Bricks Aspiring to Eternity

Bricks and mortar mock me,
Laughing to my face.
Holding both my hammer
And pry-bar in disgrace.
Scornfully they sit there
Daring me to swing.
"Curse you stubborn blocks and rocks
I'll smash you to nothing!!!"

The Platonic Wall Perhaps?

Upon the bloody wall,
Was light amidst the shadow,
Surrounded by a pall,
Of deepening dark and woe;
The images of form,
Grown hazy in reflection,
The norm to norm all norms
Suffering rejection.
We see these things but darkly
And understand but little,
The truth will rise and starkly
Break the shadows brittle.

On Poetry (part three)

Then
There are
Poems built
With architecture,
Leaving rhymes aside
Choosing words
Based only
On size.
Heh.

On Poetry (part two)

Waltzing is different for it steps in "threezies"
Spinning you 'round 'til you're queasy and green.
Austrian dukes are the guys to be blaming;
They were the ones who on 3 were so keen.

The technical term for this waltzing meter is "dactyl."  It's a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables or long-short-short.

On Poetry (part one)

Poetry is a game.  It's fun because it has rules that you must follow.  Well, you don't have to follow them, but I find it's more fun when I do.  I think life is like that too.  Structure can seem like an imposition, but it's really a beautiful gift.

Metered verse is often pretty
When it flows with fluid grace.
Patterns set to rise and fall and
Leave your lips without a trace.

An Anniversary Poem for My Wife

One year ago today

I married my Cashew

And promised to my God

All others to eschew.

Smart move without a doubt;

No man has chosen better.

To both my mom and pop in law

I surely am a debtor!

More than that, of course,

I love my wife like mad

'Cause she's a curvy wonder

So good she's almost bad.

I love you dearest!!!  Happy Anniversary!

Snack Update

I ate a bag of Cheetos
And afterward I find
My fingers are bright orange,
The yummy, cheesy kind.

Still Life

Flowers are lovely,
I think you'll agree,
It's part of their self-definition.

Sunshine is comely,
Unanimously,
Earning much loud approbation.

Put them together,
With window and vase,
Soak up the magic
And give some applause.
Blessings are given
In so many ways.
Keep your eyes open;
Be ready to praise.

Chair

Just who is it that designs chairs?  Judas?  Mephistopholes?
Some cranky old guy who wants to undermine civilization
Because his dog has gout?

I struggle to understand
Why sitting should be so hard.
Mind you I'm not complaining
About hard chairs.
No.
It's these infernal cushions,
Killing me with "kindness,"
Great slobbering marshmallows
Of gooey, upholstered fluff.
Dagnabbit!
I want a chair that promotes righteousness,
A chair that declares itself for posture,
A chair that knows the law and does it
For the sheer pleasure of moral rectitude,
Not one that tempts my back to iniquity,
And whispers soft secrets of comfort.
Lies!  Damnable lies!

Give me a chair that would curl the lips
Of the slovenly.
Give me a chair that would repel
The "workers" of sloth.
Give me a chair to make angels sing
And saints sit straight.
Give me Plato's chair,
The ideal,
The very thing,
Just so.
Ahh.

Don't Overdo It

Coffee for breakfast is all fine and dandy
When it's not swallowed with sugar and candy,
But when they're consumed as a stimulant bomb?
You'd better be going to detox dot com.

Tomorrow

Today I planted a garden.
I have confidence in tomorrow,
Trust that rain will fall,
That the sun won't hide
That the blight won't drift
From upstate New York.

Today I lovingly placed
Tomatoes and peppers,
Basil and friends,
Stepping stones, into soft,
Combed-over dirt,
Because I trust.

Nature is wild and unruly,
Not to be trusted unduly,
But the God whose word upholds
It all? Him I trust.

Now That's Not Convenient

Where did the toilet go?
I really need to know!
Rather poorly timed I'd say
To up itself and walk away.
Right when I've got an urge to pee
The toilet bowl decides to flee!
Something's wrong, I do declare
Wish I had the time to stare,
But off I must to seek a place
Where I might find some bladder grace.

Hippoku

Lithe and lean hippos
Easing through the clear water
Majestic and bold.

The Power of Lime

I love to peel limes in the morning,
And set their scents free in the air.
For limes are much nicer than onions,
More bracing and "wowzuh" than pear.
A lime is a gift from the heavens
Which freshens the garbage as well;
It vanquishes day old banana
And makes rotting veggies smell swell.
I love to peel limes in the morning
And do my good deed for the day;
It makes for a good, strong beginning,
And keeps the foul odors at bay.

Not the 'Twain! Not the 'Twain!

There are days when I go to the office.
There are days when I stay at my home.
But rare is the day, in the dear month of May,
When hither and thither I roam.
Declining to make a decision
And wandering aimlessly 'twain
Is libel to make a guy dizzy and lost
And maybe caught out in the rain.
One or the other is better
This is most certainly true.
So see you tomorrow at home or at office
That is my promise to you.

Read it How You Will

Normal
Is not brutality
Is not one human using another
Is not defending the wrong for convenience
Is not savage ideology
Is not inhumanity
Normal?
 

The Bear

Here, my dear friends, is a bear,
A bear who stands sentinel there.
There by the place
Where the walker goes by
Stands a bear with a face
To make bear mothers cry.
"Needless insulting!"
Perhaps you will say?
But that is the story
He told me today.
"Momma once told me
That I was a brute,
An ill-tempered, google-eyed
Ursine galout!"
"Poor little bear," I near almost said.
But then the bear hit me!  And then I saw red.
"Doggone you bear!" I spluttered and raged.
"Ugly-faced bears, why they outta be caged!"
And that, don't you know, is not all.
The bear is there still standing tall!
Outrageous I know, but that's life.
And ugly-faced bears cause much strife.

Epistemological Sky

Brooding purple sky.
Rain is coming nigh.
People hurry by.
Rhymes are made, but why?

An Ode to a Turkey

There are few creatures
More noble in their carriage
And confident in deportment
Than a wild turkey.
O turkey!  Majestic animal!
You stride across the landscape
With aristocratic strut
And noblesse oblige.
The asphalt shines
In moist ebony paens
To your glory.
O noblest fowl!
O cause for thanksgiving!
O poultresque specimen!
You glory of my sight!
You turkey in the mist!

The Sunset After Winter

There's a sunset on the water
That once was solid ice.
Ripples softly cast the glow,
The circuit walkers to entice.
The single sun is doubling down
Now that Spring has come,
"Summer's coming in my stead,
With life replacing all that's dead."
The sunset on the water
Bears promise for tomorrow.
Icy cold has passed away
And one day, too, will sorrow.