Free Speech

Why do they hate him so
When he just wants
To help us
Be safe -
Be prosperous?

I am aghast
People who,
To my knowledge, never,
Ever, spoke
About politics before
Are now so adamant
That
One cannot say
Anything
At all

I have to remember not
To speak
Or they may never speak to
Me
Again

It's bizarre
What have we become
That we cannot speak
Are not allowed
An opinion ?

Those who say
Free speech is a good thing
Now
Allow
No one
To say
Anything
At all 

Just Sayin'

Along the lines of 

Overreaching people -

Over-arching egos -

We now have 

The

"Tango Teacher" 

I have never met one 

Who understood this dance 

But how could they ? 

They don't know you -

And how sweet you are 

Within the music 

Within the song 

As it plays 

As it sways 

And the embrace 

They worry and fiddle 

With steps and contortions 

While we enter into 

The tango cloud 

And float around. 

It may be a case of 

More knowledge ruining 

Something -

Like zen 

- only don't know -

And you will know more 

Than those who 

Think they know 

-chill-

Notate:

Looking somewhere

For a little 

Peace 

Something to 

Remind me of 

The fact that 

We all die 

We all cry 

And 

Not to get too 

Upset about it 

A "friend" 

Tells me and tells me 

What 

She would 

Have me do 

Take the chill pill 

Now 

Not later 

Don't, for 

God's sake, 

Let me interrupt 

Your train 

Of thought 

Your chain 

Around everyone's neck 

That all must do 

As you would have them 

Do 

Lighten up -

I

Thank you for your 

Advise 

But 

Not for the delivery 

Style 

Next time 

( and I'm sure there will 

Be one )

What 

Shall I do ? 

Breath deeply, 

Smile sweetly, 

Ask a question back

Which I know - Ms. 

Know it all -

Won't know the answer to. 

Maybe an experiment 

Could be 

Made 

Along those lines 

Not to be unkind 

But yes -

In self defense 

We shall see -

I'll get back to you 

     On that 

Oh Phone -

Oh phone 

In my pocket 

Why 

Have you not yet 

Spoken ?

Why do you remain 

Mute ?

You are adequately 

Charged -

And yet you do not 

Ring !

What am I to believe? 

That he does not think 

Of me -

That he is sufficient 

Unto himself 

As if 

A boat 

Tossed upon 

An assure sea -

Oh me 

Oh my -

What am I 

In high school? 

We are senior citizens 

Here -

Facing 

Imminently 

Our own 

Demise 

Dancing on the deck of the 

Sinking Titanic 

Comes to mind 

Do we never learn ?

Do I never learn ?

To become so Zen that 

The cessation of existence 

Is merely a philosophical 

Question ?

Oh but the Zen Masters never 

Knew 

Such a one 

As 

You -

If they had 

Their Haiku would have been 

All about 

The strength and the 

Character 

And the kindness 

Of you -

Forget about 

The grasshoppers 

And the cherry blossoms 

And the moon ! 

- Still the phone sits 

In 

Deep Meditation 

Waiting

Awaiting the next 

Big adventure -

Whether we want it 

Or not 

Dear friends, 

There is no need 

To be bored 

Boredom should be 

Celebrated 

For in a relatively short 

Space of time 

Something is bound 

To turn 

Up 

The way the Gods like it.

And I 

Have always wanted 

To die -

And now you may 

Precede me

And show the way -

I did not sign up 

For this 

When I responded to 

Your blue eyes -

My family was always 

Very distant 

And correct 

It is not fair !

It's not fair !

And now I suffer 

The consequences of 

Caring -

And 

I am mad -

As the proverbial, wet 

Hen !

She didn't ask to be 

A hen or 

To be red -

But that 

Is just the way 

It turned out,

They say -

That is life, 

They say -

And we must 

Adjust 

- yeah right -

And there is a way 

To do this all 

Very

Correctly 

Very 

New-agey -

As if I knew -

And 

If I knew -

I would never have been 

There that day 

And begun this 

-Whatever it is-

Journey 

Damn and blast -

-My British ancestors are 

Aghast-

What have I done ?

- gone and violated 

The great edict! of

Not caring 

Of 

Never sharing 

Any bit 

Any part 

Of  

The heart -

They were so 

Right 

One needs must stay 

Uptight !

Stay in 

Whatever closet 

One is in -

Do not come out 

And roam 

About 

For there are the monsters 

Of doubt 

Of hurt of pain 

Of try and try 

     Over and over

     Again 

And 

The worst of it is -

There is 

     No way out !

The way is 

Through -

The center of the 

Storm -

The center 

Of the earth -

It is impossible - !

Just -

The way 

The Gods 

Like it.

Turn 'em Off

I like to keep it 

That way 

If I can. 

When the computer gives me 

Trouble 

And the phone has 

Hiccups and 

Coughs 

I turn em 

Off 

I try not to be 

So wound up 

With them 

That I 

Give a damn! 

So I pay bills 

With paper 

Just like 

The old woman 

That I am 

I have an acquaintance 

Who if 

The computer would die 

He would loudly sigh 

And say 

So do I !

Panic time comes when 

The phone is 

Lost 

At what cost ? 

Ok 

So do

I -

But 

If it would truely die 

I 

Would in most ways 

Be relieved

I could again use 

Pen 

And paper 

And stop 

And look around 

What is the wind 

Doing 

Today

Where is the sun 

In the sky 

What is time ?

Add Sense?

And so 

There's an add about 

Exterminators 

Big brother is 

Truely watching. 

Us!!

Rats

If rats 

Smelled like 

Roses 

We wouldn't really 

Care 

If they were here 

Or they were there 

We wouldn't have to 

Feel 

So guilty 

About 

The elimination 

Of same 

They have the wide world 

To nest in 

But if they prefer to rest

Under the house 

I guess 

Something 

Will 

Have to be 

Done !

What if 

It were destructive behavior 

That 

Brought the karma down 

On your head 

What if 

Y'all could stop 

Such behavior 

And 

"Just get along"?

Maybe then 

The gods of bad luck and 

Retribution 

Would 

Pass you by 

Doesn't seem 

To 100% work that way 

I know 

And a rose 

By any other name 

Would smell as sweet 

And a rat 

If you called it an angel 

Would still be 

An unwelcome

Guest 

Brunch

Brunch 

Just could be 

The favorite meal 

Of the day -

For me 

It is neither here

Nor there 

Betwixt and 

Between 

So early that 

One can't worry 

Too much 

So late that 

There is no excuse 

For it 

The ladies who brunch 

That's us 

But only if 

We happen to be 

Up 

And perchance not 

Working 

Today 

A good time 

To talk about 

Boys 

No matter how old 

We 

Happen to be 

The mystery remains 

Why oh why do they do 

What they do 

???

Wtf

Times 

Infinity!!!

And, oddly enough, 

Aghast, forsooth, 

We still love them just 

As they are 

God help us 

God save us 

We are in it (life)

Until the bitter end 

Or sweet,

If the gods are smiling 

On us,

And so we transition just -

As it is meant 

To be 

But he -

Will probably go 

Before me 

And leave me free 

But so alone 

How can this cruel fate 

Be mine 

To exist 

For a time 

Without him 

Suspicion

A visit from 

An old friend 

Brings up 

Memories 

Of 

What I could have 

Done -

Better 

Or worse 

Or 

Not at all 

Boundaries

And 

Freedom 

One must have 

Some of 

Each 

Can't be skatin'

All over 

     The place 

Must have 

A solid center 

Some confidence 

And direction 

Question is -

Where does one go 

To get those ?

Is there a store -

The Walmart of those -

Can we buy 

     Online 

And wait with curious 

     Anticipation 

For delivery 

Knowing 

All the while 

That the bill will be coming 

In the mail 

And 

We will surely 

Have to pay 

With interest and 

Penalties

Undoubtedly 

But - 

To end on a higher 

Note 

I search 

My brain . . .

I have at least learned 

to be 

Suspicious of 

The " karma delivery guy" 

-ask questions 

- take notes 

- and keep a file 

On everything 

So now I have 

Too many files -

But ending on a 

"higher note"

Must include the fact 

That 

I have at least 

Developed 

Some 

Suspicion 

Of worldly promises 

And omissions 

Ted E Bear. At the Beach. 🌞

C'est La Vie !

I could be depressed about 

This . . . 

Snipers are shooting 

Police 

In America! 

( wtf?)

My favorite Dr. doesn't take 

Medicare 

(Which I was so happy to get)

And I need that Dr. right now !

Near and far -

Breathe -

They say 

Deeply - and that will help -

Think about positive things 

Give thanks for what is 

Good 

Practice some meditation 

Don't just wait till retreats 

In beautiful places 

Dredge up some fortitude 

And dive deep 

Through the negativity

And the amazement 

At people who act 

The way they do 

I have decided that 

"Old age is not 

For sissies" 

And I'd better get 

Some 

Toughness up -

Some 

C'est la vie -

Some less belief -

In ego mind 

And body 

Late Night Poetry

Late night poetry 

Has a different 

     Quality 

Than those written 

     In 

Shining day light. 

There is more depth

     As in 

- deepest, darkest -

There is a line 

     That has been 

          Crossed 

One which says,

     I can do no more 

          Today

No more worrying 

No more thing -

     Off the list -

No more languishing 

     Projects

To 

     Half heartedly

          Begin

Just me -

     A quiet 

          Neighborhood

               (Hopefully)

And the 

     "Guilt"

Screaming something 

     About

How I promised

     To get to bed 

Early. 

          

          

9,999

9,999

Readers . . .

Who will be number 

10,000? 

Some prize should be given 

Some thank you note 

Received

But 

I doubt 

This program is programmed 

For such 

And I'm sure I 

     Wouldn't know how 

     To do it 

     Anyway 

But some thanks are 

In order for 

The wonderful readers 

Who have come 

To view

To read 

To see 

This internet of

All things 

May -

Help us all 

Get along 

And comprehend 

The quality

That the "common person"

Possesses

I think it is very important

Now

Especially 

Now 

Remember -

"What if they gave a war

And nobody came?"

What if we all saw

The sacredness 

     Of the planet 

And all things 

On it? 

What if "they" 

Couldn't lie to us and 

Manipulate us 

Anymore 

Because 

We started to 

Talk -

To each other? 

"They" might have to take their 

Toys of mass destruction 

And go home 

If there's nobody 

To push the button 

What then?

If we all know

Humility 

And peace 

What then ? 

Where is their power 

Then ?

Grasp the center 

Of the circle 

And hang on tight

Vertical Reality

Vertical Reality 

Finally I perfect 

At least a bit 

Of Tango 

For my own 

Finally something -

I can do

     And enjoy 

     -Immensely-

So how 

Do they know ?

They -

The powers 

     That be -

"Men make plans 

And the Gods laugh!"

Now when I'm feeling all 

Grand 

Like I could dance for those 

Gods 

And they might understand -

The angst, the yearning, the sheer -

     Heartbreaking futility 

     Of being human !

(Which is so elegantly expressed

In this dance)

Achilles strikes 

- at least 

  the heel -

Why 

And why 

Now?

Has this tendon chosen 

To betray 

Me 

Must I limp about 

Like some person who doesn't know 

The center 

     Of the dance? 

Like someone who goes 

Shopping 

And watches 

Movies 

And believes in the dream 

They've been sold 

And doesn't 

Know ?

This knowledge -

That the dance is eternal 

And contained within it 

Is all one needs to know -

Blast and darn it! 

I say! 

Achilles 

     Will have 

His way 

It's a Greek tragedy

      As  I sit here with 

My foot up 

Contemplating 

My

Tormented

Fate

I Opine

I opine 

Where is the millionaire 

Who was supposed to be there? 

The donation button is 

     Sadly languishing 

Cyber loneliness 

     Button refutation -

While the plaster is 

     Slowly falling 

Home repairs 

      Futilely calling 

Just one of you 

In this wandering world 

Certainly must see 

That such poetry !

Needs supporting 

     Like a good solid 

     Undergarment 

Not too tight 

But not sagging 

      Outright

And that the poet is 

     Getting older and 

Needs to stop climbing up

     On ladders 

Must needs go to lunch 

     With girlfriends 

And such 

All the blood, sweat, and 

     Tears 

I put into this 

     ( not much) 

One of you out there 

From aboard the yacht 

     Bored to death 

     (Maybe) 

Could just bother yourself 

     A bit 

To unleash a little

     largess

Upon 

Such as -

Me 

Grey

We have our weather 

Back !

Grey, grey, and 

     Grey all day

The last two years 

Have been a sun worshipper's 

Dream 

Very bright and sunny 

And hot, hot, hot 

This year, 

     So far, 

It is not 

I love it when the world 

And it's weather 

Give an excuse to do 

Nothing 

What-so-ever 

Where is there motivation with 

No sun all day 

But high coastal clouds 

That 

Won't 

     Go away ?

Meteorological research says 

That all who live here 

May go 

     Back to bed !

Neighbor Cats

Neighbor cats 

Are the very best cats 

They like my yard

With places to hide and 

Chairs to sit on 

And no dog 

Anymore 

There's the old black one 

With one eye 

-very well taken care of 

And brushed-

And the grey one 

That's younger and 

Thinner 

And won't even eat when I 

Try to feed him dinner

And now a new one 

Who likes to rub against me

And talk 

And get petted 

     and even lets me 

Pick it up 

     not sure about the boy 

     or girl of it 

Yet 

They come to visit 

And to snooze 

     

And I have 

All to gain 

And little to lose 

Someone else

Feeds them 

And worries 

 

Someone else pays 

     vet bills 

The black and grey one 

Spray

That's why they are outside

All day 

And maybe evenings 

Too 

I know the people parents 

Of two 

But not the 

New -

How funny to attach a note 

To its collar -

To its person to ask 

Who are you ? 

Waiting

Waiting 

For inspiration 

     To strike 

So far 

     It's 

Missing me 

I could go 

Where people are 

But then 

There would be 

     Talking 

And noise 

And confusion 

     Of a sort 

I could accomplish something 

From the 

LIST !!!

but that seems much too 

Exhausting 

Right now 

How fortunate that

I have the space 

     And time 

To contemplate 

Such things 

Most of life 

     Has been 

Get up and go 

At 5 am 

Whether u want to 

Or no

Now 

For a little while 

Before I go -

I can take the time to

Wonder 

What to 

Do

A great 

Luxury -

Ah- 

The Mail has come 

Through the door 

It's filled with bills 

And bank statements 

The universe has heard 

     My plea 

And 

Come to 

Me 

Tigers . . .

Missles in Romania !

What are they thinking ?

Isn't life tenuous enough 

Without poking at 

The tiger 

Pet the tiger 

Give it food 

Every country 

Has a tiger 

And a lamb 

Be the lamb 

Let us all 

Just live 

In peace. 

I don't understand 

Politics 

     I will admit 

In the words of the 

     Famous 

Rodney King 

" Can't we all just 

Get along?"

Or in the words 

     Of the man with 

Golden faucets 

     On his giant plane

Can't we just -

     "Make a deal" 

One Cent !

One cent - ! -

The statistics say -

So 

Blogspot 

With your wonderful 

Ad sense 

I guess I won't be 

RICH 

Anytime 

Soon 

But I can truely say 

That you are not the driver 

Of this great effort in

Creativity !

No !!

It has

become very, very

     Interesting -

To communicate 

     My thoughts 

Over the 

Either -

To people who read my 

Ramblings -

In Russia ! 

Of all places -

Amazing !

More hits from Russia today 

Than from the 

USA ! 

Where do they live

What do they do? 

Who are they 

Do they have 

Fur hats? 

What do I know -

The doctor today said

I'm not dying yet 

- Not 

As sick 

As I thought 

We all have 

Similar problems

We all look out of eyes 

( if we are fortunate enough) 

We all wonder 

Occasionally 

Who is behind it all 

Behind the energy of 

This life 

- the energy itself 

Called by many different 

Names -

The energy of bliss,

Of love, 

Of light 

Hello to all my 

Friends 

In far-flung

Places 

The Titanic

The Titanic is sinking 

Therefore

We need to start 

Dancing !  

Now 

Dear !

I'm planting a vegetable 

Garden 

In the front yard -

Reading about how 

Bad things are 

With the money 

And the market 

And the bonds 

And the derivatives 

( not sure what they're 

Derived from) 

But 

It sounds 

Scary 

Enough 

Numbers in the trillions 

Just 

To scare us -

Undoubtedly 

Understood by 

Someone 

A conspiracy

Absolutely 

- By whoever claims 

To understand 

What's going on 

With 

Negative interest rates -

What! 

That 

Sounds like a sinking ship 

To me 

So get out there 

On the deck 

And dance 

As the sea water comes up 

Around our ankles 

At least we 

Have each other 

And music 

And movement 

And 

Tango. 

Altars

At the retreat -

These are the difficult 

Days -

All those who have 

Confidence and 

Aplomb

Express themselves with 

Eloquence

Concerning their 

Hatha Yoga and 

New age 

Living arrangements 

They come from here and there 

And are on their way to somewhere 

Exotic

On standby 

- they have found something 

On the Internet 

Which is 

A great 

Deal 

One comes from San Francisco 

And lives on the hill 

One lives out in the desert

But does it

Very well 

How can I compare 

My weedy garden 

And patchy paint 

( I know, 

Not good

To compare) 

But to me 

This is 

The place exotic 

The place I can barely 

Afford 

And hardly get to 

Anymore 

To each 

His own 

And mine is this 

I have within 

A little space 

I have prepared 

A little altar 

In the heart 

And I am not so much concerned 

Anymore 

With 

New age 

Poses

Enthusiasm

It's raining here 

The river rages 

And water 

Falls from the 

Sky  !

The trees are

Green 

And happy 

And I 

Have driven 

Far to the 

North 

Up above Sacramento 

-They say they still have 

Drought 

But it doesn't seem to be 

So 

The hills are green 

With grass -

And wildflowers 

Grow 

I have come so far 

To retreat again

From the world of 

Complication and 

Confusion 

It's expensive but 

They feed me 

And leave me alone -

To walk among 

Trees 

And to meditate 

As long 

As I want 

The enthusiastic person 

In charge of us 

Wants to make a plan !

To take us here

And show us 

There -

We both politely say 

Thank you no -

Not today 

For we have come so far 

To leave the planning people 

Behind for a day 

Or few 

Enthusiasm is what we 

Have come 

To escape 

So please, please

Find another outlet 

For your unbridled,

Positive, energetic,

Enthusiasm

Novocaine

Oh I want to be 

Dead !

Waiting for the drilling 

To begin 

Dead bodies 

Don't feel a thing 

So I'm told 

Beginning to be 

Numb 

Listening to the 

Oldies 

reminding me 

Of the clouds of smoke 

And

 Playing the guitar

And singing 

In the coffee house

Now the Valium and the 

Novocaine

Are kicking in 

Joni Mitchell singing 

And I heard she 

Had a stroke 

What's it all about 

I wonder 

Royalty

Oh dear - 

   -The dentist-

I am royalty now 

With a golden crown ! 

Not on my head but 

In my mouth 

Everything, they say, 

Is a lesson 

I hate it when they 

     Say that 

For - Today l learn 

About drilling !! 

The Wall

Tell me. 

Tell me 

     The good news 

This motley crew

And I am one -

Isn't it interesting how 

We all have our stories 

To tell 

Back in the day 

I went through 

Check-Point-Charlie 

And rode on the little train 

"Bridge of Spies" 

(Movie)

1978 interesting - 

They let us through 

We had lunch 

     Unremarkable 

In some old building 

With slow service 

I recall 

What must they have thought 

     Of us 

Kids 

From the states 

On a budget 

Tour 

They wouldn't let the 

Tour through 

As one -

Just individuals 

And 

The Wall was still up !

I remember changing money 

For the day 

And being told not to take any 

Away 

( I may still have some ) 

Back on the other side -

They took us to the place 

Where there were stairs 

And people could look 

At loved ones 

But never touch

We climbed up 

Some wooden stairs 

We waved at the guards 

Who were looking at us 

Through big 

Binoculars

From their watch towers 

Across 

The space 

Filled with 

Barbed wire 

And metal cross pieces

They had big 

Guns 

And

I seem to remember 

     German Shepards 

On leashes

A wide expanse of 

Sand 

And then 

The Wall 

And I grew up with 

The threat

Of the planes 

Of the bombs 

Of the nuclear weapons 

That would rain from the sky 

At any moment 

And now, they say, 

The threat is worse !

And "they" have 

Clothes police. 

(What would they say 

About my thrift store 

Stuff?) 

I would undoubtedly be 

Beaten for myriad fashion

Faux pas !

But I am older now 

And if the nukes fall from the sky 

I only want to be at 

Ground zero -

For I have seen your false 

Promises -

And I know how lovely life 

Could be 

If -

If only -

We'd stop 

Being stupid 

And mean. 

Destiny!

Feeling better -

And realizing that I 

Must be in charge 

Of my own destiny !!

Yeah right -

So the "positive people" say 

But 

What 

Has that got to do 

With a $1200$ 

Gold crown 

On an old tooth in 

This 

     Old body 

I can be thankful 

It is no worse 

     A friend was talking about his 

     Bone grafts and implants 

     $$$$

Hang together -

Old body -

For awhile 

Yet anyway 

Just because I 

Haven't had 

My coffee yet 

Is no reason 

To 

     Self destruct. 

Sarcasm

Some days,

One feels ones age -

102 

If it's a day 

And what a relief it will be 

To cease 

To exist 

No more bills to pay 

No more wondering 

If 

I 've said the 

     Right thing 

What did they mean by that 

And what 

Were they 

     Trying 

     To say 

Sometimes the Tango 

     Tangles us up 

     And sometimes it 

Flows 

This morning I was 

Wonderful 

And hopeful 

And then 

     A friend 

Who seems to have a knack for that 

Came 

And took it away 

Not my fault 

But I blame myself 

For every little thing 

I feel so betrayed 

And abandoned 

Left here 

To live 

Or die 

And to try 

And figure out 

Why 

The Gods 

have a sense of humor 

Even if it is 

Sarcastic 

And dark 

Death Valley. Rhyolite

Death Valley

70 mph wind gusts. Death Valley.

God of the Garden

The God of the garden 

Welcomes me 

Home 

Death Valley. 

May be beautiful 

And far 

But it is not 

Green with flowers 

And 

Too many spring 

Weeds 

It is quieter -

Until the wind blows 

Then it feels like time 

To dig a hole 

In the dusty ground 

To get away from 

Blowing sand that stings 

As it hits my leg -

Can't stand up straight -

Walking like a drunken person -

And the sun -

Which dries all things 

Is very fierce

There 

Beautiful mountains. -

Here -

I have the sea -

All places seem to have 

Some version

Of crows -

As one flys by 

A hummingbird 

Comes near -

Sits on a branch 

Above my head 

And looks at me 

Saying 

Why -

Why don't you have 

a hummingbird feeder 

For me 

Thank you 

God of the Garden 

For being here 

To welcome me 

Home 

Dragons and Unicorns

Reading the bible 

Again,

With a more adult curiousity,

I find -

Dragons and 

Unicorns mentioned 

Many times !

Water being turned to wine 

And multiplying loaves and fishes 

Is mentioned with much more 

Amazement 

Than the common everyday occurrence 

Of dragons and 

Unicorns 

What am I to make of this -

Seriously !

The blind can see 

The lame can walk 

And dragons and 

Unicorns lounge around 

In the public square 

Causing no great calamity

The Roman solders must have had 

Special divisions 

To fight them 

Or catch them 

Or deal with them 

     Somehow 

Special nets 

For unicorns

(Pet them) 

Special harnesses for dragons 

(Ride them) 

It is in a book 

Which some say I must believe in 

Literally !

- some say 

It is open to interpretation -

Some hardly look at it 

At all 

God is love 

And light -

To be sought 

Within

And there are dragons 

And unicorns 

But -

Loving "my" neighbors 

Is not so easy 

Ploughing

Trying to find some 

Time away 

Seems a bit like 

Ploughing 

     A field 

Everyone wants 

     Something -

There are horses 

To harness 

And bargains to be 

     Made 

There is money to be 

     Set aside 

 Now -

     With everything costing 

More and more -

I still want to see 

The sky 

And have some 

Quiet time -

Some time among 

The trees

No one seems to understand 

This 

The Taoist Hemit 

Within 

Needs a bit of 

Expression

Now and then 

Donation Button!!

Just in case 

You might have 

Lots of money

And would like to be 

"A patron of the arts"

I have 

(With help)

And much pondering 

And 

Poking of buttons 

And 

Reading of unintelligible 

     Instructions

- Two hours it took us -

There has been installed 

(With much hopeful wishing 

And imagination) 

A donation button 

On this blog 

The dream is 

That just a few millionaires 

- From somewhere on earth -

Would like to donate 

     To the cause of 

My continued 

     Survival 

(Not that I will perish 

Without them)

But 

It would be sooooo cool 

To have a stash $$

To be able to prop up this old house 

To shop 

     At more 

Than the dollar store 

- Just sayin -

brilliance

Brilliance

Going through 

Old papers 

Containing -

Brilliant thoughts and 

     Ideas 

And plans 

- filled up a whole sack 

Of that -

For trash

- can't have too much 

Brilliance

- don't have 

Room

Every day in 

Every way 

Throw something 

Out !

Go through old stuff 

And sift

And sort 

Different things are 

Important now 

The time is running 

Out 

Many things 

would have happened

      by now 

- if they were 

     Going to 

This used to make me sad 

Thinking why not "I"

Why shouldn't I have 

What I think I 

     Should have 

And even better -

     Some wonderful things 

Which haven't even occurred 

To me 

Yet

But now I know 

A brilliant thing -

     - having enough

To eat 

And 

A place to sleep 

Is the best idea 

Yet 

Cease Fire !!!

Cease fire 

Oh 

Thank God !!

Decide not to shoot 

     Each other 

Any more

Just -

Decide that 

Make up your 

Mind 

To it !

And while you're at it 

Don't change your mind 

Again -

Ever !

I've had enough 

I am old enough 

To realize 

That patience 

And tolerance 

Are necessary 

In this life 

In this coffee place 

The baby starts to fuss 

So the mom begins 

To breast feed 

Right here 

Right now 

It's what we all need 

Food 

Shelter 

And some 

     Fun 

Breast feeding in public 

Omg

In my growing up world 

This would NEVER 

have happened! 

We were bottle fed 

On 

Corn syrup

And 

Canned milk 

Omg 

No wonder the older 

Sister died 

     At one year old 

And I have a few problems 

     With health

So now we know 

The baby needs 

That food 

We can change 

We can learn 

We can grow

The world needs 

To stop fighting 

To stop "greeding"

And to make sure 

We all

Have 

Food -

Shelter -

And 

Some 

Fun. 

Greetings

Peace and hope 

Freedom and wonder 

We have so little time

Left 

Let's not waste it fighting 

Let us realize 

What's important 

Let us 

Take care of 

One another 

No way to do this 

But 

To raise our own 

     Consciousness 

Each and 

     Everyone 

We are the vibe 

We find 

Inside 

Our connection 

With 

For free -

Our own -

Just like everyone dances 

Their own 

Tango 

So 

Do we all know -

We know it when we see it

And feel it 

When 

We meet 

     ourselves 

Within

Human

There is this guy
Has a utube channel
All about his life
God bless 'em -
And now his mail-order wife
God bless 'em -
My best friend and neighbor
Was and is such a bride
I do not fault her -
To do anything to get out of
That poverty
And out of that way
That they treat women -
To come to these United States
To be treated like a human
Anything
To get out of that poverty
And hunger
The guys can think that
It's true love
And it is -
Love of freedom
Freedom from fear
And want
And hunger

Have a child or two and be safe
And warm and dry
And have food
And be treated like
A human being
Yes
It's love
Take it for what it is
It's love -
For immigration
For papers
For food

This is no small thing

We do what we must 

To survive 

Even -

Put up with 

You

And the dude 

Believes in love 

In the fantasy 

He is not bad 

He is just sad 

And a little 

     Lonesome 

God give us strength 

Everyone 

hats

Hats

Here we all are

In spinning space 

If we just stop a moment and

Reflect

     A moment -

We can then reach 

Some sense of connection 

With

That bit of contact

Is precious 

And well worth giving up 

A bit of rushing about -

     For it 

We haven't got 

That much longer to find 

This joyfulness - 

Within 

Secret is -

It belongs to us 

As our right 

     - Bought by 

Being here 

They may tell you 

It isn't yours 

And belongs to someone 

     Else 

(They most surely will) 

They will make rules and schools 

 - And add robes 

     And hats 

Have you noticed that

It's always hats -

Hats for this 

And hats for that -

It seems they fight wars 

About 

Who wears which hat

Or cap, or scarf -

Just so

Who can wear what 

And when 

Upon their head

Or cut their hair or not 

Or beard or 

Lamb chops 

Sideburns

Or not

Why is it anybody's business 

But ours ?

I wonder 

This spinning ball 

We rest upon 

Will probably not be disturbed

By headwear

This corner of the galaxy may 

Get along quite nicely 

Without 

Knowing about 

The headgear perched upon

The puny 

Human

God bless us

God Bless Us Everyone

Sitting here 

Waiting for blood 

To be drawn 

I've been dizzy for 

     A week -

Dizzy broad !

Feeling very sorry 

For myself -

When -

In the waiting room 

The conversation begins 

With a gent 

Who's been diagnosed 

With 

Cancer !

Oh good God -

The question comes -

Why do you do this 

To us ?

- An all powerful God 

Could just as easily 

Mandate! 

No Suffering, No Pain -

And 

Enough stuff 

For all 

Of us -

Simple 

When u 

Sit on clouds 

All day,

Wave one finger

And galaxies spring 

Into being 

It is a lesson in letting 

Go -

Some say 

-this could just as easily 

     Have

     been mandated by 

     the flick of the cosmic 

Fingernail-

Are we beneath 

Notice ?

God's own son 

Had to suffer 

So !

(Little birds and lilies 

Of the field 

Have every hair 

Numbered!)

(And they toil not -

Neither do they reap!)

I give up 

I don't know 

And yet still 

Here we sit

Still -

On the horns 

Of the dilemma 

Maybe that's why the ancients 

Worshiped Bulls -

Two good horns 

To sit upon -

I doubt it helped much 

But probably better than 

Believing in absolutely 

Nothing -

At all 

One thin dime

One Thin Dime

And "they" say there's 

No inflation 

WHY then 

Am I sitting here 

With just a few 

     Small grocery bags 

Filled with 

Nothing frivolous -

For so much money ?!!

This much money 

Used to 

PAY THE RENT !!

the whole rent !

With utilities 

     Included !

One block from the 

Beach 

In 

Long Beach -

But there's no 

     Inflation 

So,

"LET EM EAT CAKE" !!

I bought some flour -

I'm Going to make 

Some bread -

That will teach 'em !

But the oven's broken -

Has been these 

     Many years 

If I buy a new stove 

That's a $500 loaf 

     Of bread 🙁 !!

"Can't win for Losin'"

As my daddy used to say -

He also said 

"A day late and a dollar short" 

And 

"Once in a blue moon" 

And 

"A month of Sunday's" 

But then, 

He lived through the

Great Depression 

And WW2

So 

He must have known 

Something 

He said he started workin' 

When he was twelve

And an afternoon 

At the silent pictures cost

Ten cents

But that dime was made of 

Silver -

What was up 

     With that?

Purple Flame

The Writing Truck

The writing truck -

It may not be much

Parked beside the roadside 

     Such-

But I have my 

Coffee and 

My cookie and 

A notebook and a phone

     Such -

Writing tools are

     These 

Someday I dream 

To have a modern 

Motor home

Or at least some kind of 

Van 

In which to stand 

And move about

     And even 

Stretch out -

For a little nap 

Here 

     By the sea

But for now it

Will have to do -

At least the view 

Is something 

To write

About

The ocean gives us 

     Pause

          Wild and deep

If it had a tsunami here

     And now

I would be gone 

This life-song 

     Done

In a cataclysm of 

     Fishes

The writing truck

Conspiracies and Ghostly Lights

Watching utube 

Late at night 

Conspiracies and ghostly 

      Lights

Things on the moon 

That just aren't right 

And why are they not leaving us alone 

And letting us 

     Get on with it 

Did they cause all the major 

Wars 

And are they 

Still 

? 

Do they educate us 

To believe 

That  

Everything they say 

Is true 

Did they kill them 

One by one 

The ones who sought 

To set us free 

Beginning with the one 

They hung up 

On the tree 

The one who came 

To set us free 

Yes 

It makes my head spin 

To wonder 

And that's the fun of it 

Beats the heck out of regular 

TV 

Where nothing is a 

Mystery 

Except, of course, 

The Mysteries

Savoir Faire

Oh thou fighters and

Angry young men 

And those who wish to 

CONQUER THE WORLD !!!

Would you please learn to dance !

And have a glass of wine 

And hold your partner close 

And listen to the music 

It seems that the Tango takes 

Away the aggression -

Like grounding your electricity -

Your attention could then be given

To steps and hugs and 

Finesse

To moves and turns 

And interplay with 

Another 

War 

Would then seem 

Foolish -

As it is 

There are more important things 

To do 

With your precious time 

With your fleeting youth 

- Hold one another 

Move

Have politeness

And savoir faire

Much better than 

Bombs 

And tragedy 

The Great Connection

New Year's Day 

And I have had 

Oatmeal 

For breakfast !

- a "plant based diet" 

No bacon 

No eggs 

Hopefully not 

     "Genetically modified"

Oats . . .

Not that I will do this 

Everyday -

I prefer to be free

Of platitudes and 

Pronouncements

As much as may be 

Possible 

And this afternoon I will be 

Watching 

The great American 

FOOTBALL GAME 

and ROSE PARADE

On someone's great big 

TV 

God save us !!

In the past 

I have avoided such 

As being much too 

Much! 

But 

I am turning over a 

New Leaf 

Of going along with what 

Happens to be happening 

As long as there is no direct injury 

Involved 

To either party

They may carry a few players 

Off the field 

And many roses had to die 

To decorate 

But 

The players make millions 

To suffer such 

And roses were born

To be sacrificed

To be given 

To lovers in love -

To be the sign 

Of perfect love -

Of spiritual heart

Opening -

The rose within us

Needs to be watered 

To be fed

To be nurtured

And to be admired 

For what it is 

-Our great connection 

With that Love of

Pure creation 

Pure beingness

Oneness

Love