He Wasn't Dead

Word in the gossip pool:
he lost it, emotionally 
and financially 

couldn’t be trusted, 

barely hanging on, 

wishing he was dead,

but when I called
he sounded great,
clear headed, compassionate,
and completely involved.

Better to stay in touch one-on-one 
then to rely on family gossip
to fill the gaps

and all it took 

was one 
phone call.

Life After Birth

In a mother's womb were two babies. 

One asked the other: 

"Do you believe in life after delivery?" 

The other replies, 

"Why, of course, 

there has to be something after delivery. 

Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves 

for what we will be later. 

"Nonsense," says the other. 

"There is no life after delivery. 

What would that life be?" 

"I don't know, but there will be more

 light than here. Maybe we will walk 

with our legs and eat from our mouths." 

The other said.

"This is absurd! Walking is impossible. 

and eat with our mouths? Ridiculous. 

The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. 

Life after delivery is to be excluded. 

The umbilical cord is too short." 

"I think there is something 
and maybe it's different 
than it is here." the other replies, 

"No one has ever come back from there. 

Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery 

it is nothing but darkness and anxiety 

and it takes us nowhere." 

"Well, I don't know," says the other, 

"but certainly we will see mother 

and she will take care of us." 

"Mother??" You believe in mother? 

Where is she now? "

She is all around us. 

It is in her that we live. 

Without her there would not be this world." 

"I don't see her, so it's only logical 

that she doesn't exist." 

To which the other replied, 

"Sometimes when you're in silence 

you can hear her, you can perceive her.

I believe there is a reality after delivery

and we are here to prepare 

ourselves for that reality...."

An e-mail sent from a 78 year old nun. 

  

Gaga

I don’t know her music

but she also seems popular
for her outrageous costumes
making artistic statements

seeking unabashed creativity
encouraging others to think
or at least be willing

to stretch boundaries.

Teaching self acceptance
to wonder at one’s self
however pretentious
to irritate or amuse

but as long as the cameras
flash and the public
wants to know what she’s doing

she will continue
without mercy
extolling her virtue 

marking her place in history 
and with that
there is nothing

more to say.

Accidents Happen

He had been a champion
catering to every little need
making sure I was comfortable

then he moved the ottoman
with a single shift
and tore the nail from his big toe.

It looked like he had opened the hood
of a 1956 Chevy
he screamed, I cried

then he pushed the nail back in place
wiping off the few droplets of blood

and all the pain I had been suffering

seem to pale in comparison
and I stopped complaining.

I guess the mystery of the cross

is to bear witness to the crucifixion

making life sufferings manageable

compared to real pain. 

A Cloak Woven in Pain

He smiled, said everything was alright
but the magnitude of loss 

permeated the air around him

his shoulders bent under 

the weight of the heavy coat

whose threads of pain 

crossed stitched and knotted

were dripping from open wounds 
scabs never healing the injury 

and in his smile the shortfall of hope
his eyes seeking the promise of a loving god
but each step crushed by this mantel of pain. 

The Gambler’s Cadillac

He drove a shiny new Cadillac
sporting leather seats 
and luxurious upholstery

the car smelled rich but in a month it was gone
so was his wife’s diamond ring

and the living room furniture

but his persistence paid off 
and in a little while she was 
wearing furs and jewels again.

He settled for a Studebaker to transport
his family but like the seasons 
in a little while that too was gone.

He took up boxing to make a buck
used his winnings to gamble as he was inclined
sometimes living flush, other times lean

then his health started to suffer
at his lowest point, so did his marriage 
but yesterday he drove up once again 

in a brand new Cadillac 
...a convertible this time. 

The Road To Peace

Sometimes the only way to someplace
is through uncharted land
cutting through the tangled thorns

before stepping on the new terrain
where flowers bloom and streams run clear
where wild life thrives in harmony.

Yet, even in this utopia

the give and take of life
is designed to create a balance. 

Learn to trust in the most violent storms
and know god is present and life
will go on... with or without you. 

Saving Water

Grew up in a desert land
don’t need much water to survive
if I drink too much I pee often
providing moisture for other living things.

I adapted to dryness like the cacti
a little prickly and comfortable alone
better able to cope with the coming drought
than the people who live near the sea.

Their cells demand lots of fluids
need to immerse themselves in water,

they seek green environments 

while I thrive in the barren landscapes
among the mesas and Joshua trees.

Shrinking World

There was a time when
clothes seemed to shrink
but now it's the world growing smaller

steps that lead to the sidewalk
are too high, the distance 
to the curb too far

the weight of a bag 
of groceries, cumbersome
and heavy, 

the height of a cabinet too far
to reach for the slow 
cooker on the top shelf

the mind still expanding, 
still wonder and search
for ideas and conversations,

many of them recollections
of how things used to be
try not to focus on how 

the world is shrinking
and simple things 

have gotten too hard 
to complete.

One Too Many

The evening started badly

couldn’t find anything to wear
finally settled on the red dress

with the flirty skit that moved when I twirled 

my three inch heels, 
a diamond bracelet,

a small clutch, 
and I was ready to party.

My date didn’t show,

my girlfriends tried to console me
offered one drink, then two,

by closing I had too many.

I was loud and wanted to fight

but they held me back from wrestling
with a girl who was wearing

a dress like mine.

I screamed out loud, “Let me at her!”
they held me, didn't let me go
I broke away and stood next to the tramp
but realized she was only my reflection
in the bar room mirror. 

Time to go home
wipe my tears, sleep a few hours
and maybe tomorrow figure out
what to do.

Ice Carving

A block of ice, some saws, a torch
and a plan to unlock the sculpture inside.

A faithful team, like a surgical crew,
handing the tools and keeping things clean

A change of clothes, a cup of Joe
after the project is completed.

Photos are all that remain when the art
melts and the masterpiece disappears.

Crackle Paint

Spread the canvas in acrylic
smoothing the surface to create a seal

let it dry then paint a landscape 
or still life with oils

after a while the oil will crack 

giving the painting an ancient look
like from a master of another time

your eyes will go back to the texture
noting the patterns and getting pleasure

from crackle paint on your artistic design.