Hawks
kites were
high
swept up
against a blue, blue sky
no strings attached
they flew in threes
showing off
their wings
the span of flight
a precision slice
cut through clouds
and distant sheets
a halo of leaves
TL
Poetry
Hawks
kites were
high
swept up
against a blue, blue sky
no strings attached
they flew in threes
showing off
their wings
the span of flight
a precision slice
cut through clouds
and distant sheets
a halo of leaves
TL
Mary Slaton
she had
done her research
for months on end
sat down with the surgeon
asked him the same robotic question
a thousand different ways
had read that story about that woman
who had had the exact same surgery done
how she talked it up in the paper
had nothing bad to say about it
so, when that Tuesday morning rolled around
she felt like everything would go as planned
but that’s the thing about plans
it’s outta your hands
how could she know
she’d be lying there bleeding
how the surgeon would have to go back in
with another cardiac cut
deeper this time
supposed to be there 3-5 days
not 3-5 weeks
but she sounded good on the phone
hopeful to go home
any day now
get back to her daffodils
and her music lessons
and waking up in her own bed
with the birds outside
her window
singing their song …
her favorite melody
TL
Rock-a-Bye
she watched him
through the screen
watched him
walk away
said she’d never
done that
before
but that morning
when he left
out the door
she watched him
through the screen
‘til she couldn’t see him
no more
and when evening fell
over the morning sun
“head-on collision …
tanker and car …
driver did not survive …”
she understood why
she watched him
walk away
that day
he was 23
her son
had a baby girl
3-weeks-old …
now 8
TL
Silver Handles
he went around
drilling handles
in the doorways
of his daddy’s house
pulling on ‘em
with his weight
making sure
they’re secure
he put one
by the bathroom
one by the door
one by the stove
another by his chair
one up over there
over yonder
seems he put ‘em
everywhere
for the times
he can’t be there
sometimes, in life
‘ya need somebody
to hang a handle
in your doorway
a steel hand
to hold ‘ya up
when your legs
give out
TL
deGraffenried
he gave
the best
bear hugs
right, little cub
warm and tight
help ‘ya sleep
safe at night
don’t forget that
little cub
don’t forget that
big bear hug
the kind ‘ya feel
your whole life through
he gave the best of ‘em to you
his little cub
(February 5, 1955 – March 5, 2015)
TL
Dear Dad,
they say
the struggles
make ‘ya stronger
I say
I’d rather not be
that strong
they say
what doesn’t kill ‘ya
makes ‘ya stronger
I say
what doesn’t kill ‘ya
does something else entirely
nobody just is
strength is born
out of agony
the weakest hour
had I known that then
when I was seven
I would of never prayed
for that
to be strong
TL
Rearden
you’re supposed
to be
outside right now
sweeping the entryway
readying your mind
for the day
and it’s a long one
got a cap and a crown
cavities
to drill down
some wisdom
a bridge
and that stubborn girl’s
coming in
maybe if you’d stuck around
now, we sit there waiting
for you to come around
the corner
and appear in the doorway
with those magnifying eyes
missing nothing
he don’t miss nothing either
you’d like him
Gamotis
he admires your work
as you would his
gonna go see him
this morning
and get a brushing
and hope it’s just that
you know how it is
anyways, things are running
like clockwork
around there
you’d be proud
proud of ‘em
the girls
they kept it together
professional
but you already knew that …
knew they would
(March 10, 1948 – September 14, 2013)
TL
Seven Stars
Mc
Far
land
U
S
A
TL
DWTS
and the stars align
Derek Hough
has changed his mind
TL
Base
in the per
plexity
the quan
dary
the con
voluted
thing
be but
a lov
er
of sim
ple
things
like
base
ball
TL
Birdy Bird
in the cage
of the cat
the bird
flew not where
and even if
not with half a wing
on the mend
with the blue sky
in her eye
and the glint of sun
threaded through wet needles
she meant to rest
for but a moment
but fell fast asleep
on a limb
too high
and dropped
like a longleaf pine
that lives
but 500 years
TL
Flurry
there is
a quiet
at the end
of a lane
a pause
before it turns
to a street
becomes a road
an interchange
you close your eyes
and there’s a butterfly
why is it there
you watch it wink
down the path
beyond your reach
you open your eyes
and pause
before you take a hard right
‘cause you coulda sworn you felt it
the slightest brush
but that’s absurd
there are no butterflies
in the dead of winter
mustta been a snowflake
that fell
a drop that froze
overnight
TL
Bob Simon
he told
the stories
from the ground floor
not an escalator scraper
or an anchor’s cushion
he stood in the dirt
his boots muddy
his eyes full
of things
he never spoke
his compassion felt
across the lines
the way he gave dignity
to the deprived
there was no difference
between the dignitary or the derelict
he held them with the same gaze
gave them the same billing
he was what a reporter ought to be
humane
(May 29, 1941 – Feb. 11, 2015)
TL
Be Super
stadium seats
television screens
radio speakers
online apps
the playback …
an All-American flash
a snippet
to carry in the pocket
that thing coaches preach
in leagues big and little
in fields wide and narrow
backyards, city parks, the street
from the mud hole to the mountain
“believe you can … and you will”
TL
Maintenance
I stare
at the crack
in the ceiling
my music’s too loud
but I like it loud
I like to feel it
coursing through me
like a crashing wave
gets me up the hill
down the plank
through the set
past the stretch
and as I lie in sweat
staring at the crack
in the ceiling
I feel lighter somehow
not pounds lighter
just lighter
it’s my mind, my heart, my soul
that lifts
TL
Circular
whatever
it is
don’t let it
overtake you
sure it’s hard
and it hurts real bad
and you think you’re gonna die
never make it out
don’t sit in the ditch
don’t lie there
crawl if you have to
you’ll find your feet
one step, two
don’t turn around
keep to the front
toes forward
walk
walking helps
you’re moving
your body is moving
that’s important
down the mile
you’ll notice the light
the way it wakes the day
you’ll feel the rain
the way it clears the dust, the debris
you’ll see that life is circular
connected
you are a miracle
and you mean something
to somebody somewhere
even if you don’t know it
haven’t met them yet
you will in time
there is always a choice
free will
choose: yourself
put the pills down
drop the blade
toss the needle
get off the tracks
the ledge
don’t pull the trigger
untie the rope
flush the white stuff
trash the bottles
all of ‘em
get outta the car
the tub
he ain’t worth it
she ain’t worth it
they ain’t worth it
pain ain’t worth it
trust me
it ain’t worth it
but you are
you’re worth every bit
that person that died
wouldn’t want you to quit
get up
one step, two …
TL
Tea Time
perhaps
the world
could use
a cup of tea
with a lump of sugar
a biscuit and jam
a triangular sandwich
a snowy berry tart
forget the press
the pleat
the plat
forget all that
sit and sip
a spell
with me
a steamy cup
of English tea
not reserved for ladies
in turret castles
a man needs reprieve
a child needs treats
the old man, the young woman
they need to believe
the rich and the poor
sit at the same table
reaching for the same cup
of warmth
and belonging
TL
Speck
think not
this
for this
is not
a present thing
a sustained state
of being
no matter what
your watch says
or the potions promise
or the dance of endorphins in your head
the day will come
despite the unfinished crumb
you can gather all the intelligence
across seven continents
read every word
in the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
push your body past the sea
of Galilee
find your inner peace
at Everest
that golden moment
at the pond
maybe love
token or not
your journey
your voyage
your quest
over air, rail or sea
ends somewhere
in the desert sole
a speck
that once walked
the sands
mirrored shore to shore
a shadow there
the length of it
dialed toward the sun
the silver spoon of the moon
TL
Keep Moving
it might
be raining
sheets
soaking down the dirt
a spot for the stem
the river rises
a puddle forms
the streets slicken
all awash
town and country
fields and parking lots
all the soles
rushing to and fro
like scurried squirrels
grazed by tread
the drops miss nothing
above or below
‘cept the blur
the blink
was that a hummingbird
TL
Duh
like DWTS
without Derek
like 007
without Connery
like country music
without Chesney
like movies
without Caviezel
like the Tide
without Saban
like golf
without Tiger
like Rocky
without Stallone
like rap
without Eminem
like rock
without Elvis
like the news
without Cronkite
like the big screen
without Hanks
like Kung Fu
without Lee
like superman
without Reeve
like About Schmidt
without Nicholson
like comedy
without Carrey
like Titanic
without Leo
like action
without Statham
like a voice
without Freeman
like Thor
without Hemsworth
yeah, ya can’t do DWTS
without Derek
duh
TL