untitled
I am not
a shiny new penny.
I am old copper,
blue green
oxidized
and earthy browns.
what are they living for
there’s no flock
no herd no pack
no governing
random
isolationists
together alone
for what do they wait
in that distance
they can’t quite see
squinting
were sights ever there
when they were young
but now, without a leader
queen worker drone
from where comes the sweetness
as their beaks open wide
their flightless wings flutter
honey harvested
is dribbled from tourists passing by
do they feel the pursuit of death
are they hiding from it all
in their shrinking world
shape shifting in plain sight
each new morning, they swagger big
getting small change
from dog walkers
who can’t walk fast enough
the squatters with fresh coffee
lay claim to a cafe table and chairs
loudly toasting that they live on
before being asked to leave
yet only side step the shifting sands
while chance determines all claims to power
taking turns flicking
a cardboard game spinner
In this heat they all come out
continuing to blow
matchstick ships with tissue sails
through the air by long winded talk
many co-mingling realities, connections
and contradictions roll in with the tides daily
swamping this urban scape observed
from the safety of my Duck Blind
Thirty-five years ago
I walked down the aisle
To the man of my dreams
My smile and my love
Wide as the Grand Canyon
It continues to flow
As the years grow
The love in my heart
Will never depart
Thirty-five years ago today
I said I do
I was no longer
One
We are
Forever
Two
yesterday I rhymed
saw patterned lines as comfort
offering direction
solid solace in old rhythms
today the singalong ball bounced right off the screen
it was rolling down the driveway
last I saw
no energy to chase after it
today I am the unmade bed
a grilled cheese sandwich half eaten
second cup of tepid coffee
unread correspondence
today it is enough
to untangle a thought or two
like neglected necklace chains scratching around the junk drawer of my mind
picking at nots, impatient
Little houses on the hillsides
little houses in the olive groves
little houses in the West Bank
and they all go up in flames
There’s a muslim one, a jewish one
a christian one and samaritan one
they’re all in the west bank
and they all go up in flames
and the people in the houses
they are all incoveniently
living their little lives
and they all go up in flames
and there were doctors
and journalists and
U.N. representatives
and they’re not all for Israel
and they all go up in flames
and the Palestinians cry out for
basic necessities
to feed the starving children
so we bombed all the schools
and the children go to a camp
for the refugees
where they are all put in tents
and they all go up in flames
and our boys become soldiers
to shoot down our enemies
in the houses and olive groves
and they all go up in flames
Little houses on the hillsides
little houses in the olive groves
little houses in the West Bank
and they all go up in flames
Set to the tune of/ inspired by the song: “Little Boxes” by Malvina Reynolds, 1962
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) proudly boasted on Fox News:
“We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel. Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place!” – Oct 2023
References for Further reading:
– “Evangelical Support for Israel is Fueled by Apocalyptic Hopes”, Sojourners, Michael rowley, 9 Nov 2023
https://sojo.net/articles/evangelical-support-israel-fueled-apocalyptic-hopes
– “Stemming Israeli Settler Violence at its root”, International Crisis Group, 06 Sep 2024
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena-israelpalestine/246-stemming-israeli-settler-violence
“Praying for Armageddon”, A film by Tonje Hessen Schei, 2024
https://www.prayingforarmageddon.com/
Chewing on War:
Reclining in the dentist’s chair,
I stare at the half-masked face.
Four lidocaine shots in and I’m
not entirely numb. The offending
tooth refuses sleep like an angry
child. The dentist crosses her arms.
“Let’s think about this,” she says.
Together, she and the hygienist
marvel at this impossible insomnia,
and I say I’d rather not be
such an interesting patient.
New stratagems coax the toddler
tooth into fitful sleep, its eyes
fluttering in the equipment’s din.
She asks if I want to go ahead.
I grip the chair and mumble “yes.”
eating lunch in the
sixth grade cafeteria
Beautiful Cursing
some days those words are useful
lately more days are like that
