Sorrow
was watering
quiet
so as not
to disturb
the baby birds
then I looked down
and realized
they would not
be disturbed
TL
Poetry
Sorrow
was watering
quiet
so as not
to disturb
the baby birds
then I looked down
and realized
they would not
be disturbed
TL
An Opening
a little brown
bird
sought shelter
from the storm
and flew through the roof
window
of my greenhouse
and after careful inspection
it musta met her standard
‘cause she started bringing twigs
and forming them circular
in my pot of grapes
and one day she was done with her work
and sat down
but she wasn’t done yet
this little brown bird
wanted to be a mama bird
she flew around and around and around
looking for the safest place
as far away from the cat as possible
and just happened upon an opening
on top of a square box
with a closed door
and when she peered in
she saw a jungle of green
there were blueberries in the corner
and a bowl of water
and it felt warm like summer
warm enough for three
little eggs
to quietly hatch
in a pot of grapes
with the rain falling
all around
TL
Regret
it occurred
to me
just the other
day
that I’ve never
tried on
a wedding dress
never even thought about it
worried about it or wondered about it
but I was watching something on television …
where a young bride was trying on dresses for the first time
and how emotional it was for her when she found the one
she was crying, her mother was crying, her bridesmaids were crying
and I don’t know but in that moment I realized
I would never know what that felt like
to try on a wedding dress
to see yourself in the mirror
that little girl staring back
feeling like Cinderella for one magic moment
somehow, I’d put that dream away
20 some years ago
I had no use for a formal gown
in the 10 minutes it took
to say, “I do”
instead I chose
an off-white blazer and skirt
as if I were reporting the news
looking back
I’m not quite sure
why I did that
‘cause I coulda picked a dress
off the rack
a simple, flowy one
but didn’t do that
it’s not like we got married
at the courthouse
like my father-in-law insisted we do
a church ceremony was important to me
the preacher was important to me
I picked “Annie’s Song” by John Denver
and a bible passage: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
there was no wedding photographer
no roses everywhere
no father-of-the-bride
no bridesmaids
no honeymoon
nada
then just yesterday
I was scanning the news online
and saw a bride in a black dress
she had married her man in Maui
in a long black, lacey dress
with a wreath of leaves in her hair
he wore a suit with a black hat
they got married in a forest
the groom stood alone with his back to the bride
waiting
she walked along the path toward him
a solitary figure
and when she reached him
she wrapped her arms around him
and then she tapped him on the shoulder
and when he turned around
he was blown away by her beauty
they stood on a magic carpet
in the middle of the woods
with a smiling preacher man
the kiss was full of passion
the eyes were full of friendship
so, if I had a do-over
I’d go get married in Maui
in a long black, lacey dress
with a wreath of leaves in my hair
beneath the strongest trees
and though the moment’s long past for me
it’s there waiting for my daughter
can see myself in that bridal boutique
as she walks out of the dressing room
and stands there in front of the mirror
in her dress
twirling around like she did when she was little
but of course
knowing how life is
she’ll probably run off
and elope
(at least go to Maui)
TL
Dr. Ellsworth Wareham
(if you’re a vegan, I’m a vegan … make that a Seagan)
in October
he’ll be 103
a retired cardiac surgeon
he still assisted in the operating room
at 95
on his 100th birthday
he was outside mowing his grass with a push lawnmower
and he was still driving a car
and walking up and down his stairs for exercise
without a cane
his mind, his body, his soul
intact
he knows how to laugh
and let go
of the things he cannot change
and focus
on what he can
at the mid-way mark in life
he decided to make a life-change
and become a vegan
he popped a daily B12 supplement
and never looked back
he just made up his mind
that he wanted to live
as long as he possibly could
in the best way he knew how
and he’s done that
and then some
(happy 103rd birthday)
TL
Observation
when rain falls
on a pinecone
it closes up
tight
‘til the sun
comes out
and then it opens
back up again
TL
re-define
after wandering
this world
what I’ve found out
about life
is that
somewhere in it
you stop
where you are
wherever you are
and you begin to learn
how to re-learn
what you’ve been taught
about certain things
that never made any sense
anyways
TL
Simple Enough
he left her
a l o n e
for much
too long
a time
and now
she prefers
to be left
a l o n e
TL
Putting
maybe it’s
the rhythm
and the repetition of it
maybe it’s
the simplicity
and the complexity of it
maybe it’s
the timing
and the precision of it
maybe it’s
the alignment
and the gravity of it
maybe it’s
the quietness
and the pace of it
maybe it’s
the feel
and the feeling of it
maybe it’s
the internal
and the balance of it
I don’t know
quite
but I’m at peace
when I’m out there
putting
TL
Ellipses
there is no
period at the end
of your sentence
it is a story
that goes on
and on
and on
…
chapters change
becoming more
becoming less
essays condense
into a single line
cast out
words are not wasted
thrown away
your mind expands
with each experience
what it brings
what it takes
the stitches and rips
the clay spins
and spins
the beauty beheld
is basic
the way a child sees it
what is felt
is carried over
like clouds
in a square window
that move
in the eyes
of those left dying
in a bed
somebody else died in
and the sheets are washed
again
and again
and again
…
clean like a cloud
after it’s rained
and spring has come
all green
a nest with three eggs
life opens
again
and again
and again
…
TL
Golf
slopes of green
waving by
was a backseat window-watcher
drawn to the pathways
wondering where they led …
what was up over that hill
it was the closest i ever got
to golf
in my 30s, I would get out of the car
and walk those pathways
listening to my music
then get back in the car
and drive away
and repeat the next day
it never crossed my mind
to actually play
just loved being out there
on the greens
in the quiet of the morning ray
then I turned 40
and it was like something in me
woke up
golf didn’t care
if I was 40
didn’t care if I knew nothing about the game
didn’t care if I was a stay-at-home-mom
didn’t care if my career was over
didn’t care if I was still struggling with my past
golf didn’t give a damn!
bout any of that
after hitting nothing but dirt for so long
I’ll never forget
the first time I ever stood
on the hill
and didn’t feel like a fool
‘cause the lessons
Jimmy gave
and I got into position
with my used Callaway driver
and rifled the ball
like I never thought I could
it was like electricity coursing through me
and I just stood there
up on that hill
and felt the drops
roll down
TL
Settled
grains
in the sea
fall like snow
in a glass globe
somebody picked up
once
and shook
then quietlike
the ground
put it back
on the shelf
where it was
TL
Doorway
he held
her hand
like a hinge
does a door
to open
and close
TL
In the Stillness
not a drop
on the pond
smooth and bare
no skipping stones
or loss of hair
no casting out
or reeling in
it is quiet here
like early morning
a butterfly makes no sound
as she flutters
all around
TL
Tiger Tough
over the course
of a lifetime
one undergoes
a series of deaths
the loss of youth
is a death
the loss of a parent
is a death
the loss of a friend, your best friend
is a death
the loss of your self …
your worth in the world
is indeed a death
the drainage of loss
leaves a lot of space
to drown in
hold your breath!
‘til your body rises
from the floor
and when you break the surface
get on your back quick
and float
so, when night comes
you can still see the stars
from where you are
and if there are no stars
that night
just close your eyes
and drift to your dream …
there the stars
and when you wake
in the sea of sorrow
get a good stretch in and roll over
on your belly
taste the tears lapping against your lip
feel the waves wash over you
hear the wind rush past
squint your eyes ‘til they adjust
the sky’s still blue
you’re alive
that mystical map
embedded in the soul
will bring you back
from where ‘ya been
and it won’t matter
no more
it won’t matter
no more
‘cause being lost at sea
doesn’t mean
you won’t be found again
but you gotta roll over first
roll over
TL
Traveler
the leveler
of life
is death
TL
Crystallize
the stream
becomes a square
frozen cubes
the button there
crushes squares
into pieces
a drift of snow
at the bottom
of a glass
set it down
somewhere
and forget
you left it
there
distracted by
the sun
no more squares
the pieces run
down the glass
like drops
against a windshield
waiting for the light
to turn
TL
Yes, Please
a peppermint
plant
is easy to grow
repels mosquitoes
and mashed up
will turn a cup
of hot water
green
TL
11 Past 10
she still
loves to run
in the pouring down
rain
she still
cries crocodile tears
if she forgot
to kiss daddy bye
she still
feels sad sorry
for the worm
the ant
the half-wing thing
she still
wants to pick-up every stray
cat and dog she sees
and take ‘em home with her
and have me take care of ‘em
she still
won’t eat
a tomato
less it’s pulverized into oblivion
she still
puts her pulled tooth
under her pillow
and goes to sleep
smiling like a Cheshire cat
she still
plays the piano
for the pure joy
of it
like painting
and dancing
and flipping
on the trampoline
she still
sleeps with Blue
from those crib days
and protects him like a mama bear her cub
she still
has to be first
down the stair
through the door
up the hill
down the street
around the corner
through the gate
she still
hits a golf ball
better than me
or the guy next to me
she still
can do a double round-house kick
over my head
without stretching first
she still
feels the day
and takes it in
like a song
like a sonnet
like a prayer
she still
asks tough questions
when there aren’t any
easy answers
she still
gets lost
in a story
but only if
it’s really good
then she’ll re-read it
five times
she still
has expectations
“Great Expectations”
of how life should be
she still
loves school
and learning
and understanding
and becoming
and being
and making good friends
she still
thinks the same
joke
told 100 times over
is as funny as
the first time
she said it
she still
wants to be BIG
but stay small
she still
has to have
the last word
the last piece
the last laugh
the last shhh
she still
wants to be held
(thank goodness for that)
she still
has a dream …
about a secret garden
and a Tudor-style mansion
and a cheetah as a pet
(why a cheetah)
and me as her maid
and finding a home for all those strays
and helping the helpless
be happy
and I have no doubt
she’ll make it happen
somehow
and it’ll be better
way better
than what she dreamed of
when she was jest
11 past 10
TL
Simple Pleasures
no other time
of year
than this
right here
right now
bald branches
grow back their hair
flowers every
where
tomato plants
grow stronger
by the day
to bear such weight
orchards their fruit
from the soil
good things grow
up
TL
An Adjustment
man, I loved
running
could go for miles
and miles
that feeling
how it felt like flying
I miss it bad
especially, in the springtime
driving along
watching runners run
and this morning
the urge was so strong
maybe it was the wind
had to hold myself back
and keep on walking
when all I wanted was
take off
and it woulda been wonderful
felt like a million
but by this time tomorrow
I’d be hurting
limping around
not able to walk
yeah, walking ain’t running
not even close
but it’s something
and sometimes
something’s better than nothing
still
I almost, almost took off
this morning
looking down at my feet
I felt ‘em lift
the sparks inside
crackling
TL