Month: May 2020

Happy Unbirthday

one day

Alice happens upon

a tea party in the woods

where there is singing

at the table  

and the table is long

and full of good stuff

and there’s plenty of seating

to be had

so, Alice takes a seat

and the Rabbit and the Mad Hatter

don’t even realize she’s there

until she starts clapping

when they finish singing

she thinks they were singing

the Happy Birthday song

and that it’s somebody’s birthday

but the Rabbit and the Mad Hatter

immediately correct her

“My dear child, this is not a Birthday Party,” exclaims the Rabbit

“Of course not, this is an Unbirthday Party,” says the Mad Hatter

they go on to tell her that there’s only one Birthday each year

so, that leaves 364 Unbirthdays in a year

Alice then realizes that today is her Unbirthday!

and so the Rabbit and the Mad Hatter start singing again

and they bring out an upside-down birthday cake

and Alice makes a wish and blows out her candle

and fireworks appear in the sky

maybe, the moral of the story is

to enjoy each day as if it were, indeed, your birthday party

think the Rabbit and the Mad Hatter

would toast to that

with tea

(source: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

TL

At the Beginning

hatred

can be traced

back

if you follow the lines

close enough

it will reveal itself

at its origin

babies are not born

full of hate

hatred is a learned thing

it can be taught

early on

verbally, physically, emotionally

and carried on

indefinitely

if you let it

TL

Human Ingenuity

Doug Hurley

and Bob Behnken

who were once children

looking up at the night sky

in awe and wonder

are adults now

but it won’t be men

in that rocket tomorrow

blasting off from Florida

the laughter in space

will come from

the pure joy

of two little boys

TL

In Memory of “Maud”

Ahmaud Arbery

would have been

an electrician

had he lived

longer

but he died at 25

in a senseless

way

in memory of “Maud”

his potential

his hopes and dreams

maybe his family

full of grief

will one day

set up a scholarship

in his name

for aspiring electricians

of any race

who would benefit

from financial assistance

in the pursuit

of their hopes and dreams

for a better life

TL

Lest We Forget

Memorial Day

has the heart of service

at the center

of what sacrifice is

all the men and women

who paid the ultimate price

for our freedom

is apparent

in the way in which we live

the way in which we choose to live

every. single. day

and my way may not be your way

and your way may not be mine

and that’s ok

we can agree to disagree

for we live in a democracy

and we have a U.S. Constitution

that reminds us

of our rights, our inalienable rights

and there’s a flag

that still flies

Red, White and Blue

for the me in you

and the you in me

and that’s called, US

TL

Tomorrow

excuse me, ma’ma

you don’t know me

and I don’t know you

but you look at me

as if you do

and you might not understand

that i grew up in this land

first up North

then down South

went to kindergarten at Pine School

in Massachusetts

and stayed through second grade

‘til i moved away

to Alabama

where i started third grade

and graduated high school

and went on to college

Jacksonville State University

University of Las Vegas Nevada

Southern Union State Community College

and Auburn University with a B.A. degree

yeah, ‘ya don’t know me

I love country music

rock, pop, classical, blues, folk and rap

but I suppose I don’t look like that

you look at me as if

I stole from you

like I stole your crown

like I stole your degree

like I stole your job

like I stole your car

like I stole your house

like I stole your husband

like I stole your life

like I don’t belong

and you want me gone

back to where I came from

heard it all before

but have no idea where i came from

‘cause i was bought and sold

before i could talk

and i don’t remember a thing

other than here

feel like i was born in the U.S.A

that i belong here

‘cause my heart is here

but you look at me

as if I don’t

belong

and I try to understand where you’re coming from

that maybe your life didn’t turn out

and you lost a lot along the way

and I’m sorry you think I stole from you

but believe it or not I worked really hard

for what I got

and none of it came easy

harder than you think

we are different

me and you

and not because

my eyes are different

than yours

but how we see

out of ‘em

the way we view

things

you see me as an alien

probably illegally

I see you as a human

being

a human who hates me

at first sight

and I can’t change that

you have to do that

for yourself

and maybe you will

and maybe you won’t

but maybe your kid

or your grandkid

or your great-grandkid

or your great-great-grandkid

will see different

who knows

but it never hurt

to hope …

“Hope is a thing with feathers

that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all,

and sweetest in the gale is heard;

and sore must be the storm

that could abash the little bird

that kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,

and on the strangest sea;

yet, never, in extremity,

it asked a crumb of me.” – Emily Dickinson

TL

Timeless

there’s this homeless

tortoise

in Massachusetts

whose owner sadly died of the virus

and immediately after reading the story

I emailed the shelter

to inquire about the 53-year-old hard shell

named Ms. Jennifer

and as figured they don’t do out-of-state adoptions

for tortoises

so far, there’s been an overwhelming interest in the old gal

so, she’s bound to find a good home somewhere soon

my life-long love for turtles

probably stems from the storybook tale

of The Tortoise and the Hare

with its timeless teaching

“slow and steady wins the race …”

TL

Adapt and Adjust

never was

an online shopper

before

but that was before

turns out I’m just as good online

as I am in the store

online shopping is an efficient mode of travel

but just like in the store

you can, um, get side-tracked

when you’re shopping for say Easter or your daughter’s birthday presents

did I need a keyboard that looks like a tray of lipsticks

yeah, no

did I need another string of pearls

yeah, no

did I need another copy of the same book, albeit, my favorite book

yeah, yes

did I need another coffee mug no matter how funny it was

yeah, no, definitely not

did I need a 5-pack of rosy lipsticks

yeah, maybe

did I need 4 pots of Blue My Mind dwarf morning glories

yeah, not really

did I need that many bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

yep

did I need two rolls of artificial turf to putt on

yep

did I need a giant golf practice net for the yard

yeah, the other one broke and the new one must be on back-order forever

do I need a case of Fluff for my hot chocolate

yeah, I’m about out

a mug of hot chocolate topped with Fluff and sprinkled with cinnamon

jest makes it better

TL

Solo Flight

a black butterfly

invited itself in

and looked around

the room

at everything

pausing here and there

it seemed to like the maze

the best

lingering in the lines

wondering which way to go

next

but butterflies don’t live long enough

for mazes

and knowing this full well

it abruptly aborted the game

and headed out

where the gardenias

grow

TL

If i Were a Bird

forced myself

to go

and take a walk

where I used to go

and take a walk

saw two turtles

sunning side-by-side

and took their picture

and walked away

one foot in front of the other

it felt good

to walk in a public place

even if in tears

you’re moving forward

facing what you don’t wanna face

or feel

one foot in front of the other

and there were families with their young children

running round and round

and dogs with their noses to the ground

a frisbee in the air

somebody teaching Tai Chi over there

and I wish I could run

like that runner that flew past me

but at least I can walk

fairly fast

and when I’m outside with the sunlight in the leaves

I feel like I can walk to the ocean

not so on a treadmill

that’s a grind

so, I got up again this morning

and went for another walk

in the sunlight

just in a different place

it won’t ever feel the same

as it did before

nothing quite will

methinks

a D.H. Lawrence poem comes to mind:

“I never saw

a wild thing

sorry for itself.

A bird will fall

frozen dead

from a bough

without ever

having felt

sorry for itself.”

TL