next part - other side

 The other side of the globe where it is summerish,  weather warm, walking around without coats ... good for you. I thought of you today. it was direct thinking of you. enjoy your warm days. here it is cold, above freezing during the daytime, but cold enough i need to decide which hat will I wear every time I go out. so now, this is real thinking of you from me here. 

 next on my mind 

is using capitalization of letters.

even in paragraph form

i prefer to do as with my poetry: 

names, titles, what i choose ... not 

grammatical order. doesn't make sense. 

seems to read and write easily for me. 

thought i'd say.

event gyro

 

she hung it by a string from the ceiling.

gave a spin; it flashed in a sparkle of sun; 

wow. beautiful to see.

after a while i pointed, "it's slowing up."

she shook her head and said, "we're all slowing up."

that time i nodded. she deserves an award for observation.

at long last the decoration slowly came to a stop

and began spinning back the other way.

i wish i could do that.

monday is practically a carnival ... am i kidding?

 all right, after a heavy snow day

 light rain has been falling.

 are you okay with that? snow is leaving. 

now it's warmer and January is a week away.

let's joyously throw away this old year

and begin a good year with new weather shall we?

Quit falling, stay quiet

 fields are under white wonder.

the sky's the color of a week-old snow drift. 

in the forecast rain is brewing

 to wash away the freshly fallen 

mounds of powder stewing

 if not today, maybe tomorrow.

reagardless, have a nice day

until the rain man gets here

and washes everything away.

holiday all over

 we design the fest, mark it out,

then act as if the calendar happened by itself ; 

we won't claim responsibly. 

pack your memory bag ...

remember the best of times.

music too, pull that out and remember

when it sure was sweet. 

 doesn't matter which tunes you recall ...  any will do,

  while you go around carrying more viruses 

within you than stars in the sky.  

  load up the reindeer

 

disagreeable

 

American girl cries to grandmother

on the phone. wants to go home.

got four months in jail at Cayman island

for breaking the Covid19 quarantine.

a different year end

winding down in warmer weather..

the year...winding or un-winding

 what is going on, this is new.

most every speck of snow has melted.

 and people go on like all is normal.

what can we do? kinda late to think about it.

a fight continues

 struggling into the weekend.

no birds, no animals. not around today.

it is completely quiet today.

there is no problem reading my head. my ideas.

i desire to write some good words, and fear to proceed.

yesterday I read my journals of trips to Mexico, Costa Rica and Italy.

fun to recall, return, live again.  should i reprint all, make more work of it?

right now i am taking it easy, getting through rough times.

keep going simply, i am.

Wiser light

no bucket fulls. we're going easy now.

 a dab at a time.

always lights have something to do with  snow loading days. It Seems snow is on the way. They say. But hey, but we're out of the big fall. measure up.

the coast east will feast on it, the white cold wet.

I look now and it seems sleepy out here.

out there, you know.

hey, it's pretty. and sleepy.

Biden my time

mask up,

way to go;

tie one on

this time for Joe.

Better days

Ohio winter is light, not yet effective.

only Covid 19 is pronounced.

January will begin another world

as trump is on his way away.

yea, i looked harder

 sleep packed with dream.

more than sand lining the shore.

my mind wandered in extreme

so much to explore.  can you feel it, Christmas.  on the way is the holiday, and it is quiet

with people staying at home.  mostly alone and thinking.  covid is about.   at least it is not freezing.  there,

something good to enjoy.  go eat a cookie.

In my memory

 it could squish between my toes

 warm days i walked barefoot

through a puddle

summer outing

The others, joni mitchell, paul simon,

I read and hear about.

many others times, songs are brief.

years in Rome, days to come. Meals.

Other cities, around talking. 

Pictures in my memory.

ballooned and floating

 watching poems, impressed, concerned

overcome with, battle along my way,

you go easy, you know you should.

roads are slippery when

 it's me in the way.

you wave briskly for me to see you.

it could have been, distraction,

took away concentrationfor a second.

objective in sight. 

slow down to be extra careful.

no matter how long it takes i'll wait.

football watchin' i saw

 

 i first saw him many years ago,

 for years i've seen him ... on TV.

thin, sturdy, blonde, neat-combed hair.

of apparent Scandinavian descent, i'd say.

he's with a football team, that's why i see him.

once in a while during a game they show him on the sidelines;

always looking attentive ... concerned.

probably a head coach of the NFL team  watch.

i know this guy's name for nothing.

i saw him on Monday night Football this week.

 

for thirty years or more i've seen him occasionally.

so i know him better than he knows me, naturally.

for sure we both get along where we belong ... on the sidelines.

and work it out

 

and work it out

hey Debra; Jack and Meridith

from way far away after Sausalito

and Rome, now Oberlin, Ohio

spark a hoppin' hello

back to times with Henry, Joanne and the rest of us.

cause you led us hoppin' true

you did and we stayed in step

you're still in our brain

December got here

 December got here. so did the snow,

knee deep white, more than i've seen for years.

today is Wednesday, last night snow came down

heavily.  today it's 41 degrees, we have no snow tires,

can we get out and back in . 

oh yes, she did,  all went well. 

she made it out and back.

now two weeks later.

it is no snow, warmer

 another day is Thursday , sunny.

blue sky with gentle, now wind, wispy clouds.

snow storms are gone, 

the temperature is over freezing. 

looking out to stillness.

 

poem for now

 

(check the time) 1:44, close the door, 

now, this is what a poem is for ...

to give you rhyme, most every time, not always ...

and good sense? hmm, you decide.

 

and poetry has meter, ... like a parking meter only you never put quarters in.

it won't expire and you won't get a ticket.

and scheme ... what a dream. 

 today's theme acceptance and encouragement ...

please accept my poem, i encourage you to write your own.

i was asked to write you a poem for today.

what is the poem about? HAH. my poems are so short i 'd divulge too much if i mention it.

 

here's my poem:

a crowd of poets is a sad thing, there's no denying;

we'll spend time holding hands when we''re not crying.

i'm not lying. 

 the life of a poet is difficult, complicated.
making notes sorting words, stacking cards; we're poets in isolation,

 doing it alone ...

the sound of one dog barking

oh, here to the corner ... no parking.

there is hunger in the United States and Covid 19

... this poem distracted you for a moment ...

    like rainbow colors, in fluffy clouds

early morning train

 

slid the window open after three
dreamed clouds again until five-thirty
when, from long beyond
i heard the whistle say - i am train

calling low in light rain,
sweet voice, milk and thunder
clawing on wings of steel,
lonely is the night, strong, sure

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

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

     this is the third time i've published this poem; 

     i like it and i'm working on it.

 

beyond midnight

 sleeping, thinking, rolling dream.

half and half, back again,

not too early, not too late.

i want to hear the tapping rain drops.

nearly see forgotten faces of friends i knew.

longing to see my friends again.

yeah, a cup of coffee and thirty minutes

can do wonders for friendships.

chestnuts found by the reservoir

While in Norwhere we drove to the lake several times, sometimes for her to walk the mile or so, loop around, then sometime to gather nuts.  A line of chestnut trees were on our way out of the park. It took us a year or two to notice them, then we began timing the season to pick chestnuts when they dropped.

kept the nuts in the freezer.  The  squirrels like them. We gathered them by the lake; nuts not squirrels. today I finally ate one, three.  They are two years old, not fresh. tasty as a nut should be. chestnuts. Now i know them. Open your heart and you can too.

a crowd of poets

 

a crowd of poets is a sad thing, 

there's no denying;

 we'll spend time holding hands 

when we're not crying.

 

no bus, no tickets, no need

 

 sure i miss the bus rides;

 i'm not in Rome where i need to figure where to ride,

where to stop, how far to walk. 

i tell you, i miss looking out the home window, 

seeing the locals pass by,

while thinking it out, planning every bus i'll take. 

how far to the next change.

stores i need to stop at along the way. 

makes it easier if i have a plan before picking the route.

pick me up again, bring me back.

and how is it i run into friends

in the middle of the city?

daily bread ... train numbers

once a guy in our town
had the job to write down the numbers
of every train car as it entered the yard,
perhaps someone could recall his name, I can’t

another worker at that mill told me this years ago
witnesses at the time swore it was true
twelve or fifteen digits and letters on every train car
how many I’m not sure, there were quite a few

the man’d watch twenty, fifty, or a hundred cars pass
look at the numbers until the last car rolled on
half his job was complete when he saw the last
he’d go into the office and write the car numbers down

the trains go by inside my head
with numbers to recall
histories piled higher than daily bread
no way can i digest it all

everyday i write a review
most events true, others not.
nothing special 'bout what i do
some have value, some best forgot

ride along

you may have missed it,

Peru has had three

presidents in a week;  

2020 continues to be a strange year.

now, are you feeling better?

bad dog

  less is better, dear. 

don't know who said it.

if he's led out the door.

 as we move through the coming year

   we'll brighten better than before.

    

 

  less is better, dear,

if he's led out the door

 as we move through the coming year

   plan to brighten more.

as always

 want to say this Ohio Saturday

went down cool, not terribly. meanwhile,

going through my old poems; took me

back where only time has changed.

 

right now there is no snow.

still early ... thinking what i'd do.

i'd purchase a monthly bus pass

to see the same old Roma,

 

have a pizza. take my time.

say hello to familiar faces.

oh, and have a coffee.

i think today i'd wear a mask ...

 

have another coffee and a cornetto.

warm day

 a final warm day.

Weather, now leaning into winter. 

Shelby has been out of reach for breakfasts.

I want to go back to make corrections on an early post and the new blogger system makes it impossible for me to go back several years.  The old system operated quickly.  The new method is impossible for me.  I will cry here.

ferlinghetti beat

in Sandusky, Ohio an ambitious woman began putting

in an art center. Lawrence Ferlinghetti

was invited.  he came; picked up a brush, 

began painting a modern picture on a wall;

 

later he asks for the section of the plaster wall he

painted be sent to his City Lights Bookstore

on a downtown corner in San Francisco. 

was it shipped?  i don't think so.

 

he was seventy then.

i remember him as old.

i'm 75 now ... still chasing beat poetry.

he's 101 now.

 

if he had donated his wall painting where 

it stood there is a chance it would 

still be there today.

well, good for Lawrence and his bookstore

in San Francisco.  I saw his corner everyday when i worked in the pyramid. 1981.

eyes forwardish

 may as well quit crying over how it goes

as we try to work life out.

 heaven knows

we're about done,

time to   to enjoy the sun.

it's what life's about.

events claim position in our minds

 the world series is over

and nary a thought is given.

hopefully, next week the election

will be in the same condition.

don't you love the rain

i hear it while i'm sleeping

and it only awakens me occasionally.

i won't roll around looking to see it,

but when it's coming down

 i love the morning rain;

best is when i hear

the tapping drops. 

 

election tension

i must wait, see what.

can't have all the votes going my way.

it's unlikely, who'd believe it ?

anyway, it scares me so tension clings to me, 

wading deep with each news report. 

 reading the book in an easy chair, seems

the way to take it, with a page marker

plus time out for a nap and a coffee.

slow day

 supposed to be warm now.

slow temperature climbing,

 the mail man's looking content.

 brought nothing special yesterday.

   imagine he's happy for a day without steady rain.

by late afternoon sun'll come though;

 it'll warm like they said.

can't help wait for the two old men debate.

Trump and Biden.

running

 running beyond October

shall be soon, with rain  in the leaves.

where we be going

do not confuse.

stack us up fine, 

love around is falling in those crispy colors

crinkling golden. the red is deeper than before.

geese will be honking.

you have to love this time of year

elections and further complications

 some news stories 

are hard to take or evaluate

cautiously medical personal creep ,,, 

 do they weep? Ohio has record covid cases

third day in a week,

 

the same America

how many buffalo did we kill?

i like desert gas stations.

 quiet out there

can we believe the news

what are we looking for.

 

standing

 have to regain strength

so i'm standing on one foot

then the other, how's that?

i didn't think this up.

i'm sure doctors did, then

a young person gets a job showing

 me how to do it.

makes the money wheel spin.

keep america working. 

the virus runs again

where you been? 

Do it again.

reindeer, yeah

they're large animals.

 seems one male would be called a reindo.  like rambo

or rainbow cause they're a dream

and some are girls. sure are great to see.

i've their image in my mind to hold on to.

thinking good thoughts makes me happy. 

a few deer were outside this morning.

call them what you like, moving around out there,

they're beautiful leapers. 

a small boat in light ripples

 my Monterey, Snort, how sweet

our time together,

oh, how i patched you,

thanks,  Morgan.

 

ordered a two cylinder diesel engine 

from China. it came to the boat yard

and i put it in.  a pal set it straight

and i hooked it up.

i can taste the salt water breeze of the Pacific

when i think of it. 

 ***

hurray.

for the fiftieth anniversary of the Oakland bay bridge

i took my 28 foot sloop Navigator.

my nautical wood working friend Mike and Meri 

and along with many hundreds of other boats

on a quiet black night.

what a time, and that is what what a time means.

 

boats packed in like sardines out of a tin.

we did our part to be in the thick of music, lights and celebration

and got home without a nick.

all a part of life on San Francisco Bay

warm enough

 i've a pen on the table

 it's not ripping my pockets out.

 i'm able to jot notes with the computer.

i'll carry a pen if i have to.

i'll say it's a great day out. 

 

walking out i did five minutes three times, checking.

the  trash can is still waiting full.

third time, just got back and

the truck came, no kidding, i watched it.

so i went out a fourth time to bring the empty can in, 

finally, really, no kidding. 

7 October, what a day you've made.

 yeah, completely wonderfully warm.

lable today just right.

also, my brother in law, Gerry,

transferred 3000 pictures from my camera

to my computer, thus giving my phone camera

fresh life to begin again...more or less.

better than a phone rock full if photos.

staying loose

 the lines step out with a meter

and rhythm from my heart.

how about that, do sound right, eh?

don't know what i 'm thinking

while watching to the corner

can you dig it ... an affirmation

not a question, quite.

a coffee would set the day off

just right.

octobery

  a month to find the reason

to call this month pumpkins, pies, cooler.

and what howls in the night.

watch, wait and think - an approaching end to another year.

two hands, ten fingers.

how the wind blows, Sugar.

 

Peccorino is the name of the cheese

 Amanda raises goats.

Peccorino she'll tell you is the cheese.

back home her family helps goat watch. 

she returns every year to home near Naples.

 pistachio is put in. i have no idea how that works.

good cheese, good nuts,

good weather for a family home

good, good, good.

season slipped away

 in these parts summer has spent itself;

although this week will

make another temperature run.

don't get excited. 

when you look back you'll see

summer was close to swell, but 

this year seemed to run by quickly

and lacked the best of moments.

you know, sometime it goes like that.

i'm happy for what we had.

you do the same.

oh, summer will return next year

and knock us off our feet.

 

 

south to planktown

 drove down south some, we did.

decent day of sun, weather and all.

 saw no wagons this day.

 empty morning on the back-ways.

no rabbits out

not a one

even here at home they hid.

that's what we limitly saw, and what we did.

foremat

 some diet.  i am not eating meat

most of the time.  don't think about it.

once in a while at a rice place i have

some meat in a ground up sauce.

i wanted to call it our rice place.

we always go to the same one. 

there aren't many.

i thought i got turkey, but she said 

i had pork.  all the same to me,

whether i have it or not.

food is what i order.

the spicy i like.

not crazy spicy ... tasty.

flavor me, Babe

i'm cooperative. 

fall, the season

 fall is beginning.
let go of the heat.
 the weather remains comfortable.
look for apples.
when i think ahead i never want
to shed summertime, but my feeling
changes when the season begins.
also, i'm wearing a heavy shirt today
and am ready to wear socks.

our pal Blackie

 

beloved Blackie returned every summer for five years
we liked him, i think the feeling was mutual
his wings are flapping fast
not because he was crazy - he was a wild bird
and soon as he got his peanut he was leaving
 my October 29, 2007 post has his story

january emptied

making notes I am
sorting words, stacking cards
one dog barking

I look up at the dark blurs
some birds boring blindly
into running low grey clouds

above on the hill, the Gianicolo,
a cannon fires a puff of smoke into the chill
below, the city hears the signal, it Is noon

we board a bus of content silence
off for a bite of lunch, our own words blend,
weave and overlap with the others

then a little walking
through the crowds
a lot of talking

don’t hear what they’re saying
making plans I suppose,
some are gesturing, pointing,

laughing young women
heads together
recount social victories

no small children pulling against their mothers
today many little wrapped ones in blankets
lulled to silence on four-wheeled strollers

temperature is dropping
who is content?
there is some calm poised beyond complacency

after evening buses slow, then cease
overnight it is soundless
when imagination is the only border

deerful

 gathered close, light woods around

deerskin tan and markings white abound 

in quiet movement, together, shuffling

without sound. only the ambience of evening.

moonless sky. strong bodies, family,

in silence, light breathes, watching amid darkness.

numbers, they speak of time, we know hours

as they pass in dampness. they call numbers in hours.

we see paths, streams, short rivers we know.

living dreams. our numbers live with us.

wood sticks lightly kicked against leaves.

our group of deer move in near silence.

breathe in light puffs. aware around us.

poets 1

 

a crowd of poets is a sad thing

sure they're always holding hands

but they're crying.

working the best we can

every day we find chores
that need completing.
 you know how that goes.
not overly fatiguing.
we do the jobs we want to do first.
fortunately, we can secure trained agents to handle
the worst. if you pay they'll show up.

two school-age boys came by

to clean our already clean rain gutters.
we sent them away.
last winter we over-paid the same lads to shovel snow,
they did a lousy job and kept returning at every dusting of a few snowflakes.

here at our new home we're caught with the unfamiliar;
going to stores to buy the food 

people we've never seen put cans on shelves.
 

our new garden turned out unremarkable.

unannounced, another completion:  a baby rabbit was born,
hopped around our yard as a clumsy complete newcomer would.
 then it stormed heavy rain 24 hours.
 the baby washed well.

the newly born came out after the rain.
i saw three other rabbits as well.

today our  bunny came out,
ate grass and kept to itself
as rabbits tend to do.
we watched from inside.
don't know if it's a him or her
it's just our bunny.

we  know little.

booming

last night's forecast called for thunder,
they hit it on the bean,
 right on time, the crack of dawn . 
the clock said six.

  morning's light trapped in thunder clouds.
a strong boom shook the house .
pouring rain alternated with cold stillness.

i woke clearly and thought to write
good words, altogether so they blend.
a theme dedicated to this morning.

 found nowhere to scratch it.
forgot to sleep with a pen and paper.

had an idea, couldn't write it down.
 so i slipped into sleep again,
forgot my thoughts,
lost them in the rain.
a pleasant way to go.

trash

Wednesday is trash day.
not make it, pick it up.
put it out and a city truck comes by.
the cans are so big i can't handle them.
refuse is one, recycle the other
two to go automatically.
giant robot arms pick them up
and turn the cans over above the truck.
i can watch and write about them,
that's it.

Elec

workers again
come aboard  ...

i remove myself.
take a lunch break.


eLectricity, i had to say it.
two guys playing with wires
for hours ...

good for them i leak money.

so

so if so
then you see.
near to you,
near to me.
the big tree, some rocks, flowers and weeds.
play outa while
look around some
watch for seeds
take it easy on your walk
it's pretty out there
enjoy the time out of doors

waiting days

then rain and off, 
blowing heavy drops.
call it stormy with thunder;
including one exceptional strike,
you must have heard it, felt it;
from the inside. the strike occurred here.
only one other time in my life did i
happen to be where lightning exploded.
oh, yeah, too close; made me jump.

ring on will ya

my goodness,

just when all's trashed

seems some work

to dump big-time

our sweet land of liberty.

where're you headed?

of thee i sing.

let us be proud again,

something to cheer about

from every mountainside, streetside

parkingplace,

get going now

let freedom ring.

two leaves fell

 i saw two leaves
fall from a tree, one of our
trees, way early; this is august,
too soon, still summer.
not time for falling leaves
2020 continues to be
a year of strange.
it does seem that way.

a change

summer heat slipped away.
so quickly.
were you expecting cooler weather?
i hadn't thought of a change.

then a week went by
other events distracted me;
i turned my head
 and now fall approaches.

blue jay

that blue jay is tough as an eagle

well, not quite, but thinks he is.

no matter who's on our bird feeder

blue jay will fly in when he wants to.

i'll smile again

never get closer than thirty feet
to that rabbit, we call ours,
we must be a blur
of large people
that live nearby
and are never focused on;
while in our hearts we're
kind and gentle although
the only thing we do is provide
undisturbed tall grasses and plants
for the rabbit to live in and chew on
and we keep out of the way.
sounds like bunny love, doesn't it.

workmen

two workmen have been here
 a week.  they are finishing
today putting in windows
and insulation.  i imagine
the job will be done well.

 what we've seen is good work.

when they're gone we'll have a
closer look and wonder why
we didn't notice a particular

while they were here. i think what we'll notice

for sure is that we prefer to have our space 

to ourselves without them in it.

opening round

on the grey start of this summer day,
when i got my coffee, took it easy ...
to the table. looked away
she was already sitting there, hair brushed. Looking

proper. i got our toast and butter. She asked for jelly.
then the house shook ... and a second time.
quickly. nothing to see.
why so booming?

thunder rocked us ... unaccountably.
no explanation
seems clouds had been building
then we got the boom

the buffalo

some rainy, foggy, chilly midweek

when secretaries call in sick
and postmen wear goulashes
go to the zoo and take in what’s left

splash along the water-covered concrete
past occasional trees bent, looking away
from the wind’s lick

see the muddy, mucky, peanut-shelled patch
where there stands the buffalo
knee-deep, with dirty, unkempt, matted hair
his eyelids closing out the drizzle
shoulders that held up america

clothed the indians in a montana mountain snow
fed starving wagoneers not quite to the promised land
mark of the plains
symbol of an era

it is fitting that he be visited
for his eyelids are closing now, america

ringing

my ears ring in the quiet.
i have to think to notice.
you'd say it is not possible
to hear what isn't.

i must occur to me
before i notice the space;
the lack of audio.
that's ear ringing.

now, where are the tapping woodpeckers.
there is wood enough.
perhaps it is a season when they tap more.
this is worth a lifetime of study.

Deer gone

didn't wake in time to see them.
no doubt they're here.
 quiet day. Worked some.
Giacomo called. Good to hear from him.
he's going to notorcycle to Switzerland.
what a wonderful breath of fresh air.
good views and great chocolate.
chocolate there is better.
you can taste the difference.
here we've rain a little.
it is accurate to say it that way.
fairly warm, quiet as usual.
i'm going to have
to go out a little.
to check it out.

tension

Indians baseball wrings tension out of me,
now i've less to worry about.
we're not paying to see
the indians on tv.

all my life i could see a game on tv, now they want an extra forty bucks a nonth.
the players get several million a year, and they want the fans to cough up the extra bucks and cheer for the tribe. they're asking a lot.
i can hardly stand it, drives me nuts.

new boy

all right, we're heading home.
enough tough play,
settle in with good manners.
hurray, we're happy, ole', ole'

now change to let feeling
into your heart.
i'm thinking.
do you want some ice cream?

sitting back in the sunshine,
keep an eye on how the day goes.
put on your favorite clothes.
time to be happy again.
.

bison

So, a lady in a national park

is running away from a bison;

falls down and has to lie still

and get sniffed by the bison.

Water will fall

there may be rain this afternoon.
yesterday i saw it forecast.
low nineties, a temperature leap.
remembering water all around
yes, the old days. takes me to Sausalito,
home amid boats. the bay is ours.
phone talking to my daughter in california.
good to hear her voice.
out the window, a blue jay in a bush
falls down and rolls on the ground.
looked like a hard fall. oh, the things
i see out the window.

now a truck is out front ready to pull
out a pole and put in a new one.
movement between lunches
and naps. the city goes on.
i hope it's a good thunderstorm.

all in

drove by to see how life happens
in Grafton and Shilo
drive-by towns unknown to most,
 even if you live close.

plus parts outside, beyond the regular.
people walked on the street.
we are nearby and busy
as we could be.

park & amp; ride,
clouds above, she cried.
press to operate,
she stepped off the curb, go 

meri thinks the new doctor
shouldn't dress like
the weather girl.
well, honey, "you

were always on my mind."
Willie Nelson sings for me.
i'll eat those sugarless candies
and move on down the line.

courage doc, please.

Microsoft Edge has invited itself into my computer.

looking around i found it.

i am supposed to care if large companies battle.

now the great computer edge in the sky

has jammed itself into my computer

at no additional cost,

want a cup of coffee while i tell you?

in my computer, you must move lightly, okay?

outside i take hours of flowers blooming, 

presuming i'm ready

to flower up again, when i've been

steady in the rain, searching

for dream ideas in bunches

and sunshine.

just shoot across the still pond

in your canoe

paddle lightly, with breeze anointing

you'll zip along.

i'll meet you there...where i'm pointing.

The rabbit's life

heat's up
better to stay indoors and look out
to the world racing by.
what a fine day this is.
for one, the rabbit came back
to lay around in the overgrown yard.
here it is hot and evidently, he
doesn't drink much, just eats greens.
that's healthy.
takes his liquid from plants.
we put a ceramic dish of water out,
hope he finds it.
anyway, it is good to see
the rabbit.

rain louder than the train

rain louder than the train.
harvest moon, so soon it seems,
though it's been a year;

this night i stayed in bed, didn't open the curtain to look.
then a brilliant flash at three
and i counted the seconds, nine, ten, eleven...rumble.
again a flash - i counted to nine that time.
nine miles away.

i imagine the storm diminished
as i slept again
until rolling thunder when i woke at six.
left to right, across the sky.
and the rain was louder than the train...two trains around seven.
rain pouring hard on and off this morning.

This night i count as one i slept well,
wrapped in good thought and dream.
how about you...how'd it seem?



(The Harvest moon occurs in September or October, but I put it into today's poem.
Oh, I like those train whistles.)

this Wednes day

Cooking warm today.
sticky already, before noon.
hot day underway,,
talk of cooking,
don't heat the kitchen. not today.

you have air cooling? crank it on.
or windows open and a fan,
that will do, well. a fan helps, windows won't.

I'm happy just because.
The heat won't knock my Wednesday out of whack.
i can take it. are you onboard?
Charge into what's coming this day.
the mailbox is empty. i rattled it.  Wait, i just heard a train going by.
That is a pleasure. Makes my day. Let me hear those whistles blow.
One for Old Lonesome, Piute Jerry,  Cutter Bill, and one for me.

edge note

Microsoft Edge has invited itself into my computer.

i am supposed to care as large companies battle.

how did i get involved?  i have no uniform.

"Good morning, Jack, Where is your logo?"

i recently gained eight pounds; lost two yesterday.

i'm on my way back.

sunshine today, warm tomorrow.

partially warm enough now.

note this, Sunshine,

i'd have pancakes with you

if i wasn't planning on losing

another two pounds today like yesterday.

maintain

maintain food

grow it, store it, beans, rice.

flour, salt, sugar, canned food.

write it down.

make notes to see how it's going.

walking outside to see what's growing.

i'm out there

before noon when it is cool.

hear the birds, good signals.

all is well this morning.

a berry pie is just a thought,

not ready for it now, thinking ahead.

the birds seem more organized than people.

they don't bake, they eat berries off the trees.

virus is in the news. spreading.

no answers yet from anyone.

i see few people out,

a few walking their dogs.

at the market some wear masks.

what is happening, where is this going?

Morning heat

• couldn't find her,

the plumber is on his way.
she's far out mowing,
now wearing a cooling rag on her head;
it's a new invention.

i pushed the mower so she could hear that it is so quiet. she worried about disturbing beighbors. they never think that way.
out and back for me.
that's my time limit. although,
i like even a 90 degree humid day;
heat beats winter freeze.


.

Where on ya

 near the lake now.
  few blocks away.
pulled into an old shopping lot,
 giant stores run down, closed.
   my goodness. acres of space,
room for a thousand cars.
a few cars are parked,
maybe twenty if you count them all.
  nothing happening now.
the virus makes life slow.
 we could get some ice cream
on the way home. forget it.

Wednesday

these stacks of days
are weeks and we are in the
middle of another one.

we've seen a few whiz by.
 nailed to the floor, held heaven high.
talked out, photographed, forgotten.

a smile goes a long way
to keep days precious.
of them, we'll recall what we can.

ringo

Ringo, Ringo is eighty
happy birthday drummer
we remember you as it happened.
the Beatles explosion,
hah, from New York the Ed Sullivan TV show.
how wound up we all were.

then there they were.
"She loves you."
here back in 20 20, the year we are
in up to our necks and tired
of trump and want less of him
and his family.
clean the way please.
dump the viri while you're at it.
 okay, viruses is the correct word.
not as attractive, like nothing about it.
we have to clear the counter of all
unappealing clutter.
simple again is where to get to,
where we want to go.
we want less to worry about.
better conditions
let the old tunes play
with nothing in the way
for enjoyment, we all. for us. need some.
 heaven help us, why not. and for our friends.
and strangers, they want it too, goodness.
we'll be better. we will do better.
Ringo is eighty today. he's good,
so for him and us.
yeah, yeah yeah.

seasonal heat

well, if it were a winter storm

i'd stay indoors until it passed.

yes, now comes heat again.

heavy this time. 93 and humid,

that is the difference. this temperature is nothing

out west where humidity is low.

at least we have thick walls

and air cooling. so all is well.

the projection is nothing too much.

here out the window, she is cleaning weeds,

a few, and i asked of the small white bulbs.

she said they are wild onions or garlic

and i can eat them. one will kill me

the other won't. when we were kids

we ate a bite of a lot of plants.

not knowing which are deadly.

we heard about the deadly plants

but never had a bite of one, evidently.

warm days

 creating warm days
seems to be what's up.
tied in a row.  day after another.

although here is an idea not happening now,
i can picture riding in the country,
far out. pretty, and peaceful.

thinning out

definitely fewer people
out making loops,
it seems to me.
watch them pass
going around the block
or where they go, usually.
not counting how many, you see,
notice is all. it happens.

can't stall the temperature rising.
for sure, rising. noticing that too.
 yeah, and it is easy to take.
can enjoy the out of doors.
i think of the lake.
and paths through the woods.
we are given well.

Hot

this is the opposite
of winter.  all the things
you can think of. all the
food and clothes, places
 to go, what to do. here is
summer giving you a hug.
laying it all on a table nicely
set with the finest silverware,
napkins, glasses, soft music,
smells from the kitchen,
and you ready for it all.  like
your dreams. complete.

seventh month

we never called the month by number
although it's recognizable.
the number name emits a flavor.
seems solid.
here's another particular to month seven:
lightening bugs, an all-around favorite.
they too have their season; this one, and we love 'em.
the reason is obvious,
they've come up with
something beautiful and unique.

when they begin to show

they don't sting and they
don't make any noise.
you want to follow them around.

keeping words lined

keeping words lined
to the point, I wasn't sure of
the significance when I wrote those
words until I looked at the cement birdbath
and saw it on the ground.
catastrophe.

no doubt squirrel brought it down,
jumping on the edge. not continuously,
a jump at a time, and hanging on the
side until he brought it down.
i say he because i'm not used to animal talk
where you say which animal without
reference to sex.

the squirrel didn't break, merely upset the heavy dish.
This is living in harmony with animals,
with the animals kept outside.
where they ought to be.
Squirrel especially.

To think a few years ago i fed
one squirrel by hand.
and keeping words lined,
 like you, i don't know what it means.

return

where dream world is,
i keep going

two some from B4

Saturday, November 12, 2011

industrial music please

the industrial music on TV Oh Boy
during wake-up early Saturday morning off-hours
when no sane sponsor would pay a dime to advertise
ergo there was nothing decent to view

we watched until it made us tap our feet in joy
to see new clean shiny bottles passing by,
row on row, on conveyor belts,
endless bottles sans commentary

gleaming bottles galore
whoa, wha’cha watchin’ zombie kids?
watching bottles
passin’ by, nothing to talk about

only that music and bottles on parade
you have to have loved it, or hated it or been mesmerized
here they come empty, watch ‘em now
then full, then lidded – get the lids on will ya

sometimes you tuned in and saw the end
when all those full bottles were
boxed, packed, trucked, then sped away
all to that appropriately endless industrial music.

at Saturday, November 12, 2011 2 comments Links to this post

words and music by jack s.

part decorative wood from Lincoln’s time
half recently constructed stone storage space
all overlooks the economically withering small town and an ugly
car wash across the street, with a coke machine that lights up

i have obtained the three thousand square foot
industrial building to write and play in.

i have embraced this space

have photos and dreams of being there
producing massive amounts of gems.
piles horded and distributed to the urchins

that look like overweight immature vandals;
short people not developed in any sense,
running in wild packs, probably to and from
that elementary school around the block,

and the legends will be created
by slouching legions carrying torches in the night
mobs of outcasts cutting vegetables for soup
blocks away from any used car dealership and

churches with a monument for the saints of another culture, generations ago
that are told in prayers and whispers to salt the wound, would you do that

to yourself or animals unless for cooking?
i'd get a caldron, check if open fires are legal

but they won’t stop me from
dreaming
for all the belching smoke and stench
i can produce in my dream caldrathon

Quiet now

Several spaces are open
for cars, for walking,
for anything you want
because no one is out
doing anything nearby.
the mailman and occasional neighbors
are seen
the sky is a thick grey
full up cloudy,
while we have temperatures locked in the mid-eighties
and all the humidity you can bear.
still, i find the day to my liking.
delightful.
because of the virus there are
not many folk visable.
the internet takes me around,
the radio too.walking in the yard,
seeing the birds, chipmunks,
tracks of the deer
keep me aware.



Gee i say folk in the vernacular
and get leaned on for it.

blank shore

trees were rocking,
sounded like the sea.
blowin' up a storm
right above me.

a lot of power
beyond my reach;
blew hard for an hour,
now let's go to the beach

rain more

this morning pressed in
with packages of gray clouds
filling the sky.
there is no mist.
wind is rubbing tree branches,
making clicking sounds.
 birds some call clearly.

feel the air and wow.
humidity, how you're
grabbing us.
there would be
a smack of sun if big sky
 felt able. but now no,
maybe later.
 we haven't used sun up
so, wait, see how
this day develops.
smile patiently
from your heart.

deer and eagles

we're not in the country

just down the street aways;

enough so when we

look out in the mornings

we see deer now and then

slipping by in quiet hours

with their family.

they have no natural predators

large cats and bear are gone.

in Ohio 184,000 deer were

killed by hunters last year,

the only pretators they have.

when i was young

they were a handful.

now there are 707 bald eagle

nests in ohio.

that was the figure for May.

they're multiplying.

river side

the river i recall
wasn't far at all
from the creeks we walked in
when we talked on
summer days.
 of sweet corn and baseball
and when we'd be old enough
to get a car of our own.
that was just a day cause i know i worked
only thinking this is what i had
my mind on.
the future was too far beyond to consider,
unless it was icecream later in the day,
that i could think, it wasn't far away.
cheers for our summer day.

day's song

starting out warm.
 brief dawn rain.
half the storm hangs there,
half goes down the drain.

flowers, wake and take a drink will you?
take enough to fill you
for today, for today.

2:35

90, humid ... the break
is rain at last ... take your time.
we're ready for wetness.
hear the light thunder
now fading in the background.

rushing leaves with a car going by.
splashing like a dream.
i hear birds calling.
they like the cooling water.

mostly still again.
a crack a thunder broke the silence.
yeah ... and a bird sings

cleaning the mess

morning air fresh
as most any quiet day
as Good as a boat ride
i suppose.
haven't had one for a while;
it's in my head.
just mentioning a float on the water.
while head down she's out there
working in the weeds
making a nest in the grass, practically;
you'd think so anyway,
out there half the day.
if we had some rain to clear
her and the squirrels and chipmunks away.

what can be done? it's only cleaning
the wild away. brush trimmed.
lawn clipped. salvage work
for the yard and her head? you suppose.
it's too cool for me to think too hard about it.
get the warm weather back again why doncha.

June me

last January sure is far away.
now, i've had corn already,.
tasted fine as ever.
where did they grow it?
fields aren't ready round here.
 Hahn, everyone's favorite grower
is retiring. that's big news.
the family has been growing sweet
corn all of my life. the oldest son
died when i was young. the other boys
aren't staying on the farm
.
some nights have gorgeous
stars.
friends are good to recall. '
the best days are fine, and most
summer nights are under stary
skies.
pour out, Ohio beauty,
we can take you in.

light stepping

good shoes, the right jacket.
open land to the end of the field.
cross the piece of woods beyond.
dry weeds crack as you walk
through the short stretch
to the pond. it's morning
and alread.y a pleasant day
is ahead. good sun, light
breeze. sit and listen for a while to the sounds
of the day. a bird or two and
large clouds. enough to make a
full world. make a note: very good
time of day for an easy hike

heats on

waited all winter for warmth

now it's so fine, run the good
by me. i'll stick like glue.

in idle time ...

 looking at Trevi fountain live cam

my bank was around the corner

a minute or two walk away

from the fountain.

i always stopped at the fountain

when i had to go to the bank.

now I've closed my bank account
and returned to america.
i can't walk well enough to get
around. this story is not going
well. so, the days are moving on.
  and i get along with help.

i have to look at it like this.

when the writing is going well

i'm satisfied. how is your head?

heavy sun, no rain

monday is 14 days
after the holiday packed when
folks seemed to forget about the virus
and relax.
so will relapse occur or
seem a joke mistake,
thinkin' it's gone away,
no more than me and you.
how do we figure.
passing the time.
words are clumsey bumbling
waiting to see.
i'll have another long coffee
and watch the sky.

now the weather is a wreck

you can wait, wear a sweater. just
don't think of swimming in the lake,
work on something else will ya.
and remember summer's coming
later this year.
been saying for a month now.
it will be pleasant soon.
corn will grow high,
we'll have breakfast out somewhere.
all the goodness of the season
will leap up in front of us.
what a fine surprise that will be to regard.
i never had a doubt .. a tiny bit, that's all.
with the unexpected virus attack
we've seen a few places closed that
don't look as if they'll ever reopen.
set back a paltry, that's all,
weather probably has nothing to
do with it. hold tight.

Pond wind

the river never still
has movement as a whole.

there is motion,

i see it moving

coming down to the mouth

through the reeds

with the carp, frogs and the lilly pads,

ultimately joining the body of lake

slow rolling toward the ocean

sweet is the wet cool water.

you know how june goes

have seen a few.

Pragna stopped by to compare notes,

we all traded local info

and found out twhat we could.

our best month is here,

and this is day two of it.

we need this month to get

used to perfect.

zoom partied

we did it,

a little difficult, need experience

12 people, that is a guess.

some children too young to count.

wanted to say hi to Lane and Krista,

Meri said Tommy asked me how i was doing.

i couldn't tell,  where was Terry?

Travis from Texas hadn't seen for 22 years.

never got to say hi to him.

hope i said happy birthday to Tommy.

without a moderator confusion reigned.

many faces. session rushed.

couldn't say hi to Dona, too much noise.

Gerry and i communicated the

way old men 75 do,

in a flash of understanding.

getting used to a warm summer days

wearing shorts, until now unheard of.
deliberately a breeze came by...
 drifting, 
and unmistakenly passed with the scent
of field green and wild-flower sweetness

occasionally lifting birds on wing
over singing clusters of bubbles and
trickles from the falls near the pond.

final cool days

runnin' by May

stretched thin,

into warm from cool.

planters rule now:

holy cow.

let the garden grow.

you can watch it,

you can weed some,
up, up, up. here we go

Elvis, oh so bright,
i'll wrap you in a poem tonight.

the heat's here, they say

the weather's

set to heat.

been waiting.

now we've got it can we take it?

sure, it's nothing, wait and see.

we'll see, i say.

could be uncomfortable.

and if that's not worst of it;

it's been worth the long winter's wait.

blurry times

don't make me ask, tell me you've

been taking care of yourself,

keeping everything in order.

i know the virus is a worry,

other thoughts get blurry

when fear is in the way.

takes up time.

so stay in line.

next time act the same.

it's what you do.

chipmunks too.

so what we're a little older.

soon it'll be summer

nothing special this year.
i expect constant rainy days
will suddenly turn to heat.
that's our treat after a  rough winter.
how about sun and beautiful clouds.
we'll drive by the long fields
see the corn and wheat growing.
that's a deal, thinking of snowing
and cold. at least books
will fill us up.  a warm week and thunderstorms.
remembering dear friends. wondering
when we get back to see them
on the west coast and in Italy.
we want to sit down and relax.

Turkey buzzard

sure i knew it'd draw you in.
doesn't involve difficult figuring.
had to see one first.
outside fort plank town.
soared in. on a wire,
got my attention.
rain going on for the umpteenth
day in a row. never the less we
stopped to see Mark for plants.
the day went fine. we left with
the buzzard on the wire.

moon some

between clouds there's the shine,
a rolling May moon divine,
yes, to adore.
sublime to the core.
pal o' mine.
need i say more.

Bridge blockers

you're driving along and
 get to a bridge, suddenly
the roadsides are built up
so you can't look over and
see the water as you
cross the bridge.
what did they do that for?
 no need to see
the river when crossing ...
you might enjoy the view too much.
it's enchanting, for sure.
a while back some nitwits
thought it distracting;
takes your mind off boredom.
if you have a good thought you
might want to return; the town folk
 prefer you just keep going.

display of rain

in the early afternoon, it arrives.
out front two cardinals and a robin love it.
three hours later most of the
town has basements flooding.
pounding rain quits moments before
water comes under our front door.
it's easy to worry while watching the rising water.
the yard has large puddles, but the rain has stopped.
 i'll sleep well not thinking about it anymore.

bumps some

 we had poetry night,
an hour, six or eight of us.
 how many lasted,
how many cut away, i can't say.
we attended by computer
as the virus keeps us apart.
 Reverend Mary led us...
she has the link.
the rest of us are incompetent.
faces in squares on the screen.
we're computer lean, so to say.
 we attend okay.
from home, it's the way.
also' it's rainy grey again today.
May on display
i'm crumbling.
the sky's grumbling.

water

when i'm at the sink
a minute alone
washing off a spoon
i think of people in their home
with no clean running water

zip quickly

a chipmunk moves
with a heart rate
of 350 blurry
beats per minute
then calming to a hibernation
rate of 4 beats per minute.

chipmunk run 33 mph.
squirrels 24.
they both look quick
when they're zipping around
back and forth in the yard.

Testing, work-up

testing & amp; tracking.
suit up,
here we go in the chamber
see us round. don't touch anything.
keep us sound. semi-permeable membranes.
we haven't seen the end of it.
just passed chickens.
i'm serious now. changes everything.

thump a little

a chipmunk moves around
with a heart rate of 350 blurry
beats per minute during activity.

then calming to a
hibernation rate of
4 beats per minute.


little chipmunks run 33mph.
squirrels 24mph
for me ... i never go
an entire mile.  they can't
figure mph on me.

i could guess ... one thing,
is that with or without ice cream?

early may

woke 9 May
to snow on the ground.
way out of season, don't you know.
surprised me.
baby, it's cold outside,
what is the reason?
i haven't been told.
part of strange weather going round.
 i'll settle for that

modern times

home computers enable you

to keep up to the minute on

weather forecast changes ...

if you want to check that often.

checking every minute is extreme.
usually, you check and wait a while.

Also, the moon gets much attention.

how much change is there for

a floating rock in space with no flowers?

the moon shadow changes.

not generally a big deal.

what is interesting to me about the weather,

i like to know if i need a jacket and hat

when i go out the door ... here on earth,
that door right over there.

right now the wind is blowing enough

to hear it whistling in the chimney. 

a check with mark's

Mark's is filled with plants,
ready for another year. his is
a country store away from town.
never in want of customers
because they remember his
 fair prices, friendly ways
and quality goods, and come back
in good number.
doors were open early in the morning.
many entered with fat asses
and pulled along children, as sleet fell
at the Plank town area flower market
called Lu Ray Garden.
we've returned several years.
i waited patiently in the car.
when she finished there we drove a few miles
and stopped at a second plant mill.
quickly m checked that one out. this morning
i spent the entire time writing these words.
plant shopping complete, a long, quiet farm
road took us North toward home.

a most decent day

a most decent day of the year
well beyond the winter snows
before the sweet corn grows
here in northern Ohio
where the virus has us controlled
where to sit
masks we wear.
how far apart we be.
one hundred people went into the store
masked to hell and back.
then came out and scooted off to  get back home.
feeling okay? easy now.
today take sunshine.

our plot will soon be filled with plants.
picking, planning.
then one more run to Planktown
to fill it up.
render satisfaction.

cloudy

after nine already.
had rain for an hour.
steady.
won't be a crack of sun.
i'd say none.
not our way, not this day.
it's the last of April. who'd suspect?
i guess summer will jump on us suddenly.
weatherwise the seasonal change has been slow.
deliberate is another way of thinking.
stepping slowly like a bad monster. 
i suppose it has been the confinement by the virus
giving us another way to think about it all.
at least we're taking what is given.

definitely a new way of living going on.
of course, what else can we do?

grandmother and her sisters

four girls in light summer dresses,
side by side for a photo.
looking through the
bright desert sun, not knowing
what the passing years would become.
their faces are of the family
more than eighty years after the
day of their photo in Globe, Arizona.
married to one of the granddaughters
the family resemblance reflects
in all her worth.

another week of rain water

the trouble with a forecast
you can look ahead and see the deluge,
not today, but believe
it will be soon enough. now
another rain day complete.

inside looking out. 

be sure and dress for it

if you're going about.
simply water everywhere.

 heard it half the night.

gallons. more than seemed reasonable.
splashes, patter. dripping.

 splatter. drops.

you want an umbrella? 

look, there are doves out there.

i guess they can stand the rain.

and they're hungry.

breakfast club

before nine A.M. feeders:

blue jay, chipmunk, cardinal, two squirrels;

lined up, were busily hoppin' about.

then heard the Blam as a sparrow hit the kitchen window.

laid on its side for several minutes,

then slowly rolled on the ground to an upright position.

didn't move for a while.

thirty minutes later it stood up,

began walking around, seeking, nibbling.

then perched in a bush. looked around. not ready to fly.

other morning nibblers are out.

two squirrels. big robin came to the regular spot.

two goldfinches at the feeder.

a male cardinal pecked on the ground.

collision sparrow flew away.

sun poking through the cloud cover.

shall warm the day by afternoon.

rain returns tonight

another crunch

so days roll, i note
nothing going on, poor news.
as spring begins, i'm ready
for flowers, for showers.
it's good as can be.
well could be warmer, that will happen.
so will beauty and color.
i think it will seem great out
when the temperature is warmer.
that is all we need. the rest will
fall into place. the virus will quit
and Trump will go away.
then even pizza will taste better

ducks

ducks can hang around somewhat,
but not with humans.
don't bother trying to get close,
they can't take it.
a few hundred yards away is as
close as they can stand to be.

only once in a while
they'd land in my little pond by accident.
it's only fifteen feet in diameter.
must have wanted to check it out
or had to get their feet wet.

if i was there i'd keep still.
if i did more than look their way
they'd take off in a hurry.
imagine how much power it would
take for you to go from floating on water,
leap up and begin to fly.

hello ducks, nice surprise,
good to see you.
goodbye ducks.

when we went to shiloh

used to go to Shiloh regular.
to the good breakfast spot
right there on the main street,
the one that ran down the middle.

the breakfast spot did well
now i'll tell you 
the restaurant did right for everyone;
 until it sold and never opened it's doors again.

whew, that shook our boots. hardly
a warning. yes, we heard talk but,
 didn't want to believe it.  took
a while until we forgot about it.

the Amish poet. we met him there.
gave him a ride to the auction site.
stopped at Plank town.
discovered it then.

the old was finished, never
opened again. that's when Planktown
began for us. a spot on the
road. with parking for buggys.

the way

on the way

on a sweet day of spring,

ready to put this one to use.

with donned hats and jackets

wheeled South for Plank town.

 

ride on.

chickens out peckin'

seen us whiz by in a flash.

spring starter plants are waiting.

i'm thinking of the five deer

in our yard a month ago and wondering

what are we going to do besides wait

for their return ... they eat what grows.

i know i like Swiss chard and they do too.

chilly and quiet today.

blue sky showin' through

puffy gray clouds blowin'

sail on all ...

ok for now
holy cow

Passenger me

i'm talking,
so you know;
case you forgot.
starting here ... this point.

bumped into the wall.
this is serious,
in the middle of the night
 when I got up.
didn't hurt myself.
It's dark ... was humming.
walked around a few minutes
couldn't see ... It was black.
3 o'clock, too early to stay up.
went back to bed.
slept and all went well in
dreams i don't remember.

this morning she wanted mulch from
an hour east, Medina.
Still driving get a phone call from Missouri.
no, I didn't answer.
 i've done that.
always a recorded response.
no one ever talks to me
i've given up.
maybe It's better that way.
another unknown call an hour later - declined

Sunny and 55;
what a nice day.

days move along

snow on the ground will melt today.
all away.
we've seen the last coming down.
nothing more have i to say, about snow.
gone, you know ...
for this year.
getting ready now for pizza,
and warm afternoons.
want to pass through the virus phase,
come out the other side.
see friends face to face.
the regular old human race.
go out for breakfast.
take our time rolling through the back-country.
watching the sun-shine,
and the corn grow.

get to planktown

where are those ideas so grand?
how did they slip through the overnight.
perhaps when i awoke i looked away,
skipped around, had coffee too soon.

next time i'll shower, dress and get rolling.

head South. get moving.
very light traffic.
a poem idea inside of me is ready to emerge.


the secret to writing well:
review it all, a piece at a time.
every morsel.
 stack the good stuff over on one side.

put it together.
 look at the sky now.
clouds are heavy if you try to lift them with water in.

kettle shaking

 tea water is boiling.
settle kettle, you're jumping.
i turned water to off and it did.

this is not makebelieve.
what a difference.
the world is changing in some ways.

some things remain
the same.
how do you like your tea?

woodland color chart

in my chair near the window
book open, looking out
to see all sunny and quiet.
no wind. got the picture?

in a patch of sun stands a robin.
white, orange, brown, black, a variety of color,
and my head had it robins were dull.
not at all.they're filled with solid color and particularly gay.

not back-grounders for any picture, not at all.
you take all the birds and put them in
with the woods setting and
they fit in just fine.

alert continues

this morning content i note
the threatening storm of last night didn't get here;
yet again strong wind and rain is predicted.
maybe this time it'll reach us.
the forecast says confusion will reign.
 
apparently,  the squirrel somehow
dodges soaking droplets.
quick and oily i imagine.
the rapid hopping got my attention.

robins about

this is about robin stuff.

with three recently seen from

our window; listen while i tell you.

the robin, they are tough, run well.

pull worms out of the ground,

meri said that about pulling worms out

and something else,

but she's from California,

how does she even know?

i'm from Ohio and never heard

about robins pulling worms

from the ground. i can swear

it never came up in casual conversation.

of bird talk, i have seen them run and

they do good at that ... all around the

yard if they have to. amazing.
yes, the robin as a group, is well run.

running cold

woke to snow on the roof.
thought the last went by already.
 April heralds spring, you know.
a season slow to open so far.
it will get here.
i'll bet on it.
Ole'  ole'
want to make a taco while we wait?

shopping south

April snowstorm on the road, thirty minutes
from here to Planktown, the Mennonite
country store. went through heavy snow
all the way down,
thank goodness it was too warm to stick.
although the heavy flurries had our attention.

when we got to the store business was quiet.
m said less than half the people
inside covered their faces in caution of the virus.
that's disturbing.
and she sadly reported eggs were 3.19 a dozen, before
they were 1.79.

for both of us the trip seemed a
fine start on the day, seeing people out again.
we came back on highway 58 north.
thinking back, i didn't see any horses or wagons
tied up outside the country store.
it hailed when we got to Oberlin.

a day in Ohio is wet you see

last night i thought i was sleeping
because i went to bed
with that intention.
always happens.
part of the evening.
disconnected thoughts of isolated phrases passed by to fill my dream
splashing beneficial foundation stones
creating warmth for giving fire
to words of love and pie,
always warm pie can thrill,
kept warm with music.
harmony of togetherness,
a soft breeze; i didn't tap my foot.
then from Google, news of Italy, south by Naples
economically collapsing.
hard times, no assistance,
where to turn for
meals on the table.
there the rains of spring can be dismal.
my words won't end tears of hunger during this emergency.
these words hang in the air:
desperate, hungry and scared

Overboard moon

not hard to imagine ...
  the largest, wildest moon of
the year; rolling up in a splashy color,
one you can visualize in your dream.

spring flowers

in light spring showers.

small yellow buds

unfold into flowers

for you, Hon.                    (as in honey)

now the decorator's fun begins;

 to arrange the flowers

in a water-filled vase 

placed where the sun hits the table.

tighten up some

 glide when you can.
you're on a solid, smooth foundation.
the sun will guide you.
 toast and coffee breakfast;
how lucky i am she can make bread.
i know one time i had really good tea somewhere.
special tea, i 'm not sure where.
it could have been in Morocco.
that was an extraordinary location ... overflowing
with exotic flavors and a late afternoon nearly violet sky.
now i'll see what develops here
under our current altered conditions.

I've got a pad so i'll make a note

should've written Sal  as a name for the mule.
seems a popular name, and now
two hundred years later, well beyond the song workmen sang walking a boat
alongside the Erie Canal
why not again. yeah, why not again.
have an imaginary boat on the canal again.
and why not, Ohio is where this is,
And Spring has just opened up.
the ducks are loose.
other critters are out running. There goes a robin.
we're all glad about the
weather ... as fine as can be.

 the river is wide and wild,
moving with power.
independent as the weather
expect the season to hold on the good side for a while.
blue sky scattered light clouds.
We could camp along the river again.
regarding another matter, I figure
roasted corn on the cob is several months away;
no need to hurry anything,

this is to be a spell of joyful time.
 so then, work well.
wash your shirts and hang them outside on a line to dry.
they'll flap and snap in the breeze.
and you take a day at a time
 know they're like no other


these days are the absolute best as can be made.

heartfelt

I appear before you
As the author of last years moving
You gonna na eat that cookie. 

my wife told me

to write something heartfelt.

here it is.

here is something heartfelt.

looking out the window i see

squirrels picking up nuts.

every day they do this,

keep going.

looking, finding, picking, stuffing

it in their mouth and chewing.

no partners, no pals, no police ... looking,

finding, chewing.

Katie, in the key of life, please.

Why it's the squirrel's life for me.

no TV, no shopping,

no gas, no toilet paper,

and, uh ...

sleeping in a tree ...

it's the squirrels life for me.

Stay alert

you stay fine

keep inline.

be mindful and be safe.
situations can become problematic. 
along the path you may encounter
upstream bottlenecks that need to be addressed.

evaluate to see if you need assistance
and should join asylum seekers.

walk tall.