Redemption Isn’t Possible

I think the next great religious movement

May not have a house of worship.

Believers will hold rallies,

But only in public spaces.

Their followers will refer to themselves

As members of the Coming Doom,

Each adherent shall be labeled a Doomster.

They’ll adorn themselves with sandwich signs,

Emblazoned fore and aft, on every sign,

Will be the Coming Doom motto,

“We Are Gaining!!!”

Below that will be a picture.

While the photo will change weekly,

It shall show the “Disaster of the Week”,

Always in black and white.

And always a scene of mass slaughter.

Surrounding the dead bodies,

Striking a reverential pose,

May appear handicapped children

And disabled octogenarians.

Each sign carrier will be

Dressed in bleach,

They will be grasping a swinging lantern,

And distributing very disturbing literature.

Since their job is to help prepare the way

They will not be silent.

They’ll bellow “We are Doomed,

Redemption is not Possible?”

What Matters-The Sun

Never lived in Fresno or Stockton,

The food-basket of the United States

Surrounds those towns: North, South, East and West.

Both places get Tully Fog in the winter.

Tully fog stays close to the grown.

Not much sun below 10 feet.

The coast never gets Tully Fog, 

or 100 degree summer days.

Fresno and Stockton do get lots of suicides.

I know this lady with family in Fresno.

She wants to go back there.

Leave San Diego for Fresno.?

A Day In The Life

I don’t think she’s a wizard

How many 4 year-olds can play

Their Castles and Knights cleverly?

Still, she can sit for an hour working

On second alternative moves.

Our conversation is not limited to the game at hand

But roams into my granddaughters’ use of nail-polish,

Difficulties with the dogs

And love of bagels

On the following morning

Alessia is quiet

Running a modest fever

With attendant mood swings

Her world shifts from warm and caring

To sniffles and tears, and back.

My cauliflower ear, passed to my son Jay

Who has bestowed the gift on his daughter

While Alessia has inherited from mom, Marisa,

The title of shortest girl in her kindergarten class.

Didn't See It Coming

It started slowly and gradually increased;

Resulting in Andy & me walking

Without Diana and Rose.

We had commented on Rose’s

Strange behavior when walking near Andy;

A growing curiosity that was just odd.

It somehow seemed slightly negative.

Andy liked Rose, but Diana and I were a little uncomfortable

Leading to dog and wife strolling on their own.

Six months later Andy was diagnosed;

Pancreatic Cancer

I had never considered Rose’s behavior

As more then eccentric,

Never saw it coming.

Put The Ball In the Basket

After a surprisingly good dinner at Dave’s & Buster’s

We spent an hour and ten dollars playing a few of the

1,000 games flashing their wares. If lucky you go home with

trinkets that might entertain an infant who luxuriates by putting

Goodies, whether chocolate or plastic, to the taste test.

It was basketballs through the hoop from six feet away

That caught my attention.

I was never the best shooter on the court,

Except for my famous hook shot.

It was fabled because at 5’8” I rarely got

Close enough to launch.

Now I was challenged to reach the basket.

Having failed with push shots

I resorted to a one handed heave.

I Thank The Author Of This Day

I thank the author of this day.

The weather has warmed.

Whatever forces control such gifts

Have made this morning special.

A gentle offshore breeze covers the sound

That the seven foot symmetrical ocean waves

 Must insist upon the boulders that line the shore.

 I attribute the songs of the crows and gulls

That circle the blue/green ocean

To a lightness in their flight

Yes, in a more cynical turn of mind,

I would fault all but the ocean and sky,

The grass, trees and other artificial placements

Of the supporting cast does not,  

On this most magnificent of days, assault my senses.

This morning is a testament to my good fortune.

Fall On The Ball

It may not wake Cam.

It wasn’t at all clear he would have retrieved the ball

But now he was reliving the moment

Knowing he had more than failed

Millions of people saw his hesitation

No, that’s not right.

He backed off from the scrum

Five, no eight other guys dove for the ball

The video, showed it a thousand times,

Clear, unmitigated and condemning

Commentators in Spanish and English

Spoke of his failure…cowardice.

A season of highs, well earned, erased.

All the elations, summersaults into the end zone, trashed.

Oh god, let me sleep.

Socks First

Every morning, across America,

Whether we are wealthy or poor, young or old,

Tall or tiny, we face an enigma that has

Flummoxed us for over 100 years.

To shoe or not to shoe?

Morning dress must pass the trousers stage

Before we need address the persistent puzzle.

Whether hurried or luxuriating over the choices,

We cannot face the day until we decide.

Is it best to put your shoe on before

Before socking you’re other foot?

Will completing leg A prove more expedient?

Some argue that having both socks in place

Confers greater confidence in your choice

Of clodhopper, boot, sneaker, slipper or loafer.

Consider the immense loss of time

Experienced when three hundred million people

Take even 10 seconds to weigh the options.

To resolve the dilemma I ask your help.

Join my “save the seconds club—socks first”.!

To Belong

Larry Schwartz was a nice guy,

And he was really popular.

To be invited to lunch with Larry and the guys

Was worth a lot.

It was an easy decision to toss Mom’s sandwich,

A good salami with mustard on Rye,

(Telling them it was just a cream cheese and jelly.)

In favor of being one of the boys.

From time to time Gail Smith was Larry’s girlfriend.

Gail was unattached

When we accidentally meet on Avenue U one year later.

It was very nice, talking to this pretty girl.

We said goodbye without my getting her phone number,

Without my inviting her to a Saturday movie,

Without my doing anything that might be constructive.

I was a fifteen year old with few social skills, in torment.

If I had a fresh salami sandwich

It might have led to our sitting on a park bench.

I sure wished I had that sandwich to share with Gail.

Did I say Gail was really nice and very pretty?

We could have gone to the movies,

Maybe held hands.

I would have walked her home,

And she would have become my girlfriend.