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
On the Eve of October
the shadows
are trembling
in the wind
as leaves twirl
to the ground
pass the pumpkins
on the sidewalk
footballs in the air
campers are rolling in
hunters are rolling out
boots and blue jeans
caramel and spice
hikers and bikers
wearing out the trail
like jeeps on the road
and golfers on the green
it’s getting cooler
in degrees
and the band
is playing
something upbeat
to drown out
the loss
TL
At the Bottom of a Sole
on the outside
looking in
I guess it depends
on the view
on how you view things
at the window
complex things
internally and externally
that affect the world
the world view
it can feel overwhelming
what’s at stake
too much on the table
too many fingers pointing
outward
there is a forgetting
when lines are drawn
and shields go up
basic things
get scattered
and everywhere you look
a mess
the mind shifts away
from early lessons
first steps
in the soles of another
how can you know
how it feels
if you’ve never worn heels
or boots
or moccasins
or patent leather
or plastic holes
or sequin slippers
or flops
or flats
or tracks
or sandals
or suede
or fins
or wedges
or steel toe
or combat
or tactical
or uniform
or casts
or surgical socks
or second-hand
or bags
or bandage
or bare
it’s hard to judge
a life
you’ve never stepped
a foot in
so why do we do
standing ignorant
in our own
set of shoes
TL
Deer
late on the green
putted ‘til the sun went down
‘til the cups faded into the field
Hogan’s quote about daylight
thinking how true
it ‘twas
as I headed home
in the dark
down
a
long
and
winding
road
feeling
relaxed
and
re-charged
when
out
of
the
dark
a
flash
of
light
hits
a
baby
deer
limping
fast
toward
me
I
swerve
left
to
miss
him
and
it
musta
startled
him
‘cause
he
fell
down
on
the
road
just
like
Bambi
did
on
the
ice
but
he
musta
got
right
back
up
‘cause
I
never
saw
his
body
any
where
on
the
road
or
the
side
of
the
road
I
never
saw
him
any
where
on
that
long
and
winding
road
but
I
see
him
in
the
dark
limping
fast
toward
me
TL
In the Middle of
there was
an apple on the desk
uneaten
there were tickets in the drawer
unused
there was an appointment on the books
unmade
there was a project in three phases
unphased
there were messages left on the phone
unreturned
there were stacks of mail in the box
unopened
there was packaged lunch in the frig
unpackaged
there were endless emails
unclicked
there were papers and files and faxes
unread
there were books on break
unturned
there was a sentence in a line
unfinished
there were flowers in a vase
untaken
there were things, so many things left
undone
there was the goodbye
the abrupt goodbye
so final
so surreal
unaccepted
TL
Think
to have
an original
t h o u g h t
is where
imagination
lives
TL
The Little Prince*
in my time
i have read
a bit
of books
and re-read
stacks
that took
a hold
and it’s
interesting how
a
small
slim
bit of
a book
written so well
and illustrated
so close
can perhaps be
the biggest book
one ever reads
or re-reads
TL
Perfection
if you
really love
a rose
everything about it
then let it
be beautiful
as it was
don’t tear the stem
out of the ground
and stick it in a vase
and put it in a room
and wonder why
it never bloomed
when it could have been
so beautiful
had it come back
year after year
TL
Quiet Morning
a little bird
with a blue tail
came in for a landing
on a patch of grass
I was staring hard at
the little bird
just stood there
staring up at me
with a tilted head
and then it flew up
from the grass
to the top of the stone
first to the left
it perched
then flew over to the right
and perched
then it took off
for the horizon
TL
No Beginning No End
inside
the circle
of grief
there are
grains
that never
f
a
l
l
and you sit
in all this sand
the ocean in your eyes
a day becomes
the rest of it
and you can’t explain
why
you weren’t there
when your body sat in the seat
and stood up
and walked around
that first year
you adjust to the silence
pick through the memories
stare at the photograph
love is a living thing
circular
TL
Worth It
to have a
sense of self
of self-worth
is something
some nurtured
in childhood
with the right care
and consideration
daily affirmation
but not all children
grow up that way
in the warmth of the sun
some are left fighting for it
in the dark
and only find it
much latter in life
while others struggle
their whole life
in an on-going cycle
of inner unrest
the evidence is massive
prisons are overrun with it
suicides are at an all-time high
drug-overdoses are not just hard-core stuff
but an addiction to painkillers
obesity is taking over more than the body
alcohol addiction is not a cure for pain
but an excuse to escape
social media is messing with young minds
women and men are paralyzed in abusive relationships
that affect their children
long-term
abusive parents scar their children for life
physical abuse can heal over time
but emotional abuse is something else
young people are running away from abusive homes
and ending up on dead-end streets
in the worst way
it can affect
the sense of self
of self-worth
it’s easier to repeat a pattern
than create something entirely new
it’s easier to give up
to just give up
it’s easier to fill the emptiness
with drugs
with alcohol
with sex
with food
with stuff
it’s easier to bully behind a screen
and support human degradation
it’s easier to stay in an unhealthy relationship
than to believe you deserve better
it’s easier to put your pain on someone else
than to examine the root cause
of it
it’s easier to stay the same way
than to change
it’s harder to change
it requires more
of the self
the inner self
that’s constantly searching
for worth in the world
in worldly things
but can only be found
within
that’s where real change
begins
there is always a choice
in the darkest moment
of your life
you’re given a choice
to either change
or remain the same
TL
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