If I could assign roles
I should be able to solidify the distance between us,
Leaving behind specimens of noble savages
Needing to be maintained and dusted.
They’re not contagious,
Touching is not required, but suggested.
I can attribute beautiful simplicity
And profound ignorance to biographical sketches.
What must not be done is listen,
And know how slim the separation.
Nor should I hear a compound thought
For that might assail my defenses.
I encourage their journey,
But return to my enclosure
When evening comes,
As darkness may dissolve barriers.
They are not of my place
And the walls were not built to be scaled.
Like Sisyphus, they may reach
But can not hold or share this space.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Poor
Not withstanding church doctrine,
And the example of St. Francis,
And limiting my thoughts to this life,
Being poor is overrated.
Chances are the poor will not: live as long,
Look as good when interred,
Visit Paris in the spring
Or have a bridge named after them.
The poor will not concern themselves with;
Care of a 2nd home,
Flight connections to exotic ports of call,
Or adverse changes in capital gains rates.
Sun shines first on the mountain tops.
Sun shines last on the mountain tops.
But in the deep valleys
Days are short.
And the example of St. Francis,
And limiting my thoughts to this life,
Being poor is overrated.
Chances are the poor will not: live as long,
Look as good when interred,
Visit Paris in the spring
Or have a bridge named after them.
The poor will not concern themselves with;
Care of a 2nd home,
Flight connections to exotic ports of call,
Or adverse changes in capital gains rates.
Sun shines first on the mountain tops.
Sun shines last on the mountain tops.
But in the deep valleys
Days are short.
Sump Pump Man
He watches,
Avoids the plumbing that
Surrounds the pump
And climbs down into the brackish water.
It is quiet in the holding concrete enclosure.
He has climbed into a 1,000 tanks
Found the cause and effected a cure.
He takes much pride in his work.
I’ve been doing this too long, Al thought,
Lowering himself, carefully, into the sump pump pit.
Been to this house maybe 15 times.
Now the kid gets to look at my work.
Tonight he has brought his grandson, Jayden.
Al has temporary custody while
Cindy, his daughter, works out her problems,
2000 miles away.
Jayden is a big 6 year old,
Shows none of Al’s asian blood.
He’s interested in what his grandpa is doing
And where staircases in our house lead.
When finished all is clean and neat.
No small accomplishment when dealing with refuse.
Al never leaves a bill,
But one will come in a week.
Avoids the plumbing that
Surrounds the pump
And climbs down into the brackish water.
It is quiet in the holding concrete enclosure.
He has climbed into a 1,000 tanks
Found the cause and effected a cure.
He takes much pride in his work.
I’ve been doing this too long, Al thought,
Lowering himself, carefully, into the sump pump pit.
Been to this house maybe 15 times.
Now the kid gets to look at my work.
Tonight he has brought his grandson, Jayden.
Al has temporary custody while
Cindy, his daughter, works out her problems,
2000 miles away.
Jayden is a big 6 year old,
Shows none of Al’s asian blood.
He’s interested in what his grandpa is doing
And where staircases in our house lead.
When finished all is clean and neat.
No small accomplishment when dealing with refuse.
Al never leaves a bill,
But one will come in a week.
Brooklyn
I’m from the Heartland: Brooklyn.
We provincials recognize Manhattan
As the home of pseudo sophistication,
Never to be confused with heart.
Brooklyn, a place of subways and accents,
Not home to giant corporations,
But home to thousands of first generations.
Not a bad place to begin.
Two and a half million people and no ball clubs.
There is a sense of motion,
Of a dialogue that is 400 years old
And constantly changing.
Clothing to fit every religion,
Beliefs of every shape and size.
The “downstairs” for The City,
More worker than boss.
There is no music or drug unavailable
Somewhere in Brooklyn.
Tomorrow’s judgments will be rendered,
Here among 100 neighborhoods.
We provincials recognize Manhattan
As the home of pseudo sophistication,
Never to be confused with heart.
Brooklyn, a place of subways and accents,
Not home to giant corporations,
But home to thousands of first generations.
Not a bad place to begin.
Two and a half million people and no ball clubs.
There is a sense of motion,
Of a dialogue that is 400 years old
And constantly changing.
Clothing to fit every religion,
Beliefs of every shape and size.
The “downstairs” for The City,
More worker than boss.
There is no music or drug unavailable
Somewhere in Brooklyn.
Tomorrow’s judgments will be rendered,
Here among 100 neighborhoods.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Anti-love potion 69
There’s got to be a way, she thought
My son’s love has got me distraught.
I fix him up with a nice girl, jewish to.
He tells me not to help, he’s found a love that’s true..
I’m desperate to pry him loose
My pain is like an infected tooth.
His girlfriend’s not refined,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
She jumps on him when he forgets.
She makes him spend, so he has debts.
He’s gone to the bank to get a line,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
I hear her mother is not very nice,
Never washes her hair, maybe has lice?
Thinks her child is better then mine,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
I tried potion 68 on his last love.
She had a face just like a dove.
After a little poison she didn’t look so fine,
Now its time for anti-love potion 69.
It will shrivel her head and triple her waist
My wonderful son will leave her in hast.
He won’t sing of her being so fine a wine,
Not after some anti-love potion 69.
Then he’ll return, his mother’s boy.
He’ll forget her , bring me nothing but joy.
We’ll talk and he’ll toe the line
Or I’ll introduce him to anti-love potion 69.
My son’s love has got me distraught.
I fix him up with a nice girl, jewish to.
He tells me not to help, he’s found a love that’s true..
I’m desperate to pry him loose
My pain is like an infected tooth.
His girlfriend’s not refined,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
She jumps on him when he forgets.
She makes him spend, so he has debts.
He’s gone to the bank to get a line,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
I hear her mother is not very nice,
Never washes her hair, maybe has lice?
Thinks her child is better then mine,
Time for anti-love potion 69.
I tried potion 68 on his last love.
She had a face just like a dove.
After a little poison she didn’t look so fine,
Now its time for anti-love potion 69.
It will shrivel her head and triple her waist
My wonderful son will leave her in hast.
He won’t sing of her being so fine a wine,
Not after some anti-love potion 69.
Then he’ll return, his mother’s boy.
He’ll forget her , bring me nothing but joy.
We’ll talk and he’ll toe the line
Or I’ll introduce him to anti-love potion 69.
Memorial
Not a restful place for a service.
Just yards up from a crowded public beach
A group of mostly seniors, not dressed for swimming,
Meet to honor Sheila.
There is no designated spot, beyond “near the swings”,
Where twenty people gather
And listen to memories
Of closeness, love and the feeling of loss.
Turning, as I leave, to face the ocean
I am struck by the juxtaposition of children, bikinis,
Life guards. A vitality just 10 feet and one thought away
From Sheila’s memorial.
She chose the place,
Fully aware of the celebratory ambiance
That her friends and family would experience.
What a thoughtful way to say good-bye!
Just yards up from a crowded public beach
A group of mostly seniors, not dressed for swimming,
Meet to honor Sheila.
There is no designated spot, beyond “near the swings”,
Where twenty people gather
And listen to memories
Of closeness, love and the feeling of loss.
Turning, as I leave, to face the ocean
I am struck by the juxtaposition of children, bikinis,
Life guards. A vitality just 10 feet and one thought away
From Sheila’s memorial.
She chose the place,
Fully aware of the celebratory ambiance
That her friends and family would experience.
What a thoughtful way to say good-bye!
Cheney
I consider myself a patriot.
I believe in the greatness of America.
I have used my gifts for my country’s good.
I could not do less.
My life has been dedicated to the American dream.
I fear we are becoming weak.
New leaders do not see the dangers
That I fought to subdue.
Some claim I wanted the Iraq war.
That it would enrich me.
That my choice of suppliers and contractors
Was influenced by Mammon.
Others argue that I presented false choices,
Ignored salient factors
And tried to unduly influence studies
That might otherwise find the need to fight unsatisfied.
I did not seek exemption from military service
To avoid harm’s way.
It was my need to learn and thereby
Help our great country through perilous times.
I applaud your personal virtue,
Your wish to perserve the planet.
But we, as a great nation, must make choices
That first protect our shores and way of life.
So yes, God bless America!
Let tyrants and terrorists
Fear our wrath.
For we are the righteous.
I believe in the greatness of America.
I have used my gifts for my country’s good.
I could not do less.
My life has been dedicated to the American dream.
I fear we are becoming weak.
New leaders do not see the dangers
That I fought to subdue.
Some claim I wanted the Iraq war.
That it would enrich me.
That my choice of suppliers and contractors
Was influenced by Mammon.
Others argue that I presented false choices,
Ignored salient factors
And tried to unduly influence studies
That might otherwise find the need to fight unsatisfied.
I did not seek exemption from military service
To avoid harm’s way.
It was my need to learn and thereby
Help our great country through perilous times.
I applaud your personal virtue,
Your wish to perserve the planet.
But we, as a great nation, must make choices
That first protect our shores and way of life.
So yes, God bless America!
Let tyrants and terrorists
Fear our wrath.
For we are the righteous.
I Accuse
Josephus sold out to the Romans,
And his followers died.
Historians may be grateful,
They learned much from his writings.
Dick Cheney sold America to Haliburton,
Hundreds of thousands died.
His perfect war, at the perfect time
Made him, a wealthy man, wealtheir.
His treason was not unique,
Just blatant and expensive.
There is a great lesson here,
But then why bother, we’ve heard it before.
And his followers died.
Historians may be grateful,
They learned much from his writings.
Dick Cheney sold America to Haliburton,
Hundreds of thousands died.
His perfect war, at the perfect time
Made him, a wealthy man, wealtheir.
His treason was not unique,
Just blatant and expensive.
There is a great lesson here,
But then why bother, we’ve heard it before.
Two strollers
One Fox Terrier in the stroller
A second leashed, walking alongside, sniffed Rose’s butt.
I spoke to the Terrier's care-giver,
Doing everything but exchanging photos.
Fifty feet down Orange Avenue
Another stroller was being pushed
With great effort, by a small woman
Wearing an aged, oversized,
Slightly frayed brown Army winter coat,
Gloves, scarf, and boots on this warm summer day.
Her face was deeply lined, hard, and decidedly unhappy.
Her stroller held an overflowing
Large black garbage bag,
With a small brown dog wedged alongside.
Pulling Rose, I hurried past the woman.
A second leashed, walking alongside, sniffed Rose’s butt.
I spoke to the Terrier's care-giver,
Doing everything but exchanging photos.
Fifty feet down Orange Avenue
Another stroller was being pushed
With great effort, by a small woman
Wearing an aged, oversized,
Slightly frayed brown Army winter coat,
Gloves, scarf, and boots on this warm summer day.
Her face was deeply lined, hard, and decidedly unhappy.
Her stroller held an overflowing
Large black garbage bag,
With a small brown dog wedged alongside.
Pulling Rose, I hurried past the woman.
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