sifting over time

couldn’t say
for sure
don’t know
if i was sleeping

it seemed
my brain remained awake last night
working, sifting, sorting
rather like that

thusly night went by
a least that’s the impression
i held tight
when i got up this morning

the magnitude of life

who could have imagined
dealing with the like
largesse peppered with surprises
some in joy, some in crisis

waking early with morning coffee
to find life going already, rolling steady
by warm golden window light
you know life’s a sweet package

variety you could not have conceived
and while not visible at first glance
something is going on, darling
perchance not always what it seems

growing day by day
born of dreams
hear the joy of life in bird voices
and in the patter of the rain

pigeon

here on a third floor
can’t see the sky, unless
i stick my head out the window
and look straight up

still they zip by this narrow space,
fifteen feet to the building opposite
a blur by my window
thirty miles an hour

seems fast enough
they’re been clocked at 59
and often they zip by
with a partner

good old computer
tells me how fast pigeons fly
when what i see is a streaking blur
outside going by

slip

when i slip through
a stream in the
wings of time

and don’t return
leaving nary a trace
fear not for me

understand
i’m off somewhere
having an adventure

the table

with three guys at the table
didn’t know who they were
in discussion most interesting
don’t recall what was said

some time had passed when i looked to the clock
it was difficult to read the red glowing numbers
had to lean forward
to a sitting position

i was lying in bed, there was no table
there were not three others
so with whom did i speak with
in this vivid dream

the wash

over there
pulled up a chair
talking to the laundry
the washer then the dryer
Obama sending thirty thousand more troops
to Afghanistan
the left is yelling
why’s he doing that?

well he is a politician that got elected
what do you expect
Ron Paul was laughed at like ufos
he wanted to bring them all home
from all around the world
no more policemen for the world
why guard our borders in peace
money, money money can be made with war

play the game you get elected
you want to bring troops home
you’re not making dough for the money people
makes the world go round you know

grease those wheels
pull the strings
you want to play
you’ve got to pay

it’s flowing in now
someone makes guns
buys the bullets
fantastic tanks
nice boots
sends turkeys to the troops for the holidays
pass me the haliburton, will ya?

back and forth, costs a lot
tax payers pay the money players
talking to the spinning dryer
who else will listen?

wave the flag
want a medal don’t you?
a picture of your boy in uniform
that’s him on the mantel
rate me fifty on foldin’ clothes
I’m just saying
heaven knows

ciao ciao

spoke to an italian friend on the phone
he was born in Tunisia
we speak mostly in English
says he has to practice
he’s my friend, that’s okay with me

when you close a phone call
you always say ciao ciao
it is a commonly used form of bye-bye,
or talk to you later, always used on the phone
as i closed the phone call i said choo- choo

i didn’t mean to
it just came out
i’ll pretend he didn’t hear it
and he’ll think he imagined it
choo -choo?