a new flavor in the market today
call it near spring
sun at mid day divides the piazza
leaving something for everyone
with winter run away
warmer air
brings new modes of dress
flowers and vegetables gleam
to outshine each other
new faces, as always
“ciao, jack”
and the regular venders
“ciao pio.”
it’s new air to breathe
“marcella, stai bene?”
a new day, a great day
“tut’okay”
she smiled
“va bene”
va molto bene
five minutes before my appointment
i slip into my shoes and walk over
that’s something positive about living in the inner city
perky dentist helper has been cleaning teeth for fifteen years
does it well
firm, delicate, yet no holds barred
she says do i want gas
talking to me, of course
maybe she was talking to herself
but i heard her plain as day
sure, fill me up
and this rubber scorpion from a sci-fi movie
was plugged over my face
after a while i claimed no affect
and got her to turn up the juice
suddenly dentist appears
fools around doing this and that
then before i know it
he got ready to do a cavity, mine
then pulled out an extra long needle
waved it around and warned this is going to hurt
that’s too bad for someone i thought
then looking around i knew he was talking to me
cause the dentist helper wasn’t there anymore
and i let him drive that thing through my gums
into the dark recesses of my now vibrating skull
the more i develop through life experience
the scarier it gets, i visualize too much
because i see tiny errors in judgment, chinks
in good guys in white hats and white masks armor
the dentist speaks five languages
is known as very skilled
however, as we spoke i suggested
and admittedly knowing nothing about dentistry
perhaps, perhaps, perhaps it would be keen
if he said x per cent of the patients
find the needle into the gums uncomfortable
instead of scaring the shit out ‘a me
by telling me it was “liable to be really painful”
two seconds before ahab rams the harpoon into my skull
no wonder he wears a mask
when i wake these days
for the first moments i’m
definitely cautious with my movements
it’s only mid march
not yet spring, got my socks on now
the last of winter’s holding on, it seems
still dark
when i start
the coffee and computer
there’s a chill in my bones
as i glance toward the window from my chair
to observe the colors of progressing dawn
calmly i’m working on getting up to speed
will get underway soon as i can, but tell me,
it’s frigid these days in the early hours, isn’t it?
and either this year’s colder
or it’s merely another effect
of getting older
terrible times
endless pain, not now
just thinking about
the dentist
whacka, whacka,
whirrr, grrr
a carpenter in my mouth
i'd have to say hi
and i'd get used to it
after a while, i suppose
and talk him out of it
blood everywhere
extraction
it's his secretary confirming the appointment
i heard laughter hidden in her voice
they must know i'm thinking bout it
except for tormenting wind, spattering rain,
foreboding clouds, horrible chill
and a forecast for more
some entries i want to stay out front
the buffalo i wrote 45 years ago and it stands today
it was posted jan 21 on my blog
here is a link to peppy grillo's blog
listen to the words of robert kennedy linked on his blog
note how politics and visions have changed
it didn't use to be money
not when i was a kid
oh, money was the thing for some
not as widely pursued as now
the mothers stayed home
the fathers went to work
we had other things
we had love and family
and stuff we liked to do
other than watching the tv
and the golden rule
you remember that don't you?
do on to others
as you want them to do unto you
old folks kept us in line with a glance
and we respected them
that's how we were taught
and it wasn't bad
we got along
we used to be in this thing
together
hey, i'm just saying
she is worried about my cognitive ability
because i can’t read a menu
i haven’t been able to read a menu for thirty years
ever since john belushi on saturday night live
did that hamburger, cheeseburger, pepsi skit
when i get a menu i want one choice
take it or leave it
i don’t want to sit and read atlas shrugged
if i want something special
i’ll ask for it
“could you give my onions to the cat, please?”
the kiss principle- keep it simple, stupid
let’s remember that
i go to restaurants to eat
when i want to read i’ll go to the library
What is the pope doing playing politics? I understand politics within the church to get elected, but end it there. He’s not a politician on the international scene. In the U.S. there is some kind of division between church and state and I think it should be that way.
Captain Z. is a sea captain, but he doesn’t make hints to Tiger Woods how to putt the ball.
This blob was going to be all poetry and i am crossing the line. Until I get a firm direction I will continue to wander. I am thinking about another blog site for poems, one for art and one for tips on wiping your butt. What am I doing here?
z & company on the road
is quite a show
now you’ve been told
picked us up in bari
took us back to monopoli
a little town on the adriatic
our apartment building was very old
just down the street from z and iwona
the ceilings i estimate as eighteen feet high
tall windows and period furniture were the highlight
narrow stone streets
great vegetables in the outdoor market
the old port was one alley over
quiet as it should be
and full of the local fishing boats
of all kinds and shapes
the italian monterrey was among them
most boats were painted the
traditional blue and white
the nice stone walk around the port
was flat and smooth as the rest of the town
this place has been cared for
we saw it with the locals still there
before the money speculators arrived
friday evening before a big religious ceremony
i stopped at a market
though we are 98 percent vegetarian i
broke our food tradition
bought a ham and cheese sandwich
a chance to enjoy the local cuisine
and was eating it when z. and company arrived
they reminded me it was good friday
as we walked toward the cathedral
to see the local event of the season
i stayed in the back of the group
and ate quickly
stuffing it with both hand
like a squirrel eating a nut
meri walked up front with the group
acting like the sandwich was all my idea
thus assuring her place in the good heaven
i licked my fingers only to rid mayonnaise traces
