Once A Year

Snow.
Another foot or so.
And after you have shoveled
The winds begin to blow.
But night has overwhelmed you and so to sleep you go.

Cradled in your bed, fits of dreams begin
Until the nightmare shakes you
And wide awake you scream.
For all your work has come to naught, nay sorry this I say
The foot of snow that yesterday was cleared with force so fierce
Has come to haunt your every joint
And break you piece by piece.

It’s 9° with a Slight Chance of Snow

oil painting from the Sand Lake Ambulance collection – for sale

Cold settles cruelly in your head
It chases you quickly into bed
You cover every part you can
Yet still it clings, so unwelcome.

Open the cupboards
And there it is
Hiding in corners
And dishes and things.
Take off your gloves
And it appears
Slip them back on, and whoosh! Disappears!
Open your coat, it rushes back in
Wrap on a scarf, add on a hat,
And so you presume that is that!
It’s crushed for a moment,
Put in its place
But then it strikes back
It lashes your face.

Oh, cold, how I wish you would go, you must know
I shiver to think of all the snow
That lingers behind as you exit the scene
It stays for a week, sometimes longer it seems.

‘Tis very annoying to shovel so much
I’d rather be drinking from a tea-cup
And savoring winter on the inside
Watching through windows, people slip and slide
While laying about, safe and secure
Dreaming of summer spent at the shore.

Oh, That I Was Shakespearean

In France they liked me yesterday
Today it was the USA
Tomorrow who knows where they’ll be

Oil painting part of Sand Lake Ambulance collection for sale

As long as they do follow me.
I know it’s been some time since posting
But that should not indict my hosting
Just say hello, I’ll say adieu
Should you so like me, I shall too
Though rhymes be silly, fractious things
I hope they put a smile on wings
That take you soaring, flying high
For miles and miles up in the sky.
Oh, that I was Shakespearean
Your heart would open up and sing!

Subway Love

Subway in NYC

The trains pass, crowded with humanity,
a woman, crushed against riders,
with hair askew and packages in hand,
grabs hold the car’s gleaming pole,
struggling for space
as a myriad of hands,
unrelenting, begrudge her safety.
Out the window more trains pass,
each bears burdens of day’s woes,
work undone, promises broken,
jobs lost, some won,
though weariness surfaces in all–
the city takes its toll.
The woman exits, with little relief,
her evening a reflection of her day,
as cook and clean fill the hours,
till slumber calls
and sweet caresses of dreams obscure the city’s madding screams.

That doggie in the crèche…

NYC–St. Patrick’s Cathedral–interior–crèche with dog–looks like a golden retriever

dog and god, one and the same
you can’t fake what’s in a name
forwards, backwards, it’s the same
dog and god are one name

time past

In the boarding house across the way
Youth and age had made their way
One begins, one ends
For both the years did terrify,
Hours torment their minds away
Unpleasant days filled with fear
One enraged, the other in tears.

Remember time
Remember me
Remember how life used to be
Before we felt that cruelty
Was common to our every day
And conversations turned that way.

How was it then
When we were young
How fanciful the days begun
Bright sun and moon, a crystal sky
Snow flakes that made you question why
The world did spin and spin and spin
And dance around your every whim.

It comes together, this season called
Winter, cold and uncommonly hard
To pass without sheer agony
Settling in this timeless world.
Leaves truth behind,
Behind it stays
While trudging, we make our way
Bent, broken, all from birth
So lacking to the core, our worth.

ethos

oppressed
exigent days
New York fills me with a haze
of smoke and soot
abides not well
New York borders on the hell
of crass indifference
and yet to tell
it often proves a boon
a source of pride as all collide
and come together, side by side

Death Tracks in NYC Dec 27

Victims of the city walls
All await a deadly fall
Through sewers, streets and shopping malls
The Subway tracks tell us all
That life is rotten to the core
When we neglect our neighbors call
No jobs, low wages, a scary sight
As politicians continue on
Wreak havoc on so many here
And food a scarce commodity
While rents increase and they rejoice
To those we pay a living wage
As we scurry to our grave.

A Global-Warming Christmas

(sung to the tune of “Let It Snow”)
Oh, the climate outside is heightening
All our fears of ice caps melting
And the oceans rising round
As we drown, as we drown, as we drown.

It doesn’t show signs of slowing
As the miles we drive keep growing
And we bury our heads underground
As we drown, as we drown, as we drown.

It’s a long way off I know
And still you see it snow
But if you really want to know
It’s an inch, not a foot!

So let’s huddle together once more
While there’s still winter we can adore
And even though I know
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

In darkness

Ghosts
Choking as the phantoms grasp-
It never ends.

The memories
Damn the memories.
Heart sickens at the time past, the future narrowing.

Enemy and friend.
Mind blanks and then retrieves convoluted queries
All answers unavailable.

He was the most handsome.
Not I, but you said this.
I, who watched his growth
His muscles swell into a well seasoned athlete
Honed by meticulous care.
Yes, I did this.
With only memories left to console.
This I have done to myself.

Winter’s Holiday

In winter’s white
The open field is swallowed in a foot of snow
Another and another falls
Till nothing on horizon shows.
Then antler disappears, though buck stands six feet tall
And bull a breadth beyond that height–
The world outside is very white.

Then quick return to hearth and home
The blankets beckon, no more you roam.
Till spring melts in a river flow
And summer flowers bow down low.

post peace train, #2

I’m going slowly, slowly on the peace train, peace train, ride in
The stations are filled at Grand Central, Grand Central station, New York City
But we won’t forget
When we hop that train peace train
The pain and the terror that does prevail
The longing the fear, the sadness, the tears
the endless hours, the days of fears.

I’m here waiting, waiting the peace train, New York station.

I’d rather sleep in, but I do not dare, for here it comes, the peace train.

You all forget that Carter was hot
A man of superior intellect
Who honored our values and sought to return
To democracy the way it deserved.

But now I’m afraid, afraid that the peace train, the peace train will never arrive.
We’ve used all our luck and a little beside, the peace train sent adrift to collide

I’m down on my knees, ready to concede, we’ve lost the greatest peace to succeed
The one where we realize that truth and thought can be attuned
To a new life, just and viable too…
Where we never fear our next meal
Or the cold of winter or the searing heat.

I’ve been thinking, thinking it’s a long battle, long battle, long battle
Never resolved in my years on earth, too long, it’ll outlast us.
So I look around and think to me, whatever can make us free,
It’s the love of life, family and friends, our neighbors, pets and in the end
Relinquishing thoughts that only “us” are right, correct and only just to fight…
That our neighbors have valid ways to live
Even though not like us
And our children play…
Our earth may survive our trip to hell.
On the peace train, the peace train.

I’m looking forward to a peace train, worldwide, a peace train.

Addendum:

Runningwithellen, long napping, sends his best!

the train left the station…

hummed to the tune of Cat Stevens “Peace Train”

Now I’ve been thinking lately, about the bad things to come
And though you don’t believe it, they’ve already begun.

Oh I’ve been crying lately, seeing the world come apart
And though you don’t believe, its already begun.

Cause in the night, coming slowly, comes disaster
Oh Romney, Obama, ride us, ride us into the ground again.

Now I’ve been thinking lately, about the bad things to come
And soon you will believe it, the worst is yet to come.

The bombs are sounding louder
The cries of hunger thunder round
People on the street
Destitute, you and me.

Everyone go for cover
Cover up, cover up

Write your will, your’s and your friends’ too
The end is gettin’ nearer, nearer to me and you.

Now to join the dead, six feet underground
Death is all around, in the air and in the ground.

The bombs are sounding louder
The cries of hunger
People on the street
Yes, destitute, me and you

Everyone get a shovel
Dig that earth today
Dig, dig, dig
Dig your grave away.

go quietly in the night

come join me
come join my tears
come see the world as it is.

come join me
come see despair in every corner of the world.
cry no more, for you are yet to join,
tears are ours,
tears are everywhere.

Come see pain first hand
technology will not prevent the torture at our hands.
We are inconsolable
We are replete with regret
as we dip into hell, past heaven’s gate.

Lord save me, though I do not believe.
But once, just once, prove you know the total despair
Wreaked on this earth from those who dare
to use your name to justify the horror
wrought
the suffering of generations to come.

Once I thought that being childless was sad, but now I know this is not so
That I did not endanger another
Nor contribute to the misery we are inclined to.
Look at me, my years unfolded
Long life I wished, one time I thought
Now I know, somewhere, not far, lies answers
To end now is the only answer
To stay a manifestation of a lie.

Sunny and Chérie

(hummed to the tune of ‘I got you Babe’)

They say that work won’t pay the rent
Your paycheck’s gone before it’s ever spent…
But you don’t care, although it’s true
‘Cause hustlin’s become a way of life for you…
Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
It’s so true…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
This is you Babe…

Ten years ago you had a job
A wife and kids
A house and a big back yard..
Your life was hot, on easy street
Now you’re in the gutter, begging for somethin’ to eat…
Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
It’s so true Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
This is you Babe…

Down on your luck, clothes tattered and torn
The people pass by, leaving you ignored…
Cast adrift, your life flashes by
When friends were gay and family stood by your side…
Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
It’s so true Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)
This is you Babe…
(da, da, da, da, da, da…)

Okay, It ‘s Alright…(Nevertheless, although found widely, alright remains nonstandard…)

(hummed to the tune of the BBC show ‘New Tricks’)

It’s okay
No big deal
The rich are richer and the poor can’t deal
It’s alright
It’s okay
The end is coming this way.

It’s for sure
Some shall say
That equal rights is the only way.
It’s alright, it’s okay
The poor are poorer each day.

The sun don’t shine six feet down
The living might as well go under ground
The middle class have lost their heads
The sand is lookin’ good instead.

It’s alright, it’s okay
You muddle by each and every day.
It’s alright, it’s okay
Death is just a step away.

Watch out 2

(hummed to some song, the title of which I can’t remember…)

Watch out
Here they come
I say watch out
They’re on the run
And if you watch out
You’re sure to see
That Obama and Romney
Are phony as can be.

Ten times ten is no big deal
But when your paycheck’s gone
There’s no more meals.
You’ll starve to death if you listen to one
So if you get my drift, you’ll start to run.

You better watch out
They’re on their way
So just watch out
I’m goin’ to say
That if you don’t watch out
We just might become
Another third world country that’s on the run.

Watch out…

(hummed to the “Streets of Laredo”)

I spied a young cowboy
Astride a painted pony
Cowboy’s hat was a flopping
Pony’s tail was in knots
Now this little horsy
He tried best he could–
But the cowboy kept riding
Till the pony was no good.

He crawled and he cried
His life was a shambles
No pony to ride
No money, no pride
His shirt was in tatters
Not that it all matters
But his life was gone–
Gone now for good.

This lesson you’ll learn
That ridin’s a privilege
That horsy just died
Right where it stood
That man goin’ nowhere
His pony six feet under
Take care of your workers
Fore’ you’re head’s off for good.

It’s party time!

Eleven p.m.
I’m sure you must know
I’m never this late
I’m usually asleep–
I live in the woods
With nary a peep
From fish or from fowl
Though they usually don’t howl
Like the coyotes do
Or the resident screech owls
That lurk very near
Yet rarely appear.

So I’ll turn off the lights
And tumble to bed
I’ll say my good nights
And sleep pretty tight
Till the mice start to party
At 4 in the dark
And I pull up the covers
And wait for daylight!

Oh no!

Oh! Très bien! Très bien!
Uno or dos
I seem not to know
Whom I like most.
I count on my fingers
Five – up to ten
And then I begin
To count them again.
This is quite fun
Having you here
To read all my gibberish
When it appears
And though I do know
You’re all very busy
I can’t stop myself
From making us dizzy!

Food!

oops whoops
oh boy
whoa
not so
oy vey
I swear
I might have had a fright
oh my
I looked around until I found
a pair of Starlings flying low
and other birds aloft, you know
that birds in flight
can tell a lot
of things to come
and things undone
of dreams inside your pretty head
and silly words to stop you dead
of vegetables that rot in hell
and others that divinely make
your day a wondrous place to dwell
and fill your tummy till it swells.
And then there’s dips and chips and such
that fill you up, and up, and up
with calories and fat and more
that in the end will make you swear
to reassess your food affairs!

2 Sleep

Sleep 1
It’s very strange
That once or twice
I come upon a thing that’s right
For most of it is very wrong
And takes you on a path that’s long
And far away from everything.
It brings you grief and nasty things.
But when you find a thing that’s right
It makes you sleep quite well at night.

Sleep 2
I sleep and sleep and sleep at night
And wake when it is very bright
Perhaps at 10, 11, or noon
Even 1 is none too soon.

I need my beauty rest, of course
There’s nothing worse than having lost
That beauteous glowing, silky skin
That ageless patina that’s akin
To Venus of De Milo fame
Or David, Michelangelo’s creation.
So let me rest till I decide
To rise and take myself outside!

…to Silver, Obama, Romney and all…

It’s a dog eat dog world
If you know what I mean
It’s Martini and Rossi
It’s a drunk’s perfect dream
There’s a bone in the cupboard
And more in the store
But you’ll pay through the nose
And eat off the floor.

So here’s to the jobless
And the minimum wage
To Obama and Romney
And the millions they make
For themselves and their cronies
For the widening gap
‘Tween the poor and the rich
And no middle class.

Just one more thing –
Here’s to Silver and his crew
In New York they had thought
A raise was their due.
But they screwed themselves royally
And this I don’t mind
For its been several years
Since I’ve seen a dime.

I’ve been without work,
Just one of a crowd.
Don’t mind me saying
I’m not really proud.
But I can’t rightly say what a restaurant looks like
Haven’t been to the barber,
Cut my own hair, that’s right.
And the doctor, well hell
Who knows the last time
Had my temperature taken
Or felt really fine?
And my house,
Well it’s standing
But when winter comes
The thermostat won’t reach past 51.
That’s Fahrenheit friends,
Not Celsius, no
So I’m glad those old sweaters I didn’t let go.

So here’s to Silver, Obama, Romney and all
The politicians who knock at my door
Wanting my vote
For what, I should ask.
They’ll do what they want
And we’ll fall through the cracks.

Missing a Life

To say “miss” is to imply there once was, but I assure you there was not.
Growing up in a morass of mediocrity, accomplishments were relegated to others, and ours was a life marked by others’ needs, a turning of the lamp before dawn, a turning off at night. What happened between was of no consequence.
Nor did it provide satisfaction or mere contentment.
It was but a passing of time till sleep. Sleep, less and less each day, and time grows burdensome.
Fragments of contentment appear and disappear, so subtle that their remembrance lasts not long, insufficient to be recorded.
Which yesterday revealed a moment with the possibility of renewal, satisfaction, meaning, continuity? If there was, it is lost, intangible.