
It's eluded
Them before
Maybe this time
They'll find
What they're looking for
Let's hope so
For how long
Can we keep searching
And not grow weary
How long
Can we maintain
This masquerade

WHEELS

Wheels in motion
Wheels at rest
We connect
Then disembark
We're called away
Glad to go
But yet
There's always some
Unfinished business
We don't move
Yet we're moving
It takes God
To stand still

THE YELLOW BUG

The yellow bug
Is smooth and round
It goes where
It wants to go
It doesn't notice
The sun or rain
Neither does it
Acknowledge
Its maker

WHEN THE TWILIGHT LINGERS

It'll happen
When the twilight lingers
The elite
Will disappear
And the chosen
Will return
To the promised land
How is this day
Like any other
It is not
It is unto itself
An awakening

THE SILLY TIME

Caught up in my
Own genius
I haven't much room
To maneuver
The silly time
Of the year
Is depressing me
You think you know
Some avenue
Of learning
But all your knowing
Is self-ennobling
Not radiating outward
As the sun

HOW SLENDER IS THE THREAD

How slender is the thread
That binds us
To this place
And how unwelcome
Do we feel
When we step
Through the door
I'd leave it
All behind
If I had a choice
But there seems to be
A distinct lack
Of ambience

ROBUST CYCLES

We are his children
Why do we then stand alone?
We have no tomorrow
The seeds of our souls
Need watering
Or they will never grow
We praise the sunshine
In lavish terms
But the molecules
Of being
Remain invisible to us
Our hearts are crushed
And then repaired
Our eyes blinded
Then made to see
Robust cycles
Return again and again
And we long
For the sunset

POETRY OF TIME

There's a poetry of time
That we sometimes
Recognize
At odd moments
It shows us things
In a new light
No promises
Are attached
No unrealistic
Expectations
Only an interval
Without pain
It's these moments
That we covet
Far above
The ordinary fare

EACH DAY THAT PASSES

Each day that passes
Is like bricks
In a foundation
The bricks themselves
Are solid
But each one can crumble
If it's hit hard enough

The kingdom is within
It doesn't come from afar
Open up your mind
And you will see it

His own generation
Rejected him
His own family
Forgot him
It was better that way
But when he left
He left for good

Is anyone out there
Recoiling at the thought
That too much wine
Is being drunk
In place of blood

The door opens
I feel the cold
But to move requires
Determination

What I wish for
I know not
Perhaps my dreams could tell me
But they are in a foreign tongue
That is quite beyond me

UNCONVINCED

I remain convinced
That I am unconvinced

ARIDITY

The scattered debris
Of our possessions
Means they're taking
Up more room than they deserve
And the riff raff
In the back alleys
Are headed toward main street

When you return
From your journey
Of self-recrimination
Maybe you'll have time
To rail against others

So many are running always
From the fountains
Of their being
Giving up the personal
Waters of life
They've found aridity -
A lifeless sort of life

A THOUSAND YEARS

A thousand years
Intrude into my consciousness
And linger
We have no way of grasping
And holding on to
Our deepest longings
We see the stars
And wonder
When does our journey begin
To forsake all
Is never easy
Even when
You have nothing to forsake
Winding down
Growing older but not old
I wonder
What thoughts lie ahead
Will victories
Seem like defeats
I'm running out of lines
But never out of words

LOOKING AWAY

Where was the excitement
Where was the happiness
I guess there was too much
To be thankful for
How do you handle greed
How do you part the waters
Of misunderstanding
Looking away
Will not help
But it may be necessary

AS IT SHOULD BE

Each morning
I go to work
I notice the curve
Of the road
And its straightness also
I know to get to where I'm going
That is as it should be

TO THE COAST AND BEYOND

How do you measure
The belief in your heart?
Has it been hardened
Through defeat?

Your cleanliness
Is to be admired
Though it has an outer glow
Your insides reek
From hypocrisy
And a desire
To control others

The words you speak
Define you
The actions you take
Set you free
We seem to be
At a crossroads of someone else's choosing

Crowds followed him
To the coast and beyond

OFF-KEY EXISTENCE

Absent-minded
And driven to distraction
Minor tragedies
In an off-key existence
Nothing much exotic
The routine
Is enough excitement

FIRES OF THE SUN

Halfway 'round
The world
Takes but a moment
The desert sands
Await
A few decades
Won't matter
But city streets
And slightly suburban
Venues
Require our
Immediate attention
As well as
The pains
Of  living
Too close
To the fires
Of the sun

SUBJECT OF DISPUTE

It's late
And I'm still
Pontificating
Not lashing out
That would be uncouth
Who's looking
At the sunset
And changing clothes
Who's reflecting
On a planet's history
And throwing
Dimes
Into a fountain
Could it be me
I'm not saying
All I know
Is that what I am
Is not the
Subject
Of dispute

WHEN THE COLORS FADE

Simply upset
On a beautiful day
In late fall
There is a
Permanent reality
Lurking
In a distant past
Maybe we'll go there
When the colors fade

SPEED OF LIGHT

Who's that laughing
Must be the sun
Or some other
Astral object
How welcome it would be
To fly among
That grand array
To see with new eyes
And to live
Faster than
The speed of light

EXHORTATION

Exhortation
A matter
Of life and death
In a jungle
Of sweat
And deadly fumes
We begin
The promise
Of a new day
Our enemies, however,
Don't yet know this
And that is why
Our beliefs
Remain
Non-sanguine

IN A SMALL SENSE

So much doesn't matter
Or does it?
Like the wind
That doesn't call your name
Like the heart
That does not
Know your name
It's all there
And yet
It's not
Well, there's a plenitude
Of suffering
And callous disregard
But is it personal?
In a small sense
I suppose it is
But in the rush
Of judgment
We forget our bearings
And with it
Our perspective

WHEN AT LAST

We wonder
Who we are
When at last
We succeed
In drowning
Our ego
We no longer
Fret
About the time
We lost

GALACTIC CALENDAR

At what point
Do my emotions
Begin to fly
They've been
Earthbound
Much too long
Somewhere beyond
The asteroids
I'm sure
Thoughts and feelings
Are much more robust
And in tune
With the galactic calendar

OCCASIONAL REST

I'm looking
Through a window
At the miniscule
Variations
Of life
And I wonder
If enough of the world
Remains
To satisfy
My appetite
But in reality
I don't want
Satisfaction
Only
Occasional rest

COLD EDGE

I remember faces
And voices
That called out to me
Through the channel
Of time
And awkward rhymes
There I was
Standing in straw
Looking for somewhere
To hide
The breeze blew gently
But there was a cold edge
To it
And it took over
What was left
Of my good sense
And so reason
Was cast to the wind

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE

I hear the sound of
Running water
Someone is at the sink
Washing their hands
The earth is primarily water
At least the part
That we don't see
Everyone every once in a while
Should ignore
The sounds of everyday living
And should simply
Sit and wait
On the coming
Of the Lord
Or if they don't
Believe in such a thing
Should just simply sit

THAT WHICH YOU HIDE

Those who search for meaning
In a faraway place
Have no hope of going home
But where is home?

Some have forsaken
The essence of home
And wish to find solitude
Among the celestials

It's a voice
I like to hear
That gives me no direction
No hope
And no warmth
But sound and inflection
Can be comforting
When we have
Our ears to the ground

I wonder about
The ability of humankind
To resurrect itself
From the ashes
But all is in accordance
With past thoughts
Past deeds
And present needs
We'll understand someday
That then is now

That which you hide
That which you obscure
You do it for reasons
You keep wisely to yourself
Travelling thus
Rotating gently
Revolving prosaically
Millions of years
Pass by
And then...Nothing

What does
God do for you?
Relate to others
In words that you can understand

ALL THAT

I don't
Spend much time
On regret
No matter what
It's important
To move on
All the secrets
Of the universe
Are unfolding
And I find
It incumbent
To be in a position
Of preparedness
When I get
My shot
At all that
Arcane knowledge

SMALL SOUNDS

Small sounds that drive us
Into incoherency
Tiny waves of thought
That are disconnected
Something's in the air
But it's undetectable
At least by any
Common measure of approach
What is that
Standing in the corner
Does it remind you
Of anything
You've ever seen before
If it does
Then what could it be
When you draw
Only upon yourself
You're preserving
Your natural resources
Do you realize
That when the wind
Is still
It is still your friend
Only when it blows
Against you
Does it become something else

MANY MASTERS

We have many masters
Their power comes from us
We can take that power away
If we promise not to use it
Ourselves

DICHOTOMIES

Dichotomies exist
That reflect the obvious
But underneath
The thin layers
What kind of world is it
And do we have
Any chance
Of finding it
I plan to change my ways
Sometime near the end of my days

How unique the earth is
Too bad no one is watching
 Death is a shadow
A private investigator
Who keeps us under
Surveillance
And each time we die
The security tightens

Still to come
A time of walking
Thru places that
Are not manmade

It's a sunny day
But for how long
What storm will overtake us
What stone will we be
Crushed beneath
Will our thoughts survive
Will we know who we are
Will it matter
Who gets a day of rest
God did once
And He's been paying for it
Ever since

ONCE WE KNEW

Once we knew who we were
Wasn't much
But there was definition
And transparency
Now there's an opaqueness
That paradoxically
Is quite easy to see
A small, single light
Permeates the universe
Even unto its cavernous reaches
No place is dark
That hearkens to this light
And no place is illuminated
That denies it