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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Writ Out - with audio

 audio link

All shut up,
All writ out
Try to write,
It won't come out
Try again,
Turn about
Stretch the words,
Make them shout
The head is empty,
Nothing's there
No feelings felt,
No despair
Clever quips
All flown away
Muted strikes
The end of day
Blood turns still
Thick as cotton
Stillborn thoughts
Now forgotten
The new idea
Does not sketch
Withdrawn upon
An empty nest
A sling of sighs
With none to cast
Colors withheld
No stained glass
Not to worry,
Nor to pity
Hemingway lives
In a far off city
Shakespeare never stooped
Down this stair
His hand touched not
The mundane fare
So what of it when
Wispy wind sought
Is withheld and demented
Then tied in a knot
The smoke of this
Scrit is but sot
And thus contented
With his lot
The pen refuses
To put the jot
So silly strings
Need not be missed
Of nothing written,
Nothing wrought
When the lines all
Come to naught.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dreaming Again - with audio

audio link

I was dreaming again, of untroubled time
But the watchers came and killed the dream
Dressed in hollow lab coats white and clean
With no ears to hear my scream
And secret words behind the walls were spoken
My head hurt and inside my words were choking
The labor of my hand was turned against my name
Wide eye stares and rubber faces
Official chicken gibberish words spake out
Till from deep in the earth rose up anger's shout
My mind could no longer see,
But the grabbing of their collars and slapping of their faces
My words had not syllable, could write no sound, no cases
For the hideous creatures shrieking had no gentleness
The skinner box was closed and the righteousness
Of the headless invisible ones crushed all that was good
Breaking heart and will, looking on behind darkened hood
Oh so tired to carry, that which needs be buried 
The boxer had no place to strike at blood and clay
For the shadows on the wall had all run away
Back to their places behind the day
Back to where they'd been before
Little dictators one and all
Gone home caning in Singapore
Do not chase them, let them go
For anger doth kill the mortal soul,
They like spiders run to count vibrations
Caught up in coolie whispered lies
Those black hole bellied spies
Sucking out all life from the hive
Till they fall fast like broken lines
From the weight of shallow hollow spines.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Long Lost Ladd - with audio

audio link

LONG LOST LAD

I'm lookin for a long lost Ladd
I knew him well,
I Knew his dad
I found him on the doorstep
Saw him on the dialpad
But now he's gone away,
I hope not angry,
Perchance not sad

He climbed the bears nest
Divined the sailors' shipwreck
Now on land,
Then again on deck
Where'd he go now,
This son of the Titans
To feed the waif
And fill the wayward
With food and tale,
Folksong and ale

About the meek and strong
Beautiful in every heart drawn,
Till all with sleepy eyes it seems
Are ready for the comfort of dreams
'Tis said a hand on the helm
Gives warmth to the soul,
For those who know the pilot's skill
And so the winds whisper still.....

Laddy, where have you gone to son?

Sunday, November 28, 2010

A Moment With the Torah - with audio

audio link

I grabbed hold of the Torah and hugged it close,
My head going into it's cover
Pressing against the softness of it's velvet
With eyes closed and in a moment
Before we began to sing
I felt my soul travel off to be with Him
Enraptured and enfolded
By His Almighty presence
For an instant
All cares and worries faded
I thought to myself
This must be what it is like
To pass from this world to the next
No thought of responsibility, toil,
Nor the weight of this life and others
Just a short time of peace in the warmth,
Comfort and shadow of His outstretched arm
Knowing the Sabbath rest,
But more than this
To be all enveloped
In stillness without desire
No intent did take me there,
Nor did it bring me back
It was the sound of our voices
Canting the words of the Torah processional
Down from Sinai Moses descends with
G-d's holy word in his hands
It was an auspicious time
A time when G-d's voice
Could be discerned in dreams
Not a voice of anger toward Pharaoh 
But one of love and correction
So that we might know for ourselves
Beyond mere trust,
But rather by experience
King Davids words of Psalm 23.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Winter Night - with audio

audio link

I love the winter night
The cold dark so stark and bright
No one out, none in site
Walk on for miles in silent moonlight

So peaceful is the fair
Midnight cleansing air
That washes over me
As my dog and I pass there

Stunning the resplendence
Of its pristine clarity
Like a mountain stream falling
Making soft the mind's horizon

Gently flowing
Carrying us along
While others sleep well
We continue on

All of us wrapped up together
In the watchful starry blanket
A sea of souls, the Painter's brush strokes
Canvasing the texture of innocence

Like one who takes my hand and
Calms that which tries to comprehend
The unending unseen extending out
Beyond the steps I set about

On to the unspoken blowing whispers
Over the white snow and black Terran lake
So refreshing to this ethereal kite
Pure and beautiful, the winter night


Some Kind of Purgatory - with audio

audio link

When the travelers' sleep began to thaw
The shadows had not yet gone to rest
A moment in the wall of cold, then harnesses buckled
Once again the iron gate called out its ancient sound
Beyond the colonnade and gardens two sprites shown
A lone sentry watched as we entered his regard
Marking our departure from the place of dreams
A coyote, that crooked shade, paused, then flew across the way
Opening an unseen lock to let our vessel pass
His bushy pale grey tail flagged us onward
Out and into the main channel's current,
Between the mouth of the railroad's black underbrush
And the opposing forest of cobalt house shrubbery
We passed by in our heated soap bubble
Black shadows danced about on the corner
As if driven by an oven's pungent breath
Like black flames in some kind of purgatory
There in the tender wisps of white morning mists
Dangling like bait on unseen strings
Until the great metal Leviathan
Came down hard and fast with a wail and a snort
To swallow everyone, his soul and future
Carrying them off like Jonahs to Nineveh
Where had they gone, to whom would they prophesy
My head turned round,
There my little one was left behind
To bathe at sun up in a cheery water polo soup
While I drifted on into the hazy blinding sky at high speeds
Then coughed out and delivered on the doorstep
Picking up where I'd left off and
Stepping into the clock of the dream breaker
I Slowly awakened to glare of florescent lights
With the warm smell of strong coffee
Pouring through my mind

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sleep

For now to sleep
The bygone way
To leave behind
The things of day
To travel on
A darkened stay
Into the light

Of thoughts and sprites
Forgone and last
To wrongs and rights

Beneath the mast
What cannot be
He must work past
In hungry rings
Of future's Milky Way
All the things
That we conceive
Flights of spirit,
Souls, you and me

G-d rocks the cradle ever gently
Into the not yet and spectral jello
Beyond the reach of fractured sun-ray

Blanket and pillow
On silken bedding bare
In the quiet stream
Of cool night air
Befuddled, troubled,
Peaceful, clear
Looking for one
Who passed by here
Through hallways long

In garden passages
Delighted to be swimming
Up in the breezes

While yet resting
With princes and sages
Unseen family testing
Help turn the pages
Enter one swept onward
Brave blind coward
Doors and currents please
With lilting birdsong
Unknowable day to seize

Clouds recline and kiss the dawn
Misting joy on sunlit buttercups
Bid the morning haze begone

Spreading out far and wide
Lifting spirit and every eye
Telling of the news
Herein lives another day.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Horse Hoof and Hound - with audio

audio link

Upon hearing the sound
Of  horn, hoof and hound
Like mountain streams gone river bound
Refreshing waters underground
In canyons deep where oceans abound
Done round and round and round
He ventured and stumbled on like a funny clown
To the peopled boroughs where the lights shown
Up and down around the mounds
Over the hills and statued lawns
In distant floating nights
In breezy chirping dawns
On his face grew dew and sun
Guiding to the place and town
Of schooled and steepled vagabond
Where the only safe one
Was the rabbit on the run


The glory was great and wine ran freely
Kisses like roses, fragrant, blushing and lively 
Those in tails and wedding gowns danced gaily
Rocking babies in their cribs slept well
Old ones rested and blessed the spell
With stories long gone and present to tell
So the spinning spun along in the dell
And all things seemed well done and said
When on the green the fox turned red
Startled by the black sound of a gun
Well before it's shout the race had begun
Come spring, come summer, come fall undone
For life and horizon
Origin and destination
Cursing, fighting and alienation
Creating, loving, with much dedication
Toil, blessing and damnation
Prayer, song and coronation
Flowers, fowlers and commendation
Prosperity, fools gold, joy and lamentation
Of living, dying and regeneration


Till the muted coo coo looked on without animation
In the pasture cows lowed to slow the expectation
Time's point ever sharpening while dulling sensation,
Shot an arrow from a distant quiver
Below, Country and  town  began to shiver
Breath on his lips was fleeting, and the clouds fickle
Southward Ducks and Geese looked down like angels
Upon each newborn calf, lamb and foal
The bell in the in the market place began to toll
With howling the windswept snow-squalls flew
Slowly hands of ice on placid waters grew
Then all was calm in his mind's landscape view
All he had been and done, those he'd loved and known
'Till the days were gone and scattered shadows shew
Now lain aside were cap and gown
As vacant white sleep lay quiet on frozen ground
Silently, fly away, fly away sight and sound
Far from his bosom, where he lay down 
With the earth his bed, the cold his blanket,
The snow his pillow, G-d his comfort,
And death his crown.

Monday, June 07, 2010

The Well of Night - with audio

audio link

The Well of night is frightening
The dark hides many things
To look therein is fearful
What is found there is terrifying
Inside the broken rings it brings

The Sunlight sinks down upon the barrier
Reflecting on the surface of it's pool
And gives me strength like a warrior
To carry on strong, yet my heart is cool
I dare not peer into that place

For this strength is weakness that must pass
In that day far away but sure
When tidal season brings the rain
To wash away the dredge of sludge
To drain away the underwater pain

When night is broken and peace shall reign
There baby and elder, sick and unwanted
Large and insignificant are to gain
Then I will lose myself in clear blue sky
On resting vapor's floating sigh

With stars for companions by and by.

A Prayer for loved ones - audio link

 audio link

Oh the pain, Oh the pain
For my loved ones
And their fading strength
Like a breath that I cannot catch
Like the fleeting moment that is past
As I climb a mountain of emotion
To the pinnacle of prayer
There I spy release from evil's lair
For my beloved ones tender and slight
To see them struggle against darkest night
Oh Lord fan the spark of life
His assurance calms my fright
I do not know where they travel
In His ship of peace can be no evil
I take comfort in this right spirit

Oh the pain, Oh the pain
Of my loved ones ripped away
Their faces fade to black and white
Speaking softly in my night of their day
Showing me things I'd long forgotten
They clap for me while I play
Silently they tread away
From my field of cotton
In their eyes a knowing look
Welled up with tears of joy
My heart is sad and lachrymose
With the longings of a boy
To be enfolded again in arms now lost
Where they are I cannot be
Where they be I surely go
To the deep black night of heaven's sea

When the sun shall wash away our memory
And we embrace at the end of day
Restored anew in Love's endless country.

Time and Being - with audio

audio link

The twisting cloudy mists
Of all that we seek to grasp
Slips away to become
That which we think we wanted
And when we find ourselves
In the place of our desire
A pebble comes to break up
Our reflection in the pool of vision
At that instant the crash of time appears
Violently to rip away part of our life and
For a fleeting moment we come
Face to face with our mortality
In the cold damp tomb of
Our now uncertain future
No matter how we distract ourselves
In the flurry of life
A piece of us shudders
Waiting for the shock of death
To deliver us into
The still and roaring presence of the Eternal.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Oklahoma - with audio

audio link

Oklahoma is that state
Which bares the worst scars
Of our country in its very soul
An Indian head penny
Minted and pressed out
In the great depression,
It's land still breaths the threats
And curses of the dust bowl
The spirits in the plains wind
Have drawn from deep wells of hatred,
Bigotry, hardship and bitter sleep
The ground yet boasts of
The blood of black tar
And the willows rest alone
The air is like dusty coffee
The people like a painting
For the clocks there are surreal
The earth is become brown and even
Supported by the hum and bumpy line
Of a bug-like pickup truck on the horizon
Fear not, for Oklahoma is a wide
And mighty roaring river of faith
Burnt and tested golden
In the furnace of time
It will carry each contemplative soul
Back to his or her destiny
Some on a whirlwind,
And that with great simplicity
Don't chase away the blackbird
When you catch his scrawny tune
His song may be the freshest event
That will split the serenity of your plateau,
Save the light of G-d
In the hearts of men passing near.

The Old Oak, In Memory of Robert Frost - with audio

audio link

The old oak stands stretching tall
Full of sweet dripping sap
That smells so like mash
Who's stain of sticky resin stays

As I walk away with turned back
And feel the weight of sunbeams
Coming through his fingers
Striking out my shadow

A ponderous wonderment of strength
In his robust limbs and branches
Casting down cool patches of shade
Baring and bending, filtering light

In that shelter the birds alight
Fluttering along the creaking bough
Their songs a shower of blessings
Flowing down the ripply, wrinkled trunk

Grasping twisted roots find their way
Ants tickling the belly of amber red leaves
That crackle and swish with life, while
From the Old Oak's base flows a legacy

Of warmth to the spirit, and
Refreshment to the soul of creatures
A Spring of words traveling ever onward,
Curling, drifting and working through each eddy

Telling truths and secrets - this one to be sure,
Even as the woolly bed of winter comes
To bring the Old Oak blanketed sleep...
There is Another, Who smiles to see him wake.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Speaker - with audio

audio link

Analogies like allergies
Spring forth like pollen
In the flower of a teaching

Oh those diagrams
Shine like diadems
In the mind of the speaker

Get off of my perception
It's too free to be used
For building up your ego
Which has gotten so huge

Lift up a mountain
Drink up the sea
Capture the wind
Its all the same to me

How is it the man does not hear
What has to us become so clear
That the clouds have crowded his ears

Syllogisms, stories, little jokes
Enthymemes, quips, anecdotes
Pickles, olives, artichokes
All seem so very much remote

To those waiting for the news
Thirsty for some hidden truths
But never there to find

Once eclipsed and passed over,
Behind the blind, drawn
By the words... of the speaker

Leaden Splendor - with audio

audio link

None can
Console him
In his present state
He got up early
Then stayed up late
His mind like butter
In the cold
His actions like those
Of a 70 yr old
His mirror image
Torn asunder
His body cast
In leaden splendor
Makes him
Speculate and wonder
Shall he
Ever recover
Now cast aside
The old sock
Let caffeine break
The mental block
This grumpy soul
Now taken
Shall surely
Sharpen and awaken
Until his eyes
Can clearly see
What the clay is
Meant to be.

On the Bus and Sea - with audio

audio link

He said my head hurts
The noise blanketed all
With it's backdrop music
Of voices floating and dancing
On the steady grumbling
Of the bus engine

Through the looking glass
Mogan Davids fluttered in the
Hot unseen breath
On and on swam our ship
Round and round
On the black, white striped channel

The sun reached in with a
Right hand of light and
A left hand that warmed the soul
A shomer spoke of Abraham
His footsteps and sweet donkeys
To carry our burdens

A voice called out: trinkets for sale
But the gas prices were too high
No shekels were left to buy
One danced off to Jerusalem
To plan out his Aliyah
Then came loaves of bread and fish

These fed a multitude of hearts at rest
Rows of flowers divided the way
Toward the clouds and looking back
Over the shoulder lay the Kineret
As sea level sent it's greeting
A familiar blast of hot air

On the waves, in the 4th of July
National Anthem rang out
In a far away land
Hatikvah in the sea of Galilee
Boating and dancing
Singing and clapping

Vodka with the mates
Placid waves calm the spirit
Cool winds bless the soul
Lives and hearts in joy
Under the watchful eye of the captain
In the loving hand of HaShem

Around the next bend stretched out
A table cloth of the land's produce
Peopled around by hills and mountains
The silence cried out farewell Galil
Bails of hay in sentry formation
Surveying the rich dark soil

The manufacturer man's building
Stood to the left Like a medieval castle
What's nu with the cows on the way
They speak of Golani guns on the right
A ping pong match of Quarried cliffs,
Up and down, back and forth

Wooded land, Mohammedan
Minarets and more cows watched
Watermelons pass us backwards
Afraid to approach Bet Rimon
But ripe enough for Cana
 Sweet edges of the field for the stranger

A wave of red clay rose up and
Broke nearby, only to rise again
This time carrying bougainvilleas on the crest
Sunset in color they fled away
As a tractored Don Quixote
Shooed us away from an olive orchard

Our eyes drank in the blue reservoir
Puffy white sheep gathered overhead
Shepherded by our dreams
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
For the coming age of Messiah
In each vineyard, under every fig tree

Rabbi Hanasi spoke from the land to
Seal up the writings of the elders
While looking down at Nazareth
From the high perch of Ziporee
Some were jealous of Moses' woman
Turning bone white, and the land gave not it's water

A buzzing voice broke in from overhead
Stir yourselves my friends
Then dusty sabras grabbed the bus
With their knives and would not let go
In the unrelenting wall of heat
Until we stopped to drink and walk.

Loss In and Around Old Town - with audio

audio link

As I left Old Town,
I climbed the hills and winding ways,
Then up the airport escalator, and
Finally, through a wall of sound into
The sky. All the while I kept my tears in
A pocket close to my heart. Rings
Within rings and circles upon circles.

It had begun this time with a phone call
Late at night: "Our loved one is dead"
Came those broken hollow words. I didn't
Hear the rest right away. Many, many years
Had passed without my becoming very
Close to this one. I reached into the vault
Of my beating inner chambers and
Began to spend tears one by one, and
Then many as I lay silently in my bed.

Like a rock breaking through the
Surface of liquid reflection,
So the flying behemoth catapulted me back
To the fertile place of the past;
Barreling through time and space
To the hearth and home of before.
Once the light had shown brightly there
But now it seemed to have dimmed.
The wind barely dared to whisper
About the life there once so full
Of Passion and desire, that now had
Faded in the hard water of time,
Like a yellowed newspaper
Long forgotten beneath the fallen leaves.

The moon passed from behind the
Curtain and the dream began again.
I was inserted into my alter ego of
Timeless past; in the city and
Relationships of my youth.
For a brief trickle of time
The magic of the distant glowing one
Played the tides of my soul.
What once was, came again,
although changed, as we all drifted
Along, a little further downstream
Toward the oceans of the coming past

Different this time, yet also the same.
What had troubled me those many years ago
When I had left Old Town,
Rose up again to haunt my thoughts,
And assault my sensibilities.
The chiseled out class-ism
And the clash of the blue collar mentality
With the changing society at large.
The utter corruption of local government,
The misappropriation of public funds.
The condescending attitude
Of small minded prosperity
In the imagined high places
Of some backwater country club.
Throughout the highs and lows
Of each cloistered group,
Generation upon generation remained
Awash and soaked in ornamental drink.
Progeny were sprinkled in a fanfare of substances
While alcohol dictated the lives of the many.
Together with the threat of violence,
Like fraternal twins, they existed side by side
As lonely paths in a futile effort toward
The solving of life's riddles, of relating
To self, others and the world at large.

Excitement had been driven out by slumber
And in the eyes of many the spark
That had once flared, now only flickered.
Once again the world turned the clock
And the wheels of the car turned to
Find the way back to the warmth of
My boyhood home, there the old gears
Of my family were turning.
Death had done what life could not.
Death and resurrection had brought
Our family back together in one place.
For the first time, I could
Connect the dots and view
Those patches of the tapestry,
Left now to our care,
That had once been our loved one's life.

The possibility of death's reality had
Broken in upon my consciousness
Years earlier when my family's best
Friend had passed away and broken
Our hearts.
Now here it was again
A bell tolled in silent dark resonance.
Yet our loved one gave
Once again in death.
It was the gift of meeting with and
Knowing many more of the colorful
Charming members of our clan.
The gravity of this family constellation
Had pulled many friendships into it's orbit,
And together they lit up the black night
With the beauty of their shining brightness.
The tangential power of their world
Had brought me back
Within Old Town's hills
To rebuild that which had been broken.
They had shown me
Another way home.
It seemed that even as one world
Was slipping away
Another one was being created.
How blessed I felt to be shown
The way home once more.

Lines interlocking and strings intertwined,
The thread went through the needle and
Into the eye of the storm.
Then the rain came,
Raindrops from every heart,
Teardrops from the sky.
A cold wind also blew,
But death and destruction
Could have no power over
The dawning spring and
The resurrection of those who have left us.
So the Robins and Cardinals
Announced the season of life.
While the roses put on their best
Show of colors and sweet breath.

Old Town was like an Elisa Dolittle
Scraping out existence
In the flower market,
Or a Cockney sweep,
Amused, sooty, staggering, tipsy.
The sights, sounds and smell
Of the oxygen rich air
Remained as beautiful and pleasant
As when I was a little boy
First experiencing them.
The famed pollution of the
Industrial past had given way
To the tidy quaintness of
A New England College town
Joined together by myriad bridges
Leading to old Gothic Cathedrals,
Giant historic Synagogues
Granite Civil war Monuments,
Vast Cemeteries of the 1700s,
Victorian homes, legends and
Turn of the century mansions
Lining hilly cobblestone streets.
Each perched upon little embankments
Bragging of the grand and storied past,
Involving Vanderbilt, Mellon and Carnegie,
Universities, museums, statues, schools,
Parks, observatories and climbing steel.
All clustered among the ivy, flowers, shrubbery and
The neighborhood of make believe.
The maple trees fresh and dripping sap,
Spinning off their propeller like seeds,
The Sycamores with spiked seed-balls falling,
Dusty leaves and peeling bark, 
The naked Birch, many fruit trees and
Woods, green enough to make a
Leprechaun smile and an Irishman sing.
Robins, Mockingbirds, and Cardinals
Calling out their continuous song.
Rabbits, deer, and pheasants playing in
The plush land outlined and divided
By rivers, Valleys and hills
Into cities, townships and boroughs.

But life in the West needed nurturing.
Family, like magma bubbling up through
Some fracture deep within the granite
Of the here and now.
So it was that my life in Old Town
Should remain only in short dreams,
As the schism of my East West
Lives could not be reconciled.
The waves of life in the West
Called for the freedom to inundate
And I needed to embrace it
For all that was good and right.
I awakened once again In the house of the setting sun
So the spell was broken,
The dream was over,
The world had changed,
Turned and moved on.
I left the time machine for a coffee
Mixed with memories of the past.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Gardner and the Flower

Once upon a time, there was a flower beautiful to behold.
Full of light in a dark kingdom the flower bore the seeds of love.
Her seeds had the power to grow in the heart of the beholder.
Together the flower and the beholder would wait for the sun to
appear over head, for the sun is the source of sustenance.
Without him there could be no love, no warmth, no life.
Sometimes when the weather is cloudy it is hard to see the sun.
It was during these times that the flower and her friend would
assure each other that the sun would be out again soon.
The flower swayed in the breezes while her friend sang.
Whenever the hard rains came the flower and her friend
stood by one another, and although it was difficult to bear up under,
the flower would raise up again soon after the storm. This
then, is the story of how the two became friends.
The man first spied the rose in a field of roses. He was
awed by her beauty so much, that he almost bumped into a tree
branch while gazing at her. She was quiet and bent over for
that day had been cloudy and wet. The man left the field
that day and had almost forgotten the rose, but an enchanted wind
arose and carried one of the flower's magic seeds from the field
a great distance to the man's house and planted it in his heart.
Along the way from the man's house to the field where the flower lived,
were a great many obstacles; swamps, wild beasts, and thickets of thorns
to block his path, but the flower could not come to him
so he traveled to the flower's field. The seed
once planted worked in the man's heart and grew into a powerful
vision of the flower. Now, it seemed to the man that even if there
were Lions in the way of getting to the field, it mattered little.
Indeed as the man drew closer to the flower he realized that she
was more beautiful than his memory's telling. The flower called out:
"I have thorns that may hurt you and the journey is difficult for you
to make." For the field was a dangerous place, and was the flower
to place trust in a stranger when her life was held in such a delicate
balance? Also, there were other flowers to consider. Might
the man in his clumsiness and haste not trample under foot some
of those which grew very close to the spot where the flower stood?
Or might he try to pull me out and move me elsewhere? Again she
called: "My roots are entwined with many of the flowers close to me,
If you take me away others may be injured or lost. " So she closed
her petals into a bud and thought on these things, while the little flower
prayed that the sun might shine. The sun did come out.
His rays shone and reflected through droplets on the flower so
that she appeared radiant and faceted about with diamonds.
It seemed to the man that the sun only shone on the flower.
Soon the man arrived and was careful of the other flowers so
that he did not injure them.  He brought water for the flower
and tilled the soil at her feet. As he kneeled beside her, the
man noticed for the first time the flower's intoxicating fragrance;
it washed over him like an ocean wave. The orange and jasmine
blossoms saw this and were jealous, for all the blossoms of the
field could not compare. Every day, and sometimes at night, the
man came to visit the flower, either in body or in his thoughts.
But thoughts were never like being there with her. So it was
that the man became more and more like a gardener, until it was so.
The flower absorbed and reflected more and more of the sun in
her glorious petals. The gardner and flower became friends.
Then it happened, they began to see that they were made with
the purpose of caring and being cared for. In doing so they
both became stronger and better at caring
so that they began to care for those around them and all
things great and small that lived in the field. He with the
skills of a husbandman and she with the power of love.
The two became very close so that the flower no longer
afraid, opened up again in full bloom. The gardner loved
the flower and she in turn loved her friend. He began to
notice how intricate were the flower's gold tipped
and scarlet petals. Soft to the touch and blinding to
look upon. Also her slender stem and waxen leaves,
which alternately shone in the sun or danced with dew
in the moonlight. She gave shade to all passing below;
From her heart came pollen and nectar to humming birds,
butterflies, ants and bees of the field. The friends
were happy in this newly enchanted place and let
their dreams take flight, for both knew that winter
season would come some day. The season of ice
when all things must sleep. The gardner and flower
shivered at the passing thought. But the sun
shone strongly upon them through the morning mists
and a rainbow comforted them with these words:
" Be assured little ones below, the sun rules the sky
and seasons, he is always shining even in the
darkest winter, and the hand of ice has been
broken forever so that spring may come again,
and so that the flower, her friend and all that live
in the field might dwell in his warm light for evermore ." 
So it was, and so they did. So that this story might be told.
And so it is that they lived happily ever after.

Love - with audio

audio link

Love
Beyond the mountains
Hovering in the gleam about the snow
Splendid rushing waters of the sea
Salt crystal on a fingertip

Love
Creation in majesty
Abounding in the clouds
Within the forest's ancient trees
Seasons shimmering leaves

Love
Through the veil pours a sunburst
See the pollen of a blossom
Softer than a kiss
In the eyes of a child

Love
In the gurgling waters of a brook
A fleck of mineral on a crayfish
As the fresh unseen is captured
Then given in reflection once again.

Love
In you, and me
Much greater than the furthest star
Love fathoms the Universe
A lightyear in our sigh

Summer Night - with audio

audio link

Emerald leaves
In motion
Unfolding
For the night
Mounting waves
Of ocean
Pulled
By moonbeams bright
Nova
In the vapors
Bursts
Into Nebulae
Little bird
In the Sycamore
Singing on
As if to say
This heart
Is with yours
Sky,
Sea and forest
Pearl
Of my vision
Glowing
In my eye
My heart
Is young
Share your love
With me
Or I
Shall die

Nature and The City - with audio

audio link

Listen a bird is singing
Look a sundrop in your eye
Glistening grass parting
A hawk dives
Beyond the fields a dog is barking
Thank God for that bothersome bug
Snakes and lizards in the yard
All the thriving wild and beautiful things
Are much better than the concrete coliseums
Plastic flowers, Teflon humanity, electric buzz,
Dirty streets and sooty honking incense
Which permeate everything
Everyday, when living in the big city.

Dear Miss - with audio

audio link

Dear Miss Dobee
Sweet daisy assured
We love you though
It be hard to say
Sister, friend any day

We do not use you
We would not bruise you
You are so kind
To your kinder  * (from Yiddish or German)
Do not let your heart be bitter

We all love you
Not for convenience
Though our actions may not
Show love's response
We get caught up

In busy jet streams
While running to
Chase life's dreams
You are patient
Dobee so kind

Please don't be
Of troubled mind
What can we do
Ask us please
Our words be unwise,

But will not tease
Doing our best
At your appeal
We all care for you
Some with hidden zeal.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Morning Moment - with audio

audio link

Whippoorwill wind
Pink sky in the morning
Pine tree straight and tall
Motorcycles rush by
Cold fingers
Florescent light
On the wire
Mourning doves
Tan and brown
The heater is working
The bicycle parked
A dairy truck hums loudly
Can't seem to write the correct date
Unconcerned walkers stroll to work
Wastepaper basket scrapes
Grating on the concrete floor
Telephone sits glaring
Electric reflection
The day goes on.



Friday, May 21, 2010

SMILE (show-tune:) - with audio link

audio link

When your day is dull and dreary
And your mind won't seem to clear it
Just seems everything's going totally wrong
When the boss is out and in
You've done something wrong again. Again?
Why did it all have to happen to me?

Well let me ask you just one question
Afore I tell you the solution
Lo, give you absolution
For your soul that's dark and dreary, dearie
When you got up out of bed this morning
Did you start to contemplating something?

Or did you just smile, just smile?
Do you wake up in the morning
Just sitting there frowning?
Or do you smile, just smile!

When you hop out of bed with a smile on your face
Your teeth shinning all over the place
What a fine example for the whole human race
That life ain't so bad after all!

You've got to smile through the day
Fly your colors, your own special way
Drink your coffee, crunch your toast the way,
The way you want to

Smile, no matter what the luck
Honey, there ain't no if, ands or buts
Just remember to smile,
and say: "I love you!"

Smile away, when you're on the freeway
There's a mad traffic jam, and horns are honked at you
Because when you smile it’s a free day

Smile and you show the way
Smile, even if its just to say
Hello, goodbye

You've got to smile through the day
Fly your colors your own special way
Drink your coffee, crunch your toast the way
The way you like to

Smile you're the hero,
its your epic story
Dearie, we'll all revel in the glory
When you smile, and say I love you

If you do all these things
You'll hear the birdie when he sings
Every day is like spring, you've sprung
The sun is shining brightly
The breeze is whistling lightly
Your heart is young and sprightly, you see?

When you smile where you are
You change the world
near and far
Smile, because
That's just the way you are!

You've got to smile through the day
Fly your colors your own special way
Drink your coffee, crunch your toast the way
The way you love to!

You've got to smile through the day
Fly your colors your own special way
Drink your coffee, crunch your toast the way
The way you want to!

Smile



Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Fall Into The Sky - with audio

audio link

The sky
An ocean
Where birds swim
Clouds play and
Man longs to be
There in spirit
In thoughts
Purest essence and
Drifting temperament
The starry sky
Humbles all
Captured onlookers
She is unfathomable,
The vast unknown
Just as the heart
Of self or another
The trees reach up
To touch her
To praise
Something unseen
Singing songs unspoken

The sky
Although High above,
Never condescends
She is the court of a king
Where the planets
Are dancing, and the
Stars' burning hunger
Keep eyes glowing
And souls warm
The unhappy hide
From her face
Afraid of what
Might be read there
A happy spirit
With raised visage
Lets loose, setting free
Balloons of laughter
Announcing the news
Of life's joyous breath
Given and taken
Between the heavens above
And the spinning shores below

Such are observations
Of a child
All who look
Upon her beauty
Fall into the sky
At a glance.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Autumn (ditty) - with audio

 audio link
Run on now in the wheat, oats and barley
Cold air comes, Fall color is here
My friend what do you see?
 - no time to spare...
All around the leaves are falling

Leaves are falling from the trees

Red and yellow leaves are falling

Leaves are falling down on me

 

Fall right down and touch my sweater

Twirl and flutter in wispy sound

With friends around it seems much better,

Seems much better on the ground



(chorus)

Rolling through fallen leaves

Tearing up the elbows of my flannel sleeves

Rolling through fallen leaves

Muddying up the knees in my old blue jeans
















Get right up its started raining

Raining down the cold gray sky

Away from you the rain is falling

Rain keeps falling from my eye




















(chorus)

The wind's blowing Autumn air
Singing meadows recall your wavy flaxen hair
The wind's blowing Autumn air

Cuddling by the fire in our favorite chair

On misty morning I'll be calling

Calling you in cold night air

In your warm heart I'll be calling

I'll be calling to you there













(chorus)

The wind's blowing Autumn air

Picking out a pumpkin at the county fair

The wind's blowing Autumn air

Kissing in the cornfield without a care 

(chorus)

The wind's blowing Autumn air

Baking bread and apple butter beyond compare

The wind's blowing Autumn air

Planting jars for the winter down our back stair















Drinking up, dancing down

Full of love songs, hearts resound...

And fresh, so fresh...

(deep breath) ... hmmm
Is the Autumn air.


Too Much Information - with audio

audio link

War in other Americas
War in the Middle East
Somewhere down south
At our abstracted backdoor
Suffering people valued least
Its all foggy in my head
A vague string of pictures
Dirty little phrases
The TV newsman said
I can't understand it
Its so very hard to grasp
Oppression in Africa
We don't expect to last
Famine in Ethiopia
Conflict in the Congo 
Destitution in Somalia
To say the least, but go on

Slavery in Sudan
War in Iraq
Protests in Irae
-->
Bury the cornucopia
War in Afghanistan

Countdown the clock
In the Arabian sea.
Somewhere over there

Broken teapots in the UK

Plastic rifles in the UN
Primitive in my memory
Crazy dying madmen
Dictators in Asia
By the Mediterranean

Nuclear Korea

World consternation

Ballisitc Baltics and Russia

Over Pakistani pacification

Chessmen in China

Thoughts of India’s decimation
 

But Here in America
In favorite magazines
The advertisement reads
Have what you dream
Can you hear the screams
Of dissidents in the pillory
Don't know the pains
Of the man in agony
Let him call upon family
Not much we can do
Got a bad economy
Work very hard
Job is all my life
I got a nice car
A house, kids and wife
We ain't got much
Sounds the common cry
Burdened with stuff n such
But we get by

See the boy
The cardboard box
He wants money
Look away now,
And the woman
Outside the window
The sign reads her plan
But I'm entertaining,
Table set, dinner in the pan
Flat screen complaining
War on the planet
War in the heavens
See a fire, fan it
Dainties on the plate
They say it's cosmic UFOS
Perhaps a Communist plot
IRS Tax NRA's IRAs
Capitalist Imperialism
Militant radicalism
Religion's special-ism

Don't bother me, I don't know
He's Just one little person
She's just Living out a scheme
Too much information
Nightmare vs dream 
Toward a quiet cluttered space
Plucking out bad verse
In a dirty little place
Unaffected, by the universe
Quiet the hands that pray
Others steal away
Broken vessels of the day
Orphans and widows
White lab-coats and waste vehicles
The dead of night speaks
A black cry of landfills
While vigilant Mercy
Contemplates a fullness of weeks
And bids the heart be still
Comforting the gentle and meek
For love lives on, but fear kills.