near june

near june dawn
one damp
brown leather foot
after another
crept the woods
to a lake and canoe
where two
set off as few would do
to pursue the climbing amber sun
(not yet in view)
and jumping swimming fish
(deep in the blue)
the deer and bear and birds

what they saw
no one knew




This dawn poem is here already ... i brought it back to post again ... just because.

grow trees

... we'll grow trees
cut them into poles, and
string 'em with wires
all over the world.
until we think of something better





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myanmar

she read the morning news
told me as we drove
thirty easy going miles on straight blacktop.
it was 66 degrees 85 later ...
don't have a watch, Enough ...
to a slow down, hometown breakfast ... shop ...
an establishment ...

families walking with all they had,
escaping so they would not be shot.

here the restaurant is open this holiday, labor day -
whatever that means.

women and children and old walked.
the men are all dead
a woman carried a cooking pot,
another a solar panel.

in the corner restaurant
having an omelet with toast and fried potatoes
the lady kept bringing more coffee
i thought about the people walking.
what a world.



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water cover

jesus criminy,
birds float in the air,
boats are there to share,
they are helping out;
Texas has flooded.
more area than i can imagine.





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that much

put your hand out shoulder high
that's how much poetry sweet talk i need
that deep in flowers and thistles
rocks and birds and running water




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color up

color up, autumn, do it for me.
dress yourself carefully, will ya?
a mess of us are ready ...
so what's it going to be?
how about pizza and a beer
watching those Indians play ball?
to the wire, when they wrap it up,
those boys of the fall ...
and summer. of course.
we spent a lot of time with them.
god we cheered.
from beginning to seasons end;
and after snows we'll do it again, don't you know.




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winding out

winding out of august,
nearly hits 100 in kentucky;
come home to feel summer running,
going to cool and color soon.



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mexican food, ole'
refried beanns and pound cake
yes, i took my time
yes, i ate too much



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water for pasta,
add plenty of salt.
the moon is bright;
i wish i was.


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Tales

everybody has a story
some with colors bright
keep you awake at night
others so dull they
put you to sleep





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moon shadow

a day long drive to Kentucky
and if we are lucky
the sky will be clear
casting the moon shadow.



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round off the edges

saying what you say
in a cordial way is poetry,
as i see it




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talking, thinking

fingers tapping on the table,
thinking, hardly blinking,
i'm able to crack ... there it goes
crack open the window;
feel it? take some air.
ready to begin or having patience
... don't know; can't say.
coffee's good, that's a fact.

pull out my paper scraps,
can hardly read my notes,
pencil blurrs. but i remember
what i saw worth writing about
... now, how can i
put feelings into words?
and emotion.

words, to bring
sweet feeling out;
chosen phrases.
a small bird on the window ledge
distracts me relatively.
sweet sip ...
there's always coffee.

sitting, my elbows on the table
tapping out a melody ...
excuse me. i lost it ... thinking ...
drifting some ... more importantly,
look out the window,
home is warm and good,
that's the picture of it.
the day wears well.






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rhubarb pie

had a good drive round
and down a lot of lanes;
country roads, where just those words
bring picture-thoughts to mind ...
heard blowing, rattling leaves,
got sprinkled on, gray cloudy
then sun-some.
on the far side of a field
a white-tailed doe with her two fawns - jumping.
stood still to look at us a while,
then turned back to playing, leaping.
stopped at DeChant farm,
picked a rhubarb pie,
tasty sweet eating,
left money in the tin.
i'm nibbling the outer ring portion
of back to childhood memories ...
plus the pie.





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Pone, Pone, Pone

my phone will not ring anymore, forever
what's your pones vibration pattern?
wait ... my pone is levitating
did i tell you, now it's a pone.



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ship locator

Position received seven hours, forty minutes ago
Isadora is off Spain, headed to Algiers
I wonder if Ralfo is aboard
how smooth the sea, how blue the sky?
oh, my, and my again.
i believe in you.
who is steering the ship?
how fine is summertime.



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Geese the significant

when driving in a dream there is
no need to signal, yet i cordially wave and smile.
traffic heavy melts together on the road,
shut my eyes and nod off into a cat nap.

in a splash, came to wakeful senses
i did in a crowd. horns honking.
waved back, had the change,
paid the toll. told myself i could finish

this dream, in an hour, if i rush.
hit the gas, checked the time
and then realized an hour had already passed.
time flies, you know, some say, they’re right, some time.

took another bite of sandwich,
chewed slowly while i wondered
where i got it and how to hold it
with two hands while driving?

seemed mayonnaise enough to me ,
i smiled at the hearty bread, tasty as reality,
with long green salty seeds in it,
and the tomato slipping out.

aware that all the red was taillights
all the honking were wild geese
making restful music as i
closed my eyes to finish dreaming.

thinking the one last conscious thought,
that i like geese, i really do.
never met one though to get to know,
i’d surly like to.



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sweet train

cracked the window after three
cloud dreamed again 'til five
when, from long beyond
i heard the name say - i am train

calling low in light rain,
sweet voice, milk and thunder
clawing on wings of steel,
lonely is the night ... i am train

swinging through, blasting,
rolling heavy on quick-wheel feet
powering down, long around, then out of town,
murmur lonely; cutting night stillness like a blade on ice

iron maiden go into first morning light
familiar friend, shaking houses with your power,
i smiled ... low in bed, covered my head
and slept another hour.


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tradition begins at home

the pairing of plain rice
and miso soup, considered
a fundamental unit of
Japanese cuisine and the basis
of traditional Japanese breakfast;
as for me is the perusal of a broth box
left on the counter where i am
sitting and reading, while eating cereal.



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