Ink in the Blood Posts

Observation

the pollen

arrives

at the same time

the clocks

spring forward

Sunday

yellow dust

in the air

and then it’s gone

a bed of grass

filled with flowers

as the butterflies

blink across

the blue bird

in the window

sits for a second

as the squirrels race

up and down the tree

so much activity

even now

the ants are rallying

plotting and planning

how to get in the car

each day is different

underwater

the fish are zooming

around

not worried about

the hook

or the crane

they know how

to adapt

to adjust

animals are good

at that

humans

not so much

TL

Stuck in Place

for 18

y e a r s

i wrapped

my identity

up

into a being

who inevitably

left

and for 6 months

now

i’ve been trying to

figure out

how to unstick

from being stuck

i lie in bed at night

thinking

and wake up

thinking

and the other morning

my thoughts were

all over the place

mostly thinking about my dad

and those 6 months we had

September to February

and then as i lie there thinking

about that

it dawns on me

that that’s exactly the time-frame

she’s been gone

September to February

and now it’s 5 days

into March

TL

Mindset

Sunday went

and wore off

all the junk food

i ate Saturday

after a year at the gym

sparring the bag

the endurance level is evident

you go in feeling heavy

and leave feeling light

the discipline of life

is in the details

in the habits

in the action

the 1-2 punch

seems like nothing

but it builds

the body back

you can feel your heart beating

you can feel your lungs breathing

you can feel yourself reaching

and returning

to some part of yourself

you forgot

was there

all along

TL

The Day

bought some

new sunglasses

online

and they came in

on time

so i put ‘em on

today

a new shade

to hide the tears

as i sat chewing chips

in the car

then some chocolate

followed by an elephant ear

which is kinda like a giant sugar cookie

‘cept it’s flakey

anyways

the walk earlier wore off

it was supposed to be warmer

today

but there’s a distinct chill

in the air

so the golf i planned to play

in shorts

turned into a turn around town

listening to tunes

thinking the whole time

‘bout food …

like tacos

fried chicken

pizza

fried fish

tacos

stopped to read

for a bit

then stopped

and watched the wind

move

would have went

to a movie

but nothing worth

seeing

in either theatre

so instead

pulled into a park

on the way home

and watched a bunch of kids

kick up the dust

bent on being Beckham

they sure gave it their all

like they do on the regular

there were no cameras

no first place trophy

or cashier’s check

and still they played

like there was no tomorrow

just today

and that made me

smile

as the sun lowered down

somehow …

i muddled through

the way that i do

TL

(March 1, 2025)

Dear Dad,

the snow

has disappeared

now the daffodils

are here

appear and disappear

in each season

you gain something

and you lose something

and the more wonderful it is

the harder it is

to let it go

as you well know

i tend to keep things

too many things

and sometimes those things

hold me back

from living

after you died

the seasons were

the same

until i began

to live again

i’ve experienced a lot

of living

since you’ve been gone

and felt the seasons

change

within

silent are the stars

that stare back at me

and yet i feel you everywhere

in all things

as Roberta Flack once said,

“Love is a song …”

you were my first song

and i guess that’s why

it still hurts

inside

it was wonderful

daffodils in snow

TL

(March 1, 1993)

“Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye …”

was up

wandering around

at 3

and turned on the TV

switching channels

and then the picture changed

Roberta Flack’s face

words on the screen

died yesterday

on a Monday

at home

at peace

hope she heard the keys

as she drifted

away

the beauty of her voice

stays here

TL

The Gift of Love

pulled along

the beaten path

by a puppy new

discovering

its first Spring

in bloom

looking up

at the blue blue sky

bewildered by

the drop of rain

with wonder

he feels it

drip drop

on the tip top

of his halo head

and laughs

TL

Resilient

the sun

gold on the ground

bright in the sky

winking in water

dancing in leaves

showing the rain

the way the wind moves

… on

and through

TL

Potomac

…

they used to

look up

at the sky

and follow

the plane

out of sight

…

they used to

look out

across the water

watching waves

soothed by the sound

…

they used to

look up

at the fireworks

on the Fourth of July

and be amazed

…

they used to

look forward

to January 1

when the New Year

meant a new year

…

they used to

look at

real roses

and think of

Valentine’s

Day

…

but not today

…

in the collective

consciousness

a quiet prayer

…

that by and by

you’ll see more than rain

falling

you’ll see the birds

take flight

and the butterflies

land

and the rainbows

appear

and when you look out

across the silent sea

you’ll see the diamonds

shining free

and feel the wind

within the waves

reaching out

and on the coldest

night of nights

may all the stars

be extra bright

and when you see

a rose

may you see

a rose

and know

it’s real

TL

Love

the kiss

of first snow

you barely even

feel it

it’s a miracle

it’s even here

but from a distant place

above

the ground looked up

and prayed

and a million years went by

and by

and the stars

that no one ever sees

broke way

away

from the night

and floated down

past the sun

a glitter of powder

on the ground

covering all the holes

all the dirt

all the puddles

all the leaves

all the seeds

and without a word

the snow melted

into the ground

and all was green again

as if it always was

just a field

of emerald green

without a trace

of glitter in the air

like a snowflake

that never was

but a rose

knows different

as it looks up

from the ground

and unfolds itself

to see the stars

break way

TL

What’s Within

:

in a drop

of rain

the memory of

a tsunami

a city at the bottom of the sea

:

in a breath

of wind

the memory of

a tornado

a city ripped apart

and the morning after

:

in the light of a cake candle

the memory of

a wildfire

a city lost in ember

at the edge of an ocean

on the brink

of a new year

:

in the heart

of humanity

the will

to re-build

TL

Saturation

on the out

side

I seem to be

fine

I guess

but everyone

seems to be

fine

I guess

when they’re going

through it

whatever it

is

I feel saturated

in sadness

it may be an age thing

for sure

when my dad died

I was still young

but that was the beginning

of endings

and it just feels like

the end of beginnings

now

I suppose this is the time

to try

something new

and unplanned

to immerse myself into

something

anything

other than blue

I’d like to be green again

like spring

a leaf in the sun

but this is

indeed

a landscape of stick trees

the winter of my life

baring down

the acceptance of things

so many things

…

last night

the cat and the dog

trudged together

down the hall

and slept in her room

they know

they jest know

that even though

she’s not there

she’s there

TL

Granny

mourned you

the moment

we met

the first time

i heard you

laugh

and i knew

right then and there

i’d never laugh

like that

again

i knew i was

in trouble

‘cause i knew

i loved you

more

than i let myself

allow

and knowing this

full well

i fell back a bit

a time or two

to put some space

between us

so maybe then

i could survive

the day

the dreaded day

you’d go on

and fly away …

TL

Your Life

freedom is

in realizing

what you already have

within

was born at birth

and that was

more

than enough …

everything else

then

will be but

a bonus

TL

The Change of Time

clouds are moving

across the eye

it’ll rain soon

on a Sunday

in August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

the funeral was

what it was

i never left

beneath the shade

of an old magnolia

the snow fell

that year

a peek of pastel

beneath the leaves

mixed with tinsel

and tea

the spit of watermelon seeds

a trace of wheels in the dirt

the imprint of soles on grass

heavy now

the sound of sirens

in the distance

the crickets at night

the static of the TV

timer’s going off

phone’s ringing

the sliding doors opening

and closing

like the oven

dishes dropping in the sink

loading and unloading

the wash

and it’s Christmas already

Thanksgiving next week

the New Year nearly

then it’s Easter again

somebody’s birthday

the one in August

when the clocks fell back

an hour

less light

in a day

TL

Dear Granny,

Saturday

on the way

to that big box store

you loved to frequent

glimpsed a bunch of

stuff

to the right

on a street

lined with houses

and just like that

you were riding shotgun

telling me quick turn around

i told you – no – you know

that’s not a good idea

you laughed

and i cried

it was all of $30 bucks

for a small blue table

that i’d put on the porch

for a plant

and a child’s wooden chair

that was perfect for a puppet

and the basket had a lid

that could be used for a picnic

or storage

and the bag of paperbacks

i know jest who to give that

to

and the pink beaded earrings

were just because

like the sparkly pin

and the painting

you ended up riding along

to the store, too

Christmas in October

they got all the stuff out

already

i told you – no – you know

that’s not a good idea

you laughed

and i cried

a buggy later

we drove to

the craft store

and left with a Lemax

house

already decked out

for Christmas

a granny sitting in the window

waiting

for the little kids outside

to barrel through

the door

TL

Grief

the glass shine

of the water

shimmers in the night

a boat goes by

then it’s gone

the tracks cut the water

leaving a long trail

behind

TL

September

unmarred

by time

only love

TL

Empty

i sit

in my car

in the drive

way

and listen

to the wind

it’s September

the falling of leaves

and the drying of grass

and there’s no rush

to go inside

life will never be

the same

i fear i won’t

adjust

TL

In the Frame

i keep

searching

for a way

out

picking things up

and putting them down

rummaging through the mess

looking for a clue

the map is not on paper

life has a pattern to it

or does it

think you only get to know

so much

then it’s a

blur

the mind is a mystery

that holds the heart

…

she sketched the roses

and put them in a vase

and colored them red

and the stems green

and placed ‘em on a table

in a room with a window

where she colored the sunlight

yellow

the beams flooded the room

reaching out toward the roses

but she forgot to put water

in the vase

or did she

for water is clear

and the roses

after all these years

are as rosy red

as the day she thought them up

and put them on paper

and handed them over

for me to keep

and i can hear her now

laughing

and running around

“of course i put water in the vase …

can’t you see it – it’s right there”

i nod my head

yes

i can see it

now

TL