Hush
quiet
in the clouds
as a Cessna bird
wings away
quiet
in the ocean
at the bottom
of the sea
quiet
after the storm
when thunder
and lightning
crash to sleep
quiet
early in the morning
after a night
of rest
quiet
in the car
after the door shuts
and the funeral’s over
quiet
in the recesses
of the mind
after it empties out
like the sky
releasing rain
TL
Archie Williams
he walked out
on to the stage
dressed to the nines
with an open smile
and an easy way
about him
but when the AGT judges
asked him to talk a bit about himself
his story shattered
that initial impression
of carefree
he was 22
when his world went dark
convicted of a horrible crime
he did not commit
nearly 37 years went by
as he sat there in a cold, hard cell
forgotten
waiting for somebody somewhere
to run his fingerprints
against the national database
and after nearly 37 years
somebody somewhere
finally did
and while he’ll never ever get back
the time he lost
he never wasted any of it
on what might have been
but on what could be
instead of getting weaker
year after year
behind bars
he got stronger
and stronger
and stronger
he never gave up
on himself
and his dreams
at 59
he walked out
on to the stage
dressed to the nines
a free man
and sang …
“don’t let the sun
go down on me”
TL
In the Line of Duty
in whatever line
of work
it’s not always
easy
to answer the call
depending on the circumstance
it could mean life
or death
depending on the circumstance
it could mean
not enough pay
and too many hours
depending on the circumstance
it could mean
being afraid
afraid to go to work
depending on the circumstance
it could mean
being feared
for the first time
depending on the circumstance
it could mean
feeling helpless
to help
depending on the circumstance
it could mean
being judged
fairly or unfairly
depending on the circumstance
the situation
what is required
may not be an external thing
but an internal one
if you expect recognition
for doing your job
right
then you’re never gonna feel
fulfilled
if you feel like all the good you’ve ever done
has been a waste
of time
then for you
it was
if you need constant praise
and adoration
to do your best
day in and day out
week after week
month after month
year after year
then it’ll be hard
and the work will just be work
without satisfaction
but if you know
for yourself
you did your job
and answered the call
to the best of your ability
and the intention
was good
then what more
TL
The Grass is Green
love me
fore you go
just a little
so, i’ll know
i was here
for a time
under the sky
the rise of the golden
sun
spilling into the milky
moon
counted all the stars
but one
the one i couldn’t see
but saw me
sitting there under a tree
watching the rain
i hear it in my sleep
like the waves
that tease me
i want to swim
to the other side
and not feel tired
picked up by the wind
i feel the dust
of the Sahara
the mirage of the sea
where i stood as a child
and believed
TL
Masterpiece
certain puzzles
take time
42,000 pieces
require patience
to put together
some people
are not so good
at solving puzzles
preferring a quick
configuration
that requires less effort
and time
others get frustrated
easily
when they cannot find
the missing pieces
the dog mighta chewed
and they give up
just like that
when they’re almost done
a persistent puzzler
will either start again
with a new box
or fashion pieces to fit
the original puzzle
and it may not look perfect
to the trained eye
but beautiful
still
in its completion
to fill the empty spaces
and even if some pieces
had to be restored
by hand
and carefully placed
to fit existing pieces
the big picture
was worth it
the persistent puzzler
will then hang the finished piece
in the great hall
where there are many rooms
with many panes
TL
Elementary
the abuse
of power
of position
is a corruption
of character
TL
Sacred
whatever may
befall you
however hard
the blows
no matter what
the test
and there will
always, always, always
be a test
or how many times
you forget
the light within
is sacred …
forgetting this
leads to nowhere
to nothing
many times in life
you will find yourself
in circumstances
beyond your control
and wonder why
but there are countless examples
worldwide
of people who have experienced
unimaginable things
in unimaginable places
in an unimaginable time
and yet they did not forget
what could easily be forgotten
in the dark
the light within
is sacred …
TL
if you ever
take a knee
let it be
in prayer
if you ever
take a knee
let it be
in proposal
if you ever
take a knee
let it be
for a toddler
to see you
at their level
if you ever
take a knee
let it be
in peace
if you ever
take a knee
let it be
to plant
a seed
TL
More than Meets the Eye
generalizations
in a glance
never tell
the true story
of what’s really going on
i can remember as a kid
being in a classroom
and two kids acting out
to get attention
but the teacher never knew
which ones were at fault
so, the whole class stayed in from break
and even though we were all punished
it was unheard of
to tell
on one another
even if we didn’t agree
and thought it was unfair
we still stuck together
as a class
but if someone walked down the hall
and peeked in the door
and saw the whole class with their heads
down on the desk
and the lights off
they might assume
we had all done something
wrong
and deserved to stay in from break
and if this kept up
we might start to get labeled
as the “bad class”
that always gets in trouble
and the teacher
no matter how good or bad
might get labeled, too
as a teacher who couldn’t control
their students
and maybe the two boys in class
didn’t get enough attention at home
but got more than enough at school
and maybe they just needed
what we all need
to be seen, to be heard, to be understood
and not thought of
as just a “lost cause”
‘cause one day, those boys
might grow up
and prove the whole class wrong
including their teacher
but especially and more importantly
themselves
TL
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
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
The Wearer of Jewels
the ocean
is old
its face covered
in wrinkles
the sun doesn’t care
it holds a mirror to the ocean
and diamonds appear
the ocean laughs at its reflection
spilling out with joy
it can’t contain it
rippling out in waves
it gives its jewels away
kings and queens have worn them
peasants and pirates, too
unchanged through the centuries
of lives lived long
of lives lived short
they sparkle anew
to the wearer of jewels
the keeper of castles
the beholder of beauty
the little dreamer
lest you forget
the ocean is old
ancient even
the sun doesn’t care
TL