Month: July 2019

Unplanned

in the after

noon

there’s a party

unplanned

that everybody’s

invited to

and without

prompting

or promise

they bring gifts

to the party

unplanned

like laughter

that follows

a Frisbee

it’s everywhere

the boy with the ball

the girl with her boyfriend

the guy with his cooler

the woman with her book

the toddler but a blur

the old man in his chair

the old lady with her shells

the teenagers with their music

the joggers and the surfers and the peddlers

the snorkelers and the gliders

the parachutes and the planes

the boats and the kayaks

the fishermen and the fisherwomen

the castle builders and the castle crashers

the sunbathers and the shaders

the photographers and the posers

the volleyballs and the footballs

the kites and the pails

the cold drinks and the finger food

dripping dogs and snow cones

the smell of coconut

and seaweed

and somebody’s cigarette

drifting toward the pink clouds

overhead

outdistanced by the sun

over the sea

going

going

going

going

going

going

g

o

n

e

TL

Saltwater

with the sun

still low

i walked

away

down

the shore

line

watching waves

roll in

and listening to them

sink

against the sand

then quiet

they crawl

back into

the blue

TL

The Sea

after some

time

you forget

the sailboat

was there

drifting by

with its paper

sail

TL

Petals

the dying

of humanity

is clearly

in not caring

to consider

the sorrow

of another’s

suffering

as suffering

unto one

TL

Boxing Bag

as time goes on

and you get older

looking over your shoulder

and in the mirror

and what’s ahead

and what’s over

it can be a lot

to deal with

some people drink

a lot

some people eat

a lot

some people smoke

a lot

some people sleep

a lot

some people sleep

around

a lot

some people pop pills

a lot

some people shop

a lot

some people whine

a lot

some people blame

a lot

some people judge

a lot

some people hate

a lot

some people yell

a lot

some people hit

a lot

some people hurt

a lot

it can be a lot

instead of self-imploding

self-loathing

or taking it out on others

get yourself a pair

of boxing gloves

and find a boxing bag

and learn how to throw a proper punch

pick a song (NF) and put it in your ears

and disappear

5 minutes later

10 minutes later

15 minutes later

20 minutes later

25 minutes later

30 minutes later

an hour later

it won’t be as heavy

whatever it is

and you’ll feel

a whole lot

lighter

TL

Move On

“do as I say,

not as I do”

ain’t that

what I always say

to you

“do as I say,

not as I do”

I’m for real

though

kid

I don’t ever want you to be

like me

I want you to be

like you

I want you to be

free

and unafraid

to live your life

full out

living in fear

is no way to live

at all

some people

just exist

subside

and find it hard

to face their fears

there can be many reasons for it

too many

but excuses are excuses

make no excuses for your life

and how you live it

take responsibility when you’re wrong

and move on

if somebody wrongs you

I hope you figure out how to forgive ‘em

and move on

life is not black and white

it’s not just good

and it’s not just bad

look for the silver

lining

understand the situation

whatever it is

and think

don’t ever nod

if you don’t agree

don’t ever laugh

if you don’t find it funny

don’t shrink

or diminish

or forget

why you’re here

that you’re never your career

or just somebody’s something

you have a purpose

a gift to give

a gift you were given

a way to make it better

than you found it

make it better

please, make it better

and move on

TL

Careless

to read only

one page

one paper

one view

one way

is like looking at

a palatial palace

with stately gardens

and never going inside

to see the broken glass

to read only

one page

one paper

one view

one way

is like looking at

a rundown shack

with no grass growing

and never going inside

to see the crystal vase

full of flowers

to read only

one page

one paper

one view

one way

is like looking at

a beautiful bridge

with water on each side

and never going under it

to see the person living there

to read only

one page

one paper

one view

one way

is like looking at

the land

flat and rolling

and never grasping

all the graves

out there

without markers

or laurel

TL

Create Space

I peel back

the curtains

and the room is empty

I walk around

and get a feel

I pick a spot to sit down

and watch the window change

its picture

the way the lights switch

in the sky

I go to sleep

and wake up

and it’s just how I imagined

it would be

when the room was

empty

TL

Wonderland

in the snow

I saw a rabbit once

so fast it made no tracks

so white it was the snow

but the eyes looked at me

right through

a familiar shade of blue

and I wanted to

follow it and see

wherever it might go

but I blinked

TL

Tumultuous

the sea

was not calm

as last it gently lapped

against the sand

an internal storm

had seized and taken hold

the land

the rise of turmoil

in the wind

lashed the sailboats

to the harbor

and scattered lingering gulls

kited in the sky

the clouds had dropped into the sea

with strings attached

that made them dance

in a frenzy

that woke up all the waves

thus the rise and fall

of castles

in a storybook

yesterday

TL

Sand Dollars

there’s money

in my pocket

that I don’t spend

in vain

I just keep it

invested

for it has a good return

and when I can

I’ll add to it

in waves

TL

Room at the Table

there’s a photo

of a little girl

in a pink shirt

holding a clear bag

that holds all her

worldly possessions

and she’s hugging it

close to her chest

one hand over the other

as if it were

a stuffed animal

or a blanket

and she has this look

on her face

so calm, so strong, so quiet, so sad

and all around her

is complete chaos

and uncertainty

she’s an immigrant

who was born into

uncontrollable circumstances

her eyes are old eyes

in a small face

she hasn’t a home

to go back to

or one to go to

now

she’s caught in a struggle

of power, money, greed, hatred

and she has no power

no money

no greed

no hatred

she just knows she can’t go home

and she’s got no home

and nothing makes sense

in her head

she sees people crying

and yelling

and fighting

and hurting

and she’s standing

in the middle of it

still as a statue

not crying

not yelling

not fighting

she stands there

frozen

in her pink shirt

hugging her bag

to her chest

with hurt in her eyes

completely helpless

in a mess

she didn’t make

and I pray for her

I pray she knows

in her little heart

there is a God

who never forsakes

who hears her

who sees her

who feels her

who will give her the strength

to endure

“I know what it is to be in need,

and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content

in any and every situation, whether well fed

or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through Him who gives

me strength.”

– Philippians 4:12-13

TL

W o R d S

when a child

first learns to speak

a word

and then another

and another

and another

forming sentences

that turn into talk

talking on paper

like the books with the pictures

that rhyme

and sing

and repeat

the small words

become big

and the big words

become small

A-Z

big letters

and little letters

they all look different but mean the same thing

sound the same way

and it’s funny how

all the words

they first learn

to say

to write

to read

are all good ones

all good words

there are no bad words

in the A-Z

they have no idea

bad words exist

until one day

they learn

that words have meaning

behind them

and that some can hurt your feelings

and make you cry

while others can make you laugh

and feel love

the tone, the volume, the intent

the way words are strung together

in a line

spoken or written or heard

are interpreted

and taken in

but in the alphabet of first words

there are no bad words

in any of the stories or songs or poems or prayers

the words are all good

there are no bad words

except maybe the word:

no

TL

Transformative

in sports

they say

you never learn much

from winning

but you learn much

from losing

when you win

you feel invincible

when you lose

you feel vulnerable

invincible is harder to teach

vulnerable is ready to learn

when someone you love dearly dies

you feel loss in the deepest way there is to lose

not only did you lose that person

but you lost the way they loved you

not to say you won’t feel love again

but that it won’t be the same

how can it be

why would you want it to be

the way they loved you

mattered

the way you loved them

mattered

TL

Goblet of Gold

the sun

is lightening the leaves

a softer green

on a trail

lined with towering trees

you feel small

as you look up

and a little lost

as you look down

for the trail is so long

and weary

and you’re already tired

from your travels

yet faced with the choice

you don’t turn around

or sit down

you choose to go forward

to keep going

to keep moving

taking steps

all the small ones add up

as you look around

the mud turns meadow

the rough terrain

evens out

into a gentle slope

the steep incline

flattens out

into a clearing

you can hear the water

f

a

l

l

i

n

g

and rushing over rocks

spilling over

into pooling ponds

forming fountains

that ripple out

in all direction

you take your cup

and dip it down

into the well

and bring it back up

and pass it

round

TL

Blank Pages

when rife

with the stress

of daily life

don’t dismiss it

as it is

and keep pushing

past the point

there has to be stops

breaks

where you get off the train

the bus, the plane

not for vacation

or holiday

but to return

to a place

inside yourself

before

you ever got on the train

the bus, the plane

before there was somewhere

you had to be

had to go

for what you forgo

is always there

on hold

like a bookmark

in a book

understanding your story

is not in the summary

or skipping pages

chapters

the whole thing

you have to really read

so, you can write

new pages

new chapters

a good ending

TL