The Reactionary

Some creatures have eyes on the side of their head

And others have eyes that look forward.

I, on the other hand, hark to what's dead,

To a past that's already occurred.

With longing I pine for the sweetness that's gone

For the flavor that's turned into dust.

Others want iron that's spotless and strong

While I like mine covered in rust.

Talking Dogs

A pig says "oink";
That's all he'll say
And every horse
Knows only "neigh."
Consider ducks
Who "quack" each day
Or cows as well,
On "moo" they'll stay.

But dogs have depth,
A repertoire,
Myriad ways
To speak with pow'r.
Dogs "bow wow;"
They "arf" and "bark."
They often "howl."
When it gets dark.
Dogs, at times
As is their wont,
"Growl" at folks
A canine taunt.
Finally, when
Contentment's here,
Dogs say "woof"
And scratch their ear.

Different Kinds of Swans

Swans, when they swim,
In the shadowy dim
Are silent as twilight
As quiet as shame.

But swans, when they fly,
Are trumpeters calling
Good news of migration
Of Spring that's to come.

Five Golden Rings

I've got two hands

With five fingers attached to the end of each.

Five golden rings might be apportioned

In six different ways:

5-0, 4-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-4, 0-5.

In all but the middle two

Rings would be placed on contiguous fingers.

On contiguous fingers, I say!

I don't like that.  

The rings would rub against each other,

They'd get clunky

And clanky

And pinchy.

And the gold would get

Scraped and dented.

Much better, I think,

To receive one,

Singular,

Solitary,

Tungsten Carbide Ring.

Zero fights with other rings.

Less pinching of flesh.

No noise to speak of.

I want a ring that means something 

By itself.

Weasels on the March (a Christmas poem)

When the snow comes down
And the sky gets gray
You'd better run real quick.
For the weasels march
On that very day
And those beasts are prone to lick.
They salt your knees
Like a plate of peas
And they give a little bite,
Then they stop their games,
And they end their tease
And eat your knees outright!
So watch those weasels
When it snows
Or you'll be limping then.
And you'll be sorry
For your woes.
Mark these words, my friend.

Family Christmas

A glorious weaving of threads
Assembling itself like a dream?
A caucophonic, lurching nightmare
Floral print and stripes, frayed at the seem?
Relationships fitting together,
Tailored by expert fingers?
Or tears and stains and clashes;
With an odor that lingers?
Families are more than their members,
More than a gath'ring of I's.
A tapestry woven together
By hands both winsome and wise.

Bill and the Talking Cow (A Limerick)

There once was a rancher named Bill
Who loved to put steak on the grill.
His cattle rebelled
And one loudly yelled,
"Why do you so love to kill?"

Mischievous Frost

I park my car outside.
Where frost is always lurking.
I come back the next day
And find the frost there smirking,
Clouding up my windows
And slowing down my day,
Until I take the scraper out
And make it go away.
I wonder why it does that,
Does frost think it's funny?
"Just you wait, you lurking plague
Until it's warm and sunny!"

Bold

My love, you are a rose that I saw this summer,
Basking in the sun, and preparing to burst out.
By tender beauty wrapped 'round, softer than velvet,
Your color brash and bold, your principles to shout.
No space-filler you, no one out of the dozen,
No timid bloom blending to the background of green.
You pronounce yourself present at such time you choose
Proclaiming truth with confidence, to be seen
By those with eyes to see, no apology.
Too often we've been soothed by weak timidity
And had our boldness blunted, our color bleached out.
But God calls not the rose to shrink, a timid violet
Or ponder long on lists of troubles that beset,
But show his glorious color in all things round about.

Snack

Potato chips are crunchy;
Potato chips are nice.
I'd rather eat potato chips
Than eat a bowl of rice.
They give me lots of sodium
And carbohydrates too.
I'd like to eat a whole bag full
But I think I'll just eat two. (or maybe seventeen)

The Perils of Short Legs and Sidewalks

Wiener dogs, when walking low,
As they are wont to do,
Sometimes get, but can't remove,
Stuff on their belly-boo.
If it's only grass that's fine,
For grass will come right out,
But bubble-gum and nicotine
Need elbow grease and Shout!