Love and War and In-Between

***

090815

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Whether choice or fate,
will you take the bait?

How big a mistake
are you willing to make?


090814

SIDE BY SIDE

Easy lives and hard,
concern and disregard,
life and death—

go side by side
breath by breath.


090813

BOND OF BROTHERS

Friends of freedom:
friends we are,
though our countries
be at war.


090812

SLOW AT WRITIN’

Ain’t writ no "pome" in awhile.
Ain’t twittered none, at least.

Wanna git fast an’ versa-tile
a‘fore I git de-ceased.


090811

HUH? SAY AGAIN?

Lots of telemarketers lately.

After the ring, hello, and long pause
and before hanging up, he says,
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but
no one at this house has diabetes."


090810

LOVE LOVES

all that is
as it is


090809

EGGS-PONENTIAL

Eggs!
One. Three. Four.
Next time we look,
there may be more.

Sitting the nest
is setting the stage
for many too many
birds in the cage.

Eggs from birds!
Birds from eggs!
Way too many
birds and eggs!


090808

COMPOUND LESSON

We are here to learn.
We are here to love.
We are here to teach.

We are here to learn
to love to teach ...love.


090807

QUANDARY

Is intuition
the way to go?

My best guess
in this case—no.


090806

AN OLD STORY

Young and raw,
setting out, full of pride;
he was on his way
to somewhere.

Young and raw,
taken in, set aside;
she was on his way
to somewhere.


090805

IS IT SAFE YET?

each newborn life
(it well may be)
begins both innocent and free
and if no elder interferes
does not assume
our age-old fears


090804

SEA OF GREEN

You occupy my heart.
You occupy my mind.

Through you, Iran, I find:
all mankind is intertwined.


090803

LOVE NOTE

Love to all I used to fear,
till late.

Love to all I used to hate
(to hate to try to please).

Love to
friends-slash-enemies.


090802

THAT’S WHY

Why am I not sleeping?
It’s way past time for bed.
Because I’m tired…

of keeping thought-bits
in my head; that’s why I write
so late at night.


090801

VISITING HOURS

old lady daughter
old lady mother
recognizing
and not recognizing
each other


090731

RAIN!

mid-morning
mid-summer rain—

cool hand
soothing
fevered brow


090730

TANKA

daffodils this spring
bloomed as surprisingly as
surprise lilies now—
not in either neighbor’s’ yard,
but in the wasteland between

[ASIDE: Japanese form with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable count.]


090729

THE WORK (for Katie)

Think any thought
that bothers you:
chances are, it isn’t true.


090728

COCOON

each day's life
spins its own shroud,
readying for sleep


090727

ATTENTION!

To save a life
may require as little as this—
become conscious
that lives are in jeopardy.


090726

ARRIVAL

I know to expect it;
still, it gives me shivers—
how quickly,
how accurately
the universe delivers!


THE DAY'S EVENTS

Dead at road edges today,
more than twenty feet apart:
two moles and a brim.
No buzzards.
I fed the ducks.
Dogs followed me home.


090725

IT’S “WHOA-WHOA” TIME

In another part of the house,
he is talking to the cats—
admiring them, asking questions,
commenting on the day.

I can’t make out his words,
just the happy hum.


[ASIDE: Afternoon feeding time coincided,
when it was first established,
with the opening refrain of the TV Oprah show:
“WHOA-oh, WHOA-oh, OH-prah!” which evolved
into something shorter.]


090724

NWARSP (for Donnie)

The talk you gave was more than grand—
you helped us all to understand…

Company culture is a choice
twix one thing and another:
“One for all and all for one!”
or “Mash and crush and smother!”

True leaders let no chance slip past
to pay respect to crew and cast.

[ASIDE: This was a candygram accompanied by:
100 GRAND, TWIX, 3 MUSKETEERS,
CRUNCH bar, BUTTERFINGERS and PAYDAYS]


090723

THE FABLE OF LABELS

The fearful, the harmful,
the foreign, the unclean—
I’m learning by unlearning
what everything means.


090722

DREAMY

Bananas:
high-fiber, low-cal,
filling and creamy.

Fresh or frozen;
oh, so creamy!
What other food
is like that? Sweet!


090721

PARACHUTING OUT

Severance pay—
whether you want to go
or want to stay;
this is the way
to make severance
pay.


REFUGE

Take my money, take my home,
take sun, moon, sky, and birds;
I will bless you with a pome,
for I will still have words.


***