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.

,,how baking ought to

a space special, clean and neat;
 put away this and that where each belong.
an old stiff, red tablecloth her mother used.
the kitchen well organized.

now what we plan you
can bake these at home.
where kitchen supplies are handy.
and the recipe.
you need the accoutrements,
spoons, bowls ... of course, sugar

a sunny window is good
plus the cooker who bakes.
being cookies are done that way.

she can do baking just fine. add the ingredients,
stir and roll them out.
put them on the pan, pop them in the hot oven.
i don't have to tell everything.

Look at the new of you reading here. Welcome. Now I'll continue.

new sunday

America and the rest of the world
- i have to include it all -
begin a calender new, or program,
new way to go, how it is used,
formed, composed,
unlike before we should
recognize the change.
have a parade in inaugural.
we'll prepare for next time.
i can see large helium-filled balloons.

already, setting the day aside this way
turns us to celebration.
hooray. we're doing well.
this is still a Sunday, so far,
so that is good, we recognize the day.

how we fill the day is up to us.
special food would be good.
a particular cake, pie, sandwich.
candles, colors, animals, decorations.
or we could begin slowly
and see what develops.

fear a while

looking out all the time
go ahead now
left and right
on guard. not a dog's worth. a little.

keep ahead of developments
  away from dread ..
don't worry, not this hour
sliding okay,  with the power.

not in my head now ...
entirely fine ... just got out of bed.
how about the usual time?

i heard you said, fine.
we're caught in a sticky situation.
loook away, the rain is coming down
Pound ding, one word.

don't breathe on anyone
Or conversely, don't let them on you
until all is settled.

the good time of year is ever green

you know ...
it is difficult to say the words
to warm someone's heart
when attention is on a virus
circling the globe.
how about this ...
 winter has passed so
think spring thoughts
instead of dumping us
and leaving part of our joy
abandoned on the roadside.
bring us into sunshine.
it will occur
sometime later
now we must endure.

young rider

when we were kids i would hear her

she'd ride her horse to town

and once Penny asked if i wanted

to ride double

after a brief walk and a hop, i fell off

that's how my first horseback ride ended

though the library lot now

has large trees around, is paved

and usually half-filled with cars

from miles away i see it as the

grass field where we played baseball

and Penny took me for my

first horseback ride

ghost rider

bent out of shape.
that's what happened.
came out of the dark.
snuck up from behind.

light fog and rain.
good morning, Monday.
cold but looking out the window
you're not bad. we can take you.

home robins

early march
every day on a tree stump,
one fat robin sat alone
 in front of our kitchen window
now a smaller robin is here.
they're friends
and not alone.

will the new little one
take big robin off
to build a nest somewhere we don't know
and won't see?
i hope the family nest
is nearby so we see it all.
i know the robins build
in the same place for years.

cool some

not really cold,
it's nearly wonderful.
in fact yesterday morning
we worked outside;

then in the afternoon,
after a bowl of rice from Kim's,
we did more clean-up work outside.
well, yeah, i played a while on the piano,

made plans and thought some.
i could've worked more i suppose
but i wrote a few lines,
see how that goes, look for an idea,

then get back to reading
 or trying to think;
one good starting point for tomorrow.
it'll be colder then again, they say.

hey, there's a guy
or gal walkingover
in a hazmat suit.
act normal.