Ink in the Blood Posts

Yeah, No

when they …

wheel ‘ya out

with your bundle

and ‘ya go forth

all careful-like

and super slow

over every bump

and dip

in the road

and then

you’re home

and it begins …

your new life

… this new life

that grows inside of you

and then outside of you

turning the burrito blankey

into a cape

the baby flies

down the hall

and the clock falls

off the wall

and you get stuck

on the seconds

the minutes

the hours

but time keeps

turning over

and over

and over

and you panic

and try to buy up

all the watches

all the clocks

but it’s too late

you’re too late

and you can see

the sequin cape

sparkling out the driver’s-side-window

as it flaps outta sight

all carefree-like

hitting every bump

and dip

in the road

boom booming

further and further

away from home

and it begins …

your new life

… this new life

that grows inside of you

and then outside of you

turning the burrito blankey

into a cape

TL

Up the Mountain

at first

school was

good

i remember it …

how it was

in pre-school

then kindergarten

1^st Grade

2^nd Grade

3^rd Grade

4^th Grade

5^th Grade

but around

6^th Grade

I noticed

a change

she had held a lot

in

but it would eventually

spill out …

at home

or in the car

or behind closed doors

she was being bullied

because of me

and she didn’t want to tell me

about it

‘cause she knew how much it’d hurt me

like it hurt her

even though she looked white

like her Daddy

the children

had seen me

their parents had seen me

and they all knew from a glance

that she was not just white

like her Daddy

that she was Asian, too

we were not prepared

for how that would

play out

I had even weighed the thought

of home-schooling her through the middle-school years

and when the bullying got really bad

in high school

I asked her several times if she wanted to switch schools

but she had worked so hard

academically

had been eyeing the Valedictorian spot

since grade-school

so she stayed

and kept climbing

despite the hate

and betrayal

‘til she made it happen …

her Valedictorian speech

was amazing

as was her full-ride scholarship

to college

where she is continuing

to crush it

in Chemical Engineering

already the recipient of two academic fellowships

she’ll head to Texas this summer

to intern at a highly competitive company

where she’ll get paid to do what she loves to do

so it won’t be work

and when she comes back in the Fall

she’ll continue tutoring college students

from various majors

who need help with their writing

from a peer who won’t judge them

for it

but will instead

encourage them

and believe in them

‘cause she knows

that Belief  

is where it all

begins …

TL

Easter ain’t Easter

without Granny

(and she’d agree)

TL

Papa

waiting on

food

stood there

staring off

and in the distance

i see this guy

making his way

down the long corridor

he looks like Papa

the Papa i remember

who was heavyset

and walked with a limp

he didn’t need no cane

no walker

no wheelchair

back then

he’d hobble along

just fine

like this guy does

i had the urge

to follow this guy

into the vision center

and tell him

how lucky he is

to be able to walk

such a long distance

without a cane

or a walker

or a wheelchair

to keep on going

no matter what

no matter the aches

and pains

and bad days

to keep hobbling along

‘cause he’s doing just fine

he might not think it now

but if he only knew

how hard it is

to get up from a recliner

steady yourself

and shuffle one foot

in front of the other

to get to the kitchen

… he’d get up

and hobble himself

everywhere

TL

(written Jan. 11, 2022)

Roses

the roses

were bleeding

think they still are

but it’s dark

back there

so i can’t be sure

i can hear the petals

crackle and crunch

like the leaves

like snow

like fire

like an echo

i pick ‘em up

and turn ‘em over

and they turn red

in my hands

and i’m standing there

looking down

at the abyss

as if i’m watching myself

from afar

i wake up weeping

the pain is as real as it was

that night

i feel my way through the dark

and turn on the light

it feels like

it just happened

but it didn’t …

that was 31 years ago

the last gift

i gave you

was red

TL

(Written March 1, 2024)

Blank Pages

she left

the keys

untouched

but the memory

of the music

plays on

she left

the paint

dry on the brush

but the feeling

hangs on the wall

she never

puts the plates

away

so they sit

empty

on the table

like the chairs

on the floor

TL

(written March 1, 2024)

Lake

the weeping water

is full of sorrow

on its wrinkled face

a bird drinks its tears

and flies off

a submerged fish

pops up its head

gasping for breath

then disappears

beneath the depth

of clouds

that drift in blue

pools

the summer rain

sets in

and the wind picks up

tossing the light

and shadows

TL

(written July 10, 2024, on the dock)

Tiger Woods

play the Masters

not done …

TL

Fade Away

under the cloud

fade

into the blade

like run-off paint

on a pristine green

like smoke

after the wish

was made

like a strand of lights

unplugged

at the end

of a year

like a song

on repeat

that eventually

gets replaced

by a new rhythm

like a stick tree

that lost all its leaves

in one full gust

like an Oak that took a cut

then a char

before it crumbled

to ash

swept away

in the wind

like a pretty promise

on a Spring-filled day

that froze

under the weight

of a harsh winter

like a book

in a basement

box

that was once

held

and revered

like a bird

that fell

from the sky

that had migrated

a million miles

to feel warm

like a blue butterfly

that lived but a day

but what a day

like the scent

of a red rose

flattened

between the pages

of a poetic line

that will never be

what it was

what it once was

…

but it was

TL

Dear Dad,

it’s 3

in the morning

Spring is almost

sprung

with the time change

and all

we’ve had up

and down weather

round here

people are snowed-in

in New York

and other parts

making giant snowmen

and colorful igloos

and ice sculptures

no flakes here

jest off and on rain

planted watermelon seeds

yesterday

and garlic bulbs

and pruned the roses

and moved the dead-looking plants

the cold took

maybe they’ll perk back up

‘ya never know

had some red geraniums

in a window box one year

that looked deader than dust

but they came back

bright red

‘ya jest never know

need to run up to the lake

and turn the water

back on

it’d be nice to be there now

waiting for the sun to come up

over the water

but i love being here at home

too

been rearranging stuff

and thinking about things

lots of things

probably why i can’t sleep

time is slipping away

you’ve been gone

33 years today

you wouldn’t recognize

the world

right now

it’s nothing like it was

when you were in it

and i could go on and on about it

but it wouldn’t change a thing

it is what it is

but some things remain the same

that you would recognize …

the light still comes up

in the morning

illuminating the leaves

and turning the dew to diamonds

same on the sea

and across the river

and the mist still moves across the pasture

through the trees

like a blessing

before it drifts off

leaving the flowers to say

what they say

and the rabbits still come out

and chew on the clover

and the deer on corn

the cows still graze on grass

the horses still chew on hay

the chickens still lay their eggs

and the rooster still crows

the robin comes back in the Spring

like the daffodils and the buttercups

like lily-of-the-valley

and children still hunt fer the golden egg

and play outside

and watch it rain when it rains

and wish for snow at Christmas

and a rainbow in the sky is still something

to see

you can still hear a distant train on the tracks

and a church bell ring

and a cheer go up at a game

and the bases are still loaded

and the field is still full of fans

and the court is still slammed

and the boxers are still in the ring

and golf is still green

and everyone everywhere is still running

their own race

at their own pace

there’s always something to still laugh about

or cry about

or whine about

just more magnified

now

but the basic things in life

remain …

i still miss you

too much

same as i did

when i was

jest a kid

TL

(March 1, 1993)

Rambling Rose

my face

is falling

i lie in bed

thinking

how this form

of mine

is only temporary

as i look at my hand

and turn it over

and even though

i know this

full-well

and grew up knowing this

full-well

like everyone else

does

and you watch

people you know

and people you don’t know

die

and you sit through

funerals

and stare down at the dirt

or look up at the wind

or touch the urn

or the stone

or the grass

or the water

knowing one day

that’ll be you

too

still … it’s too much

for the mind to measure

whether you’re 3

or 122

death is a hard thing

to turn over

and make sense of

you’re born

but you don’t remember

being born

and you live for however long

you get to

and then you die

but you don’t remember

being dead

unless you have one of those

near-death-experiences

or you have a dream

and it feels so real

but you don’t remember

everything

just parts

like memories

in the mind

that dim over time

we all agree

that the form we’re in

right now

is only temporary

but everyone has their own beliefs

on what happens after

that

whether you believe in life after death

or not

it’s hard to believe

that one day

we will no longer be

here

in the world

in the form we’re in

right now

and everything we’ve absorbed

by living this life

will what …

was it worth it

in the end

in the beginning

in the middle

love and loss

are circular

like a ring

only if you’ve lost

have you loved

only if you’ve loved

have you lost

is love lost

or is it found

or is it both

you tell me

TL

Cameilla

sat down

in a blue rocker

chilled in the cold

and spotted

your flowers

peeking through

and i remember when

you brought ‘em over

to us

in a black pot

and told us to plant ‘em

somewhere we can see ‘em

and how they’d come back

each year

more vibrant than the last

and as i stared at the hot pink petals

i thought … Granny, i hope you’re in a better place …

and immediately a gust of strong wind picked up

bending the treetops over

the wind was so wild

as if you were jumping up and down waving and yelling out

YES

YES

YES

and i looked back at the Camellias

in full bloom

more vibrant than they were last year

and smiled …

as the wind settled

back down

TL

The Old Movie Theatre

the marquees

are back to blank

like they were

in 2020

2021

2022

when the doors

were locked

and the parking lot

empty

but they lit back up

in 2023

2024

2025

only to go back

to blank

in 2026

and if i had the asking: $6.95 million

plus the renovation capital

to turn it around

i know jest what i’d do with it

as they say in real estate …

location, location, location

TL

The Stage

in the curtain

of light

the red petals

took the stage

in a wave of wind

they twirled and whirled

about

casting a glow

on each and every row

a field of red tulips

lit within

and in the end

when their dance was done

they bowed

in grace

to the season of the snow

as a sequin of snowflakes

took the stage

twirling and whirling

about

casting a glow

on each and every row

a field of winter white

lit within

and in the end

when their dance was done

they bowed

in grace

to the season of the sun

as the blades of grass

took the stage

twirling and whirling

about

casting a glow

on each and every row

a field of emerald green

lit within

and in the end

when their dance was done

they bowed

in grace

to the season of the rain

as falling leaves

took the stage

twirling and whirling

about

casting a glow

on each and every row

a field of feathers

lit within

and in the end

when their dance was done

they bowed

in grace

to the season of the wind

a wave of red petals

lit within

TL

Pongo

he’s perfectly

present

in the moment

as he stands

there

with the sunlight

gleaming

in his eyes

he lifts his head

to smell the wind

and perks his ears

to hear the squirrels

rustle

atop the trees

then watches

a black bird fly

over his head

as a confetti of leaves

float all around

he is happy

just to be

TL

The Will Within

we happened

to arrive

at the same time

and place

both looking

for relief

his was obvious

in a glance

maybe the heaviest human

i had ever witnessed

in person

he was gasping

for breath

before

he wheeled himself

through the door

it took him awhile

just to make it

out of the car

parked by the entrance

and even longer

to make it

to the ramp

where he had to stop and rest

before wheeling himself down

and all the while

his labored breathing

was audible

from a distance

and you couldn’t help but wonder

how he came to be

as obese as he was

what was his story …

there’s always a story

behind the surface

of things

especially hard things

as he fought for each breath

his being – just being there

in a public gym

fighting for his life

was beyond inspiring

he was a miracle in motion

and a testament

to the human spirit

the will within

that once you decide

to make a change

for the better

no matter how big it is

or how small

you’re already better

for it

just by believing

you can …

the rest

will follow

TL

Winn Dixie

on the first day

of 2026

went to

buy ‘ya

some roses

but there weren’t any

to be had

not even a baby’s

breath

no daisies

no carnations

no tulips

no nothing

nada

it was so strange

and i turned to the clerk

who walked past

and asked her

what happened to all the flowers

and she shook her head and sadly said

they took ‘em all up

‘cause the store’s closing

next month

i looked at her

in disbelief

but she had been living with this news

for quite some time  

she said she’d worked there

18 years

and had cried that morning

not knowing what in the world

she’s gonna do now

she has kids

but didn’t mention a man

what a way

to start the Year

like so many

she’s just getting by

taking it

one day

at a time

overweight and underpaid

with bills that keep coming

and mouths that need feeding

she’s gotta be strong

there’s no choice

about it

and she knows it

life is a test

and it will test you

to the very core

of who you are

or ever hope to be

resilience is formed

in the fire

TL

Daybreak

the ground still

wet with rain

left the leaves plastered

and the bark black

in the mist of morning

with the moon about

the air felt crisp

and cool

like the mountains

dipped in snow

when you feel young

and alive

and time is

in your favor

TL

Self-Discipline

“Train the body

but guard the mind

master emotion

and walk toward fear

pain will shape you

and discipline will free you

when excuses die

and focus remains

nothing can collapse

a mind

that has chosen

to rise

motivation is unreliable

because it depends on feeling

discipline is reliable

because it depends on decision

when you stop waiting

to feel ready

and act anyway

you step …

into freedom”

– Bruce Lee

North Star 

The Christmas

Sermon

Was spoken 

Without words

This year

But never more felt

Within

Like the rain 

That fell 

All through 

The night

Thus the passing

Of fleeting life

The gift lay wrapped

Up under the tree

Untouched

But still he knows 

What it is

He’s always known

What it is … 

A mother’s love

Undenied 

The love that helped him 

Become a man

His future bride 

Could then depend 

Would have been 

30 years in March

With his one and only 

And they would have laughed

And laughed together 

As they do

All through the day

And night 

And looked well 

Upon their life

Built around a pyramid 

Of rambunctious boys 

Who would then grow up

In the bat of an eye

And they would look 

At each other

And sigh 

And wonder why

It goes by 

So fast 

Wasn’t her wedding day

Just yesterday 

The plan was 

To grow old 

Side-by-side

But God had other plans

And now 

They must carry on 

Them that loved him so …

And choose to live

How he would have wanted them

To live

Pedal to the metal 

Full-out

And flying

Past the checkered flags

And he’ll be cheering them on 

While waiting patiently

For the day

The sacred day 

When he can hold 

Each of them 

Once more

‘til then …

May God always 

Be the light 

Within

That shows them

The way …

Especially 

When it’s dark

TL

(For the Family of Dr. Jeff Meyers – June 12, 1973 – Dec. 4, 2025)