Sunday, April 23, 2023

Sat eve, knock ‘em down

 The jazz orchestra hits it.

haven’t heard them for two months and we’re ready.

Charts like the top bands of the 1930’s to today.

Oberlin college teaches them kids to be hot cats.


quiet, waiting for 7:30 p.m. 

Finney Chapel twelve hundred wooden pews,

below and balcony,  a long way up to the wooden ceiling.

 a fully charged spiritual concert hall that swings.


Saturday, April 22, 2023

sincerely

 the toughest songs to interpret

are the ones with words

without music.


Nod your head,

Snap your fingers.

easy take along

Friday, April 21, 2023

Summer coming on

 Smooth riding to Trader Joe.

Thirty minutes.

Traffic light, feeling right

Tina’s brother with the gold record …

Never met him, never saw him.

Why don’t more people stop their car on the freeway to get a sandwich out of the backseat?  Meri asked.

I like the history of what happened when we were young or before. A generation prior.


fill your day

with working, 

writing, reading,

doing something for somebody.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Before eight a.m.

 Per usual, not a soul out.

Reminds me of the TV weather folk,

Always they say “0ut and about”.

I have to complain about it.


Perhaps I should build another pond,

Something of which I’m very fond.

Yeah they’re fun but a lot of work.

I’m not in condition to move  many rocks.


There, we’re staying in again.

The water falls will live in my memory.

Fresh cool trickling wet

With swimming fish, you bet.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

frog winter

scooping leaves from the pond

where the sugar maple deposits them

there is a plunk in the water

it's forty degrees this afternoon

 

who did i disturb but a frog

how can they live like that

sleeping in a plastic flower pot

submerged in the bottom of the pond

 

making a home for the winter

be solid as the ice through the snow

then come back chirping in the spring

well, rent is free, that i know

Chopin

 He Wrote a prelude I played; on and on.

Clair de Lune I could do

the way he waould have approved.

Then it slipped from  my grasp.


I thought it would always be with me.

How vegetably foolish of me.

His name was sacred at our house.

His music was too.


Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Unraveled

 The long water line to Meri’s garden is unfurled.

Laying out set to go.

This day will remain cold and windy they say.

Won’t be fit for outside working


The grass and flowers are being blown

Wiggling and wobbling, I see ‘em.

seems work inside is practically what the day’s good for.

It is easier to ride the horse in the direction that it’s going.


Monday, April 17, 2023

Silver screen

Glass screen, the television and how it Rolled into other forms of video. Let’s get going.


Clean your material, dust everything thoroughly.

Start at the beginning with a blank page.

 Silver screen lit for me.

Kept to better seeing.


Daws Butler gave me The Elements of Style.

What a friend he is to me. Permanent.

We met, we read and i wrote.

Of course Daws wrote all the time.


i know we both enjoyed our sessions together.

He was a master putting words down

And putting them out. We talked.

My favorite friend, well, one of them.


Friday, April 14, 2023

brilliant showcase

explosion of blossoms.

brilliant Yellow. White. Pink.

each tree has its color.

blooming once in spring for a short time.


drive down any street and the first thing you’ll see

is the attention grabber in complete bloom.

full brilliance aboard, nothing left out.

i must have had to ask thirty-five times before i remembered magnolia. 




Thursday, April 13, 2023

Jen is instructor

 for physical therapy to keep me upright.

if she is not having her new girl

Jen will be there. Her mother called

her Jenifer hen tension hung in the air.


We’ll see if she shows.  It is due day.

I wish her quick an smooth.  She’s clever

so I’m betting on her

and her new little girl.



Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Seems a warm spring

 Been doing my usual reading and writing phrases.

Nothing new, it’s what the craze is.

Then saw five rabbits running in circles.

that doesn’t happen around here everyday.


Going to squeeze out warm weather 

by the time we get to later in the day.

Not making this up,

That’s what official Weatherheads say.


It is quiet as Rome this morning.

No person or creature is seen.

Clocks are ticking, everything else

Is on hiatus and inbetween.




Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Eight o’clock five running i’m

on the edge of the sparse woods

quick going, hopping at full speed

having bunny fun, quick as they can.

they’re a comedy team running in circles.


i’m happy to see them around.

just happened to be the time for looking. 

they cover a lot of ground. 

a bright start for everyones day


Monday, April 10, 2023

Coming back

 All should go well.

Checking the map seemed sensible 

Up the road then straight out of town,

 left where it forks.


Took this road once years ago.

Used to go this way when dad drove.

Seems I recognize a barn or house, a few.

Not well is the road memorable; only vaguely familiar.


We drove out here years ago.

Seems a few buildings I recall.

Now I want to see downtown.

Its been years since I’ve been there.



Sunday, April 09, 2023

Pasqua

 rose to frosty cold in streaming dawn sun .

Robin and others are rushing gathering nest material.

Hard creature work is evident.

This day is Easter.  Spring has opened.

Saturday, April 08, 2023

Take me back

 my 1952 Chevy pickup lived another time, so fine.

As did our perfect 1950 Dodge Cornet.

By the touch of cousin Don,  producer of old vehicle magic.

Years pass,  alas they always do. Oh, memories.


How it warms my heart to have the feeling of those golden days.

Good streams of people and our varied ways.

On the boats, over and under the Golden Gate.

Under the best of sunny skies.


Grover, mike Davis, mike at the Arquez Ship Yard.

Charlotte and seagulls, Crab Louie, so many others

All the boats and the years.

The Coast Guard bringing me in when my engine failed.





Friday, April 07, 2023

What I don’t wear

 Figuring what clothes I don’t wear.

The occasion for some doesn’t happen.

My heavy cowboy hat for instance.

I’ve hardly pulled it out to try it on in thirty years.


It hangs on a wall in an out of sight corner.

Times have changed and I haven’t worn it for a while.

I’ve pictures wearing that hat that I never see.

Times change with little notice.


Thursday, April 06, 2023

Car in

 Going along rather normally and okay

Rather completely like every other day then …

Was making noise unexpectedly and brutal.

Then stopped.  Without reason.


Unfortunately we’re going in with expectations 

Car folk will magically decide why.

This is the strange route we have set upon again.

Sitting in the car place can be long and lonely.


I’ll have one donut.

Wednesday, April 05, 2023

Clean sweep

 Halls fill with hope because weather said heat today.

Seems outlandish I know. Can you believe it?

I have nothing to confirm good temperatures upon us.

I should sip my coffee slowly to see the weather design.


Maybe it is written in the wind.

Now I’ll put on a vest because it’s cool.

No one walking by; must be waiting.

Misread. heat not expected, wind is.


So the weather is a wreck.

All those tornados in other parts, is it our turn?

We have no basement in which to find safety.

Here is where we have to be just plain lucky again.



Tuesday, April 04, 2023

So far behind us.

 The days have changed.

We‘ll wear lighter clothing.

The days are longer; there is more sun-time.

just like snap, it changed.


 Now to set ourselves new ways to function.

I’m looking forward to being outside.

Hello to you.  How about this fresh season?

Best wishes.



Monday, April 03, 2023

Slept to spring

Kept eyes out for winter’s departure.

Wouldn’t go, would not go.

 Finally it happened.. You know how long we waited?


Everyone stood around looking for spring to open its doors.

At last the vegetation grew more visible green than yellow.

And I’m a most happy fellow.

I’m telling you we rode a slow lame horse to get here.


All will be better now. I promise we’ll work outside.

The land, the flowers. Vegetation will be happy.

With no hesitation we’ll be snappy

Under blu sky and sunshine. You’ll hear us say:

Summers on the way.




Sunday, April 02, 2023

Words written

 When Ned Washington set the words 

to that melody by DimitriTiomkin he put

down something that would last.


I met Ned in Los Angeles at the American 

Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

meeting. The time will stay with me.


Starting with nothing then 

pulling those words out and putting

them together for the movie High Noon

was like magic: Do not 

Forsake me oh my darling.

Saturday, April 01, 2023

Five plus a large rabbit

 had a storm  pre-halfway into the dark, dark 

night we had. 

a wild storm and night we experienced , we certainly did.

Rain beat hard, deluged, pounding all it could.


calm and yard strangely debris free this good morning.

then piled in quickly after another, the bunny neighborhood.

sons and daughters of our Little.

life goes on.


Friday, March 31, 2023

Plan ahead

 The schedule is blank.

We can put in what we like.

Call this a golden opportunity.

This is a chance to pick up some ground.


Clean up the shreds, get the surroundings clean.

Wait.  now the rain has come. It will stay today.

Good thing nothing was planned.

Hurray, or what?


Thursday, March 30, 2023

Crates of fruit

 Grapes most likely.

Apples are a probability.

Depends on the season.

Sunlight shines heavily.


Beautiful sky, good morning.

This is how to start the day.

All we need is to warm a bit.

Tie your shoe.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

New wave

 There’s a new wave of weather coming through today.

We‘ve tried it all so now we open a bundle unseen.

Blue skies surround us

no wind has bound us

Beautiful light blue, we’re ready for you

We’re in for a lovely day today.



Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Two large deer

 In the yard this morning.

From bed one they went to the woods.

Blended into a complete camouflage.

Good to have them back.


Right now there is nothing for them to destroy.

They’ll be back when the garden 

Begins to get ready.

I’m sure they’ll remember the garden.

Monday, March 27, 2023

To the bird sanctuary

 A hundred city folk at the nature center.

slides and talk, we were there.

a great speaker that knows the birds,

has followed them around the globe.

a gift to hear his talk.

like the free concerts, another reward of living near the city.


eye exam

 a taste of advanced technology bestowed on me.

had my eyes checked for new glasses.

the doctor swiftly did his work.

reminded me of the widely known, wise old man who checked me for glasses the first time years ago.


this man seemed to possess both magic and concern.

i felt the time had come for me to be lucky.

a gifted doctor.

today I pick out my frames.


Sunday, March 26, 2023

running on steel

 periodically throughout the nights

 silence is interrupted by a calling train.

sometime  i am awake, waiting.

first distant, singing out over far fields, 


i hear it approaching the town, 

then calling down the streets.

as the rumble of steel approach and pass in darkness.

taunting, rumbles crawl near.


passing, becoming faint again.

oh, Night mystery, I love the song you sing to me.

waiting now for next you pass.

keep rolling