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 !