Poetry

. Bright Light, Some City "It's probably a reflection of my own, if I may say, loneliness. I don't know. It could be the whole human condition." — Edward Hopper on "Morning Sun" Why does it matter that the sun has seemedto seek her out as she awakes abovethe morning...

. Storm Dog Thunder, bounding through the holler, shouts. The lights are flickering but are not out. My dog is terrified out in the rain, (My cats don’t mind or so their actions claim.) I let him in his panic to assuage, His gratefulness to me his eyes display. He...

. Something in the Water The swimmer had removed her clothes, __Then turned and gave a wail, For in the dressing room there was __A biologic male. Man’s voice, broad shoulders, 6 foot 4, __With men he could not win. But then the college gurus __As a woman let him...

. Take Me Out to the Ball Game The game of baseball’s changed since I was younger, Back when the Giants played at Candlestick. A hot dog in my hand helped quench my hunger; The left-field stands were cheap, but did the trick. I watched as Mays, McCovey and Cepeda...

. Devotions Night after night, for nigh a year, When bedtime came, we’d watch our child Be overcome by his emotions: From glee, to rage, to childish fear, And us both stumped: What drove him so wild __And triggered these explosions? He needed more than bedtime prayer To climb down...

. Lamplights at Dusk  Along the tree-lined lane, I walk at dusk, On pavement gray, well-washed by autumn showers, And watch the fading day discard its husk, As countless leaves cascade from russet bowers. Beneath their noble, outstretched arms I stroll From pool to pool of light along the way Cast...

. California Meme-ing ---on Gov. Newsom's recent ban of AI deepfake memes The perilous and puckish AI fairy Has magicked mocking memes so sharp they've shocked Grand Guvnor Noos'em---spoofs have proved so scary His poison pen has got this scoffing blocked. Just like the wondrous works of finest fiction These...

. The Painter  The moment when a painting is complete, He starts another piece without delay Like respiration—take a breath; repeat. Without this passion, he won't last a day. While Nature keeps on working tirelessly To make the world replete with variations, This painter's life has no diversity Except in...

. The Last Petal In a garden old and wise, Where blooms and seasons intertwine, A rose stood tall against the skies, Its petals bright, its heart divine. But time, unseen, began to stir, A single petal loosed its hold, And with it fell a whispered word, A story ending,...

. The Father of All Lights "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" ---James 1:17 How much more to please him, then, __The Father of all lights, We should---if so...

. Oaks of Righteousness “That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD…”  ---Isaiah 61:3 What stories shared between these gnarled trees, What secrets shared twixt these and smiling breeze Softly singing, “So much more left to see…” Rustling, roused, rising to a mighty shake; Rooting,...

. Of Windows and Lawns "I grew up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn." —Kamala Harris There was a theory that a single broken Window wasn’t a big deal. But Too many broken windows were a token Urban streets had fallen in a rut;...

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtNh_jWAzKU . Henry Knox in His Bookstore ---from Legends of Liberty, Volume 3 The chiming of a doorway’s silver bells Announced the timing of a late arriving Patron to browse the stacks, divining smells Of freshly printed spruce and pine, reviving Dormant memories of thriving woods And fathers rhyming...

. August, at Your Pleasure The year, by August, late in middle age,gives knowing winks to autumn as the goldof summer sun and wheat fields turn the page,as youth, prolonged by zest, lets loose its hold. Recall those Augusts past, upon a beachin Albion---the sand, the sea, the dune;of innocence...

. Follow the Miracle A random head-turn? Vector wind deflection? Or was it truly heavenly protection? His head came close to being torn asunder Yet he survived! I have to wonder If Trump was saved by divine intervention. This strange event has captured my attention; And since it happened, I...

. Viracocha Viracocha made the world, __He made it in a day. A day in Viracocha’s life __Would leave you old and gray, So when he’d finished making it __He must sit down and play. Viracocha made the world, __He made it in a minute. He was so pleased with...

. Valediction for a Critic "She can second-guess the sixth sense of a poem." —Seamus Heaney "I thought—and still think—that all people would like poetry if they were only brought up with it and shown how easily it is entered into, and what enormous solace it has to offer." —Helen...

. Light Wave Heatwave When the temperature rises, a worker despises __The withering glare of the sun. When the sweat’s so profuse that our skin is a sluice, __Even golf and croquet ain’t no fun. A jug of cool water grows hotter and hotter __As Sol makes his way up...

. Kristallnacht---The Night of Broken Glass I tell my son he must not make a sound. I whisper, “Karl, this attic is our haven. Don’t cry! Don’t let the brown shirts know we’re here!” Alfrida’s shaking. I must act much braver Than what I feel. What if they burn the...

. To September Your fields and groves are lushly emerald still; Your flowers still waft their scents and vaunt their flair; Your blazing rays still generously spill; Your winds still gently breathe their balmy air. But now your verdure slowly, subtly fades And droops with languor, sated to its fill;...

. Let’s Laugh at Leftists with a nod to Joseph S. Salemi Step right up and see the freaks, Who call sane values mere antiques! Hear them weep and moan and whine When you won’t ape the party line! See the clowns: “transgendered” males Who grow their hair and paint...

. Catullus XI Furius and Aurelius, my two friends, Whether I go to farthest India, The shore by ever-pounding Eastern seas Beaten by tide-waves, To Hyrcania, or Arabia’s pillowed ease, Scythia, arrow-bristling Parthia, Waters commingled with the seven-fold River of Egypt, Whether I climb and cross the tall cold Alps,...

. When Your Foe Is Perilously Strong When your foe is perilously strong It mightn’t be too preposterous or wrong To let him think that you’re a friend of his. If you’re a minority and somewhat weak There is no shame at first in being meek When your foe is perilously strong....

. Solitaire A fresh tableau gives hope of gaining traction In the builds. Shortly, though, you see you’re beat. It’s like life: strangely rich the satisfaction Of having dealt your own unique defeat. . . Bird Brain I’d settle for an avian brain If in the bargain came the gift...

. There Are Masters and Then There Are Masters The moth’s desire for muzziness of moon Looms large in some men’s minds.  They seem to think That muddled paradox, that Indian rune Philosophy, is fine because its link, Its line goes back in mistiness.  That’s good Enough for them.  They...

. Over the Hill Now that you’re "over the hill," Relax. Enjoy the view. Life’s a beach, so chill. Work? You’ve had your fill. It’s time to just do you; And now that you’re over the hill, You’ve better ways to fill The coming days. Your new Life’s a beach,...

. Flora's England The hedgerows droop with bulbous berries black As feathers of the Raven in the sun Of August, glowing hot upon his back. He soars above the corn, its growing done. While Lammas songs are sung in hamlet fields, The sickles swing and slice a background beat That...

. A Prayer in Three Quatrains Too well I know, I am a son of error; Too well I know the weakness of my frame. Yet still I plead, Lord, save me from this terror; And of Thy mercy, blot out all my shame. A worm, I plead in squirming...

. The Traveler I walked along a dusty road, The night was long and cruel and cold. When suddenly upon the path, I came across a speck of gold. I picked it up in sheer delight, And stumbled to a broken inn. Yet when I asked to stay the night,...

. Common Brief I watch the leaves awaken in the wood behind our home, as daybreak crawls along the trees, and shafts of sunlight penetrate the canopy. The leaves are motionless, but soon enough they’ll shake off sleep and dress for work, which is their God-appointed state. Though relatively frail,...

. An Awkward Endorsement on Putin's recent endorsement of Kamala Harris for president There's no disputing, Putin's put the boot in. In rooting for Ms. Harris, he has sent The press into a tizzy. Now they're shootin' For reasons to declare Vlad's backing bent. How dare this cunning, Trump-adoring chump...

. Crystal Spires or Lake of Fire? The day shall come. For some, just like a thief That sneaks unknown. An accident and grief. __Our flesh and spirit sever. For many souls, slow as a morphine drip Their life submerges like a sinking ship. __Such vigils last forever. It is...

. Nehemiah Questions Robert Frost About Walls “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” ---Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” “Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burnt with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” ---Nehemiah 2:17 “I wonder...

. I Have Waited for September I have waited for September When the stars shine silver white; When the sun with trepidation Chases off the cold of night. Farmers seek to reap their harvest: All the golden grain that grows; Man and beast shall nightly shiver From their midriff to...

. Empty Words There was a time not long agoWhen insults led to deadly duels.Today, on streaming videoI saw men call each other fools. And women did the same, and worse,Forsaking wit and eloquenceWith every epithet and curse,And none of it had consequence. Not once did I hear someone say,“My...

. Cicada Serenade Boys hang their beat on the heat of the summer. Sticky days twang with their thick, tinny ring. Banshee crescendos and thrums from each drummer Shiver mesquites where the mockingbirds sing. Noons throb and drone with the buzz of winged minstrels Crooning a tune of cacophonous zeal....

. Supply and Demand Infinite happiness isn’t available. Something so precious just isn’t that scalable. Boundless dismay, though, is much more attainable. Being uncoveted, pain is quite gainable. . . Off Day The best that I can do today Is leak a sigh of lost dismay And wish that it...

. Where Virtue Dies In the city of Washington, where virtue dies in the immoral sewage as it putrefies, those who tell the most brazen, despicable lies, and accumulate sound bites that self-aggrandize, trade their souls in for power that they exercise for their personal profit, to no great surprise....

. Dante in Modern Times If I were Dante, and the quest were mine To reprise chapters of his Comedie For modern times, perhaps no less Divine For being steeped in modern tragedie, I’d start with Hell, where sinners roast in fires Fueled by falsehoods told, retold and spun Into...

. Recipe for a Poem Scraped clean of glib and warty observation, On pristine paper place one piercing thought. Add in the fragrant oil of concentration, Simmer in meaning. When the blend you sought Requires further action verbs to savor, And phrases come together in a form, Add adjectives, if...