Category: Poetry

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

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

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

Music Needs No Words

somebody play

the piano

somebody play

the guitar

somebody play

the violin

somebody play

the cello

somebody play

the flute

somebody play

the sax

somebody play

the clarinet

somebody play

the drums

somebody play

the harmonica

somebody play

something

‘cause somebody

down the hall

could sure use a melody

drifting into their room

and somebody watching over them

sure needs it, too

and all the service workers

around the world

on every shift

down every hall

could sure use a song

one that plays

on constant rotation

something beautiful

and hopeful

and strong

to follow them

on out the door

TL

For Those Left Behind

white roses

float weightless

in the water

meeting the morning

light

they travel so far

across the world

on one shining sea

and at night

the moon rests

high in the sky

as the roses

in full bloom

break apart

and let go their petals

to make a path

for the lost sailor

at sea

TL