early america

went back
to a corner in america,
checked it out a few days.
how different to go there,
was like another country.
so quiet; with more trees than automobiles.
silence the way it used to be.

back then,
shorty after the united states was found
the population leaped in number.
they wanted more room.

the first town in the country's western expansion
is Marietta, on the Ohio River.
across from West Virginia.
so may trees all around.

we went through the old village and cemetery.
in the center saw the ancient Indian mound.
then rode a paddle wheeler to an island,
where we took a wagon drawn by two horses.
deer in a field stood still, looked back at us.
stopped in two museums.

the trip took us back in time.
many workers wore costumes of the past.
in all,  it was a good trip, different;
a good time
on a hot august day.

italian holiday

Ferragusto, a public holiday. Introduced by Gaius Octavius 'Augustus'
after his victory over Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium on 2 September, 31 BC.

time to escape the heat,
anywhere you can go;
at the mountains, lakes or seaside.
it'll be a long weekend celebration or most of august.
friends and family gather
for the Italian mid-August summer holiday

with music, food, wine, and joy.

in the hills, on farms, in villages...

summer's celebration.
Don't you love it.

light summer rain

driving easy through light summer rain,

refreshing fields and flowers.

chi

Quiet, easy.
Move with the sun.

the team

young and old together, excited talking fans standing ready
for the gates to open,
soon to be electrified by the game;
a double-header.

at last gates open...the crowd comes apart.
we burst in en masse.

our seats are good,
we overlook the diamond and field,
so do the rest of 38 thousand
Cleveland Indianites.

we are the fans, we cheer.
a fight until the end, both ends.
our team is victorious - twice.

from the shire

look and see, anonymous commented,

and there must be a group,

because they claim to be starting a

"new scheme in our community." those words caught my attention. it seems my writing has "performed a formidable process." does that seem right to you? now their entire community, i don't know how large it is, will probably be grateful. later someone will conclude success evidently. what does this mean? give me a simple happy face with birds in the breeze on wing gliding o'er the lake.

bobber

Lenovo i've had five years,

open it everyday

and didn't know the name of this computer.

call it Becky...or Bob.

no, bob sounds too much like

fishing things in the water,

called a bobber. i more or less googled that.

that's me and fishing, don't know to call bobbers.

breakfast in Shelby, in celebration of not being there a week.

the first string working today, all okay.

Mandy 2 did our coffee, Mandy 1 took the order

and delivered.

sky is good, weather fine.

heading home, down the line
a young Mennonite in long

dress and bonnet on a bicycle,

pulled happy kid in a wagon

who calmly looked around

comfortably taking in the position

he was in on a light breeze, sunny,

warm august morning.

he'll learn different things, different ways,

but won't know the name of my computer either.

please may he have a pond and a bobber.

***

i know: some are capitalized

later i may determine what is important

Or quit worrying about it.

Why my phone rings

Hello.

Hi, this is Holly Jones from the prophecy department.

Say what? 

Hi, this is Holly Jones from the prophecy department.

You called me for something...a reason?

hmmm, packed

so much to read.
it is a pleasure
to absorb what others write;
of course, the volume is tremendous
i can't keep up. it's outa sight.

reading is enjoyable.
i'll take a few drops;

although now i'll pause
to think of ice cream, perhaps
take action, a few spoons full.

remember earlier we fought cold,
persistent showers, near freezing, wet;
now the time is baseball and ice cream.
so enjoy yourself.
coming up in a few weeks
will be sweet corn.
ah, the changing seasons.

car over

I have seven empty eyeglass cases on the counter in the other room. The glasses are here and there. One pair I am wearing. A new pair will arrive Friday or Saturday. She told me to throw away the old empty cases. I'm thinking about it, not overly or seriously.

Let me correct that: six cases...I counted.

This paragraph is a chapter in

Taking Care of Counting.

However, nothing was thrown away or accomplished.

everyday i sing a song for you, meri sweetheart.
now you see i'm being tested for my head workings;

wow, they can do a new reworking.

a shortcut to happiness, soon as i get plugged in.
they can, but they won't;
probably it's too dangerous.

i fabricated that anyway, they can't make me better
by plugging me into their wall socket.

ok, now; going to see the Cleveland Indians.

then, doctor/wise, real testing...the type done to old people.

if you have insurance get on board.

i would not pay for it out of my pocket.

ballgame first, then next day doctoring,
so close, driving wise.

wait all winter for warmer days

to drift the river

taking the turns and straights,

going nowhere in particular,

what summer is for.

we can think so,
and remember, love, the Pleiades,

there is nothing brighter.

would like to take the bright stars in from the Pacific.

so where is my boat now?

ohio roading

big sign for a bump in the road...
what they don't tell...on a scale from 1 to ten.
.
a swing left Around a tractor.

then saw a house on a lake on the highway.
.
going easy;
stopped at a hand painted sign
in Sullivan for a chicken dinner.
they said now it's hot dogs and hamburgers...
chicken starts at four o'clock.
got back in the car and started for home.

rain steady on

the weather seems steady.

we have rain again,

it's not the rolly, fat cloud, stormy kind we had for a month.

this is rain regular, thank you.
.

other parts of the country may be filling up soggy.

we're handling it. it's running off, somehow.

our fields aren't puddles

but i wouldn't want to run a tractor in it..

i'm listening to myself

thinking that i'm not talking about
faces i see on the city streets of Rome.

for the lack of those daily familiars  my heart aches.

hot yes

thickated, the time of year.
plants are full, leaves are all out.
carrying wads of green
more than you've seen
for a while,
oh, full summertime.

on an elevator

to the next person on a crowded elevator he says,

“Hey, a couple of lifetimes ago we were

both Indians and we used to hunt together.”

the person he had spoken to glanced over and said,

“Are you talking to me?”

geese around these parts

the large black and white Canadian geese know their own reflection in the lake.

would vent their wings to find me if they knew i had corn...a handful in my pocket.

found stones

nearly time for the show,

things to do...to be a participant.

checked all shelves and drawers,

every pocket. 

then got 'em, to my relief they turned up,

found the tickets. good looking tickets.

made with care.

time was short, had to leave now.

hummed a tune to myself all the way.

when i got to the exhibit

filed in with the rest, in order.

line kept moving.

yes, very crowded.

at the show looked with pleasure.

partly sunny, cool, light wind, and comfortable.

stones on the beach

are well shaped, softly colored,

attractive to spellbinding.

now the tough part:

long ago i heard, though it's wild, you don't take

rocks away from anywhere,

leave them where they are.

doing life

how are we?

working hard, sleeping well,

eating right, exercising?

make a list.

keep in line.

oh...enjoy life.

folded mountain

a beer from Rochester, New York is what i'm talking about here.
first time i heard of it.
the beer. i heard of Rochester.
the beer is called folded mountain.
not surprised. they had to come up with a name for the beer...could have been happy mountain.
5.8 percent alcohol.  got that?
okay, so, it's a hot day.
went to the porch.
sat in the shade.
sipped in the shade. ole'
drank my beer...most of it.
wanted a smoke,
thought of it; it's been a month.
so give me a break.
oh, i'll get over it...again.

space

postal worker
drove by today.
leaving nothing.
thus creating
space.

go warm Sunday
who turned up the heat?

turn to good weather

sunshine roars in,

working on golden sweet corn,

also readying, heavy, juicy water melons.

you know the kind.

 then on a twelve hour from Boston drive,

hug hi niece, hello eat next day go,

she's three more hours to Indiana.

 while here awhile, all kept rolling.

hiya summertime some, been watching for you, and enjoy what a season, thankful for all we are. 

chill dawn

chill dawn
on the road to shiloh.
a violet, rose haze,
with blue on edges of far fields.

1844 carved on the stone house on a rise.
other old homes
blanketed in vinyl.
all barns red, newly covered in looks like tin.

there's no balloon on earth
like the fiery red sun
rising in all her glory,
marking the start of new day


...
This last set of four lines I wrote so long ago.  I can't locate the original text, and I see there is a problem...I want to get it right. now the "marking the start of new day" has the meter.

growing corn

you drive along

then park in the lot by the fence;

so you can get out and walk the field

feel the heat doing a burn

it's how you learn

what a sunny day feels like doing a job

right now on the cob.

waving in the wind, getting tall.

the corn is coming up i see,

now you can bet there'll be an ear for me,

i'm getting ready, going home,

fetch butter and salt...that's all i need.

what summer's all about.

quaking

a 7. quake in California,
50 miles in a line to our mountain land
where we lived when we married.
the shake would have had our attention.
now thinking of Jerry in his grave by our cabin
i'm sure made a joke before he cried.

do not lose your head, yet

Shakespeare today

a three hour play,
measure for measure,

in wilting hot weather

with windows open.

am i thee not kidding,

or am i? or am i?

a whamie...off with his...
at times culture is needed

a shake at wendy's may save me.

ole, ole

chickens and the cows don't mind,
if you're the kind
to have eggnog on the fourth of July

ole. get it going, buttercup,
every time, it'll be fine. ole, ole
hold the line, Zabaione

happy holiday.

i think of eggnog,
for my Italian friends,
call it what it is: Zabaione, oh yeah. ole.

Zabaione: the thought
that will not go away

your dad

got hot here.
ninety-two road melting
degrees...and humid.

indoors is cool air fine

how is your living going?

are you still the head dog? 

Meri told me the term today.  

Alpha Dog. yeah. there you are.

and she has a bunny in her garden now.

it is eating the purple plant, 

larkspur, expendable; but i'm
sure it'll develop new appetites.

thought to write you
something...but i
forgot what

but not you.

we got 68 mpg with our 2017 KIA Nero today. 

wanna spread the word. don't see their advertising.

got 58 mpg on the second half of a thirty mile trip.  

the air conditioner took the mileage down.

you made me smile

and you didn't do anything.
see how easy...

love your dad

the game

game begins, this is major league baseball;

right away it's 2-0, 

then 3-0, made me flinch.

end of first inning, it's 4-0.

the game just started.

end of the second inning,

the pace picked up,

8-0.

went to bed.

woke for a final listen on the radio, 

seventh inning, 9-0

really, really went to bed.

woke game over, heard it ended: 13-0

stains one's impression of the home team, 

the good guys.

is the feeling everlasting?

how could it be...it isn't even July.

fall is the big time,

and always, always there is hope again next season.

cancel, cancel

second game the following day against the same bottom ranked 

Baltimore Oriels and our hometown heroes lose again  

by the identical score 13 - zero. 

but i write more. these are the golden boys of summer who two years ago in 2017 won a record setting 22 games in a row.

now Rocky Colavito is touring with his book. in 1959 when i was 14 and routing for him he was Cleveland's outfielder and hit an amazing four home runs in one game.

gee the seasons change,

yet they do go on.

let us

lettuce tastes good;

can add the high point

one a sunny hot lunch day,

meant on a sunny,

there a difference

is well enough,

when in soaring high temps,

shell we, by the sea say?

yes, lettuce. pretty well.

is swell. swell enough.

day's hot. what we've got.

out of space, outer space.

lettuce taste.

brakes on. brake is on.

bake is on.

summer regular

creep along the road

by the fields of wheat;

rained the other day,

wasn't it neat.

hot, yeah, turn up the heat,

cook your brains a while,

then smile, smile, smile.

we loves ya, doll-baby.

i'll take summer regular

the way i do recall,

a light wind, we had rain.

now...not at all, not at all.

sunday now

sky is mostly blue,

good to see it for a change.

weather is drying, first time in a while.

what i know about farming is nothing.

i can only read reports in the news,

already a day old when i write it.

will some farmers plant today...i can't say.

i read they need, desperately need a few days dry weather.

they'll see what's ready...when it is.

i'm able to read reports and hope the best

for them, for fields, for us.

planting is serious and farming is a gamble.