poem of the day July 31 

Finding the way

into and out of

a good dream

is a path taken 

effortlessly each night

A path that does not require 

or need any consciousness

I just awoke from one

and of course have

no idea how I got

back into consciousness

 poem of the day July 30 

A billion dollars

up for grab

So much

anticipation 

So much

carnal desire

So much dough

American finally coming 

together joined

by the smell of money

Republicans and Democrats 

united by greed 

Even my young Grandson

wanted to know

if I bought a ticket

 poem of the day July 29 The rain 

The rain

came for a visit

A visit I had been 

eagerly expecting 

All day long

the garden

waited with me

Every dark cloud

Every wind gust

When the rain 

finally arrived 

I  went outside

to feel the simple joy

of a dry garden 

drinking wet  water

 poem of the day July 28 

Sometimes 

the best pictures

are the ones

never taken

The ones only 

remembered in the mind

Where each memory

Each time has to

come alive through

the changing lens of human emotion

 poem of the day July 27 

Official or unofficial

The formal

formless tide

chases the casual

Where the big dance always

wears more than

ever meets the eye

 poem of the day July 26 

Strong sun

for late afternoon 

Warm rays after a big rain

Steamy leaves float

still and watery 

like a wet shauna

full of satisfaction 

 poem of the day July 25 

Loud point of views

are sharp objects

weaponized by

fear and hatred 

mostly by old 

angry white men

Full of determination

Full of delusion

Full of self interest

Full of insecurity 

Full of vanity

Full of fake bravado 

Fist pumping 

to cover their

lack of confidence

lack of compassion

lack of humanity

lack of morality

So much so

They flee in terror

like leaping gazelles 

when their words

Their very points of view

are hurled back at them

by the angry mob they created

 poem of the day July 24 

In the grand great garden

by the lovely trout stream

a beautiful wedding

took place like a dream

Everyone watched amongst 

warm flowers and shade

while the ministers spoke

of love grown with age 

This joining of souls

on their long continuum

was the next step of nirvana

in the life of best friends

 poem of the day July 23 

Sometimes

I enjoy watching

a common bird

as it hops around

looking for worms

on morning rounds

I marvel at the

most perfect way

the mundane robin

starts each day

 poem of the day July 22 

The sky

turned dark

The wind 

did howl

but the rain 

never came

Not one

single drop

The heat

did not stop

on that 

midsummer day

all I could do

was sit there and pray

 poem of the day July 21 

If our light

becomes

too full of

our dark 

THEN

The worm

eats the bird

The mouse

catches the cat

The seal 

kills the shark

And the lie

becomes the fact

 poem of the day July 20 

Here to There

Trails of life

The road

of all journeys 

The promenade 

of existence 

With each step

we leave a bit

of ourselves

on the boardwalk

where the road is full

Some say littered

with footprints tangled

in shoes long passed

 poem of the day July 20 

Waving leaves

drying themselves

in the chrisp wind

The ground relaxed

Hydrated after

a good rain

I am happy to say

I was wrong

The weatherman

was right

Sometimes the world

is black and white

 poem of the day July 18 

Waiting for rain

or at least the

anticipation of rain

the weatherman said

most likely will come

has left me feeling

a little under the weather

so much so that

I did water the garden 

just in case the weather gods 

forgot to tell the clouds

 poem of the day July 17 

I have heard

on great authority 

that some statues

at a certain time of night 

when no one in the house

is up and watching

are able to secretly 

talk to each other

in very meaningful ways

 poem of the day July 16 

Wild Trout

living in the

middle of

a beautiful

small  mountain stream

In the middle

of a grand garden

In the middle of

Franklin County

swim as if they

were catching

flies in heaven

 poem of the day July 15 

A clock would

stores energy

just by the very

winding of a spring

Allowing the hands to 

go round and round

the merry-go-round

Until they run out of time

and have to be wound

all over again

 poem of the day July 14 

While on a

working vacation

A paradox

pulled into

the dock

of contradiction

as I was fishing' 

for jumbo shrimp

It was only then

that I noticed

The two faced pier

began at the end

and ended at the beginning

making it very difficult

to know if less was more

or more was less

 poem of the day July 13 

Light from a billion

years ago

has been observed

for the first time

by a telescope 

in outer space

launched by man

I wonder how many 

other man-lings

living in other universes

have used 

a similar telescope

to see our small light.

within the vast

star lit darkness?

 poem of the day July 12 

Full and Empty

follow each other

like sand slipping

through an hourglass

Boats floating 

on a seashore

full of endless tides

rise and fall with each

break of a wave

The pressure of 

of light and dark

sets the stage

for all kinds of miracles

Be sure to watch

the primordial pulse  

as it enters the breath

 poem of the day July 11 

I bought

a lifelong 

collection

of porcelain cats

at the flea

A collection that

had been wrapped

waiting in a box 

since 1977

Perhaps when

the old collector died

I kept thinking

of all the years

taken to find 

each kitty as

I opened them

onto my table

and watched

as the cats began

new journeys to 

new homes

 poem of the day July 10 

In a world full

of tired lands

a cock of gold

takes the stand

In a chair blessed

by the Duke of York

waits a nameless chef

versed in wild pork

His hands approach

the fighter's bell

will many medals

sold only in hell

Their spices mixed

with fantastical dreams

brew a Coq Au Vin

in the great tureen

A good strong mix

of poor weak genesis 

decides who speak

without a lisp

But the words they say

are most profound 

in a world that

lost the circle round

 poem of the day July 9

Some circles

are more concentric

than others

More complete

in their circumference 

Reflecting 

the different degree

of perfection

needed to go

round and round

the endless merry-go-round

 poem of the day July 8 

The role of life

is tied to the 

roll of  waves

Many waves 

watery, mirco, radio 

that tumble 

both in and out of being

Tossing a miracle of atoms

into small boats of life

Where it is important

to remember the moon 

was the first tide we ride

 poem of the day July 7  

The bird

flew backward

upside down

wings flapping

toward the past 

I watched as the

years retreated

The old bird seemed

lost in flight 

as it touched down

somewhere between what was 

and what might have been

 poem of the day July 6 

The satisfaction

of a soaking rain

is very easy 

for one to see

just look outside

at the smiling trees 

 poem of the day July 5 

On the way

past sunset

Looking at 

late afternoon

shadows cast

I see the ever

changing play

of light and dark

as they wrestle 

over each other

into deeper dusk

until the night finally

overtakes the last of day

 poem of the day July 4 

After many years

I finally turned

the sitting buddha 

around in the window

so he could enjoy the sunrise

But after not seeing

even the slightest change

I turned him back

wondering if he cared at all?

 poem of the day July 3 

I like the way

my maple trees

are wearing

their July 

holiday leaves

A mature green

sun darkened hue

very well dressed for

a lazy summer day

motionless without a wind

 poem of the day July 2 

On the long wing

of a butterfly

is a world of art

from deep inside

A pattern born

from a chrysalis 

emerges unique

like a well placed wish

I see this flap of art

as a monarch flies

across the meadow 

of  morning sky

 poem of the day July 1 

Watching night

overtake the

last light of June

Summer is slipping

like lady slippers

after the dance

Barefoot souls

happy to walk

the green carpet

begin the drift

into dreamy July

with a thousand

one eyed fireflies