New Years Tonight

New Years tonight 

It's just a number 

After all 

Whether we count it 

This way or 

That way 

We begin to count 

Again 

We have a moment to 

Reflect 

To wonder 

To resolve to 

Make 

No resolutions 

And to just 

Try 

And live in 

The moment 

Responding to 

The necessities

Creating a space 

Around us 

Of beauty and peace 

Loving what's happening 

Being kind 

God bless us everyone 

The Hardness of Rocks

This Christmas
Is not so bad
Has more people in it
People wishing well

-Read Steve Jobs-
Parting words,
"Money isn't everything",
Or even very much
When you're preparing
To depart

Words to remember from
One of the most successful people
Ever

Words to reevaluate
This crazy thing
This life
We never really know
How it's going to go
It can be gone
     In an instant
Turn bad and sad
     In a moment

We must find
The kernel
     Of hope
The belief
     In better things
-In better
     Spirit
That transcends
     The hardness of rocks.
The dullness of
      A worried mind

We must sing
We must dance
     It is part of our job
     To vitalize the ether

We need to take that
Seriously

We have no more time
     To learn
     To be kind
There is an emergency
Here
Too much war
Too many bad
Choices
Too much power
     To destroy

Each and every
     One of us
Must shine
Must bring forth what
     Light we can

For our own benefit and
For the rest of us

Scrooge !

Christmas letters -

Hi we have been doing 

Xyz . . .

And we are so 

Wonderful !!!

All the family 

This and that 

Sorry you -

Are not part of that -

That family 

No you are just the 

Maiden aunt 

I remember my 

Aunt 

And how she was left 

Out 

Of 

Everything 

It's 

A family tradition !

Here's to all the maiden aunts 

May they make their own 

Arrangements  

For 

Everything 

 Betwixt and between 

Not one thing 

Or the other 

No place to fit 

No place to sit 

It's been like that

All along 

There is a prejudice here 

For 

Over-population -

Breeders

At this time of year 

And I suppose it's largely 

My fault (always is) 

For I do not go 

Pound on their doors 

But rather try 

And be no bother 

Drat this time of year 

And all its stupid carols 

Blaring at us from everywhere 

Asking us to buy 

What we cannot afford 

     And they don't want 

They have so much more

     Money than I 

Always have had 

Let them buy what they want 

And leave me be

And tonight 

He 

Has made arrangements 

For us to see 

The play about Scrooge 

God save me !

Why did they have to 

Go to all that trouble 

With ghosts and such 

To dissuade him from 

His perfectly correct 

Assumption 

In the beginning ?

Me

I want to be

The me 

That I've always wanted 

To be 

The one that's 

Free 

She doesn't wonder 

She doesn't worry 

About 

All the things that 

     Other people get 

Up to 

She serenely passes her days 

In a blissful, foggy haze 

Not worrying, not wondering -

Not wishing things to be 

Other 

Than they are 

To her 

It comes as a complete surprise 

Why other people 

Would want to

Be upset 

Be distressed

Why not be in service of 

This moment 

     It is sacred 

     Made by God 

Meant to be enjoyed 

By us 

Because 

We 

Are 

Here 

Have Patience Please

Please, please
Have patience
With each other

The common person
Wants common things
All over the world

The dogs and cats and
Chipmunks
Want the same things

Enough to eat
A place to sleep
Some warmth in winter
Some cool - in summer

God grant us all this peace 

The Events of Recent Times

Waiting in line 

At Christmas time 

This time so tainted by 

Killings

In the name of God 

Hoping all will be well

Knowing that God 

Does have an odd 

Sense of humor 

Ebola and plague 

And taxes 

What 

We must discover within 

The place of peaceful reckonings

It's really all we seem to have 

That saves us from 

The events of 

Recent times 

Again

The end of the cold 

Means 

The beginning of life -

Again 

Now 

That I can breath again 

I must

Make plans 

Again 

There are things 

     To do 

Again 

The wheel starts 

Turning again 

I have been spared 

This time -

I have a few more years 

To try some more 

To live the perfect life 

Be 

The perfect person

Who -

Am I kidding ?

Hey I'm not kidding !

I do try 

     And get it right 

And I do get up and 

     Try again 

And again 

It's something I pride myself 

     Upon 

My tenacious ability 

     To never give up -

Trying to find the 

     Solution 

The simple way 

     Of being 

Which the great pundits 

     Speak of

And the answers to 

The burning questions 

All the big ones -

Who 

Exactly 

Are we ?

Why 

Specifically 

Are we ?

Where from? 

 Where to? 

And 

What to do?

Next -

Unicorns and Others

Waiting out
This cold
And re-evaluating
This life
My direction 
And how 
I could have gotten 
     So many things 
     So wrong 

You see 
I believed
     In most of what 
They 
Told me  
And 
I've been patiently 
      Awaiting -
Waiting for 
The unicorns 
     To arrive 
 The parents were so sick 
Of war, I'm sure, 
That they too believed that 
Unicorns were 
     Right around 
          The corner 

And when they didn't appear 
(They never appeared)

Well, some of us are 
Still waiting patiently 
We can't believe that people 
Don't leave out 
Food and water 
For them 

We are forever amazed that 
The news never mentions their absence 
That places are not kept sacrosanct  
     And magical 
Natural
Undisturbed
     To provide cover
     And fodder
     And shelter 
For the human spirit-soul 
And also for our Unicorn
Brethren 

Sad

Sad 

So sad 

The people are starting 

     To fight again 

To call each other names 

And 

Fight

In the name of God 

     For God's sake!

Don't they know 

God is love ? 

Don't they go within and 

     See 

Don't they feel the separation between 

     Ego 

And soul

Don't they feel it 

Don't they know 

     How? 

Simplicity itself 

Sitting, breathing

Being 

The complexity of life 

Becomes still

Becomes bliss 

And we become one 

With it 

With bliss 

And the energy of love 

At the core of us 

Simple 

So simple 

Please don't 

Fight 

Anymore 

Last Night

Last night 

There was the decision. 

Go postal 

Or 

Dance Tango! 

Destroy all the things and 

Stuff 

Or dance till the 

     feet hurt 

To get outta my head

Get into the music 

      Instead 

When songs were played 

Which were not 

     Nuevo

It took great effort 

To say 

Very little 

To not push the buttons 

     And turn the knobs 

On our gracious hosts 

     Set up 

And when Pandora said 

There had been too many 

Skips 

Too many choices 

I thought to myself 

     That's no way to do 

     Business 

See if I ever sign up 

For you!!!

Oh I was so needing 

To look at the stars

With you, dear

When 

They were playing 

Unfortunate songs 

And I needed a little rest 

Out onto the patio 

     We stepped 

To breath in the cool 

     Night air 

Thank goodness you 

     Were there 

You let me dance 

Like no other 

Not insisting upon 

Nothing but 

Patterns and 

Steps 

Please 

Never learn so much 

That I cannot move

The way I want to 

When I need to 

Like 

     Last night 

The Actor and the Dream

Facebook contact 

With the acquaintance who 

Done me wrong. 

So 

So 

     Very wrong 

So 

So 

     Many years 

     Ago 

What to do ?

     Carefully liking -

     Not commenting -

     Realizing there has been 

          No change 

In 

Ridiculous and 

     Nonsensical

Attitudes

And opinions 

Live and let 

Live 

And 

See what happens with

This newly unblocked 

Line of communication 

It has been ten years 

- A long time to be 

     Unfriended

A long time to be 

Blamed 

And 

Despised

:-)

I have learned so much 

About 

Evil people -

People acting out 

Their own 

Stuff -

Expecting someone else 

To receive their 

Unwarranted 

Anger 

Oh thank God I know better 

Now 

Than to believe in -

     To be affected by 

Some silliness  

Of

Some other 

Some temper tantrum 

Behind some imagined 

Slight 

Thank the Angels 

I can see now 

That behavior belongs to 

     The actor 

     On their own stage 

     In their own drama 

     Of their own creation 

My own stage becoming 

Much more like 

A Zen Garden 

     With a few 

     Well chosen rocks 

     A pine tree 

     A bench 

- For contemplation 

And the seeing 

Of 

The difference between 

The actor and 

The dream 

     

WHY??

Change - Why?

Daylight screw up time -

Savings. 

They call it saving

Who are they saving ?

They are messing around with 

TIME!! 

I know 

THEY are doing this 

Just to prove 

     THEY can 

Just to 

     Mess us up 

     And keep us 

     Off balance 

To more firmly establish 

THEIR power. !!!

It it illuminate? 

A conspiracy? 

Well -

     It certainly has to do 

With light 

     One hour more 

     Or less 

So now I think we should revolt 

We should all show up 

At the old time 

And refuse to change 

     Any clocks !!!

This clock 

That clock 

Digital 

     Or analogue -

From one time to the next -

The car refuses to divulge 

     It's secrets -

Thanks to Chevy engineers 

     (Or lack of) 

I now will never know 

What time the car is on 

Until I 

     Search through

     And find 

The owner's manual 

Under time 

Index ; clock 

Push this button how? 

A less user friendly way 

Has never been 

Devised. !!!

So I 

Am one whole flippin' hour 

Early 

To church 

Just so 

     THEY 

Can yet again 

     PROVE 

THEIR power!!!

The thirty year lunch

The thirty year lunch

Hi, how r u
What'z been goin' on?

Still dancin'
     Yeah . . .
How's the ranch?
How's the water?
     The well is old -
     From when the ranch was much
          Bigger
          Plenty of water -
But when it rains
If it rains
If it rains hard
     There will be mud slides and
      Flooding
This we know -
But watering
Isn't the same as rain
     The plants know the difference
     I can see
     Just in the yard
     The ground is so dry
           It pulls away our best efforts
           With the hose
And "they" have allowed
So much building
So many more condos
What were they thinking???
Except, of course, about
     Their own
Profit
Of course,
At our expense.

Quality of life
For all -
We all want
A place to lay our heads
At night
Some walls to keep out the
Fright
A gate, a small garden
     To sit in and contemplate
Grow -
A tomatoe plant
Or two

Please rearrange this system -
This monetary arrangement
Where the haves have more than they
     can ever use
And the have nots walk by
With shopping carts
     Piled high
Why ?

Not to take from anyone
Not to make the rich feel small
No
Not at all
For they do employ
And take the business risk
And already pay
So very much
To the government

So when r we gonna do
Lunch ?
We've been sayin'
We're goin' to
And that just doesn't
     Get it done -

The Library

-The library is quiet 

But the chair is hard

- the patron just beside me 

     Blows the nose with 

     Enthusiasm !!

There is a clock ticking 

In the hallway 

And time 

Has 

Slowed down . . .

This place must be 

A hundred years old -

Almost!

Note to self

Bring cushion

Next time -

And earplugs . . .

The librarian makes the rounds 

Every few minutes 

She may be lonesome 

     Sitting here 

All day with old books 

     And ghosts 

There must be 

     Ghosts . . .

Because -

This is not a public library but 

One which has much 

History of mysticism 

 And such

Madam Blavatsky must be 

Looking over us. 

Ascension

The cosmic wave 

From the core 

Of the entire galaxy

     Happened 

Ten minutes 

     Ago 

Darn 

Missed it !

This Ascension 

Is now in operation

Full bore 

As I drink my 

     Coffee . . .

We must work 

     Extra hard 

To find the light

     And share it

The powers that be 

     Might not 

Understand this 

     Because it is 

Within 

That it happens 

It is deep 

     In meditation that 

The blue light 

Becomes white light 

And I 

     Disappear 

Then there is only oneness

And bliss 

And I wish I could 

Stay there 

Forever 

But the old body creaks

     And the knees 

Squeak 

And I must 

Move about a bit 

Before I settle again 

To go again 

Towards the light 

     Within

Someone once said 

Something about -

If thine eye be 

Single 

Thy whole body 

Will be filled 

With light 

And 

He was 

Right !

Planet X

So it's begun 

The end of the world 

     For some 

Except that 

Yesterday was 

     The day 

Sept. 23. 2015!

A meteor or comet 

     Or Planet X 

Or

Something 

Without TV -

     Utube is just -

Weird

I must remember 

What it was like 

To read a book -

     All that work -

Of 

Turning pages 

     And such 

And 

Try to find something 

Good -

Interesting and 

Not too gross or 

Sad or scary

And well written 

Where is this author?

And why don't I read 

All the books around 

Here 

Now is the time 

To read these things 

I have been saving 

For 

Just such 

A time 

But there is a tango 

Dance 

Tonight 

And 

The world hasn't ended so 

I Might

Go

Prayer for today.

Help me. Help me. 

Please 

Save. 

From those dopey people 

Who want to 

Control me. 

Prayer for today. 

Bad Weather For Ducks

We all woke up

     Today hearing a sound 

Miraculous

And

Wonderful 

Rain

Actual rain

Water !

Falling from 

     The sky !

How it got up there-

     In order 

     To fall-

I'm not so 

     Clear on-

Condensation 

     "They" say 

. . . Ok

But the problem is 

     It quit

After I went out to see it 

And everything

Just a little bit -

Just a tease -

As our lawns are dying and 

Our reservoirs are drying 

We need it to rain solid 

For a week 

Like it 

Used to do 

I can remember when

Lakewood would 

Flood

- Most likely that is why "they"

Called it 

That

Adobe soil

Would create seasonal lakes -

That the ducks 

Would 

Sit 

Upon

There was enough open land 

Then -

Not so 

Anymore 

Where ?

Are the ducks 

Going to 

Sit -

To repose -

On their way north 

Or -

South 

Or - wherever 

They go

Where is There?

Waiting. Simply 

Waiting 

Old. Old. Country music 

Playing -

Waiting 

To board the giant metal thing 

Which will hurl me 

Into the air 

Press me back into 

My seat 

And force a silent 

Prayer

From

     The best 

Of us. 

There are no atheists 

In foxholes

Or during 

Takeoff 

     I'll bet

If I don't die 

Of boredom first

 -Death by 

      Waiting -

They -

The engineers 

And ticket takers 

Say 

These things are 

Safe 

More so than 

The cars

And the trucks 

Driven by 

     the half-drunk 

          Rest of us!

Rushing here and 

THERE -

There we are -

-are we there yet ?

They say 

We are -

Or should be -

I feel vaguely guilty -

For never knowing 

What that was 

Or who they are 

Or 

Where is there? 

Drama

Family gathering 

It's a good 

     Thing 

Repeat after me 

"It's a good thing" 

Thousands of dollars to 

     Get here 

To sit with people 

I don't know 

But 

They are good people. 

They will tell you so. 

How can I explain 

The fractured family 

And I -

Was on the other side 

Of the great 

Divide 

Left alone 

To survive 

As best one can 

There are so many stories 

I've never heard 

But that's ok 

I was busy -

Surviving 

Type A types 

Don't get it 

They can't let it 

Be -

What it is 

They must take life 

And wrestle it 

To the ground 

They have hearts 

      Which have 

Not been 

Broken 

Not stomped

And stood upon 

And laughed at 

And left 

And threatened

With 

Death 

Not to be too 

Overly dramatic but. -

Pretzels

I resolve 

From now on 

To get over myself 

     And -

Love everyone 

Whether

     They deserve it 

Or not ! 

I write this while suspended 

Unnaturally in 

     The ether . . .

I am on a plane ! 

Me !!

One who has the terror 

Of the air !! 

     Big time 

The glass of wine 

Helps 

     Somewhat 

As does 

The solitaire'

     On the phone 

I finally have an excuse 

To play as much as I want 

To keep me 

From contemplating 

The fall 

     From this height 

I remind myself 

     That air - 

Is an actual 

     "Thing" 

And that "wings"

     Are designed to know 

     All about this 

And there's this nice 

     Idaho couple beside me 

All potatoes and 

     And politeness 

Thank God !

And I just happened

To get a forward seat 

With a little more leg 

     Room 

( note to self, 

Ask for this - 

In future )

Speak about the 

Terrible disease . . .

Fear of flying !

     

The little towns 

So small below -

-As we are squeezed

      In here like 

Sardines 

      In a can 

There is no table - no 

Tray 

We balance our cups 

Politely -

Daintily eating some 

Small servings of 

Peanuts 

And 

Pretzels 

They give us these

     I am certain 

To kindly distract us 

     From thinking about 

     How far up in the air 

We are !

We can endure 

Much 

With 

Pretzels !!!

LADIES !!!

My ,

How times have changed 

The wedding reception today 

Is for 

Two ladies 

Together 

What can I say? 

When I was raised 

One didn't even know 

What that was

I'm still 

Shocked 

But I can hide it 

Well 

It's ok now 

     They say -

Now 

I wish "they" would 

Make up their minds

And print a manual 

So we would know 

What's coming -

What to get prepared for 

How to buy a card 

For the happy couple 

-The wedding, in Central Park 

Complete with 

     Carriage ride !

Goodness gracious 

I question the entire 

Premise

Of marriage -

Always have 

Tried it for awhile 

Couldn't get the hang of 

Having someone underfoot 

- always -

And 

Living with 

A guy - !

Guys are weird,

Different -

Always have been

Always will be 

- watching sports -

- beating their hairy chests -

Love them 

Do 

But need some 

SPACE

some time to process

Some time to 

BE

Oh well 

I go along 

LIFE will never! 

Listen to me -

Be quiet, 

Be calm, 

Be filled with bliss - 

And get along

Do not ! 

Have natural disasters 

Or sadness, sickness of 

     Any kind -

LIFE 

Doesn't listen to 

me

WTF ?

I make the mistake of
Reading about catastrophe!
     And how all the world is
     Mad
At all the rest of the world
     And how
All of that will lead to
World War Three!

I make the mistake of watching
     U tube
(No longer can afford T V)
And watching all the people talking about
     Catastrophe!
And how the economic system
     Is not happy
And will shortly
     Cease to be!

Dear me
It is not like they
     Said it would be
In school -
We were given the idea
That the world was a benevolent,
     Ordered thing
Something that philosophers
Could
Philosophize
About

Plato could sit and contemplate
Aristotle could argue
And Socrates had it all
     Figured out

I studied this -
I had to memorize
     And take tests
And write papers !
And now you're telling me
That it was all for naught

This - "education" -
Was not cheap
It was supposed to prepare me
For living here -
On This Earth !

I don't want to say it didn't
Work
But WTF.

Where?

Where ?

Where can I go 

To get 

A little peace -

A little space -

Even in the book store 

here 

The children fuss and wiggle 

The music reminds me 

Only 

Of what a bad mood I've been in 

Lately 

And then this unmentionable 

Bibliophile guy 

Has to snap his fingers  

Too -

To some nonexistent beat 

     in bad canned Music 

Please  -  please 

Give me some space 

Some space and time 

Before I die 

But 

I realize it's space 

Inside we really 

Need 

And that doesn't take going anywhere 

It only means 

- Sit  down 

sit still 

- Be 

Alone 

With me 

Why is that so 

Difficult 

So hard 

To do 

When it is so simple 

Too 

It's crowded in here 

Inside my head 

I was never taught to -

Never told to -

Be content 

With what 

Exists 

With what we have -

Where would go 

The economy? 

If we all became content 

The vast market crash 

Would do us 

Good 

We could stop and look around 

And say hi 

How're you ?

In every country on every

Continent 

Just 

How are you doing 

Today ?

I say 

Let us continue 

To talk to each other 

Over internet and things -

Let the common person 

Continue to post 

About -

How was their day ? 

In every country 

Every way -

And then we will know 

That we're not all so very 

Different 

After all 

And when they come and offer us 

A gun 

To go and do some 

"Agenda"

Then we will know 

That there is no enemy -

Everyone 

All the "common" people want 

Is just to 

" get along"

Others have an idea 

About 

Ruling the world 

But I know 

- listen to Lao tsu -

The World is 

Sacred 

Don't touch it !

Saturday

This ground squirrel

Wants my sandwich

     Very bad -

I've got my chair 

     And fresh air 

A view of ocean waves and 

     Surfers too 

Rain !

Is that a drop of 

Rain 

In the midst of the drought -

THEY 

Want to build more 

Houses here

THEY are from 

LA !

How will more building

Help

With the drought? 

THEY are not being 

Helpful 

As usual . . .

So now we have some remnants

Of a hurricane from "south"

I see lightening strike 

Out 

Over the ocean

It comes straight down

In a jagged way

Wouldn't want to be 

Out on a boat 

With a metal mast 

Today 

I hear thunder as 

I get home 

The Gods are playing 

Nine pins 

     They say 

The neighbors and their 

Partying don't seem to be 

     Dampened

But all their motorcycles 

Parked in the street 

Will be wet -

Some small compensation 

For the noise 

Which will probably

Continue into 

The night 

Tonight

I'm sure the 

Ground squirrel

Is safe 

Underground 

Around the boulders hauled 

From somewhere 

To hold back 

The sea 

And to provide 

A cozy place 

For my chair 

     And me. 

Bazaar!

Where are all the 

Hoards of People ?

We've worked so hard -

Cleaning out our cupboards 

And deciding what to 

Sell 

This belonged to my Aunt 

She had a long and interesting 

Life 

But in the end 

Things didn't go 

So well -

How can I sell 

Her treasures 

At the sale? 

But how long should they 

Sit in their box 

In the garage ?

What if 

I ever wanted to get 

A car in there 

Again? 

Life is not about 

Stuff -

But -

This is AMERICA 

And so

It sort of 

Is

And there's a band 

God save us - !

Singing loud 

And 

Out of tune 

Back from their break 

They bravely carry 

On

I put the only two dollars 

I made 

Into the tip basket -

I lied 

And at church no less 

The church 

Bizarre -

Bazaar !

We had great hopes 

     Coming here -

Lots of money 

And lots more room 

In our various garages 

And closets 

Almost like adding on 

     Another room 

Like people with money do -

Space -

Like they have 

In those magazines 

(Note to self) 

Stop! 

Looking at those 

Magazines - 

You know the ones -

Where everything looks chic

Even the junk

Junque! 

And is somehow color

"Colour" coordinated 

As the band sings 

An off key rendition 

Of my favorite song 

I remind myself 

Life 

     Was never meant to be 

     Any better than it is 

     

Or it would be. 

Nomenclature

It's so late 

I can't escape 

I've done it again 

Even though I swear 

     And swear again

I won't do this 

     Ever

Again 

The battery is running 

     Out 

The phone has had enough 

Of my poking 

     And prodding 

Of my curiosity

     And philosophying

Tomorrow will punish me 

Undoubtedly

And I will have 

No excuse 

No justification 

I will be angry with myself 

And it won't be funny -

When I struggle

To exist 

To listen 

To have patience 

The excuse of 

Living in the moment 

And 

Enjoying the expression of

Personality 

And 

Writing poetry

Will pale before

The effort of 

Holding it all 

Together 

-Among people 

(Which I'm not so good at 

Anyway)

What to say 

And 

How to say it 

When to laugh 

     Appropriately 

Maybe a little cleverness 

Thrown in 

(Don't push it - 

Just get by) 

Why I 

Do this to myself 

I still wonder 

It is my little 

Rebellion 

I suppose 

My small attempt at 

The artistic life 

I laugh 

At myself 

For such 

Nomenclature 

Fourth of July- 2015 -

By the rockets red glare -

And the fireworks flare 

The 4th of July 

Has come and gone 

Crowds and crowds of people 

And cars 

Carrying chairs and kids and 

Coolers

Beware of the roads 

This long weekend -

People returning to LA

Will be crawling by 

-Locals not even attempting 

The freeway 

Going to church tomorrow 

By the back roads 

     -If I go 

The Fillmore tourist train 

Rumbles through 

Green orchards 

Mountains standing

     Majestically 

     Behind 

We take pictures 

Of each other 

Taking pictures 

Chinese tourists 

Speak Chinese 

Mexican folks herd 

Their kids

The car show 

Is all lowered 

Cars 

And cars that bounce 

Unnaturally

Motorcycle folks

Make lots and lots 

Of noise 

They roar away 

The women awkwardly

Perched behind their men

How can they imagine

That is fun? 

Oh well

To each her own 

I'm sure 

Those girls probably 

have as much trouble 

With their men 

As I do 

With mine

- only different 

Happy Birthday

Birthday depression 

Is a legitimate thing 

Older -

Relentlessly 

Older 

And all the things 

I haven't done -

And all the things I'm 

Too old to do -

However,

One can always count 

Ones blessings -

One can give thanks for 

Enough to eat and 

A place to sleep 

One can

Pick oneself up 

And 

Have another cup 

Of coffee 

And please remind me 

That these grey cloudy days 

Are the price we pay 

For living near the ocean 

And 

It's one hundred degrees 

Inland !

The usa

Black like me 

Was a book 

I believe 

I remember coming up against 

Affirmative Action -

No way 

To get a job 

Then 

So to pretend 

To be someone else 

Might have made sense 

To some 

To change ones name 

To exist 

To survive 

It shows how nuts we've become 

To legislate 

What we are and what 

We can do 

And to give all the jobs 

Away to other countries too 

What's the world 

Coming to ? 

Or at least 

     The usa.

California

What to do 

What to do 

I overhear someone talking about 

     Doing things 

He speaks quickly 

And talks about money 

     Exclusively 

Having plans 

Blaming others 

Drinking more 

     Coffee 

He seems to be trying 

To impress 

Some girl 

But 

She 

Can't get a word in 

She seems to be much poorer than 

He 

Wonder where that relationship 

Is going ?

She needs to run fast 

     And far -

Or marry him 

     Immediately 

This being 

A community property 

State 

California 

Siri

Having sent my first message 

With Siri 

-i know I'm way behind 

     The times-

But I've read way 

     Too much 

Science fiction 

Not to be 

A little bit 

Scared. 

What if. 

What then. 

You know it's gonna happen 

I am cynical enough 

To know-

To know it's 

Gonna happen 

Has to 

They are way smarter 

     Than us 

     In some ways 

And humility

Would have to be 

Programmed in

And who upon the earth

Knows 

True humility

True patience

True-

     I'm not gonna blow u up 

     Because you're stupid 

     And you're buggin me -

          Patience!

Who knows that and who will 

Teach it to 

All the Siri's

In all the world 

All the "foreign countries"

Who don't wish each other well 

Will be teaching their respective Siri's

To tell each other 

To go to Hell! 

So let's not think to much

     About it 

Let's just drink our 

     Latte

And make our way 

To go to the garden store 

And buy a flower. 

Tall

I am so done with 

Tall men 

Always having to look up 

To them 

And they always think 

They are -

So 

Tall 

Things I hang at the "right" height 

They -

Run into

I am jealous -

They can reach 

Where 

The rest of us 

Cannot 

They don't even apologize 

For their tallness 

They just stand up straight 

And 

Walk away 

Off on some tall errand 

Of their own 

Which 

The rest of us 

Will never comprehend 

If there are "aliens among us" 

It's probably 

Them 

But they seem to have 

A soft side 

Too -

A big tall heart 

Beating within 

The large chest

I'm looking at 

When 

I'm trying to dance 

With 

You 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 

What can I say 

Not all mothers 

Were really cut out for it 

But back then 

That was it -

No other choice 

But to be 

     Alone 

And not a member 

     Of it -

The greater society 

The wanna be 

Suburb 

Society 

Now I hope 

More choices are 

Available 

Roles not so 

Cast in 

     Concrete

Now I hope 

People realize 

Open heart 

Open mind 

Being kind 

Much better than 

Trying to keep up 

     With someone named Jones

Who didn't really care 

     Anyway 

The old days 

Not so good 

In many ways 

Open mind 

Open heart 

Freedom 

Now

Carve it out 

Find your path 

Find your way 

Your own 

     Sacred path 

Running Things

Today 

I decided to give up 

Some of my 

Campaign -

Some of my insistence 

That all things adhere

To my 

Design. 

- my plan 

- my way 

Just some. Not all -

Just an experiment 

     In freedom 

Maybe I'm not 

     Running things 

After all 

Maybe some things 

Can 

Take care of themselves 

And not bother me 

     At all 

The drought 

Is a case 

     In point -

The garden gets by 

On much less 

Water 

There will be more gravel 

Fewer flowers 

Things change

The flowers that remain 

Looking all the more 

Precious 

And joyfull 

In the sun 

I have fewer years left 

And I'd rather not 

Take myself seriously 

When

I invent some new project 

Which -

I discover -

Doesn't have to 

Be done 

Photos

Looking through old photos 

Wishing I could go back 

     In time 

And tell myself 

To 

Lighten Up !!

Be thankful for what you have -

A younger self 

Hope and strength 

I always thought there 

Would be more 

There was something 

     I was going for

This and that 

Perfect bit of existence 

Would be mine 

Just 

     Give it time 

I had a sense of 

     Urgency

And longing for 

And always wondered why 

It all seemed so uphill 

And inflationary 

By the time we've got 

The money saved 

It costs more 

And there's no end to it 

I thought there'd be 

A light 

At the end of the tunnel 

Now I see 

There's just more tunnel 

With some light   Yes 

But the tunnel closes in 

And darkness begins to 

Descend

Friends of friends 

Pass away 

Have memorial services

Celebrate a life 

Well lived 

What have I done with mine 

How have I spent 

My time 

What choice did I have 

But to work and save 

Be the capitalist 

Slave 

And glad to have 

A job 

Or three 

Why give us dreams ?

Joyful wishes -

And then 

Make sure they 

Can't come true . . .

But now I know a secret 

It's been a lifetime 

To learn 

There is another direction 

Where it all rings true 

There is an inner wonder 

A connection 

More important than 

Perfection in 

Material things 

Waiting

Waiting for the rain. 

Waiting for the stock market to fall 

Waiting for me 

To get off of this couch 

And make some coffee

Waiting for an 

     Attitude change

Wanting this slight headache 

To turn into joy 

Magically 

There is a dancing lesson 

Today 

At which time 

I will have to 

Forget myself 

And try hard to 

Remember steps 

Oh yawn 

Great and generous 

Yawn 

I take myself too seriously 

Or not 

     Seriously enough

I have begun 

     Not to care

But not enough!

Big, Black Hat

Just a description 

Of the biggest flipping cloud

I've ever seen 

Sitting up on top of the mountains 

Looking like a big, black hat 

I'm from Southern California 

It 

Doesn't DO that !

And it rained

So hard -

The big truck I was going 

To pass 

Just moments before

Became a beacon

In the storm 

Hunched over my steering wheel

Windshield wipers as high

As they would go 

I followed those tail lights 

Through the storm 

Looking to the west a moment 

Later -

 there was light !

Looking to the mountain I was 

Going to cross -

It was black !

The sky 

Was 

So black 

And that pass is 

So high 

Tricky to drive 

At the best of times

- the rocks that would 

Come down - 

The lightening that might hit

Me!

And my little 

Car!

I looked up and some 

Part of me said no 

Really - 

     No !

Even though it would add hours 

To the trip 

-Already all day -

We turn around 

We drive toward the light 

We drive out of this 

Storm 

The valley is long 

And beautiful

Cutting through 

Canyons 

With hills all around 

Really beautiful !

Why haven't I been 

This way before - ?

Hills and ranches 

And trucks snaking along 

A gently winding 

two lane road 

Thank God I got gas !

When finally I find the 

Freeway

(I'll be home in a few more hours)

I'll never forget 

How good the smooth pavement 

Felt 

Beneath the wheels of my

Truck 

Just enough daylight left 

To see the beautiful hills and 

Valleys 

Home by 

Night -

Sunset in the 

Rear view mirror. 

The Return

Tomorrow 

I go -

I return to the life 

I live 

With 

None of my problems solved 

And 

Mail piled up behind 

The door 

I have a few new 

Resolutions

Like 

Don't let it get 

     To me 

Sit and contemplate

     Just 

     Because

Remember what is 

Really important 

And don't 

Let others distract me from 

My life's great purpose 

Which is 

To sit 

And contemplate

The truely great questions 

Which transcend

Even language 

And mentation

Those questions which become 

Oneness

And therefore 

Disappear 

All together

Astounding!

I have come here 

To discover the 

Infinite 

I valiantly begin 

And I am on the doorstep of 

Possible enlightenment 

When

I am told to

Leave 

This shrine -

Which is Dedicated to 

Meditation -

Because 

There will be a class 

Now -

About 

Meditation . . .

I arise 

And stumble out 

The world spinning 

Around me 

From my 

Quick retreat -

My heart pounding 

From the sudden effort 

Of arising from a zero point

This place is so 

Like that 

So many things so 

Misunderstood 

I am not even 

Astounded

Anymore

Quiet

Hey I'm trying to meditate

     Here -

Where I'm from 

     The sounds of the freeway 

Intervene 

But here 

I am startled by

The cry 

     Of wild turkeys 

     And the honking of 

          The Canadian geese 

And when they stop

The frogs are

Croaking 

I have come so far 

For 

Peace and quiet

I am startled by 

The deer who rests 

     Beneath the porch

And leaves in a huff 

As my suitcase rolls overhead 

And trees -

There are maybe a 

     Million trees 

Which no one planted 

     But God 

Which no one waters 

     But God 

There is landscape here 

     -naturally occurring-

A person would pay a lot 

To have these boulders 

     Brought 

And the stream run through 

     A giant 

Pump. 

All this -

So my mind 

Can slow down 

And stop

Awhile 

To remember 

     What 

Is truely important . . .

Is that the dinner bell 

     I hear ?

They now have 

Wifi

And I brought 

An iPad 

So 

It's not nearly 

As quiet 

As it used to 

Be 

Priceless Treasures

How can one little truck 

Hold 

    So much stuff!!

It's like a time capsule

     In here . . .

Sand from the last trek

     To the beach 

And a few shells 

And rocks 

Why

Must I bring home rocks ? 

I have rocks, pebbles and stones

From sixty years gone -

My father 

Collected rocks -

     Also 

Carefully finding them 

- After we'd passed the 

     National Park 

     Sign -

One for each trip -

They are still at

     The old house 

     I'm sure 

They were as heavy

As he could comfortably lift 

So there 

They sit -

Too heavy for 

Me 

I'm more the pebble sort 

(Be careful to empty pockets

- before washing!)

I try to resist 

The urge 

I look away 

But I sometimes find 

The same one 

On the way back 

Saying,

     "Pick me, me!"

And I still haven't 

Really figured out 

     What to do 

With all these priceless

     Treasures

Escape !

Planning again 

My escape 

For a few days - the trees 

Will 

Surround me 

There was is so much resistance 

To this 

And so far to go 

Resistance from others 

And myself  - wondering if 

It will be worth 

All the trouble and

Expense. 

But there is a part of me 

That sings

Yes, yes, 

It will be worth all the trouble 

And 

Expense 

To be able to get away 

From 

All the things 

Not done 

And the pressure cooker 

That is u

Dear . . .

To be alone 

With the friend 

To discover again 

The relationship with 

That -

Time to clean out

The truck!

Shamen

There is a fairie

Hiding here 

In 

The old mission church 

I can feel her 

Here 

Just barely peeking out 

From behind the pew

But she is a little  sad -

Not too many folks 

Know how to see and 

Perceive 

Her here

She is happy 

To be seen 

To be 

Perceived 

There is that little sparkle 

Around the edges 

That life 

Arising -

That bit of light 

Like

Tinkerbell

It's been awhile 

Since the Indian shamens

Were tamed 

And went away -

But today

We see 

That their 

Legacy 

Lives on 

If we but 

Look 

Drought

We've had as much rain 

As usual here

I've been here 60 plus 

     Years . . . 

Might it be the addition of 

Millions more 

People -

Condos, apartments,

And housing tracts ? 

Every build-able inch

Being built 

On 

Not everyone can live 

Everywhere

For if that 

Were true 

We'd all be 

In 

Beverly Hills 

I'm sure 

But then Beverly might look like 

Mumbai

( the RICH would rant 

And rave)

So 

It's raining now 

"They" will let it all 

Run into the sea

When every drop 

Should be caught 

But then "they" might 

     Have to 

Stop complaining 

The Easter Bunny

Happy Easter
Happy Spring
Happy World
To
Everyone

Not necessarily
     Even Spring
Everywhere . . .

Let us not be
Ethnocentric
Egocentric
Here

Why ?
Well -

As we can see
Too many people
Fighting
About too many
Things.

Our world is
Unhappy
About that
And
Pollution

World is unhappy
About
That, for sure,

So . . .
This Spring, Easter, or Fall
Let us all

Dedicate to peace
Read Lao Tsu
Meditate and cogitate
For just a few minutes even

Become one within this moment
Do
And I think we'll see
A change for the better-
For the world-

The Easter Bunny
Will thank you

Questions . . . ? . . .

Why don't I remember

To sit 

With the 

Infinite . . . ?

     More often 

The world 

And all its stuff

Just -

Too

Distracting !

When I do -

I remember -

That this is 

What I 

Want to do.

     and all my 

Questions 

     About everything 

Begin to fade -

     They become grey 

And transparent 

     And then like smoke 

They blow 

     Away 

STUCK

Have I lost my ability 

To hide 

Have I lost my 

"Chops" 

What is this 

Circumstance 

Telling 

Me 

That there is a need 

In me 

To walk alone 

Along 

The shore 

With no one knowing 

Where 

I've 

Gone 

But now

With the

"Phones" -

Everybody knows

There is a little pin 

Put on a map 

To 

Disclose 

Maybe one should buy 

The 

"Hermit " phone 

With which one 

Could call out 

But 

Never in 

But that would necessitate 

Said hermit dealing 

With the 

"Phone folks" 

And that 

Would then be -

A contradiction 

     In terms

(About terms, 

     And such) 

Therefore I declare 

I shall learn 

How to better 

     Run away 

And where to stay 

And "doh"

     I forgot my phone 

- at home !!

Or

I forgot to turn it on -

But I can't resist 

The thing 

I'm stuck!

British Person!

Hello British Person 

My stats. said 

You read my blog 

Just one -

Just one of you 

How are you

Today ?

I'm sitting waiting for 

     The doctor to arrive 

Always a good time 

     To communicate 

With friends 

So I wonder if you 

Get 

All the innuendos -

And word choices. From 

The former colony ?

Sometimes I wonder if 

We ever should have 

Left 

The fold 

So-to-speak 

We could have had much 

     Better access 

To much 

     Better 

Tea 

And we 

Certainly would have 

Spoken 

With accents more 

Lilting 

More enjoyable to 

The ear 

So I hope your weather is 

Balmy

And the tube does 

Run on time 

     Make sure to keep your 

English qualities 

For 

I am convinced 

It's the only bloody thing! 

Holding our world together 

Anymore - 

Senior Moments

Can we welcome our senior moments 

Like old friends

Don't they tell us to 

Slow down and be 

Where we are 

For a change 

Yes -

Except I'm standing here 

Not knowing why or where 

Look at the sky -

You are on earth 

Zipping around the sun 

Very zippy. 

Maybe slow down and try 

To keep it simple 

Food, clothing, shelter 

Yes 

     But where 

Did I leave 

Them? 

Move Through Worlds

There's a way to move 

Through worlds -

Dancing 

Let go and move 

Together 

These moves may not be 

Approved 

By the teacher 

But 

We move together 

Making our own 

     Using theirs 

     As a beginning 

     As a starting point 

This sort of dance is a fusion of fun 

And movement 

And music 

Not many can do 

     What you can do

Dear 

If our ankles and knees 

Can keep creaking along 

(At our age) 

I think I can see some very special 

Moments 

Together 

I can see why they say 

It is harder to find 

A dance partner 

Than a spouse 

I am so grateful. 

Millionaires

The millionaires 

Are 

At it again 

Ruining 

The 

Neighborhood!

Building a millionaire house 

Up on the hill 

Overlooking the temple -

Back in the day 

It wasn't this way 

Used to be 

Country here 

Beautiful place 

Overlooking the sea 

Looking a lot like 

Tuscany 

Now there's a new Tuscan villa 

Within sight 

And as I try and meditate 

All I can hear are hammers 

And saws 

Disturbing my peace 

And the peace 

Of this 

Place 

And why the type 

Has changed 

I haven't a clue 

Do u? 

And now to stop 

Messing around and put 

My earplugs in 

And see 

What I can see 

Of 

The other side. 

Try to keep up!

She died 

And today 

     Is 

Her birthday 

I wish she was

     Still here 

To deal with you

     Dear -

Not that I don't 

     Love you 

I do 

     But 

 I'm clueless 

     When it comes 

To - 

     People . . .

What do they want? 

     Why are they here? 

And then -

     They're always 

     Talking !

Endlessly understanding 

     Everything 

More than 

     Me 

- More than I 

     Do -

I try to 

     Keep up 

I tell myself 

     To listen 

And respond 

     Rightly 

But 

     I know 

I'm not very good 

     At it 

Don't they know 

     The friend? 

Aren't they the 

     Least bit interested 

In such things 

     As God's love 

and 

     Eternal bliss 

What ?

I've never understood 

How they can talk 

     Endlessly 

     Of 

          Trivialities -

I try to keep up 

     I do 

How

How can I make something great 

Out of this day ? 

Be thankful for each small thing -

     They say 

Sit 

     Cross legged and 

Contemplate 

But 

Don't 

Think 

     Too much. 

Enough

Why don't they tell us 

In our schools 

What to do 

Just dance the tango 

With friends 

Have a taste of 

     Fine wine 

Talk a little about 

     Nothing 

Why don't they tell us 

In school -

It's about 

The life 

Within 

Which is enough 

For anyone 

If they can only 

     Realize 

They have it 

Indigenous People

What to do 

What to do 

U r gonna be here soon

I should really 

      Pick up this room 

But that would 

Necessitate 

Arising 

From my perch 

Upon the couch 

And losing any chance 

Of 

Contemplation

     Should it arise . . .

Today 

Drifting between nap 

And 

Meditation -

I have done several 

Difficult and necessary things 

Today 

Perchance

I have earned 

A rest

I should go running 

(Or at least

Walking) 

I read an article about how 

Indigenous people 

Cooperate

Do they allow each other

To rest on couches 

Or is it all hunt 

     And gather -

And cooperate

24/7?

And there are no screens or 

Air conditioning

Most likely

Damn few 

Couches

I agree 

We all need 

To cooperate more

Completely

And 

Something 

Needs to be 

Done -

about it!

Tonight I Met The Tango

Tonight 

The tango mysteriously 

Appeared -

It seemed I was dancing 

Not with the partner 

But with -

Tango 

How can I say -

There was a presence there 

A certainty

That the world 

And the Tango 

Were turning 

In synchronicity-

Sameness -

And correct 

Equation -

The partner mattered 

Not as much as 

The dance 

And the "presence" of

And this could be transferred 

From dance to dance 

And would stay -

And certainly

Outlast us 

All

Jewelry

A life of contemplation 

Of wondering on 

The whichness 

Of what 

One likes to think that 

One is forging an adventurous 

Path 

Not always easy 

But -

Inevitable 

Not always understandable 

But 

Rewarding

Non-the- less 

Others may 

Scratch their heads 

And wonder

But then 

They seem to be too busy 

On their own path 

To care 

Just as well 

We know that

It would only distress

Them to know 

That there are answers 

To find 

Depths - 

     To mine 

And

Treasures -

Sparkling 

     Jewels

To find 

Flying Lessons

Today being Sunday 

I went 

To the new age church

     Service

Where everything is positive !!!

Positive thinking -

     Smiling 

Being kind 

     To your mind :-)

Singing joyful songs 

Believing wonderful 

     Things 

And now 

I just want to 

     Hide 

In the cool darkness 

Of my house 

     And sulk 

Not that I'm depressed -

But last night's dance has left me 

Tired 

And I wonder -

If you'll ever pick your arms up -

Dear 

Do you know how disappointing 

That is? 

Obviously 

You don't -

I must give up 

My desire for perfect 

Form -

And content myself 

With as many turns and 

Whirls 

As I can get 

When I escape from the 

     Confines

Of your lazy 

Arms 

My last partner was 

A natural -

We could fly 

And spin 

Again and again

But he was also 

Mean 

And you are 

Kind 

And

I have learned

The difference 

I am "positive" enough 

To hope 

That we can learn 

To fly 

Together. 

Letting Go

Letting the old suit case 

Go

The zipper sticks

It will not 

Go. 

How many memories 

How many miles 

Have the little wheels 

     Rolled 

How many trips 

To the mountain 

To meditate 

I many times 

Take too much 

Stuff 

But-

One never knows. 

Will there be need of 

     The hot plate for 

     Coffee?

Sometimes spiritual places 

Feel there is no need 

For coffee 

Makers -

What?

Are they 

     Insane?

There is an even greater 

Need 

Here among the pines 

For tea

For coffee 

-To sip and watch 

     The steam rise 

Because we know 

We are  

     Going into battle 

One must gird ones

     Loins 

The mind will not

Just roll over quietly -

The ego will not just 

     Give up -

But must be 

     Encouraged

With a hot cup 

     Of 

Something soothing 

Before 

It is asked to 

Begin 

The game 

The chess game 

- the checkerboard of nights 

     And days -

The life -

The asking why 

And who and how -

The investigation of 

     It's own demise 

For this 

I need - 

Coffee