Month: April 2015

Jeff

these days

your dad

is spending

his nights

away from home

in a room

not his own

and even

in the loss

the disarray

he searches

for an opening

down the winding path

for his cabin on the hill

where he was happy

to be

him and granny e

happy to be

warm in the sunlight

wrapped in the moonlight

at the end of the pier

the fish are biting

pulling on the lines

the grill’s bout ready

for the chicken

the sides are all done

ice in the cooler

sweet tea in the container

a lemon pie in the frig

homemade ice cream cranked

watermelon cut up and cold

crickets going crazy

can’t smell the gardenias

for the citronella

all the ashtrays are full

and every star is out

winking at the moon

the trolling motor

drawing near

and somebody just

pulled in and got out

the screen door bangs open

and shut

like the fireflies

that light it up

on the Fourth of July

TL

Minutes

was running

behind

and didn’t have

time

to stop and get out

and pick him up

and set him down

and I realized

on the way

back

in those minutes

that passed

that nobody had time

to stop and get out

and pick him up

and set him down

a turtle on the tracks

his small shell crushed

into …

 “if not you,

then who”

TL

Rock Formation

“adapt, adjust

and overcome …”

sounds simple enough

right

the adapt and adjust part

is repetitive

all the way

and back around

and around

round the hemisphere

it’s the overcome part

that’s hard

to scrape off

given the layers and such

outer and inner

the membrane

not even a chisel

nor a torch

forget about butter

it is a process

that takes more time

than any of us have

on earth

it’s a wearing away

a weathering

of what we think

what we know

about ourselves

strips us and leaves us

at the core

of who we are

what we are

no more

no less

TL

Papa T

from the 7^th floor

window

I can see …

the brick building

where Granny E went and died

he never wanted her there

wanted her home with him

but she needed more than he could give

and it feels like granny all over again

‘cept this time he’s not there

sitting in the corner

tapping his cane

telling her, “it’ll be all right …”

it’s been 12 days so far

he had his mind that first day

and we talked as if he were at home

sitting there at the table

feeding himself his supper

and the nurse came in and asked him

a bunch of questions

and she couldn’t type fast enough

the second day

the nurse asked him no questions

at all

yesterday he stopped eating

but maybe today

he’ll be hungry

TL

A Night at the Orchestra

even the dust

danced

there in the beam

lined in red velvet

encrusted in gold

as the lid lifted

the maestro turned the key

and kept winding it and winding it and winding it

tight as it’d go

and the music box played

all my favorite songs …

the rise and fall of Rome

the butterfly that lives but once

the hold of love so full you can feel it

the echo of centuries past

the wind ripping through the treetops

the fish leaping out of water

the spider leaving its quiet line

the rain drip dropping down

the swans gliding effortlessly

and all along the little bird

with its little song

sings not for applause

or ovation

but for the simple pleasure

of singing

TL

Tiger Tough

over the course

of a lifetime

one undergoes

a series of deaths

the loss of youth

is a death

the loss of a parent

is a death

the loss of a friend, your best friend

is a death

the loss of your self …

your worth in the world

is indeed a death

the drainage of loss

leaves a lot of space

to drown in

hold your breath!

‘til your body rises

from the floor

and when you break the surface

get on your back quick

and float

so, when night comes

you can still see the stars

from where you are

and if there are no stars

that night

just close your eyes

and drift to your dream …

there the stars

and when you wake

in the sea of sorrow

get a good stretch in and roll over

on your belly

taste the tears lapping against your lip

feel the waves wash over you

hear the wind rush past

squint your eyes ‘til they adjust

the sky’s still blue

you’re alive

that mystical map

embedded in the soul

will bring you back

from where ‘ya been

and it won’t matter

no more

it won’t matter

no more

‘cause being lost at sea

doesn’t mean

you won’t be found again

but you gotta roll over first

roll over

TL

Resilience

and Tiger returns

to the Masters

where he belongs

on the green

TL

Hawks

kites were

high

swept up

against a blue, blue sky

no strings attached

they flew in threes

showing off

their wings

the span of flight

a precision slice

cut through clouds

and distant sheets

a halo of leaves

TL