Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Discussion

The Garden 
Is a crazy place 
Here on the hill
Overlooking 
The ocean 

There is no money for 
A fence 
Or lights -
Don't 
Go there 
At night 

The military guy 
Sleeps in the tool shed
     And has to get up 
     At night 
To scare away 
The tweekers

Those are the folks 
Who wander around 
Downtown 
After dark 
Looking for things 
     To steal 
To support the drug
     Habit

Now in spring
- or winter actually- 
Well, We've had two 
Rain storms -
The native plants have 
Erupted 
In vibrant green 
But 
The mallow lot, 
If you don't pull it out now 
While its small 
It's not coming out 
At all 

Her dog is small -
The cat and it 
Play and chase 
Through the bright 
     Green 

One thing I love 
About this place 
Is -
it makes no sense 
At all !

Million dollar lots 
Downtown! 
The owner, being wealthy,
Bought them 
(Back in the day) 
So her house on the hill
Could have its view 
     Of the ocean 

Word is 
She doesn't intend 
To sell 
Anytime soon 
So I wonder 
If I should plant kale 
Or cabbage 

For the gophers 

We take old chairs 
To sit and look at the ocean 

No one wants to trap or kill 
The varmints 

The cat can only eat 
So many 

What to do 
What to do 

On a gorgeous afternoon
In January 

We discuss . . .






A Van

The garden 
Has
A million dollar view -
     And gophers
She advised getting 
A snake !
     Good idea -
Says I -
A gopher snake. 
But where would one 
Purchase one ? 

She lives in her van 
Hassled by the cops -
They took her liscense -
So now she can't drive -
But 
She still lives 
     In her van 
Waiting for 
Section 8

Which is what they call
Government assistance -
     With housing 
It will be federal, 
     She says, 
So she can move 
     Anywhere 

And she doesn't feel guilty,
     She says 
For taking taxpayer money 
     She's had eight children -
One's a doctor 
But 
She doesn't want to rely 
On them 

It reminds me 
I must begin 
The yearly test 
In mathematics 
Which they call 
Taxes - here

She's bought 
     A little dog -
On social security
     With no rent to pay
She has money

More than you 
Or I 

I worked so hard
For so long
For this old house 
     Only to watch it crumble 
Slowly -
Unable to afford 
To fix it 

Sometimes I wish 
I had a van 
To sleep in 



Let There Be Light

Someone slashed tires 
At the dance 
Was this you again ? 

I'm hiring a friend 
To sit in my truck 
To watch the 
Parking lot 

Twenty tires slashed 
Would an old man like you 
Have the energy ?
It's a mystery

No one can know 
No one sees
We are all left wondering 
Just 
How crazy have you 
Become 

People don't believe -
You can be so 
Sweet 
And fun 

I find myself hoping 
That it is not 
You - but
I keep the security cameras on 
The spotlight in the dark corner 
     Of the yard 
Blinding 
     The passerby






Tuesday, January 13, 2015

pray for me

can't sleep
wondering
was it you
again
?
slashing tires -
damaging -
terrorizing
again

what to do
now that you
may have struck
again

dare i go
where i want to
go

will you be there
waiting
to damage
something
like my
sanity -
my
sense of
safety
and -
right to
exist

others don't believe
oh no
not him

oh yes!
and
others besides
me . . .
have seen
this side
of him

the court
has decided you
are guilty -
you
don't seem to
listen

i still am left looking
at security camera pictures
and asking friends
to pray
for me









Monday, January 5, 2015

Waiting

Waiting 
Waiting 
In a waiting room 
     Waiting 

Two televisions on 
With commercials 
And 
Endless news 

Nice decor 

Waiting still 
     Waiting 

Earplugs in. 
To 
Help a bit 
(Can still hear) 
Commercials -
And endless 
News. 

About who shot 
Who -

Why must we fight 
So ? 

Why must I volunteer 
To help a friend ?
Endless drive 
     In heavy LA traffic 
And waiting 
Did I mention 
     Waiting 

Why am I 
always the
      "nice guy"

Do I need to learn 
To cease 
Being taken 
     Advantage of ?

And then - I - drive 
     Home 
Through endless, aggressive 
     LA traffic 

I should be thankful,
I know 
That this body 
Is not the one 
On the table 

Such is the fate -
Such is the way of -
Relationships between 
     Old people 

You drive me to mine 
I'll drive you to yours 

But mine was in town 
Yours is to heck and back 

Doctors appointments 
And procedures 
     Unmentionable 


Still 

Waiting




Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Perspective

There is 
     Sitting 
In the garden

There is 
     Listening -

- Time of 
     Year -

Sounds of birds -
     Sound of distant 
          Road -

It's a new year 
     Tonight !!

This year 
       I don't feel 
          So
     Depressed
          About
          It - ? - 

Partly,
          It's you -
     The Mad
          Professor,
     The Mad
          Scientist,
 - my dear -

Partly it's been
     Counseling -

And then 
     There was
          That

Last 
     Samadhi

Offering a new 
     Perspective -

On
     Ego
          Mind . . .








Sunday, December 28, 2014

Organizing Heaven

New phone 
New buttons 
Remember old 
     Password
( yeah, right) 
Look up old password
Download new app. 

Whatever happened to 
     Paper and 
          Pencils 
With no buttons 
And no 
Passwords 

The world is getting 
Together 
As we all look at little screens 
And talk to each other 
Instantaneously 
Across oceans
     With the speed of 
     Light 

Maybe we can share 
     The light 
Those of us who believe 
That it is better to talk 
Than 
     To fight 

No one in my mother's 
     Generation 
Would have 
Believed 
     It true

She used to talk about how 
Airplanes and cars and telephones
And tv 
Had been invented in her lifetime

We may all count our blessings 
That she was never quite able 
To tell the world 
What to do. 
Because -
I am sure she 
Would have 

And even more surprising -
The fact that she felt 
She had a right to -
And knew 
Better than 
All the rest of us 

May she rest in peace 

For I know she has a big 
     Job to do 
-organizing heaven !