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.

Shut-Eye Lullaby

Shut-Eye Lullaby
20 May 2016

Today was so much fun,
But it’s all over and done.
Tomorrow you’ll play and run
All day out in the sun.
Jamison, good night.
Jamison, sleep tight.

Now it’s time to dream
About when you jump and leap
Splashing in a stream,
Dream it all in your sleep.
Jamison, good night.
Jamison, sleep tight.

Your dreams’ll be a pretty sight
As you make everything all right.
Now it’s time to say “good night.”
Now it’s time to sleep tight.
Jamison, good night.
Jamison, sleep tight.

Lay down and close your eyes.
Breathe deep and relax to sighs
As Daddy starts to rhapsodize,
Harmonize and sing lullabies.
Jamison, good night.
Jamison, sleep tight.

Vegas Ruckus

Vegas Ruckus
29 March 2016

The bewildered look on my face
Says I’m not in Kansas anymore.
I’m feeling so out of place,
Where there’s sinning galore.
They told me Vegas would be fun,
But here I’m feeling overcome.
Out on the street there’s too much sun.
Where did all these people come from?
It’s effin’ easy to be overrun.
Everything here’s so much bigger.
It’s really way over the top.
It’s all too much for my vigor.
Let me go home or make it all stop.

Horsehead Homestead

Horsehead Homestead
21 Feb 2016

Out in a rural western state,
Along with the mesas and canyons,
Located miles from the interstate
Are foothills of junipers and piñons.

There’s a small town between
The tilled lands and the forest
From which a horsehead can be seen.
On the mountainside, it’s manifest.

Whether in or out of bed,
Out on the old homestead
They want the horsehead
To stand them in good stead.

With good luck besides,
The spirit of the horse
High on the mountainsides
Watches over their course.

The horsehead keeps its watch,
Looking at the Colorado plateau;
Across scenery that’s top-notch,
Over the years thru sun or snow.

Labor Day on the Bay

Labor Day on the Bay
8 Sept 2015

To celebrate Labor Day
We went to play in the sun,
Splashing in the bay,
And building a sandcastle for fun.
Our castle was shapeless.
The sand resisted conforming.
Shaping battlements was hopeless.
Water and kids performing
Their best to undermine
Building efforts by adults.
Their joint forces did combine
To give suboptimal results.
Amid all the fun and recreation,
The sun's ever churning fusion
Emitted ultraviolet radiation,
Giving the kids a burning conclusion.
From a parental point of view
Perhaps nothing was accomplished.
But there was no emergency rescue
And for the time “work” vanished.

Fall Aerosol

Fall Aerosol
26 Sept 2014

Not high summer's floodlight garish blaze
Nor the tepid temperature of a solstice,
The September sun casts its own glaze
Of autumn tone and illumination jaundice.
The afternoon feels pleasant.
As the seasons turn in sequel,
Each with its own feel. At present
I sense that recently Fall fell.
The seasons are turning their annual wheel.
As much as I want to hold onto summer,
Autumn beckons with its own appeal.
Gone is the worrisome sunburn bummer.
Now I worry more about getting chilled,
But there's a jacket in my closet if I need.
The trees are putting on their fall gild
And my behavior best change at a speed
That's been impressed and instilled,
And by the season's pattern decreed.

Morning Jog, Day's Prolog

Morning Jog, Day's Prolog
12 June 2014

Leap, run, run
Is my cadence
In the morning sun
Near my residence.
The sun on my skin
Feels warm and good.
A touch of silken
Breeze cools the neighborhood.
I wave at the neighbor
I see as I run past.
It adds to the caliber
Of my day's forecast.

Solstice Instance

Solstice Instance
17 Dec 2013

Considering the time of year,
A day of sun brought some cheer.
A persistent thought suggested
Stripping and going bare chested.
The idea went against reason
In the winter solstice season.
I didn't anticipate any harm
And working like a charm
The sunshine kept me warm.

View Adieu

View Adieu
22 December 2012

By a series of jerks and tugs,
The old man awkwardly lugs
His familiar rocking chair
From it's usual spot to where
The best view appears.
Then he takes down the sheers
For an unobstructed sight
Of the winter solstice sunset.
He sits to catch the daylight,
Then he half-stands to reset
The rocker with a final salvo
So the sun is centered in his window.
He didn't always get to enjoy sunsets.
Much of life was earning a livelihood,
One of his best retirement assets
Is having time to enjoy as he should.
Only by glances can he watch the grand show.
On this eve of the longest darkness,
This late in the day, the sun's glow
Hurts his eyes to look at its starkness.
When the sun goes behind a tree.
The light decreases slightly.
Moving at its own stately pace,
The sun slowly slides with grace
Paralleling a palm tree trunk.
When the sun's two-thirds shrunk,
He stands to watch the radiance
Gradually diminish in brilliance.
Finally, the last sunbeams peek
Thru a tree branch's leak.
When the show's over, he tows
His chair back to where it goes.

Actually, he's not like he's made out to be
Because he's really just little ol' me.

Moon Nips Or Eclipse

Moon Nips Or Eclipse
20 May 2012

I think the moon must have been hungry today
And tried to eat the sun out of the sky.
The moon started with a small bite of buffet.
Very gradually there was less of the sun pie
Until only a big C was auspicious.
Then the C changed to a U, like a smily face.
I don't think the sun was delicious
Because the moon spit it back out in space.

Iridescent Present

Iridescent Present
20 March 2012

While washing pots and pans from my stew,
As the dishwater went down the drink,
Soap bubbles formed and sun refracting thru
Gave me double rainbows in my sink.

Leather at the Pride Parade

Leather at the Pride Parade

18 July 2011

I walked with my friend over to the parade

Staging area, hugging friends along the way.

Eventually we found the leather cavalcade

As the sun burned the marine layer away.

Along with socializing, Wish supplied

Water and nourishment for our benefit.

My sunscreen got shared and applied

Guarding against sunburn’s stealthy hit.

Titleholders stood around in discourses

With Mama’s people and upstarts.

Three members dressed like horses

Complete with harnesses and carts.

There was a gentle breeze along the route

That kept us cool, natural ventilation.

The rest of the country can eat its heart out,

Jealous of San Diego’s location.

The crowds were enthusiastic, cheering

And applauding as we passed their mark,

People lined the street gawking and peering

From Normal Street to Balboa Park.