summer gone

dark hard rain and coolness
how soon summer turned away
still another week before august ends
so quickly warm days have gone astray

just picked raspberries
it’s not time for apples
we’re not ready for pumpkins
corn and tomatoes are yet to ripen fully
how can days lounging at the beach be over
there are short sleeves and sun hats to wear
it isn’t time to put them away

need i collar up against chill wind?
where have they gone - the kids on bicycles?
even the mail man is bundled up
and sits longer in his truck

brutal quick summer why have you departed?
you’re the season we want to last
and went on by like no other has
so quickly you have passed

jungle country vacation

when he was ten
and I was the age of lightning, long hair and magic
my son and i journeyed to Belize
to swim eat explore, and we did

returning through Mexico
border guards were hesitant alert
as we were afoot toting light luggage
but took a chance and let us enter their country

that overnight dirt road through jungle toward the north star
hobbling potholes packed on a tired rusty dull blue bus
amid ripe fruit, peasants, potions and shamans
my son secure and asleep, i fell into dream in some rear seat

awaken by rays of yellow dawn light, my head resting
on the breast of a congenial country woman.
we departed the bus later that morning
all waved to us, she was still smiling

oldies

heard songs on a oldies station at the dentist
made me cringe, tell you way,
Buddy Holly, Peggy Sue,
get this: fifty years ago it was an oldie

it was recorded fifty-one years ago
i remember it the first time,
and they all sound different to me now
the individual instruments can be heard

how i process them in my mind
how they sound technically, remixed
the space between the notes
the sound with decent speakers

now reproduced in stereo
add my own playing, knowledge, abilities
all the sounds of the passing years
packed in my head

a half century of music
enough oldies, plenty, i mean it,
i’m full, where’s sophistication?
time to turn the musical corner

vacuum space time

The top paper among physicists in meeting Belgiam 2009
was presented by Nassim Haramein.

vacuum space time
warp space time
zero, zero, zero, zero, point one percent
of all space is material

way down, down
to the other end
into molecules
is infinite space

half

half is woman
Afghanistan is voting
the world is waiting

they are hoping
they can do
half are women

wake up
we are in
this world together

the Commander

the Commander is flaps down
on approach to the final tarmac
wrapping up his mission

Pa is on the way out
or maybe in
depending how you read it

a few years ago he drove us
back from Tony’s Restaurant
in an Arizona hill town

as he sped hard to pass a truck
i commented, “so you miss
flying those WWII PBY’s, Tom”

we all laughed
and to tears will laugh again
saluting the Commander

counsel

keeping my distance
working on other things
well, on the porch sipping coffee
while she does garden cleanup

the trash man is coming
i tell her it will be 90 today
interrupting drinking and heavy thinking
she calls me to help

as she attempts to stuff
a seventy pound glump of zucchini plants
into a thirty pound capacity bag,
providing counsel i advise

i can’t be done, won’t be done
and she does it anyway
then lugs all
to the curb for pickup

instead of yard work
perhaps i could convince her
to collect postage stamps,
they’re easier to lift

market watch

with real time quotes
I can watch it all
second by second
keeping a tight hand

today i set all in place
had my coffee
did other things
often reviewing

checked often,
after two and a half hours
i realized it is Sunday,
the market is closed