Hometown Music

Coffee morning foyer
He sits with his guitar
A melody in heartstrings
Played at the breakfast bar

They bring him extra Java
To try to keep him there
And hope that soul-felt music
Keeps floating on the air

He never spoke a sentence
More than a couple words
But all the local patrons
Enjoyed the things they heard

I never once approached him
I never learned his name
Until the day the reaper
Had filed another claim

And now the shop seems empty
Though still I think I hear
Somewhere he must be playing
Among angelic ears.

Gelatin Dessert

Gelatin plate with sweetened berries
Mixed with toppings made of cream
Molded in a shape that's merry
Halfway twixt a dinner's dream

Though the tasty treats are many
That a connoisseur could name
I am doubtful you'll find any
With a texture quite the same!

Dancer

Glittering in silver black
Flying o'er the stage
Heels resounding
Music, wild and living,
Stirs the heart to answer
As the enemy's defeated
And our ears and eyes are treated
To the sight.
Virtue wins and love is rescued
Crumbling answers are rejected;
That which grows and breathes unpoisoned
Is now free to feed on light
And in this,
Bloom.
Thus the empty inner room
That every soul its chamber knows
Will join the tune.

Upstairs Room

From the room the view is best
Like a sparrow in a nest
Highest up the window view
Shows what's new.

Nothing's new around just yet
Grass and pavement getting wet
As the steady rain that pours
Does the chores.

When the world is washed and bright
Crickets chirp announce the night
And the street lamps further down
Light the sound.

Breathe Round Other Ways News

Tree bark, coffee, chocolate chips,
Soft and fertile earth,
Wood grain, wood stain, pencil tips,
Dog and puppy fur,
Clothing flashing matching shades
In their richest brown parades
Calmness shimmers in the tone
Heaven gave our eyes to own.

Pony

Rippling muscles running strong
Streaming mane and tail along
Snorting in her living glee
Cantered through the field to me

Burring nose so velvet pink
Gives a hint to what you think
Carrot in my pocket? Yes!
However did you guess?

Cheese

Swiss, Havarti, cheddar, Jack,
Make a satisfying snack.
Colby, cottage, provolone,
Soothe the hungry stomach's moan.
Mozzarella, plain or cooked,
Is a winner in my book.
Parmesan, Romano, brick,
Grated, sliced both thin and thick,
Cream cheese makes a lovely pie
Munster's good on ham and rye
Melted nachos, warm with fire,
Cause the eater to perspire.
Oh, how bland the world would be
If there were no cows (or cheese)!

To Fish

Lures, flies, jigs, dough,
Worms, minnows, spinners,
Weights, lines, bobbers, boats,
All for catching dinners.

Reels, poles, hats, nets,
Finders for the deep,
Hoping that the best one gets
Big enough to keep!

Lightning

In depth of gray, a bolt of light
That flashes on a rainy night
With beauty that inspires fear
And warnings that are loud and clear.*

I wonder if without it we
Would now be using energy
Or be inspired to generate
The power that has made us great?

This killer luminosity
That sparked our curiosity
Restores the ozone to the sphere
So we can all keep living here.

*Author's note: What would it be like to live in a world where, instead of hearing the approach of a thunderstorm, storms randomly spent sparks in split seconds, silently? What would a silent thunderstorm be like to experience? How would we know when all was clear to go out again? How would we know to be careful? Or would we be paranoid and always looking over our shoulders if the storms were silent, never sure it's not around waiting to zap someone? Something I've thought about.

Near Star

We like the sun,
And well we might:
Without it we'd have always night
When day is dawn
Then we can see
From where we get our energy

Without the sun
And what it gives
There'd be not one of us that lives;
The animals
And all the plants
The very same in circumstance

It fed the young
From long ago
Who passed to us the things they know
It feeds us now
And future eyes
May wake to see it set and rise.

Night Cat

Eyes large, paws prowl
Perfect balance on the fence
Soft fur, silent steps
Magnifying every sense
Perked ears, perfect sight
In the dimming cricket light.

Sewing

A spool, a cylinder
Is round
Upon which winding
Threads are found
And if someone
Inclined to sew
Who has the thread
And has the know
Should take a look
And take a notion
We will see
Their sewing motion
Making something
Whole, or new
A very useful
Thing to do
And so creative
As we see
Some mended, and
Some yet to be.

Red Block

Red block on the floor
How did you get there?
Know what you are for,
Or do you care?

A hand put you there
Of that is no doubt
There's no other way
A block could get out.

The toy box is full
Of others like you
So that's where I will
Return you to.

Next time when a hand
And mind will make art
You'll not be it all
But a part.

Together you'll stand
Divide and you'll fall
Intelligent hand
Learns it all.

The Anvil

The ringing of the anvil
Was a disappointing tone
For though I raise the hammer
It will spark upon the stone
(We thought we had it figured out,
And we were not alone.)
And yet I bread to wonder
Why the pie flew in the sky
And why the woods for weeks stood still
And let their sailors die.
(For who had not yet felt the death
Of rivers that run dry?)
And here I stand and wonder,
And go, "Why, oh why, oh why?"

Wolf

Large, soft paws
Long legs
Thick fur
Deep eyes
Sharp teeth
Night song
Heard far
Thinks hard
Herds prey
Runs fast
Leaps high
Feeds cubs.

Country Bicycle

Knobby tires pass
Over fescue grass
Riders on their bikes
Pedal where they like
In the morning chill
Up the bouncing hill
Down the other side
(Easy coasting ride)
See what nature tells
Ring the handle bells
Insects upward fly
As they happen by
Muscles gaining tone
(Whoops! Avoid that stone!)
Helmets in the breeze
Rushing past the trees
Onward winding trail
(See the hiding quail?)
Breathless from the ride
Drinks and rest inside.

Apple Path

Upon the nervous dawn of school
I'd often close my eyes
And see an apple paradise
That still I see sometimes

A lonely path stood empty near
A sturdy fence of board
It led to the horizon whence
A warmth of brilliance poured.

The apple trees around me stood
Upon a lawn of green
And nothing stirred or moved them in
The absolute serene.

And still today it beckons me
To come and walk that road
To find what lies beyond it where
The peace and apples glowed.

Northern Tractors

Cross the now unfrosted fields
Tractors wake from winter sleep
Churning dirt to foster yields
That the tractors never eat.
In their busy rolling gait
As they putter in the soil
Others now admiring wait
For the product of their toil.

Storm Brothers

The clouds that zapped each other clapped
And each accused the other
Of being better favored by
Their legendary mother

Great insults blew and brothers bragged
As each one puffed up more
While hailstones flew and lightning zagged
To settle up the score

But as they grew the thundering two
Were locked into a spin
That made them move and rain as one
And drew more water in

Till tumbling round in vengeance bound
They roared above the sea
Engulfing everything around
In furied energy

So fast they fought in struggle caught
It led them to perspire
Till almost all their rain was gone
And they began to tire

They never settled who it was
Their mother favored best
But put it off and called a truce
Till they've both had a rest.

Country Things

Tire swing
Cedar trail
Bird's wing
Metal pail
Bee sting
Fence rail
BB's zing
Vultures sail
Burrs cling
Storms hail
Engine pings
Tires fail
Rooster sings
Heavy bales
Truck brings
Dusty mail
Memories ring
Rural tales.

Dolly

A little girl, a little chair,
A quilt, a light, a shawl,
A quiet little corner where
She's playing with her doll.

The others come, the others go,
And she could see them all;
They did not interrupt her, though,
As she played with her doll.

And sometimes eyes filled with surprise
And paused along the hall
And noticed she (How could it be?)
Looked so much like her doll.

Dedicated to my grandma, whose nickname is Dolly.

Time Sands

The time is flowing like the sands
Between the fingers of your hands
And what you choose to do with it
Before life's whistle signals quit
Can leave the world a better place
And paint it with a fairer face.

Parakeet

Rounded sea green plastic base
Seed cups cling to bars of white
Perches climb in ample space
Exercise for health and flight

Tall the pole of matched decor
Birdbath water daily new
Gravel strewn along the floor
Cuttle bone for them to chew

Chirping chatter as they climb
Making sounds that mimic words
Joyous play with toys that chime
Budgies are amusing birds!

Wandering Jim

Every time the turkey dropped a feather from its tail
Big Jim collected it to make a headdress for the trail.
A lonely pathway he had cut through saplings, brush, and vines,
Which rolled around the countryside in undulating lines.
He had no pony, but he kept a spotted sturdy goat
Which followed him in pack gear with his stove and tent in tote.
Round and round he wandered on the acreage of his farm,
A pioneering image with a rifle on his arm.
In deerskin and in denim though the air of autumn chilled
He trampled ever on where his imagination willed.
Some may have thought him crazy but in that they could be wrong;
Each one of us is wandering to find where we belong.

The Greatest Sneeze

First the feathers flew in fluff
Till my nose had had enough
Blowing billows, filthy dust,
Rotten fibers, flaking rust,
Pollen from a dozen trees
All contribute to the sneeze
Grander blasts were never known
Nor a louder ever blown
Scared my granny up a tree
Caused the parking lot to flee
(Frightened looks on every face,
But I got my favorite space)
Shattered windows, woke the town
(The whole night shift lives around)
Till they called in the police
For disturbing of the peace
But they all had sneezes, too
So to them it's nothing new
"Everyone (now stand back please)
Has the legal right to sneeze."