Mindset
worse than
it was
worse than
it has
worse than
it is
the worst
can get
worse
history tells us
so
how it was
how it has
how it is
life is not a fair shake
if you feel defeated you already are
the human spirit
doesn’t come riding in high on a horse
rather glimmering
it shows itself in the tears
of great loss
it is decided in defeat
if you believe you are defeated
you are
TL
Remember When
the trees
are green
once more
a shimmering green
the wind teases
diamond drops
on the lobes of leaves
wink
the trunk its rivulet skin
frozen in winter
and burned in summer
feels the fall
the rush of Spring
life is new again
easy to see
the beauty
in fresh cut grass
and friendly flowers
rivers that run through the woods
like rabbits
there’s a song in every tree
a buzz bye
the symphony sounds
imprinted
in the inner ear
fill the stillness
when it’s cold outside
and all the green
is gone
TL
Here and Now
from Old Blue Chair
to That Lucky Old Sun
Don’t Blink
in the Here and Now
thank you
thank you
thank you
Kenny Chesney
for all the music
for The Life
Way Down Here
TL
Make Do
10 hours
of ocean waves
on re-play
sound of the surf
sight of the sea
the waves roll in
the waves roll out
the sky stays
blue
and the clouds
don’t move
TL
The Sun on Snow
water
in a clear kettle
sits still
and hushed
like a lake
before the fog lifts
like a puddle in the park
before Fall leaves
like a pond in the Spring
before it rains
like a fountain in a square
before there’s a wish
like an icicle on the roof
before it drips
like a tear in the eye
before it fell
TL
Over Time
the ocean
in Panama
sittin’ in the sand
waitin’ for the sun
to wake up
and stretch across
empty my cup
and walk
the shore
where waves
crawl in
like shadows
and disappear
like castles
made of grain
and gold
discarded jewels
dot the land
chipped
and cracked
and broke in two
but i only pick up
the whole pieces
still perfect
unmarred
without scar
TL
Love Is
choice
the ability to choose
to think for oneself
is as individual as the individual
you wake up thinking
just a dream
it was just a dream
but this is real
this is really happening
right now
and it’s everywhere
in every eye
we see what’s happening
all over the place
and it’s hard to watch
hard to fully understand
and accept
that this is really happening
right now
people are dead
dying by the day
gasping for breath
and they never got to say
goodbye
and when this happens
when something like this happens
to somebody
and they didn’t get to say
goodbye
those left with the loss
must close their eyes
and hear their heart
beating
love was enough
even if you weren’t there
and you would have given anything to be
your love was
it will always be …
and it’s the only thing
in the world
worth saving
TL
Sacrifice
what love
requires
nobody knows
until it’s time
TL
Think Before You Drink
forget toilet paper
alcohol sales
are rolling through the roof
right now
alcohol abuse
can bring out
the worst monsters
hiding under the bed
children are afraid
of monsters
‘cause they can hurt you
bad
so bad you internalize
the trauma
mentally, physically and emotionally
for years ever after
a monster
can change a child
overnight
while the world is unsafe
right now
for so many children
out there
stuck at home
there is no escape
TL
Kenny Rogers
(Aug. 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020)
“In a bar in Toledo across from the depot
on a bar stool she took off her ring
I thought I’d get closer
so, I walked on over
I sat down and asked her her name
when the drinks finally hit her
she said I’m no quitter
but I finally quit livin’ on dreams
I’m hungry for laughter and here ever after
I’m after whatever the other life brings
in the mirror I saw him, and I closely watched him
I thought how he looked out of place
he came to the woman who sat there beside me
he had a strange look on his face
the big hands were calloused
he looked like a mountain
for a minute I thought I was dead
but he started shaking
his big heart was breaking
he turned to the woman and said,
‘you
picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
with four hungry children and a crop in the field
I’ve had some bad times
lived through some sad times
but this time your hurtin’ won’t heal
you picked a fine time to leave me Lucille’
after he left us, I ordered more whiskey
I thought how she’d made him look small
from the lights of the bar room
to a rented hotel room
we walked without talking at all
she was a beauty but when she came to me
she must have thought I’d lost my mind
I couldn’t hold her ’cause the words that he told her
kept coming back
time after time
‘you picked a fine time to leave me
Lucille …’ ”
(Song written by Hal Bynum and Roger Bowling)
In the Spring of the Year
the pace of life
has paused
to preserve its future
not without sorrow
or sacrifice
not even the dead
can die properly
as loved ones grieve
in isolation
there aren’t enough beds
for the sick
for the dying
for the surgeries
planned
or unplanned
nursing home patients
have no hand to hold
already helpless as is
over-crowded prisons
on lockdown
pose health problems
inside and out
homeless on the street
hold up
new cardboard signs
as restaurants they sit near
close
sanitation workers are strung out
this is no Spring cleaning
doctors and nurses
have tears in their eyes
knowing what they know
the military and law enforcement
keep a watchful eye
each day
different
as journalists report the hard facts
the necessities of life
in short supply
production ramped up
world-wide
nobody sleeps
but children
as numbers rise
and fall
maps in the red
more than your own life
at stake
sacrifices great
and small
known and unknown
put in perspective
what is essential
what is non-essential
in times of crisis
humanity is tested
at the core
TL
Grace
the willow strands
almost touched the water
where turtles swim
with fish
each path is dotted
with teeny tiny pastel flowers
the trees are teeming with leaves
as the squirrels scurry to the top
to nest
like birds
that sing their song
not to be heard
but felt
the old man with his cane
is slow
but steady
beneath a canopy
of pale pink blossoms
that fall into the stream
full from drops
warmed by the sun
the ladybugs crawl ruby red
against the concrete
but lift their wings
when they want to fly
maybe not as graceful as a butterfly
or as fast as a hummingbird
or as persistent as a gnat
but they breeze
through the air
and land
like a blink
for the tiny to see
like fireflies
in the dark
TL
Reassurance
as he
rolled his buggy
down the aisle
past row after row after row
of empty shelves
he kept patting
his baby boy
on the leg
telling him
over and over
“it’s gonna be ok …
don’t worry
it’s gonna be ok …
we’re gonna be ok …”
his baby
wearing his blue footie pajamas
in the early morning hour
just looked up at him
and kept smiling
swinging his footie feet
in the air
TL
Blue Butterfly
Shirley Flora
buzzed around
town
dropping seeds
out her pocket
knowing tomorrow
flowers would grow
in the soil
and someone who needed
a lift
would notice them and smile
she made
Opelika Beautiful
(Oct. 13, 1932 – March 5, 2020)
TL
In the Wind
one must
stay centered
in the smallness
of a moment
TL
“The Way Back”
Dear Dad,
thank you
for saving me
a seat
TL
“And That’s All I Have To Say About That”
a few days ago
was watching
an all-time favorite
Forrest Gump
with its all-time favorite actor
Tom Hanks
and even though I’ve watched it
many times
I feel it every time
the message is timeless
in its truth
the viewer sees the world
through oblivious eyes
like a quiet inside a storm
“i may not be a smart man,
but i know what love is …”
TL
Plan F
it’s good to
have a plan
they teach ya that
early on
have a plan
make a plan
in fact, have at least three
a plan A
a plan B
a plan C
and when i was young
i had a plan
in fact, i had five
plan A
plan B
plan C
plan D
plan E
all of the above
i never factored an F
i didn’t know F
i was used to rising above the situation
however hard
press on
but life has its way with you
finds your weakness
and exploits it
nobody is immune
unexpected factors
can make ya question
all those plans
things ya never foresee
things ya weren’t prepared for
things that change your course
things that change you
that break you
after my father died
sudden
i stopped
making plans
TL
Silent Suffering
what words
are never spoken
loud
that hurting
i first heard
relentless
in the weeping
the baby cried
in a corner crib
where too many
lie
in worthless waiting …
for who
for what
for when
for where
for why
the door opens
the door closes
again and again and again
a thousand times
the opening and closing
of doors
walked through
and away
triggered tears
follow first steps
into tomorrow
if ever left
then you know
leaving never leaves
a body
becoming an expected thing
in the unexpected moment
it lies
quiet
in the corner
waiting …
for who
for what
for when
for where
for why
TL
Dear Dad,
still take walks
by the water
found a new place
reminds me a little
of the park
across the street
we’d walk
not as nice
though
but peaceful
the geese are at home
here
they look like swans
on water
just as serene
as they glide by
they won’t be here forever
one day
they’ll fly in formation
to some other somewhere
but not today
today they’re here
with me
TL