Unknown Stone
is it enough
to fill in
the blanks
with what you have
instead of what you lost
do you really have to know
what you’ve never known before
and what if
what you thought you knew
turns out to be untrue …
like a given name
any given day
does it matter
where you were
or
where you are
can you rest in peace
in this life
or
the next
never knowing
who you really are
TL
Separation
too tired
to sleep
something you said
has me out of bed
past midnight
walking the floor
what a warm cup of milk
won’t spill
there’s so much to say
but never said
do tears tell the time
schoolbag in hand
thought we just met
smiled all day
and shook hands
thought I was doing ok
like I could do this
but what is this
you look at me,
and I look at you
I love you so much …
you’ll never know how much
and you say, in that matter-of-fact way,
“Yes, I do, Mommy,
I do know how much –
you love me
too much”
TL
Dust
painted the wall
red
and it bled
coat after coat
the color high
the color low
would not blend
would not roll
they say red is hard
to get just right
it varies in the light
from a garden rose
to an orchard row
a dance between
a dance below
it takes a step
then takes a turn
before it smokes
and ember burns
“ashes to ashes”
are the masses
who painted high
and painted low
for that perfect pitch
and ever-glow
of stain on glass
no body knows
“then sings my soul”
TL
“Little Boy Blue”
here is a poem
for you
at 4
you don’t know the door
but you will at 18
go far …
and find yourself
don’t be anybody else
don’t be them
be the golden boy
I know you are
the one I saw
that day
running away
or trying to
you’d almost reached the toys
before they came after you
no time for toys
you were there to pick a movie out for rent
and you would
heard you crying in that awful way
heard them yelling at you, blaming you
as if you were a grown man
who had taken their food away
at 4
you don’t know the door
but you will at 18
go far …
TL
Box
when it rained
I’d stick my hand
out the window
for there was no pane
when I walked around
I walked through walls
for there were only beams
when I looked up
I could see the clouds
for there was no lid
when I’d go to leave
I’d just walk on through
for there was no door
no lock to turn
when I returned
glass was glued to the frames
sheetrock divided space
shingles covered clouds
and when I left
I closed the door
and locked it
TL
Warrior
life is strange
just when you think
you’ve got it figured out
you don’t
nothing ever stays
the same
the only constant
is change
to fight against change
is to think that life
can be controlled
but like the retreat and return
of the ocean, life cannot still –
it must constantly churn and swirl
therein lies the beauty
it is the spirit that will not die
no matter the cost or consequence
it is a refusal to hide
for to stay on dry land
and never venture out
is the way of a coward
and it is that breed
that knows no pure joy
or complete sorrow
it is a life lived half
instead of whole
fear makes this so
it is only a brave heart
though it beats with fear
pushes on and does not retreat
and in this noble state
peace is found
TL
Adoption
she looks to be
one and a half
in the photograph
she’s wearing a dress
and small slipper shoes
she’s standing outside
plants behind her
it’s a wallet-size snippet
black and white
not much to see
she fills the frame
a singular form
forcing a toothless smile
somebody took the shot
somebody stuck a sticker on it
a four digit number
of identification
that photograph
that number
was sent out
from Seoul, Korea
to America
Wilbraham, Mass.
a couple there
saw that photograph
of that little girl
and something
about her
reached
out to them
so they bought her
and changed her name
… her life
Nov. 12, 1974
TL
Stationary
on a lonesome
summer day
in a parked lot
of packed cars
saw a silver shield
against the wind
sealing out the sun
and splattered rain
gray shadows
formed and fell
cross a cradle
in the car
a driver in distress
no cash to close
the gaping mouth
above the baby’s head
so sticky tape
would have to do
to cover that unholy spew
and hide the painful view
of windshield wipers whipping
back and forth
spitting out the water
on the car to the left
and to the right
where no drops of rain fell
from hood to hood
TL
Quest
sHe
sets sail
at sundown
the water’s cool
and the wind is high
like that yellow pie
eyes a distant star
and turns toward it
seems so far
will the vessel hold
nobody knows
you’re either in
or you’re out
is there really
a choice
at the start
the shell is
smooth
and cuts the water
like a knife
in time
the blade turns dull
and leaves no wake
the shell is different now
no longer fragile
and familiar
battered in a red sea
and badly burned
wounded in the water
no bearing
still the star
comes out at night
a speck of white light
many moons later
the sailor changes course
and sets sight
for shore
where the sand is shining
and the palms are waving
and a cup of coconut
is pirate’s bounty
one last linger
before the final push
a shell without a sailor
at sunup
“it is well”
TL
Rain
hosepipe
in the sky
opened wide
watched the curtain fall
like i was small
found a good seat
saw the smoke
crawl across concrete
as if an urn had overturned
and scattered ashes
out to sea
summer sun
happy haze
wall of water
falling fast …
know it
doesn’t last
TL
Gems
string of macaroni
full of facets and fire
they hold the light
TL
Blink
lines are long
so are the complaints
get to the front
“I’m going on break”
roll at a crawl
deposit drop
get to the front
to sit there and sigh
“Sorry for the wait,
receipt machine’s on the blink”
blink, blink, blink
too much time to think
why hurry
where do you have to be
really
sand is running out
look at old faces
ask old questions
no answers there
just a blink
school teaches: conform
life teaches: re-form
over and over and over
blink
toddler to teen
blink
single to married
blink
married to parents
blink
parents to grandparents
blink
grandparents to great-grandparents
blink
great to grave
do you know any more
than you did before
are you really that much smarter
than you were at 16
“love is love”
don’t blink
TL
My Weakness
untouched toys
scattered on the floor
tiny tornado
out the door
left me a wreck
stuck at goodbye
knew it was coming
saw the lightning
heard the thunder
felt the rumble
still crumbled
wasn’t prepared
for the gust
how hard
it would rain
how long
it would last
TL
Daily Grind
can’t even
do that
the phone’s ringing
someone’s at the door
the dog’s barking
the birds are squawking
the dryer buzzer’s ringing
the oven timer’s beeping
and I’m getting old
and everyone around me is getting old
and my patience is frayed
and I don’t want to talk to you
or anybody or anyone or anything
ever feel like that
like you don’t want someone to understand
cause they don’t
they don’t even understand themselves
let alone you
but they want to pretend to
and that gets you
so you run
around
in circles
until
you’re too
tired
to give
a damn
so what
if
everyone’s
a liar
even you
who cares
tomorrow’s
another
day
even if
it
isn’t
true
TL
Ferris Wheel
kids don’t think
they do
grown-ups think
that’s what they do
they
think
and think
and think
re-think
over-think
wheel-think
back to square one
never get anything done
forget about
fun
TL
Reject Roses
there’s a store
that sells
necessities
like bread and milk and eggs
but my buggy
turns left
where the roses
need rescue
not the ones
at the front
dressed
in velvet
perfection
but the ones in the back
that sit like sad sacks
stamped with a neon sticker
discount
take them home
cut a fresh straw
and dip them
in a cool drink
on their last leg
they bloom
as if they
belong
in a vase
TL
You and Me
fell in love
watching a waterfall
sailed away
in a rusted boat
laughed
like lovers do
spoke as if
there’s only
here and now
wrote our dreams
in the sand
grain by grain
built our castle
on a cliff
facing forward
toward the sea
to that great
unknown
somehow
we hit gold
TL
Sunset
watched
an old man
bend
to the will
of the reed
things he’s done
a certain way
hard to see
them slip away
but the current
takes us all
if I knew
what to say
to him
I’d say it
but our view
out the window
is skewed
while I see the trees
he sees the leaves
falling
TL
Running
smoking heat
frigid frost
dancing rain
wild wind
not a whisper
felt it all
morning mug
afternoon cup
evening glass
drunk it all
lift and fall
my sole
play my song
let it roll
away the rest
round and round
edge of miles
disappeared
for a little while
TL
Hospitality
they outlawed
smoking
at a packed place …
a place that needs a smoke
the most
folks don’t go there
to light up
they go spent
with worry
sick with sadness
for somebody they love
is laid up in bed
in the worst way,
and there’s nothing they can do
but wait it out
and hope their somebody
gets to go home
soon
so they pray
a silent prayer
and sit
with strangers
and walk
in circles
and think
about all the things
they haven’t faced
what if their somebody
doesn’t make it out
alive
then what
anybody got a light
anybody
TL