Under the Stars
on the bridge
over the railroad tracks
in a tiny town I know
long lines of cars on the street
look like strands of twinkle lights
blinking white on a Christmas night
their red bulbs burning bright
leaving puffs of smoke in the air
and when they’ve all gone home
to their tree
I wonder of the street
stretched long
and all the steps that walk it
unlit
TL
Tiger Woods 82
champions
are
a different breed
you never
rule out
a champion
ever
TL
Window Pane
in the tower
of stone
high upon
the ridge
sets the sunlight
laced in sheers
a spider left
hanging there
gauzy
in the square
like a veil
over the eye
softening
the view
TL
Self-Worth
yesterday
a boy
called her
Mixed
last year
bullies called her a B
repeatedly
and she never flinched
but being called, Mixed
hit her in the heart
she’s gotten by thus far
without an uproar
‘cause she looks white
in any room
like all her white friends look
like how her Daddy looks
like how her grandparents look
like how her aunts and uncles and cousins look
but the kids at school know
how her Mother looks
and her Mother doesn’t look white
at all
so a simple walk from class to class
down the sidewalk
talking and laughing with a white boy
results in another white boy making fun of them
“Ew, she’s Mixed. You like a Mixed Asian …”
in that careless moment
her eyes were opened
and her world had changed in an instant
shifted somehow
her sense of belonging was tested
and she questioned her place in the world
her father and I already know how the world works
but she’s still learning hard lessons
in early chapters
I looked in her eyes and told her
whenever someone is mean to you
it’s a reflection of who they are
not who you are
so long as you know who you are
it shouldn’t matter what others think
but when you’re at a certain age
fitting-in is all that matters
the boy who walked and talked and laughed with her
stood up for her
against the other boy
when times get tough
you find out who your friends are
I just hope the best one
will always be
the one she finds
within herself
TL
Admitting is the First Step
I have a thing
for things
lots of things
apparently
I used to think
I didn’t
have a thing
for things
but things have
taken hold
and if I love it
forget it
I’ll take 10
it’s been
a gradual thing
this collection
of excess
this immersion
of stuff
I don’t like it
this feeling
of being taken
it’s a process
like most of life
to figure it out
the why of it
all
and make sense
of the what ifs
what if I didn’t
need that … anymore
what if I could just
let it go
give it away
set it by the road
even if it had a hold
I could jest let it go
right
WRONG
yeah, I’m shaking my head
no
as I’m looking at the things
all the pretty things on my desk
it’s a negative no
I wouldn’t say I’m a hoarder
I’ve watched those shows
but I look around
and realize
I have a lot of stuff
I really don’t need
but so much of it
I love
and as you get older
you tend to acquire
more of it
more of the stuff you love
things of beauty
are a weakness
things of comfort
even more
how many cardigans
does one person really need
A LOT
cardigans are like a safety blanket
like Linus, I like to feel secure at all times
wherever I go
wherever I am
‘cause ‘ya never know
how cold it could get
it could sleet
it could snow
it could ice over
be prepared for anything
and everything
TL