Convoluted Dreams

I saw him bare-chested

and shaved displayed upon a stage

there were, "oohs" and "ahhs,"
about his physique and his light blue eyes

various women offered him a prize.
I woke and spoke to him lying beside me

he was dreaming of dead people,
his sister and brother in rotting flesh

waiting for him 
to cross over.  

We decided we liked 
my dream better. 

Let Happiness In

She was recently widowed

spent years caring for him

with his onset of Alzheimer’s
he got mean towards the end

she was relieved when he finally died

only to discover he squandered

their wealth, bad investments

and too much gambling

meant she would have to continue

working to make ends meet.

Then like an angel from heaven 

came a man who had been a friend

he offered love but she rebuffed him

he was a kind soul but too old.

After talking with friends she decided
to let happiness in. She didn’t have to marry him

or fall in love, she could go out to dinner and theater,

take trips, introduce him to her friends.

She’s having more fun than when

she was a teen and all because

she let happiness in. 

Wash Day

Sheets flap
in the breeze

while the sun

shines throughout the day

arms on men’s shirts
reach out for women's blouses

next are rows of diapers,
socks hung in pairs,

little kids clothes
different sizes

all kicking and shaking
without any music

hung out for 
line dancing

until they are dry.

Too Many Cooks for the Kitchen

All the aunties crowded 
into the modern kitchen,

a step saving design
with everything in reach 
efficient for wives like Donna Reed

but the aunties’ hips were too wide
so they bumped against each other

when they stooped to take out the pots
and pans, or carried things from the fridge
to prepare their meals with pasta, sauce, 
and deserts like tiramisu.

In time they tore down the walls
expanded the area to combine
the rooms providing ample space

for lots of cooks to prepare
their meals in a new kitchen
filled with laughter 
and conversation.

The Magic Bowl

He trusts in his world
has the power of faith
he never has to pray
when he is hungry his bowl is full.

In the reality of his life
he doesn’t  want
his needs are filled without request
and that’s how he likes it best. 

Mother Nature

The rustle of the leaves
dew droplets on the grass

all signs that I am present

the waves crashing to the shore
chattering of the birds in the trees
displaying the complex nature of my work

intricate patterns and colors

all for your pleasure if you take the time
to look and wander out to the open spaces

where my handiwork is exhibited
alongside phenomena that may seem

like mistakes, the tumbleweeds
and disease, violent storms

and earthquakes, but all are part
of my design to challenge and excite
you to encourage your participation

worthy of your best efforts
as you try to harness or explain,

withstand or exploit. This partnership
between the two of us is a relationship

built on love and in that balance

we complement each other and 
the invisible becomes manifest. 

Looking Toward the Future

Look at the bundle of energy
arranged in order of age
ready to tumble into the future
and take on what the world has to offer.

The eldest had the greatest promise
he was bright and well liked
took a detour through the seminary
lost his way in Vietnam.

The second one tried to control the others
second in charge for her mother
ended up controlling a school
was grateful to retire.

The twins bounced against the boundaries
going in opposite directions he quieted 
his demons through work and alcohol
she stirred them up and teased them

now a shaman leading others through
social upheaval and spiritual purpose
maybe she’s crazy, no one is sure.

The youngest one almost lost his life at nineteen
an aneurysm should have killed him
the doctor said it was his athleticism that save him
so he still runs, swims and bikes everyday.

Each child took their own path
related to and influenced by each other
remembering the days of childhood
when they played for hours in the sun.

Creativity was the main ingredient
and the days passed into years
finding different routes to eternity.  

First Love

She was the only blue eyed beauty
amist tumbleweeds and red mesas
a shy smile and contagious laugh
saw the humor in everything.

He was celebrated in the town when
she agreed to marry him,
took her away in his Model T
and they lived together quite happily.

Grandpa's Family

Here is a picture of my grandpa's family.
He is the twelve year old boy standing,
like kids that age, separate and yet
dependent on his family.

There were a total of nine. Some of the oldest
moved away with families of their own
he was the second youngest, lived to be
100, while all the others died much younger.

Aunt Kika, the baby, used to watch us when
we were children, she was old by then
fell asleep, left me in charge, made me
buy her cigarettes from the local store

no one questioned my age, sold me
a pack and offered me free matches
even though I was barely nine.

Exposed Empathy

While visiting with others their ghosts intrude
whispering their sadness into my bones,
sharing withheld tears and cancerous sores.

It is easier to be out in nature
where sunshine seeps into my soul
birds sing god’s praises and flowers

capture dew to adorn their petals.
Creatures scamper through the grass
and life seems blessed and sacred,

but in the company of humans
I can’t resist their worries and fears
where they reveal their darkness

disrupting my tranquility
taking me where they dwell
in dark caverns at the borders of hell.

When I was younger I could resist
but as I age my boundaries are less secure
I can offer comfort but they want more.

Fifteen Pounds of Meat

The freezer door was left opened
the day after we had been shopping

all the hamburger meat, two packages
of ribs and frozen biscuits

all defrosted before the mistake was found.
So this morning we’re fixing some spaghetti sauce

with plenty of hamburger meat,
a meat loaf and two platters of hamburgers

the ribs will be cooked for tonight,
freezing the leftovers for other meals.

This is our attempt to salvage the food.
before it goes to waste. The biscuits

we be thrown out, 
they’re too mushy to handle.

My sister’s coming over tomorrow for a birthday
celebration, we’ll have the sauce with spaghetti
we may have discovered a way to put
a day's effort for meals to last for 

a whole week as long as we like the taste of 

reheated, refrozen, cooked meat.

Commuting

Merge onto the freeway
car after car moving ahead and behind

now part of the flow of metal and glass
a rhythm of red lights and honking horns

imperfectly formed lines of silver and grey
like a discarded necklace at a garage sale.

The drone of the motor always heard under
the sound of favorite music, even hard metal

doesn’t mask the sound. Forget about
a foreign language, or listening to books

on tapes for the best seller's New York list.
Feel like heading in the wrong direction

the other side seems to be moving more quickly
too much time to be sitting so cramped

everything in slow motion, almost
a bad dream silhouettes and faces

of other commuters, like vague creatures
added to give substance to a nightmare

filling lanes in tandem, moving
in and out weaving through traffic

until the exit home is up ahead
pull off until it is time to start again.

Cops and Robbers

We played cops and robbers 
in the neighborhood long after 
the sun went down chasing 
each other outside our homes

using toy guns and other props
basically a game of  tag
got the adrenaline rushing
exhausted when the game was done

no one criticized our noise
or our running around, no one was worried
that we were playing with guns
because in our world the good always won

and the smartest wanted to be
the cop, the borderline kids became
the criminals, they never ran as fast
nor thought as quick, no one romanticized

the criminal's role. Now everyone is afraid
we don’t know the good guys from the bad.
Who has the moral aptitude to do the right thing
even when everyone else says, "Let it go"?

Copperheads

Allow copperheads to go undisturbed
they’re venomous but do not attack
but will defend themselves

if anyone tries to handle them
or attempts to destroy them.

Copperheads can cause bodily harm
and will kill if bites are not treated.

Sounds like what’s happening

in the world based on the daily news.

Leave the snakes alone! 

I Remember My Father

He was always larger than life
gone before we woke
but came home with an exhilaration
that lifted me towards him at a run.

I knew there would be fun and peace
from my mother who tended to be harsh.

He had a great capacity for love
and wasn’t afraid to show it.

He taught me how to observe
before I asked too many questions
and figure things out before I despaired.

He expected me to match his strength
and energy because I wasn’t
as pretty as my mother.

She was crazy about him too
and missed him when he 
went to work each day.

I never competed for his attention

he had enough for everyone.  

Las Vegas Villanelle

This is my attempt to write a Las Vegas Villanelle
about the city in the desert for the young and retired
an entertainment Mecca for all to dwell

and act out behaviors that might send them to hell
in the blazing desert where dreams transpire
and become the content for this Las Vegas Villanelle.

Some go to gamble looking for tells
betting the mortgage and having cash wired
losing the house then hearing the death knell.

Others go to party where they whoop and they yell
perform on the dance floor to be greatly admired
in a town that never sleeps in this Las Vegas Villanelle.

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," but people tell
and secrets are repeated, never forgotten, never retired
even best friends who know better, are persuaded to sell

all the details to the highest bidders who compel
confessions of the most intimate kind to be acquired
and then shown in places like this Las Vegas Villanelle.

Even pictures of the Prince were exposed to sell
he couldn’t be protected by those he hired
cash for the secret was his privacy death knell.

Visitors from all over the world are fired-
up to visit this oasis in the desert and are inspired,
to write their own script and sound their death knell
then sit at a desk and write their own Vegas Villanelle.

Barbed Wire

Barbed wire keeps cattle from wandering
check it daily to keep them contained.
They only go out to the open range
with cowboys and herding dogs.

Wire stretched from post to post
like boundaries set up by churches and states
to keep the masses controlled and enclosed
because chaos reigns when they break free
getting lost in the open sea of choice.

Better to have choices already made
so the burden of work can be laid
upon their shoulders, producing milk, 
plowing fields, sent to slaughter

without complaint, 
enough food to keep
them satisfied, enough space 
to keep them passive.

Be careful of those 
who stretch limits
and create agitation 
to want more.

Force them up against the barbed wire
to feel the pain and realize life is good
all contained in the orderly routines
in an enclosed life. 

Garage Sale Bling

It was a simple thing, gather up this and that
for a community garage sale, a good way
to clear the clutter; some kitchen utensils,
a few of the kids toys, other odds and ends

and a wooden box, never used

only to discover the prize stored within

was the $23,000 wedding ring given to his bride.
Time stands still, no insurance to cover this mistake. 

SMACK!

I wonder about the person who purchased the box
will she decide to keep it for herself?
Or is it  waiting to be found 

in the same box left in her car trunk? 

Maybe she has already contacted a buyer
'cause even if she gets half the worth,

it is more than the $10 she spent. 

SNAP!

She didn’t steal it, no one can make her return it, 

it’s like winning the lottery, maybe she will 

negotiate a deal, get a reward, clear her conscience 

and be done with it... but... maybe not. 

WHACK!

Poem Never Written

Last night before falling asleep
had an idea for a poem
but didn’t write it down 

now this morning I can’t recall
even a thread of my inspired tapestry
can’t jar it from memory so instead

I write these jumbled words,
like a drunk reciting the alphabet,
while the best I had to offer 

is still tangled in my pillow
or suffocated and lost
somewhere in my head. 

Lighting Candles for Miracles

Walked into an empty church  
where candles flickered beneath 
statues of saints, a place to kneel
and pray for intercession. 

St. Jude for the hopeless, 
St. Anthony for the lost,
donation boxes with locks
to keep visitors from stealing. 

How many times
were dimes stolen
or candles snuffed out 
and miracles 
never delivered?

Visions and Dreams

Many teenagers hang their future
on a rock star, thinking 

somehow their adoration
will translate to success

so they plug in their 

electric guitars 

sing bad poetry into 

cheap microphones

thinking one day 

fame and wealth
will fill their desires 

but the doors never open

so they become
addicts and drunks, 

wasting their lives 

on failed dreams

but for some the dream
transpires and they live
the music and a life
beyond their dreams. 

My Brother’s Poetry / Chuck Toledo

Elvis Presley rocked my dream

There he was

It was the King

He gave me a big smile

He shook his hips

Struck a karate pose

And asked

Do you have any size eleven

blue suede shoes?

God keeps hiding mine

It is a technicality I am sorting out with the big guy

It bugs him that people call me

THE KING

Hell it ain’t my fault

Anyway before you wake up

Can you rustle me up something to eat

The music in heaven rocks

But

The food just ain’t Southern enough

Sleeping in Bette Davis Eyes

Spinning and talking and pulling

One new thing after another

If we could fly but needed wings

Our phone would be held in our asses

Maybe they already are

Just look around

Too many channels

Not enough nothing

Or is it all nothing

Taking up my space

I wrote a letter to Bette Davis

Her response was simple

Your world is a dump

Just like mine was

Quit being a sissy

Sinatra Says It’s So

I sleep on my left side

I do it my way

I heard a voice

It was Frank

With a tip of his hat and a grin

Old Blue Eyes agreed

You should sleep the way you want

You should say what you want

To whoever you want

That’s right!

You don’t spend too long

In this crazy world

so

be cream of the crop

king of the top

leave the slop

for the other guys

And if your wife can’t stand you

Get another one

She is going to get half anyway

Now if you don’t mind

I got to skiddo

Do it your way

 

Mark One, Mark Two, Mark Twain Snooze 

I was just beginning to doze off

And Mr Clemens arrived

Oh! Not now, I am trying to sleep

He ignored me

He lit a cigar and started chatting

I turned over to ignore the intrusion

He climbed up and sat near me

He talked and talked

I became more and more interested

He had a wonderful way of spinning things

Most of them I forgot

He told me not to worry about things

There is a heaven

And the place has dogs and frogs

There is no hate

But don’t be late for dinner

The fried chicken will all be gone

Those angels are rascals

My O Mao

As I closed my eyes

I thought

It is tomorrw in China

A broken English voice

Whispered

O it is much later then that

The revolution changed it all

The cultural experience is now

China is once again

The center of the universe

While you sleep China grows

The West is no longer the best

The East is no longer the least

Greed dooms as it looms

Peace thrives without lies

So

My companion

Join the battle

Long live Rock And Roll

Zelda F Never Looked More Reckless

She strutted into my midnight sleep

Like a hungry, drunken feline

She jumped into bed

She spilled her drink

And kissed me flat on the lips

I thought she was ungettable

Tonight she was mine

She taunted me saying

Let’s do the unimaginable

After all

It is your dream

Let me do all the worrying

And

Let’s not worry about nothing

This is the dawn

Of your Jazz Age

  

Brad Pitt Had Coffee with Me

I was barely awake

But then I guess I wasn’t

Brad, what the f**k!

He pulled on his new beard

He just stared, sipping on a cup of joe

He asked me if I had any pot

Well, I guess I do

I got one or two

We rolled it and smoked it

He knows something about rolling

He said all was well

Cleared his throat and espoused:

Being at the top is only dangerous

Once

After that you just should not care

He told me to keep some stash around

You never know who might show up

He was right

You never know

Janice Joplin…U Know

I always loved her 

I even kissed her once

Neither of us held back

It was a moment in my sleep

She told me she loved too much

She didn’t let go

She held on with all her life

Baby, I said

I love you too

I am going to buy you a Mercedes Benz

She let out a loud Texas laugh

Then she held me again

And said

Do you mean it?

I said yes baby, I mean it

I am gonna buy you a new Benz

You were that Mercedes

Janis

You were that fancy car

No one loves you more

You  broke all our hearts

When you passed away

You Texas Bitch

Now step on the gas

Of your Mercedes Benz

 

Jim Morrison Touched Me

He told me to keep my hands on the wheel

 Damn it Jim this is a dream

Well

These are all dreams brother

All dreams from the snake

Your life wraps around things

And sooner

 or later

there you are

You know things that I don’t

And

So it goes

Just remember

Your mother always loved you

No matter how bad she treated you

Love is a one way street

Forget the past

Fly with me 

in your Mercedes Benz