Ferris Wheel
kids don’t think
they do
grown-ups think
that’s what they do
they
think
and think
and think
re-think
over-think
wheel-think
back to square one
never get anything done
forget about
fun
TL
Poetry
Ferris Wheel
kids don’t think
they do
grown-ups think
that’s what they do
they
think
and think
and think
re-think
over-think
wheel-think
back to square one
never get anything done
forget about
fun
TL
Reject Roses
there’s a store
that sells
necessities
like bread and milk and eggs
but my buggy
turns left
where the roses
need rescue
not the ones
at the front
dressed
in velvet
perfection
but the ones in the back
that sit like sad sacks
stamped with a neon sticker
discount
take them home
cut a fresh straw
and dip them
in a cool drink
on their last leg
they bloom
as if they
belong
in a vase
TL
You and Me
fell in love
watching a waterfall
sailed away
in a rusted boat
laughed
like lovers do
spoke as if
there’s only
here and now
wrote our dreams
in the sand
grain by grain
built our castle
on a cliff
facing forward
toward the sea
to that great
unknown
somehow
we hit gold
TL
Sunset
watched
an old man
bend
to the will
of the reed
things he’s done
a certain way
hard to see
them slip away
but the current
takes us all
if I knew
what to say
to him
I’d say it
but our view
out the window
is skewed
while I see the trees
he sees the leaves
falling
TL
Running
smoking heat
frigid frost
dancing rain
wild wind
not a whisper
felt it all
morning mug
afternoon cup
evening glass
drunk it all
lift and fall
my sole
play my song
let it roll
away the rest
round and round
edge of miles
disappeared
for a little while
TL
Hospitality
they outlawed
smoking
at a packed place …
a place that needs a smoke
the most
folks don’t go there
to light up
they go spent
with worry
sick with sadness
for somebody they love
is laid up in bed
in the worst way,
and there’s nothing they can do
but wait it out
and hope their somebody
gets to go home
soon
so they pray
a silent prayer
and sit
with strangers
and walk
in circles
and think
about all the things
they haven’t faced
what if their somebody
doesn’t make it out
alive
then what
anybody got a light
anybody
TL
Where’d My Baby Go
4 o’clock
And you in your
footie pajamas
Hard to know
It won’t always
Be like this
Me looking down at you
You looking up at me
Can’t bear it !!!!!!
Yet mothers do
they look up
at their
sons
and daughters
and act like
it didn’t kill ‘em
to watch them
go
TL
R.I.P.
Went to bed
Last night
Couldn’t
Catch a wink
Bed to Box
Is all I thought
Stared at the clock
Tick Tock
Fill up
The waking hours
To avoid
The shock
Bed to Box
Is all I thought
TL
Small Favors
her home
was where
she took
her makeup off
where she could sit
without a smile
and sip a glass of red
and light her cigarette
without feeling
like an ash
where she could lift
a book and lay it down
be busy
doing nothing
and feel like
it was something
TL
Fireworks
What to wear
with that
little black dress
Of night
Maybe some
shimmering drop diamonds
that cascade off the lobes like waterfalls
Maybe some
bracelets encrusted with
rubies, sapphires and emeralds
Maybe some
rings encircled in silver
or high-polished gold
Maybe a crown
a Tiffany tiara
like the one
Audrey wore
Hard to choose
but one
They all make
the dress
POP
TL
Single Rose
With her walker
She made it
Down the ramp
Around the potted plant
To the chair
Across from me
“I used to shop in here
All day …
Now I have to
Take a little rest”
I smiled and told
Her a lie,
“I understand”
She said
she was 85
She told me
It’s been three years
Since her husband died of a stroke
he was 91
She said she tries
To get out
And not sit at home all day
That there’s only
So much TV she can take
She said her and her younger sister
Used to shop all day long
And have the best of times
Her sister’s dead now
She talked about her grown kids
How proud she is of her law-enforcement-son
How much she misses her daughter …
The one who died of a stroke at 43
“We were on the phone, and she said,
‘Mama, my face feels funny – can’t feel it.’ ”
Later
She showed me a cross on a chain
That she bought before she sat down
Made out of Mother of Pearl
“It reminded me of my mother.
She loved Mother of Pearl.”
When we parted ways
I felt
I had aged
TL
Circle
Somewhere
There’s no
Green grass
Or turn
Leaf tree
Somewhere
Nobody cares
What happens
In the world
Outside their
Door
Somewhere
She’s taking
Off her clothes
For cash
Somewhere
Somebody got
Shot
For gold
Somewhere
A kid
Becomes an
Addict
Somewhere
A child
Is taken
And never
Returned
Somewhere
People are hungry
For food
Others for their
Very soul
Somewhere
A woman
Is weeping
On the ground
Somewhere
A man
Is so miserable
He shoots at strangers
Then himself
Somewhere
A teenage girl
Gives birth
To a baby she’ll
Never know
Somewhere
A man
Can’t find work
To feed his family
Or his pride
Somewhere
A child
Is crying
In a corner
Somewhere
People are stuck
In circumstances
Beyond their control
Somewhere
Could be
Anywhere
And anywhere
Could be
Right here
TL
TIGER
Crowd goes wild
For the win
Cheers go round
From town to town
He’s a winner
S-C-O-R-E-CAT-S-C-O-R-E
Hear him ROAR!
Trophies galore
Ticket, Ticket,
Here’s my Ticket
Front row center
Click, Click, Click
Got to get a shot
Got to get a scribble
Got to get a shake
First in line
For the sign
What a day
What a year
What a gift
Read it, Watch it, Tape it
Bought the gear
As if he’s here
Time goes by
Bigger, Better, BEST
Pledge forever
Tail that STAR
Watch how far
Outshines ‘em all
World renown
then
he’s
down
Look around
Where’d they go
That faithful flock
That loved him so
They’ve gone
And left him
On the line
how dare he
disappoint my boy
how dare he
upset my ladies
how dare he
disgrace The Game
that perfect game
let’s go home
and lick our wounds
and forget how GREAT he was …
how GREAT he still is
TL
Friends
there are people
out there
who think
they have friends
they really do
but haven’t a clue
a friend is not
a perfect present
that you unwrap at whim
feeling fuzzy and fake
don’t make that mistake
for friendship
is not a layered cake
that you cut into
and take and take
and expect to
crown it with a candle
and sing a jolly jingle
what a wasted wish
being real
is no party
it’s a 3 a.m. call
from jail
it’s a cut wrist
or a single shot
it’s the “worst-case scenario”
played out
it’s a mess
like oil in the ocean
it’s an arrow apology
that fell short of the board
it’s a drunk fist
a verbal assault
it’s the deepest disappointment
the saddest song
it’s a collision of wills
that never faults the driver
it’s a coward
that hides until it’s “all clear”
it’s a field of flowers
following the wind
it’s everything wrong
with the world
it’s a broken bottle
you stepped on
it’s static
on a dead line
it’s Hell
when it hurts
but the worst
is not feeling
so, remember my friend
keep the cake
forget the present
don’t waste the wish
be willing to die a little inside
or you’re already dead
TL
“Haves and Have Nots”
Would all your
Worldly possessions
Fit in folded fabric
Tied at the end
Of a stick
Would your feet
Meet the road
With a rubber sole
Or be branded
In the kiln of the sun
Would you carry
A jug of cool drink
And gulp it
Fast as a faucet
Or would you cry
Just to taste
The salt of a tear
Would you have
Any food
Enough for three squares
Or would you
Scratch and scrape
For a single berry
Way out of reach
Would you have
A friend
That would put you up
Or would you
Look for a bridge
To cover you
Would you have
Paper in the bank
Or a hole in your pocket
Where a penny fell
Like a gull in the Gulf
Would you have
Any family to call
Or would they be
Dead to you
Boxed one way
Or the other
Would you have
Any hope
Or would you not
Even know
What that is
TL
Happy in a Bottle
Clouds in the water
Soapy and clean
Nothing seems bad
As you breathe in the steam
Dollops of cream
Light as a breeze
Submerged in suds
A symphony of sound
When the cup gets cold
Let the kettle roll
Takes the chill off
For a spot
Then down the drain
The bitter brew
Back to the ground
And things to do
TL
Happy Father’s Day
Not all Dads
Are the same
The lucky ones
Get to come home
To their children
Each night
And kiss and hug ‘em tight
The sacrificing ones
Who are fighting far away
Carry a picture in their mind
Of the children they left behind
The I-wish-I-could-go-back-in-time-ones
Are sitting in a cell somewhere
Waiting for a buzzer to ring
To signal an open door
So they can walk
Down a row of windows
Until they find the faces
Of their children
Waiting there
The every-other-weekend-ones
Try to make the most of time
And give their children what they want
Instead of what they need
The step-dad-ones
Walk a fine line
To be firm but fair
With the children left
In their considerable care
The absentee-ones
Who never looked back
Who hardened their hearts
And lived for themselves
Have children out there
Who will carry the pain …
“Wasn’t I worth something to you”
The feel-sorry-for-ones
Have their children right there
In front of them
Yet walk on by without a word
No “I love you”
No “I’m proud of you”
No “I want us to spend some time together…”
The slow-footed-ones
Have nothing but time
So they don’t mind waiting awhile
For the phone to ring
Or the door to swing open
To greet grown children,
Grandchildren and all the Greats
The about-to-be-ones
Scared out of their minds
For the first time
They pace the floor
And hold their breath
“Will I be good enough …”
The letting-go-ones
Lay their babies
On a doorstep
And walk away
Hoping for a better life
For the children they’ll
Never know
And the underground-ones
Live on
in the heartbeat of their children,
Grandchildren and great-grandchildren
May the memories be good ones
Until they meet again
TL
Rain Falls
Meant to call
And ask you out
To lunch
Sometime
Wouldn’t matter
Where we went
Not about the food
Just thought a lot of you
Could have talked
For miles
And even if
We didn’t say a thing
Would have been something
To sit beside you for awhile
Under a big blue sky
Watching the wind
Ruffle the feathers
Of a tall tree
But it’s too late
To call
You now
The flags will fly
At half a cup
From sun up
To sun down
And folks will come
From all around
To bid farewell
And I’ll be sitting
Somewhere
Under a big blue sky
Watching the wind
Ruffle the feathers
Of a tall tree
TL
Best Friends
She just
Wanted him in the water
She just did
But his four legs
Wouldn’t budge
He knew a bath well
And didn’t like the smell
She tried to tell him
It wasn’t about a bath
That all she wanted
Was a little company
In her plastic pool
But he wouldn’t have it
And sat down on the job
In a tug-of-war
They pulled and pleaded
No end in sight
After awhile
Grandparents gave in
And let her have her way
Proud as a princess she sat
On her plastic throne in her plastic pool
With her dog at her feet
Her hand tight around his harness
There was no getting away
As she began to pet him
He didn’t seem to mind being confined
As she began to talk sweet to him
He nudged closer to hear
As she leaned down and hugged his neck
He realized this water thing
Wasn’t so bad after all
In fact he rather enjoyed
Being loved by this wild child
And so he stayed in that plastic pool
Long after she left
Waiting for her
To come back
And love him
Once more
TL
Summer Days
Green again
After so much gray
Trees are showing off
Their leaves
Rose bushes are
All ablush
Something good
Is growing in the garden
Watermelons are grinning wide
As cannons of black seeds fly by
Tomatoes are turning toward the sun
Ripe before my eyes
Lift my cup up high
To catch some sudden rain
Underneath the shelter
Of an old Magnolia
Drink in the day
TL