Cloudy Waves - with audio

audio link

Little soldiers pass me by
Sometimes near then far away  

Colored cotton balls parade
Then fade in shades from memory

Melting nights becoming days,
Blessed sands of cloudy waves

Coursing life, caressing stances
Long romantic loving glances

Humming home of warm exchanges
Execute perfected chances

A hello and then goodbye advances
Nested within these ancestral branches

Drumbeat strikes the pond in phases
Rippling on to other places

Rock to rainbow in mortal faces,
Shown in pages' ancient phrases

Falling through canopied heavenly plains
Raining down in cloudy waves

Beautiful hands create, purposefully alive
Drawn out, set about, thus to tame the tide

Onward launch, upon the harrowed ride,
From birth to death, on to other side

Drink up babes, of mother’s love and life,
With sunshine, groom and gentle bride

Slowly, softly goes the way of life,
Creature, toil, honey, strife

Curious angels gaze upon the spell
As we go along our dance so well,
Busy children wife and knave

Dreams wrapped up in cloudy waves

Breezes blanket the colored meadows
One by one each little poppy bellows
Blossoming bee and butterfly nectar

Exuberant kisses of blissful ardor

Laboring month of Maying lovers
Embracing happiness in one another,

Oh song of joy and sadness
To thee we are as slaves

Each cup that passes from vine to lips
Drinks up this crowd of days,

And Washes the sun and moon away,
Weeping tears of splendid lights arrayed,

Far above the cloudy waves

The Window - with audio

audio link

Looking back through
The dark window of memory
Through another window
At my childhood home
Long ago in another place,
As a young man I felt it slipping away
Becoming intangible, the ground
Giving way beneath my feet

On the other side of the glass
Happy faces, silent as the snow outside
Held there in the golden light
Like an animated spell
The ice glistening at the heavens,
Cold moon and stars
The air pure like Mountain water
The sentiment warm within my heart,

So I sang a song of angels
Those inside at first startled
Then came laughing and crying out
Till I was met at the door with
Familial embraces, greetings and kisses
I had once again managed
The seemingly impossible
To escape back to my place
Of acceptance, and caring
The place of love and kindness,
Where others assumed my wellbeing
Where food, good times
And spirits flew to my side
How I longed to stay
But felt that I could not
That my lease was up,
 My story was beginning elsewhere

I understand now about
What Longfellow wrote:
"And the thoughts of youth
Are long, long thoughts."
Every far off place visited,
Leaves many a fond ones behind
But visions and forces
Beyond our control drive us out
Into the winter night of life
Away from the spring time,
From the summer of home
 Although the road may
Take us back again,
We can never really stay

Oh yes, I knew it then,
Again as I know it now
Even as a boy, I knew
There'd be an end to it all
To those good times,
To that good place and
To those good folks
It was fearful to me then,
Even as it is tearful to me now
A weaving now unwoven
Allows the wind to blow
Through life's threads
And I must let go of
That which I cannot catch
Till I am caught up
In it once again,
With them, in another time
With the wind, rain and sun
In another place,
Through another window.

Little Boat - with audio

audio link

Little boat
Upon the sea
Drifting past
Where eyes can see
Horizon's splash and
Then beyond
To another
Relative home
Water continent
Blue and deep
Sunlight lockets
Dancing keep
Call of seagulls overhead
Heat rains down,
Skin turns red
Salty seaweed
Aqua spray
Swimming creatures
Salute the day
Ocean swells
Caress the hull
Sails like dresses
Walking tall
Water on lips,
Tongue, and throat,
Kindly breezes fill
Soul with hope
Beggar seals and
Friendly dolphins visit
Gliding Pelicans pivot
After fish they plummet
Waves and dreams carry us
Onto high and plunging summits.

Run Down - with audio

audio link

Run down,
Shut up,
Chewed on,
Spit out
Ground up,
Walked on,
Kicked in,
Put out
Shined on,
Black eyed,
Down south,
Passed over

Cracked mouth
Get on
Beat up,
Broke down,
Can't seem
To crawl out
Canned in,
Blanked brained,
Canceled raw
Simple spinned,
Double chinned,
Ignored, outside
Antisocial 
Crucible,
Smashed bits,
Broken cigarettes
Wrist watch
Heat wave
Don't work,
Can't save,
Money spent
Weighed on,
Trespassed,
Called out,
Shit canned
Looking down,
Train sound,
Get away
Done wrong,
Too old,
Too fat,
Too young
Too big,
Too small,
Dry skinned,
Bound to fail
Get out

Get lost,
Brown out

Sun Burnt

Played out,
Traffic ticket,
Bills to pay
Water spigot
Sick at heart,
Throw away,
Not qualified,
Grind, ground 
Punched Pilloried
No bucks
Bitter, sour,
Sanguine, reflux,
Split, coward,
Angry, stupid shit
Wipe the shoe,
Step in it,
Turning, wrenched,
Stomach pit
Threatened, bothered,
Borked, broken,
Pissed off,
Pissed on,
Die young,
Make an
End of it
Credit debit,
Charges charged,
Break the bank
Memory marred
Pay the fine,
Look away,
Find it fast,
Fall down
Dirty glass,
Barking dog,
Darkened night,
Mind of fog
Spew again
Drink up,
Penned in, 
To begin
Dream on,
Do now,
Hope long,
Fight hard,
Stand tall  
One step,
Love all

It Wasn't Really - with audio

audio link

Thought it was special,
But it wasn't really
It seemed to be magic,
Till it just sat there
Anything could have been,
But it wasn't written
Many came to see,
Then went home
Some died,
Some were born
Inside the bell was silence
Only love grows
Her budding yet blossoms
All the rest fades
Till there is nothing
Wind, rain,
Smokey fog
Aqua skies,
Hail and sun
All just sweat
Burnt away
Rising
Is

Deep in Summer - with audio link

 Audio Link

Where have all the cars gone
Not as many as before
The way seems empty,
The people faded

Ground turns brown

Quiet sifting of the sands
Lonely nightingale searches calling out

Singing, will you join me deep in summer
Longing is deep, deep in summer

So goes each one in a tunnel of
His or her own yellow sun
In a burrow of singular fun
Shooting out the other side
Of a black hole’s door
Where the light is stored
For a rainy day’s thunderstorm
Pouring down, down deep in summer

Rainy days and lightening are deep, deep in summer

Travel on to the commonplace
The business space,
The pent up race
There the heat,
It cannot touch you
Windows cannot see you
Skinny life measured out
Skyscrapers deep in summer

Offices bound in glass, deep, deep in summer

 Puffy comics barely read

In the sky play overhead
But ignore those within
Hearts line up armored inside
Against the bird song’s steady stream
Marching dutifully toward five
When ocean tide of green bursts free
All things come alive sprout and grow deep in summer

Anticipation is reaching out deep, deep in summer

Then sun and moon
Descend like dew
To moisten every eye and renew

Break down the walls

Melting shields and weapons

To pour friendship in each one
Wherein grows love
Within long glances deep in summer
Love grows enraptured and unfolding deep, deep in summer

A baby crying,
A mother calling,
A school yard full of laughter
The Ice cream melting
Slowly down the horizon
The crickets playing
Old timers talking
The light of lives shining deep in summer

Families and neighborhoods deep, deep in summer

Ladybug and ants
Creep along the rose stem
Sigh and wipe away the perspiration
Buttery thick the air

As twilight fades
Restless flies in kitchen never notice
Pleading, clinging June bugs
Breath of sighing flora deep in summer

Damp heat,  and insects thrive deep, deep in summer

CRASH, goes the screen door
Moist aimless hair
Dirty ruddy freckles,
Glowing, curious, eyes
Hanging, questioning mouth
Drinking in breath
Corners turned up in happiness
Animated hunger deep in summer
Smiles of the young are deep, deep in summer

Jays and Starlings
Weaving nest and song
Crow cries out his raspy word
Starry Night comes to birth
Life circles about the streetlight

A dog barks

Then Silence

Rest calls the creature deep in summer

Stunning silence is deep, deep in summer

A tugboat groans somewhere in the dark
Something hisses, the night glows red
Yawning coke ovens across the deep

Burning rivers find relief

The distance whispers back
Breathing, beating, black, pulsing

The steaming heart of a steel press
Sounds in the night deep in summer

And the rivers flow deep, deep in summer

Sleep comes to bed, raccoons play outside

Humid, stormy dreams conjure,
In the yard skunk and possum wander

Under damp linen clouds, like seeds plowed
Traveling faces, friends, and family,

Lips, arms, foes, charms, till the soul is calmed
Then refreshed by cool morning breezes
As clarity of day quietly calls our name
Awakening as night and creature go to sleep deep in summer
A heart beating, beating, beating deep, deep in sssssssummer.

The Lamb - with audio

audio link

Once, while in the day of rest
K'dusha rent this earthly vest
A silent wind flew to another place
Azure surrounding flame of swirling white
No care did follow there
Only the quiet roar of myriad voice
Joined in Spirit, the distant many called out
Filling the waters above the earth
"K'dosh, K'dosh, K'dosh. . . ."
As the sound settled in this life
"Holy, Holy, Holy"
"Adonai zvah-ot, m'loh kol ha-aretz kvodoh "
Dreamlike universe seemed to turn
"Is the L-rd of Hosts"
Till awareness came to something near
"The whole earth is full of His Glory"
Standing alone was the Lamb
"All of creation is full of His Praise"
Gentle, yet strong, with seven eyes
"Baruch K'vod Adonai mimkomo"
Holding all within an unwavering gaze
"Blessed is the Glory of the L-rd in His abode"
A great explosion in a column of blinding light

Broke through the universe and shown down

Enveloping the earth and filling all

Calling out:  "Shema Yisrael …"

"HEAR OH ISRAEL, THE LORD YOUR G-D,

THE LORD IS ONE, Adonai Echad"

A restless wind blew throughout the earth
The Ruach of the Almighty swept over its surface
With a voice quiet and still speaking out
From within the unseen torrent
"Sleepers awake now for the time has come"
Until one by one the people with faces turned upward
Began to open their eyes as the shadow of God
Passed over them like a great eagle with wings outstretched

There in Jerusalem I saw them, Arisen in truth,

Myriads upon myriads bowing low

Before the Great and Mighty King,

Messiah Prince of Peace, Son of David

Then from the silence came a brilliant flash,

"All of creation is full of His glory!"

Caressed by the Torah of His Saving Love
The words rang within, then coming to myself again
I thought of the scriptures and was humbled:
"Be at rest and know that I am He," HaMakom (The Place)
Holding all things together, in the hollow of my hand,
Shepherding Jacob, comforting His people...
..And we like snow pure and still, knowing He is God 

As this time melts away. . . ..

Psalm 121, Isaiah 52:1, Zechariah 14:9

The Sloth - with audio

audio link

Goodly now
The night is come
Wine must needs
Leave the hand
Fly flees not,
Seeing not the bed
On the pillow
Lies sweaty head
Air is still
Wet and thick
Hanging round
Like dragon's breath
Distant cars
Pass like songs
Till silence
Creeps in
To put aside
The lazy thought
Lay here upon
Canvas cot
Flora exhale in
Mind and senses
As Berried Bushes
Bring about
Bear's drool
So Nick Bottom
Doth make a fool
Donkey becomes
An Ass to know
Tis not spring
But summer now
Jasmine delights
This tired swoon
Orange Blossom spiders
Dance in the moon
Whilst Stars and planets
Fall in fast
Dark matter
Wise and vast
Radiate to
Crowd out
All starts
Save the play of
Little quiet
Gentler hearts
Roll away ,
Roll far away
Drowsily,
Overturned
Now
Is sinking
Day.

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.

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.