Hard-core Chore

Hard-core Chore
24 Jan 2015

Looking at the task to be done,
Didn’t look like very much fun.
Setting about with determination
And stimulated by imagination,
She dug in where there was need.
Concentrating on doing the deed,
Incrementally making progress
While ignoring any stress,
Soon she could see results.
Double checking for faults,
The job didn’t seem megalithic.
Doing her best with a work ethic,
With what she knew and what she had
The final outcome wasn’t half bad.

Published by The Australia Times

One of my poems was published by The Australia Times (TAT) in their poetry magazine. I'm totally blown away, they used my photo and gave me a two-page spread. After clicking on the link below, in the lower right corner of the screen, you can enter page 62 to skip directly to my poem.
http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/magazine/poetry/issue/215/

Nightfall Overhaul

Nightfall Overhaul
10 June 2014

Good night, Paul, good night.
Time to turn out the light.
As you sleep tight,
I wish you sweet dreams.
In the glow of moonbeams,
May pleasant be the themes
Of the scenes in your mind.
As sleep helps you unwind,
Relaxation is assigned.

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.

Cream of Self-Esteem

Cream of Self-Esteem
9 June 2014

The old uptight me
Is now loose and free,
The way it ought to be.
After years of agony
I've broken from tyranny.

The tyranny of group think
That was way out of sync
So I felt like a rat fink
And brought me to the brink
Of almost no more pen and ink.

Pen and ink let me fully express
My inner self with success,
Without having to repress,
Confess or be a mess.
It's been a long process.

A process of listening and reading,
Uploading new ways of thinking.
By baby steps proceeding,
Getting results, not misleading,
Old ways gradually receding.

Australia Times Again

The Australia Times published one of my poems:
http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/emagazines/poetry/issue211/#p=26

Touch As Such

Touch As Such
23 May 2014

Your hand on my knee
Generates the calm
Of skin on skin.
The sensation pleases me,
To feel the palm
Of another human.
Let me soak in our alchemy
And focus on the balm
Of the touch vitamin.

For Mother's Day

Honor On Her
10 May 2014

As soon as she's pregnant
A prospective mother dreams.
Most of them are poignant
As she plans and schemes.
She has very high hopes
As she suffers and copes.

On this day we honor the women
Who labored to give us birth,
Who gave their all for our beginnin'
And fostered us on this earth.
The name I value above any other
Is the sacred name of Mother.

One Horseman's Son

One Horseman's Son
16 March 2014

On paper my father was a farmer
But that's something of a misnomer.
Although he spent time pulling plows
I never knew him to own any cows.
Proving as a groom that he was a generous gent,
He gave my mother a horse as a wedding present.
Around the time I came along
His horse herd was a dozen strong.
Among canyons and hills renowned
For expansive outdoor spaces,
Were acres and acres of playground
And an all-around view of faraway places.
I grew up riding horses on our days off.
We would see the them from a ways off
And approach with grain in a pail,
Shaking it to make the sale.
With their noses in the bucket, distracted,
It was easy to slip a loop around their neck
Before they caught on and reacted.
Just reins were all you needed, by heck,
To ride bareback and race with the wind.
Nothing more fun could be imagined.

How pleasant to wallow in the sentimentality
Of remembering youth in less than its totality.
I now live hours away in another state.
Growing up on a ranch didn't determine my fate.
My current lifestyle is different from then,
Very different from what might have been.
Hoeing beans and getting sunburned.
Was the very first money I earned.
I carefully accounted for every penny that came.
The values learned then are now lived the same.
Yes, much has changed over the many years,
But I'm still the horseman's son, my dears.

Published in Australia

One of my poems was published by the Australia Times, page 53.

http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/emagazines/poetry/issue203/#p=52

Cyberspace Interface

Cyberspace Interface
17 Jan 2014

Let's rejoice in our day of liberation.
We don't have to wander as strangers anymore.
Glad tidings are resounding thru each nation
Around the world from Livermore to Timor.
With the internet to connect us together
At all hours, be it daylight or midnight,
Regardless of the seasons or weather,
Bush inhabitant contacting urbanite.
It's fairly easy to find others who
Have the same interests reported,
So we don't have to muddle thru
Feeling all alone and unsupported.

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.

Grope With Hope

Grope With Hope
25 Nov 2013

Hello newborn, hello.
Just to let you know
Mommy loves you so.
Aye, you're such a wee one,
Learning about life's dealings.
Right now along with everyone,
We're experiencing strong feelings.
There's Mommy's concern and care,
Alternating between swearing and prayer.
Family members worry about your welfare
And all want health, fair and square.

Once on a spiritual weekend retreat
I had a rebirthing experience to embrace.
At first, I didn't recognize the feat.
It felt like I was in a very confined space
With strong, firm forces moving me about.
Then there was light, light everywhere.
No matter how I turned my head to checkout,
The brightness was around, always there.
My tiny torso filled with emotion, full bore.
That feeling was hope by the score.
Hope that I would be loved and cared for.

I like to think that every baby has hope.
Like me, hope's in every newborn's envelope.
In welcoming you infant, within our scope
There're desires in our hearts, too.
We hope you have healthy, happy years.
We want to do very well by you.
As you grow, we expect to guide your fears.
Because of how we think, our hopes will manifest
Differently for everybody. There'll be frustrations,
But we all desire an outcome that's the best
And promise to be mindful in our ministrations.

Mellow Hello

There's an old Neil Diamond song that starts "Hello my friend, hello."

Mellow Hello
18 Nov 2013

Hello Jamison, hello.
Just to let you know
Daddy loves you so.
Aye, you're such a wee one,
But your life's just begun.
Before very long
You'll be big and strong,
But that's down the road
When you're all growed.
Just for now,
As time will allow
Stay in my arms here
And fall asleep, my dear.

All Call

All Call
17 Nov 2013

Come, come, whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving,
Whether your home is near or far.
Leave off your sadness and grieving.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Even if you have broken your vows
A thousand times beyond repair
And eaten the meat of sacred cows.
That was a different paradigm
Not at all suited for you,
Belonging to a different time.
Now the calling rings true.

Come yet again, come, come.
Join us in our joyous celebration.
Know that all are very welcome
In our peculiar congregation.
We’ll sing and we’ll shout
Hosannah! as we hang out.
It will be a walkabout,
A pilgrimage without a doubt.
Join us to experience something new,
To rekindle your inner magic.
This invitation means a changed you
That feels whole, not tragic.

Welcome Pilgrim

Welcome Pilgrim
16 Nov 2013

Hello Jamison, my newest nephew.
My, my it's been really busy
With lots of activity around you.
We've all been in a tizzy.
Grandma Adams came to give childcare
While you and Bronwyn were hospitalized
And Monson went the ER for his welfare.
Everybody was stressed, almost traumatized.
Britton lost his first game of the season.
Then Sterling flew to a Denver conference
Where he spoke to thinkers of reason
Using physics research as a reference.
After a few hectic days, we're glad
To have you home with the family.
We're all ready, with Mom and Dad,
For life to continue more serenely.

Touchstone Undertone

Touchstone Undertone
7 October 2013

At the gym while my body was busy,
My mind ranged free to supposition,
Thinking about what the future will be
And came up with a proposition.
Traditionally, my high school class
Has a reunion once every ten years.
So far we've met four times en masse.
Accounting for life expectancy, my dears,
We'll probably meet only thrice more.
If you knew you were only going to see me
Three times before going thru death's door,
How would you greet me?
How would you treat me?

Life's so unpredictable and very uncertain,
We don't know what the future will bring
And what will happen before the final curtain,
So let's include everyone under our wing.
We can do this by smiling at everyone,
Especially at others we don't know.
There doesn't have to be any reason
Just let our love and respect show.
How many more times are you going to see them?
Why not behave like crème de la crème?
How would you greet them?
How would you treat them?

Trading Post Meaning Diagnosed

Trading Post Meaning Diagnosed
2 October 2013
Inspired by an article by Steve Simpson published in the San Juan Record.

Heavy rains made for lots of weeds
Growing around the trading post.
I procrastinated due to pressing needs
Until weeding became foremost.
So I was sitting on a box in which milk's crated
Extracting goat-heads and cheat grass,
When a restored '69 Chevelle decelerated.
As it parked, the stereo's output mass
Was so loud that Every People by Family Stone
Could be heard, "There is a yellow one
That won't accept the black one,
That won't accept the red one,
That won't accept the white one."
The hippie winked, switched off the engine
And headed into the cafe for his day to begin.
Next, a car that had seen better days
Stopped close to where I sat pulling weeds.
Out stepped two women of stylish Navajo ways.
"Which direction to the woman of weaving deeds?"
"She lives over there," pursing my lip
And indicating south to the Reservation.
One woman explained she had a kinship,
But there had been decades of social privation.
This woman had moved away to live among the "whites."
"Really, you left us to live with those guys?"
"Yes, I married one and my grandkids are urbanites.
Disappointment must have shown thru my eyes.
Portuguese ancestry gives me darker skin, that's true,
Or maybe it was the way I pointed with my lips,
She looked at me in earnest, "Well, they're people too."
The women left to continue searching for relationships.
A few minutes later the hippie strolled out.
Then as he backed away, his stereo kicked in
"We got to live together," rock and rolled out.
It crossed my mind that insight often clicked in
At unexpected times from an uncommon emissary
And I should give my attitude a new itinerary.

After-School Carpool

I live close enough to an elementary school to hear the crossing guard's whistle. This afternoon while watering the yard, I watched moms picking up their kids.

After-School Carpool
13 Sept 2013

Time to pick up the kids from school.
Buckle the baby and four-year old in their car seats
Remind them, "Safety's the rule."
Hug them and make them happy with candy treats.
Look both ways before pulling out,
Watch carefully while driving down the streets.
After the bell rings, the kids come ambling out,
Most are looking for Mommy, but some act like athletes.
"What did you learn at school today?"
"I don't really remember, but at lunch Johnny
Threw  up and went to sick bay.
He's sick a lot, that's why he's so scrawny."
Make sure everybody's seat belt is on
Before heading back they way you came.
Never boring, chances are odds on
You're looking for five minutes to claim.
Raising children is a large responsibility,
Keeping you constantly watching and busy,
Testing your patience and reliability.
It's enough to put men in a tizzy.
Because women are good at multi-tasking
They can make it look easy and such,
And do it all without asking
For help. Thank you very much.

Dinner Guest for Breakfast

Dinner Guest for Breakfast
25 August 2013

I went for Sunday dinner at my nephew's,
Going to their friends' was confessed.
They had an invitation they couldn't refuse.
The friends' supper would be breakfast.
We would be having homemade waffles to eat
With the young family of Jacob and Nancy.
So we jumped in and drove down the street.
To their middle-class home, nothing fancy.
She was busy with the waffle maker,
I went and looked over the back acre.
After blessing the food, it was served.
The kid's plates were closely observed
To make sure they had enough in quantity
And inspected for parental seal of quality.
There was butter, peanut butter and maple syrup
To go on the waffles and eggs were scrambled up.
For the first time, in spite of reluctance,
Regardless of the prejudices I had,
I ate eggs and peanut butter all at once.
It really wasn't so awfully bad.
Perhaps it's a new way to get my protein,
A modification of my diet,
A variation on my usual routine.
Nah, I just thought I'd try it.