American Sentence LXXIV
The child presses nose on train window, breath blooming white; he disappears.
The child presses nose on train window, breath blooming white; he disappears.
A man of many talents and trades
Roamed all over this country for a while
Many a years before I was ever even a thought
He tells me stories of his past life and then some
A farm boy, work hand, welder, coal-miner
Uranium mine well-digger, (that’s legit)
Lineman, telephone company worker
College student and computer programmer
Son, brother, husband, grandfather
Sometimes when he talks of yester years
Or drops the needle to hear the crackle
On a particular favorited vinyl, his eyes light up
I can’t help but wonder where in time he goes
He never shares those times aloud with me
One thing is sure in that moment, he isn’t here
I am certain when he gets to the end of this timeline
I’ll find him in the next combing through vinyls
In the back of some record store in the middle of nowhere
Or maybe on the third saddle at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
In Jackson Hole, after he made the train sing a folk song
He might be in the back of a rundown diner in Ohio
Dropping his last quarters in the jukebox
Where ever I find him, I’m certain
Music will follow him, just like his name.
My Dad.
Days like this, I wish I could relive every second.
I put my phone away.
I try to be mindful.
I want to memorize every detail.
I want to hold it in my mind
as long as possible.
I want to be in each moment fully.
I want to enjoy being here and now.
I want to savor these precious moments
we may never get again.
New experiences in a foreign land.
Dinner with friends by the ocean
during a light rain,
grown women playing in the water
like children
born anew.
Delicious sights everywhere.
A restaurant filled with
mini art galleries.
Endless good food.
A feast for the senses.
I want this all to nourish me
for a long, long time.
Took my kid and a friend to Culver’s today
I’ve probably purchased over a hundred kids meals
In the course of living in this part of town
And today is the first time
I perused the menu on my phone
Clicking through options
And realized they could have gotten
A complimentary scoop of custard
With their meal
The deja vu hit me
And I suddenly remembered
This happened once before
Chick-fil-A also gives a choice
To replace a cheap toy
With a cup or cone of soft serve
And it was not until many meals later
That I discovered this incentive
Today, this knowledge made me irrationally angry
Why had no one offered the custard before?
Why had no one offered the cup or cone?
How many times have kids gone without
When it has always been there
Simply waiting for someone to ask?
But perhaps I should stop expecting better
There is no shame in big business
They expect you to manage
Your own bonuses
Hidden in plain view
They’ll give you the crappy toy
Or the coupon for later
Anything but the actual treat
After all
It’s the American way
To look out only for
Yourself
The polluted waterways
And failing health system
The way we write off women as crazy
And old people as a problem
It’s got me so sick and sad today
The longest day of the year
Normally I’d sage and bask in the sun
Pray to the four directions
Fill my heart with recitations of appreciation
Paint or write or sing or dance
But today just feels like the longest day of the year
Please let there be some hope
The light is big enough today
But in our hearts it is a black night
Where are my witchy women
Where are the caretakers
Where is love today
in my altar boy youth
i made up sins for Confession
so at least i could tell the truth
about lying
in college I gave up
rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals
and my Catholicism on the same day,
then i stopped shaving
and getting haircuts
these days when i go to church
for funerals and weddings
i try to follow the rituals
and take Communion,
my relatives look at me sideways
i don’t know what place
the Cardinals are in this year
but I am hoping that the new pope
will allow women priests
my grandson asks if I’m a hippie
I say: You might say that. Have you
been studying the 60’s in history class?
It was all about peace and love.
We hoped for less of a police state
and for more of a state of grace.
now that old age covers my skin
with warts and wrinkles and moles
I realize my outer self is a reflection
of my inner self, I have yet to make
a good act of contrition
A black and white kitty,
on whom no one had pity,
was dropped off
at a nearby state park.
Then,
it met a small skunk
with sprayer defunct,
But, don’t worry…
they’re both happy as larks.
Because…
the kitty climbs trees
to sniff of the breeze
and to pinpoint
their upcoming dinner.
Soon,
the skunk moves in closer
like an illegal poacher,
and the two would-be losers
become winners.
Cool walk from the garage
I waited until after 6 PM to
walk to the garage,
It was after 9 when
I started back to the house slowly.
——–
The heat and humidity after 2
reminded me of the haze
on Mikinos, when all the men,
when everything stopped for Siesta.
——–
The cool, night brought back
images of those five,
maybe six hours I sat alone
in a dock chair.
——-
It felt like the same cool track
I took toward the sound of a live
band beyond the restaurant I had gone
to for food–where I was the only one there.
The waiter took my order, speaking good
English and told me that all the men
had come out to party,
but their women had to stay home.
He said there would be food
aplenty, and many women
from the cruise ship to party
and the women at home
would ask no questions.
