Illusion

Poet, or pagan, or wandering Jew,
battling the world for a place, for a view,
for a chance to see farther than ever before,
a chance to rise up and walk out my front door.

The universe turns within a dark mind
with nirvana to come when we leave it behind,
as if anything matters but what we believe,
fruit of a shriveled and infertile tree.

Tilt my hat and set my feet to walking
till I found the front door open and went in.
The bar was packed but the band was playing
so I found someone and we stepped out to dance.

Let the light within you shine
and never mind the sun and stars
whose distant warmth is metaphoric
while conversation here is so euphoric.

snake

listen to the softly hissing
sliding down the sand dune
snake
leaving no remaining rodents
in his wake

hail the quiet focused hunter
no distraction from the work
nothing turns his gaze aside
seeing just his prey to take

Uncork my life!

Have a glass while on the job.
Drink with care;
don't be a slob.
don't let the boss see you drinking there ...

Aroma is a pleasure
but for intoxication, above all,
I prefer a measure
of alcohol.

Pour me another glass,
and please don't think me crass
if I suggest that drinking to excess
occasionally is best.

And cheers to you, my faithful friend,
that joy of life shall never end.
A sip of life, a taste, a gulp,
juice of the grape, torn from the pulp.


Storing sunshine, poured in a bottle,
waiting to brighten an unhappy day.
Grapes of the hillside, sweet as your smile,
leaving God nothing much more he can say.


The new moon sparkling in the cloudy sky
tempts me to drink to the sight.
Blessed are you, Lord, creator
of the lights in the sky and the fruit of the vine!

Uncertainty

The pen, the paper, the poet's past,
perhaps he'll write again at last, at last,
perhaps he'll pass, and leave the room,
and wander off in the evening's gloom.

haiku paranoia

the world is angry
jews never do what it wants
how gauche: we survive

can you run with them

the night winds howling
like wolves calling to the pack
through the city streets

can you run with them
whispering their hidden names
scenting the fresh blood?

tweeting the middle east

social media have all the reliability of gossip
the power is undeniable but the ultimate effect is less impressive

yay, we have a revolution
hey, revolutions eat their children
say, will anything really change for the oppressed masses?

after the bodies have been hauled away
authoritarian cultures make decisions behind closed doors

quietly howling

coming up for air again
i think i drowned
but then

i find myself swimming with whales
to discuss what is bothering them
or bothering us

whalesong
i dream of a chorus of creatures
who groan
a chorus together who sound so alone

the oceans surrounding the lands of our world
a pond where they wander their round little home

self defense force

it is only prejudicial
when you do it without knowing why
it is heightened awareness
when the one that you hate
is hated because he wants you to die

so rise up instead
and strike him down first
show him no mercy
but see that he comes out the worst

* ****** **** ****** *

remembering "go on"
remembering "peace is the absence of defeat"
remembering "our own way"

May 2011 Witch Weather

fwtho:
painted water

From whence we came
and whence we go,
ever aware of
cruel water's flow.

urban poet:
"I came like Water and like Wind I go."

by flood or by tornado
we lose the world we know
and watch the news
new homes to choose
not knowing where to go

fwtho:
painted water

"sixty-four feet she'll come
raising to the floor"
we pack our things, our harps and rings,
then, neatly lock the door.

urban poet:
painful water

the good lord willing and the creeks don't rise
mississippi river wider than the skies
open the levee and save the city
cajun people get no pity

i am legion

it isn't me
i don't write this stuff
but all of us enjoy it
well enough

it's a new world

whisper me haiku
as you sit here beside me
electronic date.