Saturday, June 15, 2024

bear





a bear went walking in the woods
because he had the goods
on the devastation
of civilization

every year
the cars got easier to break into
and the snacks in them
just got tastier and tastier

at the rate they were going
in 3000 years
there would be more cars than trees
and all them filled with beer and pretzels and ham sandwiches

the sun smiled at their folly
and the skies wept
and over eternity
a trillion clouds swept



Tuesday, November 14, 2023

budd





blackbeard the pirate and sinbad the sailor
went to sea with joe the jailor
who looked upon the waves of blue
and said o fellows this won't do
some form of order we must tailor

the waves stretch out in all directions
no blocks, no cells, no numbered sections
how can you bring me to this place
can you not see in my poor face
the terror of infinite disconnection

sinbad was silent, blackbeard beguiled
the ship ran on a thousand miles
the waves grew furious, then meek
they saw an albatross - in its beak
was the treasure of a thousand isles

they cried out as the great bird neared
but wept when it then disappeared
and then above the surging flood
they saw the face of billy budd
who dropped on them a single tear



Thursday, October 19, 2023

hesitation


thanks to nooshin azadi, for the idea for this poem



i dreamed
in another life

i was a monkey
sitting on the shore
of a desert island

trying to catch a fish
and behind me in the jungle
a terrible beast roared

i was all these things

i was the monkey that sat
and the fish that swam
and the beast that roared

and i was a grain of sand on the beach
and a wave in the ocean
and a beam from the sun

i was all these things
and more
because life is a dream

yes, life is a dream
i know this
and yet

i hesitate

to jump off tall buildings
walk in the traffic
or sleep in the river



Saturday, April 3, 2021

different




different people lead different lives
some are con men, some work nine to five
some are on welfare, some are movie stars
some spend their lives in libraries, others in sports bars

some people love the whole human race
and greet the world with a smiling face
others take exception to their personal circumstances
and think they don’t get fair chances

some are born with silver spoons
in their mouths, but still sing sad tunes
some are happy just to exist
some disappear, and are never missed

some people just can’t get along
everything they do is wrong
others always provoke a smile
and have no bad info in their files

some folks have to rise and shine
and rush to get to work on time
others can lie around all day
whether the skies are blue or gray

more and more folks “work at home”
and spend their lives on the phone
or sit all day in front of a screen
what does it all mean?

yes, my friend, the world is changing
unseen forces are rearranging
the human race into one big blob
the new age is on the job

when the aliens arrive
hardly a soul will be alive
who will remember the old days
when different people went different ways



Tuesday, March 23, 2021

who is





who is he who never speaks
but only laughs?
who wants everything you have
but settles for half?

who will let you go along
day by day?
but when the time is right for him
will make you pay?

around every corner
behind every door
at every bus stop
walking on every shore

his collar over his face
his hat over his eyes
he will find you when he wants you
but will make it a surprise

listen, o wayfarer
for this is the strangest part
he wants to be your friend
and write his name in your heart



Sunday, February 14, 2021

tigers




the sky is as blue as tigers.

the clouds are as white as polar bears.

after a while, the sky turns gray, as gray as an elephant.

later it will turn dark blue.

it will not turn black - very rarely does it actually turn black.

a street light will come on beneath your window.

if you wait long enough, someone will walk down the street.

if you wait even longer, someone will stop under the street light.

and they will look up at your window and you will see their face.

that is, you could, if the window was not so high.

the window is as high as the sky.

there is a sliver of moon in the sky.

but it is hidden behind the clouds.

the clouds in the dark blue night.

you listen, but you hear nothing.

not even a lonesome whistle.

or the sound of tires in the rain.

because it is not raining.

it has not rained for a long time.


Tuesday, January 12, 2021

in the wind




american dog
waiting on windy corner
where is my old friend?

american bum
standing in coffee shop door
i need a new friend

no more sable coats
or nights at the opera
for you or for me

right and proper, sir
perfect room temperature
the way you like it

a good martini
like a good faithful puppy
should not disappoint

but my dear fellow
you expect me to believe
you have no old friends

when i was your age
i had conquered the old world
and threatened the new

but now all is lost
in the american night
on the gray sidewalk

in the rain, the rain
outside on the gray sidewalk
where are my old friends?



Monday, September 10, 2018

weary




as i walked through the wind and rain
beneath the elevated train
i heard the buildings laugh and the trashcans snicker
of mercy's light i saw not a flicker

the wind was playing a sad sad song
but the rain just wouldn't go along
it tried to pick up a happy beat
as it squished into my weary feet

violin music far away
further and further away
i'd like to sit down on the sidewalk
and just listen to them play

as i soon as i sit on the cold concrete
to rest my weary brain and feet
my dreams rise up like dragons
and memories circle my wagons



Sunday, September 9, 2018

sad





life is sad
people are bad
time rolls on
like a ball on a lawn

billboard smiles
walk for miles
sky turns gray
birds fly away

night is falling
emptiness calling
drops of rain
feel no pain

life is sad
people are bad
bus blows past
shotgun blast

whirling sky
who was i?
end of the line
pal of mine



Thursday, April 26, 2018

a walk in the rain





i decided to do something different
and went for a walk in the rain
and looked for signs in puddles
the mystery of life to explain

i met a cat with a serious face
and a dog that was wagging its tail
they passed me by with a look in their eye
that said wisdom was not for sale

i passed a bag lady drinking a fanta
with the daily news spread on her head
a taxi splashed me with muddy water
i wished i was home in bed

i entered a store of convenience
a lottery ticket to buy
the drawing was not until tuesday
i returned to the street with a sigh

i saw a man in a doorway
and thought i knew his name
but i passed him by without asking
he might know my secret shame

i wish it would rain forever
and nothing ever get dry
i would meet myself at the river
and look myself in the eye