some paris along the way

a lot to see
style and art abounds in this city paris
from the top of the arc de triomphe there is quite a view
i’m dipping my morning toast in coffee
thinking about it

initial plans were sketchy but we happened to be
there on the street when the taxi showed up with
my one-time little kid now with a family of his own
everyone has grown

saw, walked, laughed and talked for a couple of days

we flew in, we fly out
they go on their way
while time is always flying
happened so fast

paris notes, more

down some city street
a lady hurridly walking by
dropped her reading glasses
seemed to throw them nearly at my feet

as she quickly stopped
bent and reached to retrieve them
she kicked them a little
so they skidded a few feet

back up then kneeling a second time to pick them up
noticing i saw it all
she looked toward me
and half-smiled self consciously
at the impromptu comedy of errors

paris ride

leisurely viewing the city
coming back from versailles
the bus stopped several times
some people left, while some arrived
still others scampered to change seats
moving like mice in a maze
until all were satisfied
what we had this morning
was a scenic nice ride

with son and his family - notes in paris

two young daughters
charged for travel
kept up with four adults
or we kept up with them

through the d’Orsay museum
yes, the art is great
but so is the most interesting building
then to sacre coeur, mont martre

up and down the metro stairs
so many times, how did they do it?
i know we climbed
three eiffel towers worth

not a whimper, conflict or complaint all day
but unaccustomed to minding the store
the quiet little voices burnt our candles at both ends
one for each of them

back at six p.m.
to take a nap, that’s us
while mom and dad hold the fort
the kids are still going strong

paris impression

got up early
slowly taking our time
decided not to rush
we’re here, all is fine

after breakfast we began to search for what means paris
out there
larger than we knew

got into it, walked, bused
and the city kept up with us, kept sprawling
so clean, elegant and alive

it does move along
like the rapid seine goes through it
with not buses enough
or artists enough
to paint the whole collage

stately, fluid in motion
needed a mime like marcel marceau
to interpret a bit

how paris is
depends which table you get
if the sun’s in you eyes
or the towers at your back

paris note

flew to paris today
under two hours from roma

took longer to and from the airports
missed lucky lindy by eighty-one years

well, didn’t miss him
never knew the guy

lindy was years ahead
but wait, i’m still checking it out

our little bit

for sure the world is big
when checking the maps
or traveling around you see
there are places on our globe
for everybody

the net and the news and the information
makes it smaller
with more than we need to know
more than anyone can ingest

as exponentially it expands
the good side is that if we each do
our little tiny part to make it better
that good also grows exponentially

used to dress

there was a time
people dressed for ball games
women in dresses and hats
men wore suits and ties

i was a kid when i saw ted williams
step to the plate at cleveland stadium
that game it was the first pitch he slammed
giving that ball a good-bye ride

uncle pat ran the beer concession
dad took me to see uncle pat

the brits were in roma today for a big soccer game
walking the streets drinking beer
dressed as if for a sleep over
or cleaning the basement

not like it was
the way we do
as times change
we do too

market today

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

laughing gas

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

cold as a frog

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

dark prognosis

terrible times
endless pain, not now
just thinking about
the dentist

ping, ping
whacka, whacka,
whirrr, grrr
a carpenter in my mouth

if he were only a neighbor
i'd have to say hi
and i'd get used to it
after a while, i suppose

but i have to go there
and talk him out of it
blood everywhere
extraction

then the phone rings
it's his secretary confirming the appointment
i heard laughter hidden in her voice
they must know i'm thinking bout it

other than that it's a fine day
except for tormenting wind, spattering rain,
foreboding clouds, horrible chill
and a forecast for more

lost in blogland

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

money, what happened

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

menu

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

pope

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, on the road

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

paint

i'd open a window
but it's cold, better wait
anyway, on a scale from one to whatever
paint is an eight

I like painting
i was painting the walls
i am, can you smell it

i am a paintist
i will march with the painters
and become a member of the paintist party

i belive in paintiscism
holy mother of paint
paint with us painters
now and at the hour our can is dry

it has a fragrant bouquet
i wonder if paint
is safe to eat
and they are just not telling us

jelly fine advice

meri always says
"quit licking your fingers"
but she is not the one with honey
dripping all over

let me clear that up
not all over really
just all over my fingers

and for this
i think my hand is lickable
the soonerable, the betterable
or the honey will be floorable

so, jellylovers
my advice is this
like it or not
lick it or else

i have to be careful now
cause that one i wrote yesterday
had a line that sounded like it came from hallmark
and i almost puked

see i wrote them for a job once forty years ago
wanted to be their poet
they wrote back and said they had one already
must have been the guys mother

(and don’t comment to this blog
that jellylovers is two words and not one
cause i like it that way or i’ll to put
you on my list to)

buona pasqua - happy easter

captain z. and iwona are in italy
drove 20 hours from poland
then called tuesday from bari
where filip’s in school

we made hasty plans, tried to call back
his phone out of range, end of that tact
after i emailed both he and his son
nothing happened, were we done?

then to the termini
found the trains full
flights too expensive
bus seats were nil

easter week came early this year
we thought we’d spend time
near the adriatic sea, but it fell through
that idea is not going to float

plans mean more than good intentions
this we again learned, again the hard way
meri checked now and found a lower flight fare
made arrangements to leave in the morning by air

so these daily lines i create will pause
be assured it’s for a very good cause
for friends may come, friends may go
it’s better when you see them though

when you get to heaven

when you get to heaven
you’ll never wait in line
smiles greet you everywhere
all you do is fine

you’ll dress in style, lead the pack
score the winning mark
the family will be filled with amazing joy
always sunday in the park

you can sleep in every morning
of that there is do doubt
mealtime means seconds of everything
and they don’t have sour kraut

(be sure to thank god for that)

coffee or tea

whle i was talking on the phone
meri made me a hot drink in a large cup
i thought it was tea

terrible tea
too strong
lousy taste

after the phone call finished
i got up to put honey in it
she said, “don’t” it was coffee, not tea

ninety percent of the time we drink italian coffee
this was american style coffee
hey, the cup was big and it looked dark
just like strong tea

what a revelation
how powerfully the mind imagines
it was the worst, strongest tea ever
but it was fine coffee

from a thermos
i had it again ten hours later
and it was still good coffee

mind set is stronger than i knew
how can i be old and still be learning?
now i'll learned to pay attention to her
while i'm talking on the phone to someone else

our dear planet

the trash is piling up
it's floating in the sea

clean fresh water is running out
we need clean water to drink

the world population has
doubled in my lifetime

are the classrooms doing the job
do we care about our children

media doesn't speak all of the truths
money is leading globalization

we think what is lost
depends what it costs

rome marathon

nearly 15,000 participants are in roma
to run the cobblestones in marathon 2008
an estimated 50,000 will be in a 4k fun run

the weather is close to perfect
the runners say it’s a great way to see the city
non-stop tv coverage for the three hour event
features spectacular helicopter views

we go out to yell encouragement to the runners
then watch the rest on tv

the day before we saw roma our favorite way
on a bus ride, and while passing piazza del popolo
crowds of kilted scotch fans were walking along
drinking beer in preparation for a big rugby match

as we crossed a bridge over the tevere i mentioned,
"I've been here on my motorino."
there was a pause
my dear one was surprised and perplexed

"What? You've been hearing your motorino?
In your sleep, or can you hear it now?
Like a ringing in your ears?”

that was a frightening thought
since i had gotten rid of my motorino a few years ago
"No, I said, I've been here, on my motorino."

two old ladies

today from the bus in the rain
while pulling into the termini
i saw the two old ladies, older than most
who live on the corner by the train station

i walked over to the disheveled pair to learn of them
though they ask for nothing
pulling out a ten, it was i with the question
who handles the money?

both wore dresses, blankets and many sweaters
one took the bill, one stayed aloof
by showing an interest in their lives
the one who took the money began speaking

she said it was tougher now, life was rougher
twenty years they've been on that exposed corner
with their belongings in two shopping carts
when it's cold and rainy they sleep in the station

not to impose, i didn't ask much
are they too old and crazy to teach us anything?
what they say, what they know
did old greeks say 3000 years ago

brushing teeth, mine

i fell asleep brushing my teeth
thinking how my grandmother used to like
saturday tv with the midgets wrestling

Your mother's mother? she asked
"Yes," I said.
"That figures."

now what was that supposed to mean?
i gave her a sharp look, i did
you should have seen it

anyway i didn't really fall asleep
zoned out into brushing land
more like it

a mild trance state
perfectly normal
it happens, right?

the information future

make a hole, duck and cover
things
are happening so fast
more than anyone can grasp
you can't keep up

try as you might
it's blurring out
beyond sight
at record breaking speed
much more than we need

keep out of the way
they've pulled out the stops
let it roar on, roll on
'til it drops, or is drained
the seams are all strained
it's a runaway

wish the best to the future
wish it the very best
it is humming ignited
and flying nearsighted
exponentially

the hurrier it gets, the faster it grows
the larger it gets, the faster it goes

dim & sons

physicists say eleven dimensions
are going on here at the same time

they certainly must be observant
i wonder what channel they're watching

now, with eleven dimensions all in this space,
i know why you can stand alone and sill feel
crowded in your kitchen

'52 chevy

years ago the termini
(that's the rail station in roma)
had a '52 chevy pickup truck on display in the lobby
it was surprising to see it there
you don't see american vehicles in italy

well the termini and the times have changed
but i was thinking about my '52 chevy pickup today

i'm not sure when i saw the one in rome
or when i had mine
both were a while ago
1990 or so

mine was sweet
some young woman sold it to me
it was her x-boyfriends, he left it at her place
i guess she was upset with him
she sold it for three hundred bucks

it needed about a hundred dollars worth of work
by cousin don, a real pro and old vehicle lover
made my truck tick like an old singer sewing machine

cousin don wasn't my cousin before i met him
i found him through an add in a newspaper
but he remained a dear cousin and kept my truck tuned
until the day he died

how very dear that old truck was
original everything
even had a san francisco giants sticker from the fifties
on the rear window
a white billiard cue ball on the floor gear shift

the interior i had redone in original leather style
it had a visor over the windshield
some old dents, not too many
i did a green and black two-tone paint job
with a brush and matt finish
it looked factory done and aged by time

how sweet, it ran with such a tick, tick, tick
and i rode the old classic
everywhere in and around san francisco
so many time we crossed the golden gate

alas, we moved away and i sold it
where has it gone
like watching my children who have grown
like seeing all turn into the past

we love life
endure it
do the best we can
and the big wheel keeps on turning, tick, tick, tick

once in a while
we look back and recall
still keeping our heads up
as we move on into the future

too many

i don't know what happened to sunday
it started
there was the outdoor market down the street
meri picked up some good vegetables
i slept

we had coos coos and artichokes that meri made
i had negative contribution

after lunch
we went out and it was cool, but nice in the sun
from campo dei fiori full of tourists
we took a 62 bus as far as san silvestro

some how we wandered into the galleria
named for the beloved actor alberto sordi
a great old building converted into a mall
a fifty foot high stained glass ceiling and beautiful rose marble arches and niches in the well-sculptured structure
built about a hundred fifty years ago
they don't do this quality now

we were going to have a coffee and little half sandwich called a tramezzino, but prices were too high
2.50 to sit down with coffee
2.40 for a tramezzino that are usually 1.30
that 2.50 euro is 3.85 in u.s. dollars
coffee used to cost fifty cents
when italy first went to the euro prices immediately doubled
they haven't slowed
weekly news stories bemoan excelerating food prices

out the side door at a pizza place we bought a slice each
meri noted that when we were first in roma eighteen years ago
the pizza was always made on sight
now it is shipped in and re-heated in a microwave
fast food has arrived
romans are noticeably heavier

around the corner was trevi fountain
we wound through the crushing crowd and i took Meri to the photo
exhibition that i saw last week at the Igovernment printing lab

outside was jammed. inside there was no one and four rooms of historic photos in this free exhibit
no advertising. no crowd.
photos of old Roma dated from 1845 to about 1870

we noted the differences from a hundred fifty years ago
then there were empty fields, now in that same area are city streets and apartment buildings
it has changed from few people to full of people

we have seen so much change in our lifetime
i first flew in a Ford Tri-motor prop plane before crowds
and before jets were the common airliner

a couple of years ago i was getting off a packed bus at chiesa nuova, a crazy italian guy who had been talking all along the way, got off at the same stop and said to me
"there's too many of us."
"what are you saying" i asked. i understood his words in italian, but wanted clarification about what he'd said
"people. i am talking about the earth's population. there are too many of us."
i nodded, said something in agreement and went on my way

about two months later Meri and I were in San Diego, California walking down a busy street. in the group coming our way was a crazy guy talking to everyone. just as he passed us he turned back and said directly to me, "there are too many of us."
it shocked me, but i kept walking. it was the same guy.
it took me about a second to remember the other time and when i turned back to him i said
"hey, you just told me that two weeks ago." but he was already gone, invisible in the crowd