04 December 2017

Heart-warming And Charming


Heart-warming And Charming

28 November 2017

Your beauty welcomes me.
Your visual appeal touches me
And goosebumps manifest
To make me feel blessed.
Good looks come from symmetry, 
Proportion and repetition,
Like in the marble parquetry.
All three are done to perfection.
Everywhere, underfoot and overhead,
Is elegance and loveliness.
Prettiness and grandeur are wed
Into luxury and courtliness.
The paucity of my treasury
Prevents me from staying long.
My enjoyment must be momentary,
Short, like I don't belong.
The fleeting moments are stowed,
In my memory where they won't corrode,
To warm my heart with grandness
From the sparks of beauty's flame.
In times of poverty and blandness,
I reflect back on your lovely acclaim.

16 November 2017

‘I Want To Write’ Rewrite


‘I Want To Write’ Rewrite

27 October 2017
Original by Margaret Walker

I want to write, not just anything.
I wanna write the songs of my folks.
I want to hear them singing melodies in the evening.
I wanna record the strains rising from their throats
As they form their dreams into words; their souls into notes.
I wanna catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl
As they fling dark hands to a darker sky and some
Reach to fill their hands full of stars.
Then they crush and mix such lights until they become
A mirrored pool of brilliance in Mason jars.


I Want To Write
by Margaret Walker

I want to write
I want to write the songs of my people.
I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark.
I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats.
I want to frame their dreams in to words; their souls into notes.
I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl;
fling dark hands to a darker sky
and fill them full of stars
then crush and mix such lights till they become
a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn.

29 October 2017

Guidelines Road Signs


Guidelines Road Signs

27 October 2017

While traveling on vacation,
Anywhere across the nation,
Look for signs high and low
So you know where to go.
Hoping that by using GPS
You’ll avoid getting lost,
And steer clear of any mess
That would add to the cost.
In an unfamiliar location
It’s easy to misinterpret
The guidepost’s indication
And decide the right gambit.
In cities with multiple lanes
Sometimes it’s hard to see
Which way is right and pertains
Or leads to missed opportunity.
One wrong turn and suddenly
You have to get back on track.
The map app helps certainly
When you’re out of whack.
Still it’s a traffic matter 
Of being in the right place
So you don’t go splatter
From being in the wrong space.

20 October 2017

Fit Benefit


Fit Benefit

9 October 2017

Today my personal power and wealth
Are indicated by my good health.
I’m strong enough that whatever life’s endeavor,
Today I feel like I could live forever.
This internal sense of superiority
Comes from my very own authority.
I don’t need any one else’s permission,
For sure I’m not bowing in submission.
I’m grateful for my physique’s agility
And all that gives me a sense of virility.
Even if I’m the one and only witness,
I’ll celebrate to honor my fitness.

04 October 2017

Xenophobia Phobia


Xenophobia Phobia

2 October 2017

As I juggle my internal struggle,
Emotion says they’re strange.
Logic says it’s time to change.
It’s hard to predict my inner conflict.
One part gives an unalike sermon,
Another whispers we’re all human.
One idea that I wrestle
Is they’re not people to nestle,
Versus we’re all in the same vessel.
Eternally I grapple internally
With an urge of what I ought
Against all rational thought.
I have notions of conflicting emotions,
Of wishing others ill and harm
Or keeping them safe and warm.
By day and night, myself I fight;
Against impulse to ignore and deny
Hoping my better self comes by.
As I blunder, sometimes I wonder
If it’s innate, this instinct to hate
Or if I can overcome that trait.

11 September 2017

Jubilation And Appreciation


Jubilation And Appreciation

10 Sept 2017

My day began with joy and thanksgiving.
The joy in my heart comes from my inner child
And thanksgiving arises from this life I’m living.
Since my everyday ego and inner child reconciled,
There’s been an attitudinal and behavioral change.
I no longer have a compulsion for perfection.
I efficiently do my tasks and act to rearrange
My way of doing things and my personal direction.
One day I realized that it doesn’t matter,
How I dress doesn’t matter a lot.
Nobody will remember that stain or splatter.
My chore order isn’t the final upshot.
As long as the final result pleases me
Nitpicking doesn’t matter anymore.
I get to do whatever appeases me
And make the mundane less of a chore.

16 August 2017

Squirting And Hurting


Squirting And Hurting
11 August 2017

My trigger finger’s itchin’.
I’ve got ants crawling everywhere
They’re all over my kitchen, 
In my cupboards, in my silverware! 
Insecticide has its own smell.
It’s not perfume that I can tell.
But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance
Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

What ants like isn’t for me to presume
They’re crawling in my bathtub.
And all over my powder room.
I’ll give that place a good scrub.
Insecticide has its own smell.
It’s not perfume that I can tell.
But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance
Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

Ants are on my computer desk.
There’s one on my reading glasses.
It’s not gonna be picturesque,
When I spray to kill their asses.
Insecticide has its own smell.
It’s not perfume that I can tell.
But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance
Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

06 August 2017


Can Keeper And Bottle Reaper

19 July 2017

Up and down the alleys and streets
The pedal-powered urban gleaners toil.
They seek and sort for their treats.
Although they don’t harvest from soil.
In the evening and thru the night
They pick thru curbside recycling bins.
Bottles and cans bring them delight.
The looted booty becoming bagged burdens.
The reprocessables are taken to be reclaimed
To be itemized by weight or count.
Then a store voucher can be claimed
And redeemed for food or a cash amount.
In a gray area, the urban gleaners
Search and sort for their livelihood.
They may be vilified for their demeanors,
But they’re good for the neighborhood.

23 July 2017

Hair Care


Hair Care
14 July 2017

The fine hair floats down into my face.
After treatment by a brush and comb,
It doesn’t like to stay in one place.
It wants to wander away from home.
I don’t want to look too grubby
Even tho I’m thoroughly male.
One simple solution would be
To wear my hair in a ponytail.
Also, I could get all-day relief
By restraining my hair with a handkerchief.

12 July 2017

Healed Yield


Healed Yield
26 June 2017

“You never want a drink until the well runs dry.”
You don’t miss something that’s always there.
Suddenly, one day it’s gone and there’s an outcry.
For me, symptoms came the same as wear and tear.
One, then another affliction came to my attention.
None, by itself, was important enough to mention.
After a road trip, my hearing was diminished.
One ear was partially, then fully blocked;
Making words and music on that side hushed.
It was hard to gauge my volume as I talked.
Also, a sore spot under my tongue
Made it hard to vocalize and chew.
My personal song of life went unsung.
I discussed with my doctor each issue.
My physician prescribed a medication
Because of the results of my lab test.
I took the drug for my edification
And it’s benefits quickly manifest.
Now my mouth’s better, so I can talk.
My hearing’s cleared up, so both ears function.
I move, so there’s no problem with my walk.
I’m grateful to be at a healthy junction.
There’s a feeling of well-being where I dwell.
It’s like there’s fresh water in my well.

20 June 2017

a.m. Gem


a.m. Gem
19 June 2017

After the end of a dark night
Comes the gentle morning light.
The sun’s warmth feels like a shower,
Unlike midday rays that overpower.
I can enjoy exposure without concern,
Without risking any pesky sunburn.
It’s a peaceful, pleasant way 
To get going and start my day.

03 June 2017

At Most A Toast



At Most A Toast
30 May 2017

Thoughts and a toast to the newlyweds!
Hopefully, from your warmhearted parents
You learned how not to be boneheads,
But life skills made their appearance;
Like how to reconcile a bank account
And how to change a car’s flat tire.
From siblings, thinking of the amount,
Of years spent fighting with fire,
You have now let hostilities cease.
With an armed truce, there’s peace.

A happy marriage extender
Takes additional personal skills.
First you experience surrender,
When limerence brings thrills.
Surrendering to love has its importance.
Later, personal needs will surface,
So you’ll need to learn to balance
To meet the demands of spousal service.
In the future, adding a child will make 
For a triangular teeter-totter;
Dragging more tests in its wake,
Making for a trial by fire and water,
And requiring powers of persuasion.
Lastly, here’s to this happy occasion.

25 May 2017

Love-In At Donovan


Love-In At Donovan
22 May 2017

I went to jail yesterday.
It was at Donovan state prison,
But I didn’t have to stay.
The occasion was a TEDx exposition.
Half of the speakers were from inside
And half of them were outside invitations.
All gave their speeches with pride
In spite of the facility’s limitations.
The theme was “Beyond the Surface,
Not judging a book by its cover;
Looking past another’s epidermis
To find all there is to discover.
After the speeches was socializing
With guests and inmates freely mixing.
Conversations ranged without specializing
Or having authorities doing the fixing.
For me the event was very positive
And I hope there’ll be repercussions.
The impact’ll make all more sensitive
And lead to productive discussions,
More dialog and experience exchanges
That eventually cause policy changes.

02 May 2017

Yearning For Returning


Biltmore House
Bass Pond
Begonia

Golden Azalea

Tulip

Wisteria

Pansies

Daisies

Orchids
Click on photo to enlarge.

Yearning For Returning

26 April 2017

I’d like to go back once more.
Tell the Inn to save me a room
To see flowers at the Biltmore
When the azaleas are in bloom.
Let me visit when the tulips blossom
And the hanging wisteria’s awesome.
I love the colors of the pansies
That match to hues of the daisies.
I want to explore the conservatory
That shows off varieties of hybrids,
Including an amazing begonia variety
And bountiful sprays of orchids.
Let me stroll down to the Bass Pond
To see the brick bridge reflected,
The calm water and the trees beyond;
So my joie de vivre gets resurrected.

25 April 2017

Meal Appeal


Meal Appeal

19 April 2017

Dinner wasn’t normal comfort food
With the usual texture and taste.
This meal came with attitude
And it wasn’t made in haste.
The flavors were an attention getter.
The different presentation was no decoy.
Dinner wasn’t comfort food; it was better.
So my taste buds are dancing for joy!

13 April 2017

Body Haul On A Rock Wall


Click on photo to enlarge.
 
Body Haul On A Rock Wall
8 April 2017

Fingers gripping and toes upholding
The climber rises like a slow kite.
With concentration and skill molding,
Defying gravity to reach a new height.
The crosswind erratically tugs
As the rock climber slowly advances,
On the way up positioning lugs,
Securing the climbing mate’s chances
Of a successful mountaineering.
The buddy retrieving anchors as she goes,
Sometimes requiring body engineering
And the shifting of equipment cargos.
At the top, another anchor will suffice,
Then long ropes are thrown down.
The descent is belayed thru a device.
With the ropes placed, they go to town.
Going up and down becomes child’s play
And a pleasant way to end the day.

29 March 2017

Old Friends’ Dividends


Old Friends’ Dividends
27 March 2017

Like a flower’s lingering scent
I remember the time we spent.
Like the candle’s smell
After it’s been blown out,
Mentally I rehash and retell
Of us having dinner out.
We spoke of days gone by,
And remembering with a sigh
Gravy over bread as humble pie.
Contrast growing up in poverty
To us here and now eating out.
We could take the liberty
To order shrimp as it turned out.
Love and goodwill were traded.
A good time was had by all.
Sympathy and friendliness pervaded
The good-byes at withdrawal.
The memory’s been enshrined
To a special place in my mind.

17 March 2017

Bloom Boom


Click on above photo to enlarge


Bloom Boom
16 March 2017

It’s called a super bloom
By reporters in the newsroom.
Winter rain’s brought out desert flowers.
There’s been enough to end the drought,
From barely sprinkles to thundershowers.
Nicer weather is bringing people out
To see the verdant growth mushrooming
And the vibrant hues sprouting.
It looks like a carpet blooming
And the perfect excuse for an outing.

18 February 2017

Cash Music

New Website

In addition to writing poems, I've been looking for a way to make money online with my poetry. This blog was one of those attempts. Up until a couple of days ago, I hadn't made a penny online. Taking a hint from Firefox I signed on with website whose name doesn't sound particularly poet-friendly, CashMusic. Although the CashMusic format was a bit confusing, I was able to upload PDFs, videos and photos and created a website connected to a money processor. Please, visit my website and look around. If you like what you see, tell a friend. If there's anything you don't like, please tell me. Here's the link:


05 February 2017


Honey Agony
5 Jan 2017

Darling, you hardly ever say, “I love you.”
It seems like all we do is yell and argue,
So our relationship’s gone downhill and askew.
Let’s talk until we have the very same view.

Chorus
Darling, I worry that you’re doing me wrong.
I want to hear, “Honey, honey,” all night long,
“Honey, honey,” until the light of dawn.
I want your promises to be made good on.

Darling, please, come right on home to me.
When you delay I worry and feel gloomy.
Chatting together seems so dreamy,
A prelude to making our nights steamy.

Chorus

Darling, the one thing I really hate
Is when you say you’re working late.
Your work schedule isn’t supposed to deviate,
So I worry you’re making plans to fornicate.

Chorus

Darling, are you working late or at the bar?
Are you flirting with some tramp in her car?
Just flirting or have you already gone too far?
I’ll give her a story to put in her memoir!

Chorus

12 January 2017

Cabin Fever Achiever

Click on photo to enlarge.
 
Cabin Fever Achiever

Mist in the canyon puts a sheer curtain between me and the other side.
Wintery weather is giving me cabin fever by keeping me inside.
Cold wind blowing wetness around would be like facing suicide.
Remaining under the roof to stay warm and dry is the upside.
I’m indoors while my mind goes stark crazy wanting to be outside.