POEM - Seven Years of Rain

Time makes no sense on cloudy days

Does the light tell me it is just past breakfast

Or is it perpetually a quarter till dinner

Is the growl in my stomach sincere

Or the pangs of boredom manifesting in munchies

The unbroken smoky slate bedthrow
Preserves mocking twilight tones

I'm stuck on Venus
And the rain feels listless

Unsure of just how to continue

Day after day

Fulfilling the minimal requirements

Just making the world damp enough

Year after year after year

It is a poignant event for a child in Oregon

To watch "All Summer in a Day"

And you become Margot

The child from earth

Who remembered the sun

Who remembered what it felt like

Trapped with peers who mocked her knowledge

I had come from California

Good friends with the best version of the sun

A joyful orb full of pleasant memories

But this gray Portland metropolis

Mocked my knowledge

And I nearly cried for Margot

Locked in the closet by cruel William

Seeing only reflected light

Through a sliver of a crack

Crushed by the eventual fade

The returning gloom

And it was all my ten year old being could do

To keep composure

Keep the memory alive

Fight against the Williams

Campaigning for the light

Reassuring the world the rain would end

With a weight of seven dim years

Each sunny day exploding

Crammed to breaking 

Lingering in its warm embrace

POEM - We Got Each Other

It was the best fall
The one when we biked everywhere
Because the Suburban got repossessed
Just gone one morning
No surprise there
An open blank canvas for a driveway
But at least there wasn't a payment due
So we celebrated like we'd won the lottery
Had the family over for fried chicken
Mashed potatoes
Corn on the cob
And a huge watermellon
All of it piled into the two seat kid trailer
The one I would strap the youngest kids into
To get them to school
Or take them to church
Or grab a snack from the corner market
And we had each other
Strong and free of a weight lifted in anguish
A car bought to prove we could
Only to prove we couldn't
But we did otherwise
Found so much joy
Making it against the odds
Finding new ways to get around
More time together
Longer conversations
A brighter sky in the waning temperatures
A respite from summer's torment
Just when we needed it
I miss being completely screwed
There is a certain comfort there
You know it can't get much worse
So everything seems much better
And besides
We got each other
Yeah, we always got that

POEM - The Heat of the Moment

The never-fail produce stand
Held unrelenting treasures
In Kaleidoscopic variety
Like some produce themed rummage sale
Hawking delectable enticements

Today we arrived early
Out on an early Saturday morning date
We ditched the kids
Still huddled in their pjs and blankets
To bask in the bright sun
The first pleasant morning this spring
And the veggie stand was in step
Offering intriguing horticultural options
To inspire adventurous agriculture

Amidst the onion sets and tomato plants
Across from seed potatoes
Around the corner from the perennials
Vibrant green leaves caught my eye
Possessed of a familiar shape
Oblong and on the narrow side
Drawing to a delightful point
These must be peppers
But not just any peppers
Upon examination the leaves revealed
A murderer's row of spicy renown
Bearing cautionary monikers
Reaper and scorpion and ghost, oh my!
And I couldn't grab them fast enough
Throwing caution to the wind
And then circling around
And running over it for good measure

The stand never fails
Another treasure rides home
Making our day
Growing our bliss

POEM - What Cherry Coke Means to Me

One more lunchtime
Found me sauntering
Headed for Campus Discounts
A recently captive badger
On self-imposed furlough
From the hallowed halls of Tucson High
Yearning for cheap popcorn
And anything else
As long as it wan't school

Loitering for all I was worth
I got dragged into the riptide
Of passing fellow former inmates
As they swept across the street
Up the stairs over the record store
Through the enticing scent filled doors
Of Grandma Tony's Pizza
To grab a slice
Play the eternally free pinball
Order up a round of cherry Cokes
Made to order
The intoxicating maraschino nectar
Infusing the caramel colored tonic
The libation of truancy
Cure for the common education

POEM - Stopping by Frost Farm on a Snowy Day

All of it was there

Somehow

Sitting in subtle repose

Every turn of phrase

Each vivid scene

Alive and well

Living out the lines

Wrought concerning their very existence 

And I stopping by

I am sure my car wonders

Why I turn down this lane

Clearly marked

In bold letters

Closed for the season

A blockade of snow

Clogging the lane

Undaunted I forge 

Many miles yet to journey

I will let them wait

While here i stand

On sacred ground

Alone 

Grateful for that blessing

His very world surrounding 

A solitary communing 

And then it was time

The moment perfect enough

And parting brought peace

A glimpse of the world

Seen through his eyes

No longer a wonder

How each line flowed with ease

Every word just right

My every step loosed a sonnet

Each breathe a perfect couplet

My heartbeat a clever rhyme

POEM - Baby Mangoes and Cotton Trees

The corner market
Was not on the corner
Perched against the shore
The backwater thoroughfare before it
Acres of rice paddies behind
Lush green endless and beautiful
The narrow embankment a tranquil hub
Advertising juice and seafood
Ensconced in mango trees
The diminutive green undeveloped fruits
Just within reach
Provided a tart green treat
Dabbed with salt
Eaten whole
The impossibility of the adult seed
Forgotten in these immature replicas

The next shore in the journey
Had its own unique trees
And it took a while to understand
Certain of some misunderstanding
Certain that cotton doesn't grow on trees
At least not back home
Must be a mistake because we have only a bush
But soon it was evident
This was not something lost in translation
The intrinsic support confirmed
This was also a source for cotton
With its massive green pods
And the silky soft fiber exposed a revelation
Verification of a newly learned truth

Every day a new something learned
Afloat in a strange land
A slower peaceful land
Of trees of wonder
And backwater cruises
Sun setting amid a humid mist
Smiling faces chew thoughtful
On the warmth of fried bananas
The sweet embodiment
Of the delectable day

POEM - Sips of Soda Water

Twisting in the missing in between of times

Fostering solemn deepening thoughts

Betwixt sips of soda water and lime

The ineffable mysteries bubble and churn

It is this way when we let the moments gather 

Potential energy of fantastic possibilities 

And it forces a daydream 

Wandering thought

A doodle in the margins

A page filled with practice scribbling

Demonstrating contenders for a new way

Of writing the letter ‘A’

For when I am undercover

Spying on the other guys

A perfect chameleon 

Or just closed eyes

Remembering unsuccessfully 

Just exactly how the ocean breezes

Coming off the Pacific 

In late spring visits to California

Felt just so

As they danced across my sun kissed cheeks

Saturated in ocean fragrances

With hints of seaside eateries

In intoxicatingly anesthetic perfection

Teasing out impossible thoughts

Alluring sirens song

Calling me to forget 

Lay here endlessly in sandy Eden

And abandon all pressing matters

Become still as driftwood

Knurled and smooth

Then high tide laps across me

Bumped and knocked

Slowly ocean bound

To drift aimlessly 

Rolling and churning

Sometimes tossed on another shore

Other times dragged back into the fray

Never to act

Only an interesting result

Of wind and water and sand and sun and time

And all of it caught

Between the briefest of thoughts 

An eternity of results

Bubbles in soda 

Slipped slowly 

With just a hint of lime

POEM - You Can Quote Me

Whenever I draw my mouth like this
Give a look like this
And drop some sassy knowledge
About the latest gossip
Buddy gets some props
A parenthetical quote
In physical comedy form

And when I get into a discussion
Deep and philosophical
With a random stranger
I hear Fletcher’s voice
Mirror his action
Play the game he taught me

My inner salesman
With the winning charm
And engaging small talk
That person I call Barz

When I am kind and I listen
Think about my actions
About others first
And the happiness of the less fortunate
I am Linda all the way

When I do what I should
And I look at the situation
Think before I act
Keep a cool, even head
And act with maturity
I am Merv for a few minutes or more

And sometimes I am lunatic
And odd and queer and peculiar
A frustrating cunnundrum
Of blurring contradictions
Where I take all of the quoted personalities
Throw them in a metaphysical blender
And pour out a tall drink of me
A little bit of everything
Rearranged and adapted
In a mostly awkward way
Writing my story
Borrowing heavily
From past matters
Many footnotes
A large and growing works cited
Forward yet to be assigned
Dedicated to my lovely wife
Who put up with me all these years
And to all the people along the way
Who didn’t trip me up
But lent a hand
Gave me an ingredient
Became a part of the whole

POEM - Pizza and Serendipity

We had been up since 2 AM
From the passenger seat I filmed the sun
Zoomed in and distorted
Bouncing along the horizon
Deepening orange ball
Floating through ombré purple sky
Nightfall eminent but not the journey
The reason for stopping was supplies
Something only the mega-mart could provide
The sign being the reason for exiting the freeway
In the dusky grime
Of the seedy side of Oklahoma City
A quick stop then back on the road to find dinner
Dinner found us
Gleaming new sign lighting the way
To an old and beloved favorite
The Peter Piper Pizza beckoned
And we heeded the Piper’s call
There was never a question we would
Quickly we retrieved supplies
Beneath thick swirling clouds
Of ominous migratory flocks
Perched like skid row thugs
A fowl collection
Of murders, tidings, and quarrels
Depending on taxonomy
Amid the disquieting stares we departed
Soon warmed by comforting familiarity
Order placed
Table procured
Enveloped in peaceful nostalgia
We ordered two pizzas
They messed up one
Gave it to us and corrected the order
What is more perfect than finding an old friend?
When that old friend gives you extra free pizza
We could have just stopped there
Never driven further
Been at peace with the decisions that lead us there
But duty and time beat the beckoning drum
And with full bellies
And still two full pizzas
We left overly satisfied and encouraged
Searching for Amarillo
Riding off into the fallen night

POEM - Chicago to LA and Donuts All the Way

The mother road begins
At the corner of Michigan and Adams
The front steps of the Art institute
A breeze coming off the lake
Carrying sounds of commotion
As traffic and pedestrians
And a massive city of busy
All clamour about
It just starts
No fanfare
And heads west yearning
A deep exhausting yearning
A building hunger within
A longing for deep enrichment
An empty hole
A hole only filled
By doughy deep fried greasy sweet delight
For here in the grand temple of architecture
The pilgrimage is fueled by donuts
In myriad variety
Each more memorable than the last
An aroma surely laden with pure ambrosia
Leaves the city awash
In a comforting blanket of caloric perfection
Just the perfect circle of joy
To carry a weary traveller on
Leaving the security
Of the ominous metropolis
And another bite
Can offer solace
In the desolation of the great plains
Or screw your courage to the sticking spot
Through twisting desert mountains
And even calm the nerves
When engulfed
By the endless expanse of LA
It is donuts that will see you through
One delicious dozen at a time

POEM - Snake Boats on Turtle World

If I had been a little more awake
I might have seen the obvious direction
Known where the river of conversation
Was eventually leading me
Gently flowing with an easy calm
Lulling me into a false sense of security
I knew enough to know something was up
I knew enough to know I didn’t care what was up
I was up for it all
But I had become familiar with the approach
A slow reveal when the outcome is uncertain
When the audience might not be completely familiar
And I knew sometimes you row the boat
And sometimes the boat rows you
And sometimes you end up half naked
Barefoot
In a river in India
Rowing a snake boat
With a hundred other half naked barefoot men
Heading to the temple
In anticipation of a feast
In support of the celebration
And in those moments my smile can’t be stopped
My joy knows no ends
My gratitude for the generosity
Of complete strangers
Is endless as the backwater river
I jump into waist deep
Before climbing the steps
Ascending to holy ground
Waiting to be beckoned forth
Join the throng
Chant along in a beautiful rhythm
Adorn my forehead with sandalwood
A sign of respect for the turtle
Who carries us all as one on his back

POEM - 31 Flavors

I have my weaknesses
Laid bare at the door
Of any ice cream parlor
Exposing my passionate desire
To revel in varied sweet depths
Of milky chilled delights
A smorgasbord of verigated pleasures
Calling like a concert of Sirens
Sweetly singing
Delectable Arias
And I envision a surrender
As I succumb
To it's intoxicating bouquet
Wandering aimless
Amidst a Pantheon of flavors
Indecisive
Light headed
A quiver with anticipation
Each decision more attractive
Every option good
How, my dear, is it done?
Faced with such temptations
You are resolute
Unfettered
A devout disciple
Unbreakable
The binding tether
Lashing me to the mast
A trusty anchor
For my windblown potentials
But you are not vanilla
Nor plain chocolate or strawberry
Not even Neapolitan
Like some collective of normality
No, you are deeper waters
Holding the secrets of the sea
And this Ulysses remains
And only hears the beckoning songs
As background tunes
While I step to counter and order
The usual
I know what you like
You are cheesecake ice cream
With a scoop of roasted almonds
And a liberal sprinkling
Of English toffee crumbles
In a large waffle cone
And this is right
Every time
Dashing the Siren's songs
With each magnificent lick
Of a perfectly balanced confection

POEM - How to Carry a Mountain

Maybe the softer approach
Will be the thing this time
That moves the mountain
The rocky pile of stones
You seem intent on carrying
And I want to lend a hand
I have strength to lift your loads
But a show of strength
Throws off your balance
Makes you lose your grip
Threaten to have the load come down
In a thunderous avalanche
So I will be the whisper
Of the cooling breeze
Caressing your anguished face
A slight refreshing chill
One good thing
Enough
Just enough
To take another step forward

POEM - Make Mine Melon

You exercised due diligence
After the disappointment
Because it looked pretty
The nicely dual tone green
Across the unblemished skin
But inside a red herring
Meaning misleading
Meaning the lovely blushing flesh
Was slimy like a fish
And smelly like a fish
And more like a fish
Than a watermelon
And the disappointment was palpable
Both of us
Wanting the cool juicy red delight
And getting compost fodder
So you researched
And there were lessons
Myriad cliche
Like pretty skin is just that
It says nothing of the inside
And wounds are a mark
Of well rounded experience
And daring for succulence
Catches more flies
Than timid careful waiting
So we looked for the spot
Large and yellow
Where it rested in the soil
Got all the nutrients
And the rough scarring
Where the bees or wasps land
And pierce the skin
Sniffing out the best melon
Marking it for later
And then a tap with the thumb
To hear the deep bass thrum
A complete picture
Of an interesting experience
A little rough around the edges
Some wounds and scars
But a deep soul
And a sweet demeanor
A revelation
Chilled and delicious
As it emerged from the ice box
A mighty good melon
With a story to tell

POEM - Our Love Has The Merritt

For months I have pined
Captivated
Despite the deadly chasm
Thwarting us ever meeting
I yearn deeply to close the gap
Bridge the divide
Design a uniting arch
There is architecture in my heart
But I am bound
To this plaza of convenience
That does no service for me
Only leaves me empty
Deflated and out of fuel
As each day we part
I to the North
You southbound
But I know not how far
And I fear I never will
And it is a scenic parkway
Riding home on Route 15
But the scenery seems washed out
Bland and colorless
Without you around

Oh my service plaza lady
So fetching in your blue polo
The one that matches mine
Going through the same motions
Somehow so elegant and comely
Hoisting laden trash bags
Or spraying down the walk
In quiet desperation I wait
Hoping you have noticed me
A victim of geography
The Merritt is an unforgiving divide
A few short feet between
Yet a world apart
Will I chance a dash when traffic lulls
Abandon my post
Risk reprimand
Brave becoming a freeway casualty
No guarantee of success
I think it would be worth it
Just to hear your voice
To tell you how I feel
Overcome my station
Change the direction
Of the road I'm stuck upon

POEM - Falling Into Thoughts

The attraction was the waterfall
That's where the arrows pointed
The reason for me to make the journey
The signage staggered along the path
A welcome bit of learning
This path was also used for education
A good variety of local flora
Labeled in detail
With interesting bias for flavor
Some frustrated or future ad exec
Offering tantalizing teasers
Fun facts and tidbits
Almost conspiratorial
"Did you hear about the mock strawberry?
     It has an ugly brown fruit.
         Thus the "mock" appellation, don't ya know . . . "
"Or this annoying little gem
   It has nasty thorns
      It will tear up your jeans
           And your skin!!
               We should all collectively avoid and shun it . . ."
Amused and informed so I persisted
Found the birch tree with propaganda in place
Make birch beer from the sap
Use to be the flavoring source of wintergreen
Now replaced by something artificial
Couldn't figure if that was good or bad
Tried to smell it in the small branches
Like it suggested
Guess this wasn't one of the good ones
The extended brown plank walkway
Across the marshy interlude
Caused me to pause
Capture the moment in pictures
Sure there was some metaphor
In the encroaching greenery
And the peaceful lighting
Of the contrasting straight way
Where once was impassible marshy uncertainty
Images captured and journey resumed
I heard the gurgling falls drawing closer
The helpful informational interludes had ceased
As if this was beyond snarky explanations
There was something too serene
Too generous about the water
Endlessly cascading
Calming noises and cool water
It settled my heavy breathing
The previous incline forgotten
I extended both hands
Placed them flat against the rocks
Water flowed
And something not insignificant
Pleased my deeper soul
I let the moment happen
Let the healing occur
Walked back lighter
Detoured away from the nature trail signs
Staying in the moment
Thoughts falling
Emotions in pools
Mottled sun dancing in gentle breeze
Warming the docile black snake
Must be deep in thought
Not a flicker of recognition
As I step past
Following my own path

POEM - Camp Cacophony

Lights out but nothing changes
Little conversations hum
The pleasant rhythm
Of conversations
In other rooms
Punctuated intermittently
By exploding declarations
Of disbelief
Or cheering support
Perhaps a belly busting guffaw
And what moments are left
When perhaps silence may
In some way return
The forest fills the space
Creaking frog thrums
Rustling leaf trembles
Chirping nervous cricket song
A hoot and a holler
Smother the silence of nature
Dispell any myth
Of the serenity that exists
Outside the realms
Of what is called civilization
But then the games resume
Capture the Flag
Or some other ritual
An initiation
Participated in for ages
And the noise of free range boys
Is a marvel unrivaled
And the ceaseless endurance
Making a ruckus
Deep into the sanctuary of night
Puts perpetual motion to shame
Causes reason to give up the ghost

POEM - Lead Dog Truths

Last night rain
Left morning clean and clear
A slight chill enough
To soften yesterday's heat
Almost forget the swelter
Hopeful promise for relief
Just enough encouragement
To get me on a morning hike

The old bridge suggested history
An odd stone battlement
Piled on a peaked Gothic arch
Straddling a boulder laden stream
Like a misplaced cathedral window
Living water flowing through
The rest of the forest silent
Deep in reverent observations

I spent my moment of silence
But soon was drawn on
By the path beyond
Promise of something more
Maybe other misplaced monuments
Were waiting to be found
What I found was a mountain
Going ever up
And I the first intruder
At least on this new day
The lead dog
Whose scenery will always change
First along the path
Blazing the way
Until . . . thwat!

What they don't tell in the saying
About being the lead dog
The down side
The drawback
Though your scenery does change
You also get the pleasure
Of eating all the spider webs
Hung with dew
Strewn across the path
By ambitious arachnid
Hoping for small insects
Bombarded this morning
By hulking behemoth
Their long night of work
Obliterated across my face
Engulfing my arms by degrees
Until I am unsure
If it is the incline
Or the webbing
Inhibiting my ascent
Purloining my homecoming
Teaching me an important truth
Second place is ok too

POEM - Three Legged Dog

An array of porcelain appendages
Scattered on the bathroom floor
Below the window ledge
Where once they were perched
Formerly attached
To the miniature beagle figurine
Caused more thoughts than usual
More than its diminutive size
Would seem to warrant
The little glass dog was not perfect
Somewhere it had lost a leg
A damaged imperfect proxy
Representing your real friend
The one who grew old
Until he was just too miserable
And you had to make that terrible choice
That many have made
Just as miserable
Just as awful
Now at rest
Below the dogwood tree
I thought of this
And then I thought
I guess you can it seems
Knock over a three legged dog
But I will collect the pieces
Glue them together
Place him back on the ledge
Lecture the cats
Tell then to leave him be

POEM - Skate, Graduate, Skate

JoJo Bean the roller derby fiend
Spinning round and round the roller rink
Rolling away all her worries
In only a few hours
In only a few minutes
In only a second
All of it was over
A stroll across the stage
One last task to complete
And it was a done deal
No more classes
No more school
No more teachers and their rules
Only the summer ahead
Set off by a party
A collection of acquaintances
A menagerie of associates
Some Kuiper belt-esque bodies
Orbiting loosely
Around her gravitational pull
She is the current center
Of a temporary universe
Kept in motion
By the power of commemoration
The collective commencement
That brings semi-strangers
To a lonely skating rink
In a quiet sleepy town
Joyously willing
To pay tribute
To the queen of the moment
Skate on young scholar
These are the salad days
Don't worry for tomorrow
Consider not the rarity
Just skate on sweet child
To the rhythm devine
Chasing the glowing glitter
Of the illuminated disco ball