poem of the day January 31

Watching old TV

I am reminded 

of the nostalgia of

a different time

How just one year ago

we were crawling over each other

happily invading personal space

always ready to hug for no reason

Even the reluctant wallflowers

willingly shook hands

kissed on the checks

And holidays were so

crowded like a tin full 

of slow dancing sardines

sharing sips from the same cup

tasting each other's food

as we patted ours backs

in the grand grope of humanity

Then everything changed

the plague spread among us

invading the space between souls

Separating lives into distant lone stars

floating in a cold Milky Way that no longer

has the touchy feely warmth of heaven

I have to say it is hard to be an island

in a fearfully frozen sea where 

touch of one another is now an enemy

 poem of the day January 30

The oracle

of nothing much

does not know

it's such a bust

In the breaking of

the biggest wave

it could not tell

who to save

 poem of the day January 29

Stillness

more than

calmness grows

out of a winter day

There a cold dream

settles into the recesses

of places seldom visited

Those very deep Shadows  

never visited in the bright sunlight 

only explored in the hue of the darkest dawn

with just enough light to see beyond the bend of everything

 poem of the day January 28

Somewhere on

an old  wall

by an abandoned 

cellar hole

a perfect stone

in the shape of

grand perfection

waits to be discovered

by a never ending parade

of seekers seeking 

the path of imperfection

 poem of the day January 27

I am reminded of change

both fast and slow

as I watch the flow

of flat glass lazy water 

abruptly break its calm

I see running dog rapids

appear out of nowhere

falling quickly enough

into a tumbling confusion

where cascading water

is controlled but not tamed

by the river valley it created

 poem of the day January 26

Correcting course

on the big ship

trapped in a pipe

of no oxygen

with little room

to maneuver 

takes a lot of skill

and a lot of luck 

the new captain mused

as a big albatross 

landed on his deck

"Turning around

in the long tunnel

has drowned many a

good sailor" the big seagull 

squawked just before 

flying away toward the distant light

 poem of the day January 25

Good neighbors

are like small oases

Upturned smiles

of compassion

Something as

simple as stacking

wood in a wood shed

brings the whole hill together

like Shakers building a barn

 poem of the day January 24

The genie of simplicity

was hiding

in an old bottle

full of clutter

It was so stained

with time

that rubbing

both sides

of the bottle

did nothing

but shine

a light on the inside 

of eager temptations

Everyone gathered around

with dream nets

hoping to catch

a thrill or two

And when the cork 

finally popped

bubbles began

to escape into

all sorts of desires

causing a wild 

feeding frenzy until

there was nothing

or nobody left to catch 

It was only then

the genie of simplicity

slipped out of the bottle

undetected in a house

that did not know 

the simple art of waiting

 poem of the day January 23

A Zen Poem

would show

no emotion

as the ancient

stream cascaded

over well worn rocks

Yet this old poet might

take some liberty

and decide the rush

of pure clean water

pouring nonstop

over ancestral stones

is worthy of a deep

long primordial howl  

 poem of the day January 22

Snow spitting fresh

like thick ice cream 

White fog hits 

the afternoon 

and is swallowed

almost immediately 

by a big hole of grey

A redtail hawk 

flies within this reality 

streaking across

the sky very quickly

so much faster than

I have ever seen

one fly before

 poem of the day January 21

The passing of power

from river to ocean

from mountain to valley

is a very delicate matter

in the life of democracy

It can survive wild water

as it collides with the sea

but not single handedly 

It needs good eagles gliding

over the statue of liberty

And I, we are reminded

every four years

there is a moment where

the long arms of power

are at slack tide

and during that change

the waves can break 

any which way

as the transfer of power

is fragile in a big land

that stretches all the way from

California to the New York Island

 poem of the day January 20

I really should not

complain about

but the wild stream

held only Brook trout

I had wished to 

catch a Rainbow trout

but wherever I looked

there  were none about

After awhile I came

to the conclusion

I could no longer endure

this unfortunate delusion

so I did what any

sensible person would

I did not fish for Rainbow's brother Brook

poem of the day January 19

Sometimes

a good stream

is needed

in order to

calm the chaos 

Eyes feasting

on fresh water

as it flows over

worn rocks

again and again

moving along

in an old song

I see the rocks

open and close

each time until

my mind begins

to understand

there are many

things more

important than man

 poem of the day January 18

A heavy packed bag

abandoned somewhere

on the road

south of yesterday

was full of

perseverance 

but unfortunately 

this determined virtue

was locked in

the wrong bubble

and was unable

catch a ride in

the right direction

 poem of the day January 17

Snow on branches

reflects the dawn

illuminating a big old maple

way before the sun rises

The old tree stands there

dressed to the nines

in a long winter coat

as if chosen by 

the fairy godmother

 poem of the day January 16

It was not close enough
even for the grand old
game of tiddlywinks
The horseshoe did not
fall within the shadow of the flag
Yet the thunder of Jack Hammer
was almost able to drown out democracy
and would have succeeded
if the good luck shoe had been just
a few more dishonest souls closer to the hole

...

 poem of the day January 15

We all know

of inside outside

but what about 

the difference of

inside inside

When we walk

from one room

into another

deeper and deeper

into the very being

of our center

what do we leave

within to get there

 poem of the day January 14

I keep

watching

the maple

out the window

wondering if

the old tree 

enjoys hanging

with the birds

and squirrels as

much as the birds

and squirrels

enjoy hanging

on its maple limbs 

in the early sun

 poem of the day January 13

Finding a mountain

in a haystack

should not be hard

unless one pledges

blind allegiance to

an unloyal madness

How we came to not

see the obvious 

is a grand testimonio

to the power of delusion

 poem of the day January 12

The ride down

a rabbit hole

is almost always 

quicker than

than the long climb up 

At the bottom of the well

a tired old boned ladder

waits at the bottom rung

covered in circumstance

The first steps have

to break through

this iron will of patterns

until the crust has

been forced open

then the lightness

of good ideas can fill

a body like great

angel food cake

allowing souls 

a stairway to heaven

 poem of the day January 11

The constellations

moved around

in a night

dark enough 

to contemplate

how it would feel

to be twirling

in those patterns

put together by

man's imagination

All the randomness 

has been put into an order

refined by centuries 

of observations by souls

looking out into space

for signs of divine light

 poem of the day January 10

Between the clap

and the hand

there is only

the idea of sound

 poem of the day January 9

The young branch

poked out of nowhere

defying gravity

unaware as it

hung on the old trunk

Year after year

the branch grew

far from the tree 

without a thought until

it became larger

than the pillar

on which it dangled

until one day when

the weight of time

finally snapped

With a loud thud

the branch fell hard

to the waiting ground

Severed forever 

 poem of the day January 8

A bunch of backyard

chicken philosophers 

All graduates of

the hen house

were debating

their path toward 

enlightenment 

when they came

upon this very

profound realization:

Finding the chicken

before the egg

is just as meaningless as

Finding the egg

before the chicken

 poem of the day January 7

 

Everybody

gather round

to hear these words

most profound 

Today was the day

when they tried to seize

the pillars of our democracy

Where a crazy band

of branded bigot sheep

took to the streets

to fuel the insurrection

the orange man seeks

Aided by a few power 

lusted congressional nuts

who mistakenly describe 

themselves as patriots

knowingly committed treason

for no good reason

except they did not agree

with the workings of democracy
Did not accept they lost the race

wanting the majority's voice replaced 

with a crony fascist autocracy 

instead of the freedom of democracy
There in the hallow hall of founding fathers

the emperor's traitors stormed the people's will

unable to swallow the outcome still

and I am left here wondering today

if American democracy will hold

against more threats of this madman's sword

 poem of the day January 5

The ancient door

of the grand hall

hung well on 

its worn hinges

Swinging open

Swinging closed

Forever watching 

as generations

passed through

its thick two inch 

slab of solid wood

Yet after many

years of swinging

the door was never

able to understand

the true meaning of in and out

 poem of the day January 5

How deep

to frost

a sweep 

of ground

ye ask

as winter

settles down

The long of 

every frost

will sink

Will wick

the cold

as it seeps

Will determine

how deep the frost 

will downward carry 

in this month of January

poem of the day January 4

What is the

big deal?

Who wants

democracy

anyway?

Not the righteous 

Not the bigots

Not the fascists'

Not the rich

Not the vain

Certainly not

the ego filled politicians

Seems to me it is

Only an endless ocean

of simple folks

Compassionate folks

that sing

songs about

equality liberty

and treat each

other like you 

and me are we

 poem of the day December 3

Pulse

a pump

in the temple

of a soul

beats from

a heart so

full of gold

Something simple

Something old

use this pulse

to walk the road

 poem of the day January 2

Deep inside

within a mind

lies the essence

born of time

Washed and worn 

like well used cloth

wrapped in lifetimes

long and short

Always very deeply hid

where only inner eyes can see

the possible of possibilities 

 poem of the day January 1

What does

the morning light

know about 

the rise of day?

How the openness

of early dawn

grows within

a blackened night?

Where stillness moves

like windless tides

to stir a mothership

Yet all the ready sailors 

both young and old

never ask when time will shift