Jim Askew
people knew him
round town
as the local pharmacist
a ready smile
a gentle ear
he had an old-fashion love for people
a genuine way about him
that set you at ease
and made you want to be better
he never wasted the world
85 years blinked by
in a child’s eye
the heart of a poet
lies here
TL
Rainforest
I’m swimming
in a blue sky
the clouds pull
through my hair
the water’s warm
from the sun
I tread to the mountain
after years at sea
the sting in my eyes
held my breath
and went under
kicking around
found a broken compass
at the bottom
relics in the sand
see the sunlight wavy
swim up
and break the surface
reach out and touch land
the mountain wasn’t a mountain
not a mound
but an island flat
and full of flowers
I live there for a while
to catch my breath
and breathe
scoop the stars up
in my hand
and skip them across the puddle
and watch them float
into the night
a shimmering path
calling to the butterflies
in Peru
to come and rest
here
for a while
TL
So Long As
of all
the movies
I’ve ever tried on
it’s Rocky
that fit
and felt right
i fell in love with it
as a kid
and kept going back to it
in my teens, 20s, 30s, 40s
of course, I have the whole series
on dvd
and whenever it comes on tv
I stop
and sit down
the storyline is rich in simplicity
but deep in humanity
the main character
is kind to the unkind
it’s what I look for in a person
he wasn’t just a fighter
on the street
trying to make it
he was a man struggling within himself
it was never about a belt
it was about belief
needing to know
for yourself
if you got it in ‘ya
if you can endure
all the hits
all the falls
all the breaks
and get back up
and not care what the critics say
so long as you know
you got it in ‘ya
“to go the distance”
then you can go back home
and live your life
and be at peace
with yourself
with others
TL
20 Years Today
when a man
and a woman
get married
they have no idea
what the future holds
falling in love
is easy
standing there
dressed up
saying, “I do”
is simple
living together
alone
is luxurious
sharing meals
and movies
and the day
is comforting
laughing and being silly
is natural
giving each other space
is essential
getting mad and getting over it
is necessary
taking each other for granted
is a given
understanding, being understood
is needed
hearing what’s not said
is important
being your own person
is intended
supporting each other’s dreams
is real
disappointment, regret
is tough
giving and receiving comfort
is human
knowing what’s worth it
and what ain’t
is key
making mistakes and owning them
is growth
putting the other first
is unselfish
creating a life of balance
is universal
learning something new
is sharing
wanting what’s best for the other
is friendship
believing in the other
is respect
not agreeing but agreeable
is compromise
finding the humor
is grounding
noticing the little things
is big
being grateful
is happiness
being in the moment
is living
being yourself
is freedom
being emotional
is a woman
being oblivious
is a man
being humble
is endearing
being real
is renewing
being quiet
is peaceful
being strong
is required
being happy
is within
being loved
is everything
TL
Proud
when she
was two
trying on words
and turning them over
on her tongue
she’d string them along
into a line
her memory a mile
and one day
I taught her how to say
The Pledge of Allegiance
and before I knew it
she was reciting it
word for word
so, yesterday
when she handed me
a tiny triangle
I felt that same sense
of amazement
at school, they had taught her
how to properly fold
the American Flag
and she was so proud to show me
what she had learned
in fifth grade
TL
Headlines & Highlights
Miranda’s on
the radio
with her vice
her ex’s on
the tv
with his voice
Trump is running
for president
against a woman
“Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”
is hot on Netflix
a hurricane in Haiti
left nearly 1,000 dead
SEC football is back
like Tiger Woods
Brad and Angelina
are over
Kim K was robbed
in Paris
Tom Hanks
returns to the big screen
(thank you)
Britney and Justin
are still
making music
Bieber’s back on tour
and Taylor Swift
has pushed pause
but not for long
TL
Inlet
um
I jest
broke
my
f
a
v
o
r
i
t
e
cup
the old English
blue and white
one
that I found
off the Internet
about a year ago
and had to have
‘cause of its
faded blue
patina
that had me
at the castle
where the silent sailboats
drift on by
and now, I’m thinking why
didn’t I
drink from it
on the daily
instead of
jest gazing at it
from afar
now, I gotta go out
and find
some cement
to seal it
and hope my tea
don’t seep
into the sea
through the crack of Gibraltar
TL
Unequivocal
I’ve run out
of frames
for all the pictures
in my pocket
places I’ve been
people I’ve met
moments I’ve had
kept
the pictures fade
in time
the faces, all the places
run together
but the feeling
I felt
in the stills
is like a gift
I can open
whenever I want
wherever I am
however it is
at the last of it
when the eyes close
the body no more
there the picture
streaming like a river
in a golden frame
TL
Ladies Golf
one was
from Spain
one was
from Georgia
one was
from Columbia
and the one
from Alabama
was watching
Spain
and Georgia
and Columbia
lift a little ball
from the ground
up
to send it sailing
through the years
past all the practice
when Spain
and Georgia
and Columbia
were once 10, too
lifting a little ball
from the ground
up
like the one
from Alabama
TL