#274 please locate your nearest emergency exit

mind and heart heavier, i board the plane

my luggage also, larger upon return

window seat

i stare

feeling tired and awake

and heavy

next trip will be for bad news

the headrest becomes a magnet for my head

as the engine roars muffled excitement

i slide the window panel down

shut

only excited kids make noise now

and in about 2 hours and 7 minutes

there will be the clatter of opening seatbelts

as we each depart to our own stories

mine, an early chapter

#273 grand people

an argument

or the closest thing they have

over too much salt

he in his chair

by the washing machine

hands clasped

they are good

and they are simple

and they are gone

but they are not

#272 Too Late, December

weight of remote control in my hand

i watch the news

missing kids, murder, somalia

OFF

focus on the living room

close my eyes and my self to World's problems

i tidy the glass coffee table

straighten furniture

water the tree's red and green bowl

and stand back

i squint at the mediocre tree

glow and twinkle, glow and twinkle

sometimes, things look better

with eyes half shut

#271 the tea is on

the kitchen shines

my eyes adjust from the dark outdoors

my shoulders relax for the first time in months

I'm smiled at

hugged

welcomed

sitting at the kitchen table as the teapot grows warm
this smell of homecooking would make my tail wag if i had one

i am at home in someone else's house

i forget the darkness outdoors

exercise the muscles involved

in smiling

in loving

in living

#270 between kids and kids' kids

this year, their Christmas tree is perfect

not like before

now it is one of the best on the lot
symmetrically decorated, bulbs equidistant, rope garland hung perfectly

not like before

when the kids decorated it

a sparse tree

with reused tinsel thrown at every spot

even the gifts below

now, looking professionally wrapped

then, more tape than wrapping-paper

the wrapping-paper's tube

is slotted into the recycle bin

instead of being a sword and a light sabre and an alien arm

until the New Year

when it broke

or broke mum's patience

#269

destiny is a suggestion

ignored by you

your kind

you should be with me and you should be happy

a hometown girl

high-school sweetheart

when you left

you forgot to come back

and realize how good you had it

instead

i see your face beside her perfect one

usually black sunglasses on both

Friday, sobey's magazine rack

and i run back

for the ben&jerry's i resisted in aisle 4

#268 december

hands and knees

glass in hand

tickled by branches above

i maneuver into a downward dog

empty the cup into the red pot

supported by green legs

i crawl out

stand up

smelling like Christmas tree

#267 dougald's lane

it begins with a shelter

shelter

a covered lane

trees from east and west meet overhead

slight winding, meandering

but with purpose

and shelter

ever shelter

halfway

birch and spruce and fir decorate your view

end in sight

white house on the hill green trim

shelter

#266 invisible horizons and tired smiles

four boots. two big, two small

gaze over the ocean

to an invisible horizon they trust is there

where the water blurs the skyline.

four laces undone after hills and puddles and miles of trail

and now, behind the camera's eye

the boots' owners

spoon their tired

smiles

to sleep

#265 snowfall

ovenight an acoustic blanket was laid

absorbing all sound and echo

and the cars are white lawn nymphs

unmorphed with magic wands by work-goers

#264 3 chords (capo4 A,C,Dm)

quiet evening

southeastern BC

snowflakes fall

in their silent shadows

so do we (lord)

so do we

streetlight globe

catches it all

unlike me

unlike me

white white ground

catching all sound

when will we

when will we

chimneys exhale

easy and free

never me

never me

door stays shut

drapes peak open

watch with me

watch with me

night revolves

darkness dissolves

awake 'til 3
awake 'til 3

still snowflakes fall

in their silent shadows

snowflakes fall

in their silent shadows

#263 exit us

gold trim

high ceilings

priceless paintings and artefacts

beautiful

repulsive

after communion we walk

past our pew

exit man's church

enter god's

#262 turnip and pork chops (*accepted in "message in a bottle)

saturday evening, after suppertime but before supper

using every minute of light

Dad mans the splitter, i collect and pile wood

fill my arms each load

fuller than full if Dad's watching

we work for hours

every time he stops to help me catch up

a failure in my mind

i'm too young to prove i'm a man

old enough to prove i'll make a good one

the piling and stacking and walking

fight november 28th's cold air

Dad stops, stretches his back

looks at me

at the pile

at the splitter

flicks a small switch to OFF, and the machine coughs itself silent

we enter the house

where mum saved a hot supper

worthy of working men

real men

and men-to-be

a meal made all the better by a large helping of hunger

#261 crumbs

chocolate cake behind the big comfy chair

secret secrets

knees curled to chin

whispers whispered

is the chair still there

memories remembered

#260 28th of the month

boxes on the couch

box-springs on end

the webby gauze exposed

shoes worn everywhere

nowhere is sacred

in two days all will be gone

all will be empty

must be

i wish we started earlier

#259 red canoes

the pines lean the direction the wind whispers

east

home

georgian bay

red canoes and homesick pines

and now

here i am

west

#258 38 below from above

the chimney's smoke

pauses

hesitant

the cars are all attached by orange lines

to walls of houses

the streets are empty

except for the orange-flashers painting roads dark

the few people who enter the evening

walk fast

their heads various colours

#257 for keeps

haircuts in the garden

keep the deer out

Vessey's envelope packs at the end of each row

keeps the vegetables clear

cookies in the tin

keeps the boys happy

butter on the homemade buns

keeps a custom shine

water and a swish

keeps everything lasting until grocery day

a hand on the holy-crap bar

keeps her sane while they learn to drive

these things and many others

keep me happy

#256 after supper

an empty tin can

crumbs rattle

orange and black

second shelf from the top

homecooking- homesick

wax paper swishes

dishes done again

and again

and again

washed

dried

put away

what did we do all day?

what was the entertainment

we didn't have a laptop each

we had none

no internet

no iPhone to text

no hundred channels of emptiness

#255 all alone

minus 29 is positively cold

today is three hours old

my fireplace has stayed awake with me

unable to sleep

outside, smoke rises in straight lines

from the roofs of the little town

am i the only one awake?

is someone else too occupied with

the phone bill and the future?

is anyone else keeping their fireplace company?

or

are we all

alone?

#254 more is less

more passwords than morals

more plastic in wallets than friends in life

more debt than happiness

more contact info than contact
more attention for SIN than for sin
more informed and more apathetic
more on credit and less to our credit
more quantity than quality
more lessons all around, but no lessons learned
give me less

#253 late december evening

an undecorated christmas tree

two lovers and their laptops

three mismatched couches

the dog on her mat

sighs

and i agree

we hear the wind's path

meeting the bay window

snow whipping and jumping

a good night to be inside

#252 lab retriever

i used to own my couch

now i get space for one buttock

if i'm lucky

what happened?

when?

how?

#251 i love beer

the sound-

twisting the metal cap off

relaxes me like a massage

the taste-

that first swig

comforts me like a handwritten letter

the feeling-

a sweating bottle in hand

cools my hand and mind like a snowball down my back

#250 juggling and everything else

at first i fumble

and everything tumbles to the floor

slowly, impercepibly

i gain control

soon

it's four at a time, behind the back and under the legs

#249 drowning answers

business and business

numb my mind

numb my soul

a gin and tonic

hide the emptiness

my life

spend

drink gossip and dress nice

stay busy

don't question validity or authenticity

because you know the answer

#248 seduction

she draws me in

my laptop dance

her glow

temptress

offers nothing in everything's fashion

late night appeal

#247 here's to anxiety

the beer brings temporary relaxation

like junk food

and to-do lists

the ones where you star with things already done

imagined reward of a check-mark

the second is an error in judgement that leads to a seventh

#246 wwjs?

gold trim everything

expensive art everywhere, even the ceiling

materials and craftsmanship

second to few

and the man up front

the one in the expensive cape

preaches a sermon on humility and poverty

#245 Sunday

bibles with stiff bindings

sitting in a pew 3/4 to the back

quiet in the vestry

and don't

drop

the bread.

oddly,

the old-schoolers

are the only ones who stick their tongues out at priests.

sing a hymn to worship Him

who has abused so much

pain and war

love and consoling

suffering

suffering.

#244 fresh snow

the etch-a-sketch was inverted and shaken

no marks, all fresh

what did this valley look like before people and our buildings and our roads?

to look at one flake is to look at a world

and to look at a pile or a drift is to see another

tomorrow by 10am

the drawings will be drawn

but still there will be blank space

and still there will be kids gazing out the window behind the teacher's back

waiting for the 10:30 bell

wishing for gravity to let the minute hand fall to the 6

#243 one snowflake

darts left, fakes left

hovers

stops to ponder

swoops

floats

twirls

wonders

helicopters and spirals

down

always down

a battle of resistance and submission

not knowing that there is no end but the ground

like the trillion others

#242 return policy

all my thoughts turned to cheap confetti

my dreams transformed to plastic

my ambition is a name brand

my goals morphed into rotten carrots

how did i get here?

i've got the girl

the house

the job

happiness is the plastic in my wallet

and it fills its own void

in a numb and static cycle

how did i get here?

a phone call brings me to dirt

nothing my wallet can do

or my clothes or my status

i am an empty person in my empty world

where do i go?

#241 somewhere a clock...

time goes on forever

but hers is short

says the mouth above the tie and stethoscope's neck

time is short

what does that mean

as kids everything good takes a long time to come and passes so fast

her time is short

no

you can't say that

passing time

long time

time is short

killing time

wasting time

my time

our time

her time

#240 hubs breaking

maternal

social

first the potato peeler

now the after-school

cold decisions to be made

tickets unboughten

soft december snow sits

on shiny black headstone

a deafening introverted eulogy

chocolate cake behind the chair

they smile, polite

a weak story

but i will tell it

again

and again

and again

because that is what i can do

that is all i can offer

#239

pensandpaper and billsandcords

fill my desk, erode my contentment.

top up my anxiety, and empty my soul

clutter and stuff the recurring theme

interior and exterior.

clutter and stuff and stuff and clutter and chaos

i need

i need...

empty

space

#238 bullyee

they laugh

and so i smile

they poke

i smile

they trip and punch

i smile

i smile

i smile

do they know

do they care

they tease

i smile

i go home

i feel

i cry

#237 a fresh sheet

flapped and spread on us overnight

no one's awake yet

no wrinkles

no marks

the window sill

the lawn

the hedge

all covered

what is now a big white lump

was once the driveway's '93 toyota

that winter-spirit

was yesterday a 10 foot spruce tree

and that fluffed pillow in its ironed case

i'm sure was once a hottub

what was that noise?

i think they're getting up

#236 what did it look like before?

a grid of rectangles clutters the valley

and the slope of the bowl

has been knifed in places

top to bottom

neat, clean

dots slide on the spaces between rectangles

the bigger the space, the faster the dot

is this the where clouds are made?

boxes and dots puff out nascent clouds

that rise and join their ancestors

the center of the valley

a bullseye for boxes

the perimeter, more a scatter-shot of boxes

#235 darn needles

just let me finish this line says my girlfriend

surrounded by well-used needles

i DO NOT have a problem

those words travel miles, her lips to my ears

i go to bed

she stays downstairs

always just one more line

i complain about her addiction

but i benefit too

this year

she's knitting me socks

#234 stress and swimming

i can't eliminate the smell of chlorine

can't omit the stress

a shower only strengthens it

thinking about it enlarges it

#233 minimist

screw...

punctuation,

the articles

boringly unnecessary adverbs and adjectives

and

conjunctions

screw

punctuation

articles

adverbs

adjectives

conjunctions

#232 start with the kitchen sink

floors and my mind are clear

thoughts and belongings have found their place

stains and the nightmares rubbed out

coats all hung and priorities straight

dog hair and depression are memories

plants are watered and souls nourished

ready for guests and laughter

for sharing

for contentment of soul

#231 her

one window

that's it

the rest is black and grime and cold

that is my world

my window to the sky

shares the weather

shares hope and life

one window

that's it

but that's all i need

with my window

i can feel sorry for my prosecutors

my meals gourmet

my dreams real vacation

one foot tall, two feet wide

my view of life

my forehead tips back

passes my chin

and i live

#230 playing with others

a hand drum

a guitar

anyone have a capo?

a mouth harp appears from a back-pocket

and a girl starts to sing

a baritone moans behind her

accentuates the beauty, the femininity, of her voice

eyes close and bodies sway

#229 swimming

the black line hypnotises me

and the lengths lose theirselves

10?

12?

14?

the rhythm is overpowered only by the clean stench of chlorine

ever present

doubles in a shower

#228 inside the box

owns your living room

owns that thing inside your skull

hypnotizes, mesmorizes, euthanizes

jumping flipping surfing

our only channels for exercise

no time for friends and family

cleaning or accounting

running or swimming

22 minute bedtime stories for free

at a cost

#227 words fall

diary pages fall

as if in a sno-globe

floating fluttering

in a pseudo-perfect world

hit the ground

wait to be shaken upside-down

your words and your soul's secrets

made public without permission

and you're questioned about the life questions

you penned as statements

#226 mary-jack

her trailer once stood here

now nothing but a field

but with a reverent feel

like a vestry or a high-ceiling library

and though the trailer's gone

life reminds me of her

a radio left on for a pet

classy dangling jewelry

picking apples or berries

being told i know someone i don't

scrabble, holiday decorating, photo-filled walls

and then i'm in the field

and it reminds me of the reminders

#225 shock and grief

deserted beach pulls a girl

she walks walks

walks straight into the ocean

stops thigh-high

eyes still forward

feeling neither cold nor warmth

not wave nor grief

the body postpones feeling

knowing the risk of breaking

but soon a door will open and the storm will enter

#224 the casket

tell me who's dead

let me skip the back section,

the bishop's accolades.

childhood faces

stare from newsprint

scores of scores

old and new

tomorrow

today

and 1852

#223 seasons

a hundred and a half days ago

it was an overgrown hayfield

surrounded by infinite names of green

today

it is a meringue

surrounded by one white

next year

it will be suburban brown

the colour of progress

#222 written on the couch

do you believe the truth in your lie?

not only can you change the world

you will

but how

sitting in the couch receiving geostationary satellite signals

writing letters to friends

handwritten

will you lie in your truth

or will you lie in your truth

#221 frank

Peter built his church

and we build a highway

a tourist attraction

a town slept

and 100 never woke

did they hear?

think it was a dream?

how long did they live?

stories of gold never grow old

we played with nature

men digging man-sized boy's tunnels

and the mountain fell

the Natives would build a legend

a respected lesson

and we dig bigger tunnels

for paper

and build highways

for tourists and convenience

#220 similarities

hair in a garden

butter on rolls

nothing in her tea

beer in a bottle

butter on all trip-food

nothing else i can see

#219 constructive procrastinationing

laundry

cleaning

reading

studying

cuddling

cooking

fixing

procrastinating

#218 big little differences

the difference between action and acting

is the difference between hockey with a puck

and hockey without

the difference between a children's play and children's play

is a script

the difference between good teachers and good students

one pushes their students

the other pushes their teachers

#217 on age and time

time is like a train

so slow at the start of the ride

the adults don't understand how long "just one more sleep" is

but impossible to slow down when it gets moving

stuff flashes by and we can't go back

not on this ride

#216 jigsaw and her

the jigsaw puzzle covers half the kitchen table

a coral scene

bits of blue and pink and green

with their male and female parts and edges

concave and convex

she does 95% of the talking

90, if you count Mmhmm

i have two pieces in my hands

one mostly blue, the other mostly pink

and as they snap together

i dwell on how they fit because they are opposite

#215 on walking a trail

the black wet leaves are part of the path

black and transforming into ground

i awoke to smashed pumpkins

and a cold that laughed through my fall fleece

the next seven weeks will be cold and dark

the days will be so short they will be the longest of the year

then will come a decorated tree and a new calendar

snow-white snow

and blue-sky-blue blue skies

and the days will grow

shorter in feeling

#214 naming our son

i said Apu

and Tyrese and Tyrone

suggested Jamal
and Kobe too

she said

no! those aren't right

but i knew she meant...

something more white

so i suggested one whiter
than pre-tiger golf...

i said, hey

how 'bout Adolf?

here i'll end and not go on

but suffice it to say

our son's name is John

#213 them vs. us

speaking was out of the question

they were the enemy

their uniforms made them look intimidating

so we made fun of them

in numbers

jealous of their talent

and them the same

#212 extra kibble/dog day afternoon

at ten a.m., i overheard my boss saying to my best friend

that i was incompetent

and my friend agreed

at lunch, i opened my bag and my soup had leaked all over my weekly reports

at two, i handed in a photocopy of the reports and the stains

to my boss

at 6, i stopped to pick up supper

and realized i had two dollars and thirty cents,

at the cash register,

while my old high school english teacher stood behind me in line

but when i got home,

when i got home

i saw her tongue in the window

and when i opened the door,

when i opened the door,

she smiled at me and wagged her tail

#211 alternative treatment for depression

her sunken head, her big brown eyes

she alternates

staring at me, staring at the object at my feet

we've been here before

many times

i bend down

pick up the object

hope invades her eyes

i throw it away, again

she chases

drops the sphere of our joint attention at my feet, again
and wags her tail

#210 mount fernie

as fall and winter overlap,

a half-moon works in a sky half-filled

with cloud

at the end of twelfth street

illuminates

a ghost ship, but bigger

the mountain's hull, black

blends and blurs with the valley landscape

the mountain's masts, white

jump into sight

levitate

and i see the mountain for the first time

again

#209 november dump

soft silent snowflakes the size of marshmallows

pulled to the ground

no wind, no bite

zip the jacket, yes

all the way, no

find a field or a trail or a hill

the world's oldest etch-a-sketch awaits

bring the dog or the snowshoes or the skis

be a kid

laugh

jump

play

#208 74.125.74

everyday i see you

wonder who we are

how our lives bumped

our circles encountered.

an ocean view,

mountain view?

a dot on a map...

i know the map,

not the dot.

a place,

a name,

and an identity...

California

#207 wallflower

the tentacles slipped around me

they waited in every room

in every stranger's smile

in every set of folded arms

everything i spoke sounded stupid

i peeled my beer label with my thumbnail

caught myself and stopped

caught myself again

#206 yanging with procrastination

emptying the toaster-tray

opening the Pink-Elephant book on your night-table

changing the porch light bulb

all procrastination

doing things instead of the Should-Do's and Have-To's

sometimes, screwing the Should-Do's is good

be aware of Procrastination's power

she looks slender and inviting

until she flips you in a headlock

don't let her waste your time

but appreciate when she seduces you from the Should-Do's

practice resisting her kisses

but give in when her ideas are life-giving

the Should-Do's can wait,

despite the World's opinion

#205 how to eat an airplane

play guitar 5 minutes a day

juggle once

post one poem

exercise

read a chapter

call a loved one

do something scary

kiss her

#204 thank god...

grids and blocks

signs and laws

STOP

LEFT TURN ONLY

one inch lush grass

shining white suburbans

traffic lights and noisy fights

crosswalks and cross walks

skylights but no sky lights

#203 before sitting with tea and the paper

the floor, cold on my feet

the toilet, ice

the fire ended through the night

i slept, uninterrupted

but this morning, my duvet cocoon

was the only warm spot in the house

the shower starts icy and warms

the furnace bangs as i toss in logs

#202 ...promise to repeat

when i started punching and shoving other boys to fit in

the day i was told to stand in the back row for class pictures

long able to see the top of the fridge

now without tiptoes

back to back, taller than Mom

an impossibility to the younger me

i learned about sex

and pretended to know anything i didn't

saw different friend take different paths

adults one moment, children the next

first kisses, first drinks

too often coincide

some secrets will someday be shared with parents

others never

realizing some teachers were lazy and none knew everything

supervision dropped

team bus-trips and hotel rooms

#201 paper wait

a shoebox squish-full of receipts

mostly white

some crisp, some crumpled

some smudged with dates rubbed out

but we just reached the cardboard

the bottom of the ALDO box

fresh start

and we promise it'll never get this bad again

again

and there's adrenaline and high-fives and hugs and kisses

a weight has been lifted

a paper weight

#200 ebb and flow

the intertidal zone is laid bare to enjoy
slackwater coincides this time

but i worry about what's coming

i am with my girl
our last argument was months ago
the synapses in my cortex forgot the path
that remembers how it was her fault
or if

we pack camp stove and tent and gear, walk home
make love on fresh sheets
fall asleep spooning

at 6am
the phone rings

#199 steps

stepping to the doorstep for today's training run

sitting at the desk for the novel

pressing start for timed guitar practice

dialing to tell the girlfriend i love her

leaving on the ground the tug-of-war rope

pulled by resistance, procrastination, self-justification

no excuses

only decisions

and
while the best predictor of future choices
is past choices

each day is new

each hour

each decision

shake the universe

do great things, big and small

especially the small ones

because they are the big ones

items

transferred from daily checklist to daily checklist

for too many tracks in your life

#198 fernie candles

my best friend is almost twice m age

yet he's younger than me

50's the new 20 here

the air, the people, the mountains

age is more than a candle count

experience

life experience

real life experience

a -26 thumb out under an overpass experience

grows youth

and age grows experience

so age grows youth

#197 evening out

red wine

brickhouse

friends

old and new

conversation

shallow and funny

deep and funny

its all good

even the bill

#196 accessory

around my neck

over-over-under-through

tighter tighter

fit the code, fall in line

and more people call me mister

unearned respect

imagined status

#195 on completing a marathon

at the end, what do you really have?

sore legs?

a time?

a medal like all the others'?

but what else?

a new comfort zone

a bigger answer to I can...

an accomplishment that no one can strip

and yes

sore legs too

#194 real men...

tap in the 8-ball

know when to fight

know when not to fight

have made mistakes, big ones

have met their dark side

fix things

play

own hammers and a skill-saw

buy flowers

possess more strength than they show

can be quiet

honour women

#193 go outside, skip

when did you stop skipping and rolling as forms of transportation
stop shouting and running as acceptable means of showing excitement
do you remember how huge the halls and walls were in kindergarten
taking each stair up one foot at a time, then hopping or sliding down
when hands weren't necessary for eating
velcro on your feet
when bedtime stories opened magical worlds each night

when did you grow up
when did you forget the magic

#192 destination vacation

Main Street

attractive false fronts

early Sunday run, dawn

broken bottles and frozen puke

city workers are just leaving The Yard

the hours between the late drunks

and the glitzy tourist shops

fooling ourselves into thinking this is paradise

and maybe it is

if we succeed in the deceit

#191 a dream

a cabin in the woods

see people once a month

food

library

family news

meet all the thoughts my life avoids

shames

fears

inadequacies

to persevere on my own

no distractions

no help

#190 bathroom sink and empty bakeware

i was destined to change the world

but to-do lists interfered

and for all my twenties i blamed a girl

yesterday's excuse

no longer holds any use

i bit resentment and blame

dirty bathroom sink

but the whole time the calendar was flipping

i was learning without knowing

learning to change the world

#189 chewing the pew

teeth on the pew

varathane in my mouth

the priest moves his mouth

but his words blur into background sound, hum of a fridge

if mum asks me about the homily

i'm in for it

and no Sunday Donut

i stand

because everyone stands

bow my head in pretend prayer

#188 injustices of age

white at the top of my mirror's reflection

getting winded or sore on a once easy hike

putting cupboard things in the fridge

not making it to the bathroom

calling people by their parents' names

realizing regular print has grown too small

#187 suspended

bright red, bland wall, empty hallway

then

ears are attacked overwhelmed

and he walks

fast

away

how do you trust someone who never went over

someone who follows rules all life

versus someone who has rebelled

and has fed the temptation

and come back

#186 september-october cusp

enough moon to make the mountains ghosts from another time

enough autumn chill to make little sounds big

to keep the summer strollers behind windows lit by tv's

to force the decision: fleece or stiff shoulders and hands in pockets

kids and marketers think of halloween

new school-year goals abandoned

old routines renewed

pumpkins fill space between asphalt lots and fluorescent interiors

block grocery stores

an urge to bake enters as the hot days exit

#185 tees and trees

the sound of your golf-ball dancing and rattling into the hole

or of a well connected drive going right where you planned

happiness can be heard on a golf course

between the moments

when you want to wrap your club

around the nearest f***ing tree

#184 i worry

the way bad news sticks to him longer

the way he unloads his full weight into his chair

and the way he gets up from it

a chore

the way he sleeps in

but never looks well-rested

and his former passions

now seem mundane

and he, unawake

i worry that his bed does not remember being made

or his sink being clean

or his mail pile being empty

#183 learning guitar

learning chords

blaming fingers

chubby

skinny

brain knows

fingers don't

or

vice versa

wondering

if the pinky and the ring

belong to someone else

or are they just defiant

slowly

you improve

imperceptible

until you meet someone

who is where you were

#182 we never grow up

behind the white hair

is a boy

behind that bent back

is a man who wants to make his wife feel special

behind those gnarled hands

is a provider for his kids

behind those wrinkles

are great stories from the outdoors

behind those stubborn wobbly knees

is a life of giving

#181 my community

people laughing and smiling and talking

taking their time

hurrying is as out of style, as being-in-style

rushing is rude

thirty minutes in overwaitea grocery

to get lettuce

car horns mean hello

there are few rules, more like... guidelines

the movie store only charges late fees if you sneak out

10 centimeters of snow is a valid reason for closing shop

and beer is borrowed not taken

'cause you'll give one to them the next time they visit

and if you're looking for someone

just ask on 2nd ave

#180 the first step is the biggest

a single step

a date in the diary

a number for the poetry blog

foot on the morning floor

opening the briefcase

filling the sink

#179 got with the program

my shoes slap the pavement

rhythmic

miles accumulate

and the tread wears

i started months ago and now

so few blank calendar-squares remain

before the big red circle

one more long run

then the taper

that seemed so far away

now so close

#178 sidewalk dandelion

life

has thrown some uppercuts to my jaw

but i've got love

love is my weapon

experience my ammunition

do what you want

i'll still react with love

i might cut you out of my life

but i'll feel sorry for you

wish well for you

love you

#177 building peace of mind

inner peace through swinging a hammer

relaxing thoughts through pounding pavement

building by hand

measure carve whittle

an active body helps a healthy mind

a happy being provides a solid foundation

run dig haul jump dance

go

#176 income and attitude

disposable.

and cameras and and pampers

jumbo plastic cups

with lids and straws

maybe we're due for a market crash

a full on depression

force us to care

about our gross amount of stuff and waste and crap and plastic

#175 tic-toc

a packed lunch

homework almost done

i walk to school

sit in my desk

busy day

at lunch i chat with friends

the afternoon clock moves slower

just like when i was a student

#174 september

when did the leaves turn

and my hair turn white

when did the days grow colder

and my eyes grow older

the days shrink in daylight

and in quantity

a crispness in the breeze

something in the wind

autumn has begun

and i'm enjoying every moment

#173 proctor and the sisters

indecision cost him life

a mountain forever

but his ladies stand by him

a still line

happy to be near

they're the ones in all the photos

the ones everyone first notices

but their space would be empty sky

if not for his procrastination

in choosing

among three beauties

#172

mums on the table

but she's not here

bright and cheery

homesick and gloomy

the bubbly acquaintance

when you just want to be alone

so lonesome

as pathetic and out of place

as one lobster in a grocery aquarium

#171 side profile

my favourite shape

the small of her back

makes geometry exciting

a well-proportioned curve

invites my hand

#170 a neighbour

dark windows and a closed door

no roaming cat

no borrowed baking ingredients

no lamp glowing on midnight dog walks

all gone

chats on 2nd ave

borrowing tools

spontaneous bike rides

and he only moved down the street

#169 194 to go

fresh binders and crisp pages

clean erasrs and long pencils

even lunches demonstrate extra care

hopeful goals,

organized math-and-compass sets

septembers resolutions

self-promises

new starts

straght A's

textbook numbers assigned

seating plans strategized

Welcome Back

blu-takked to the door

and written

meticulously

on fresh-washed boards

in every room

#168 good little citizen

i wear happy clothes, stay clean-shaven

drive to work, drive home, add to my shopping list

i read the paper a few times a week

i'm involved in my community

i'm a good little citizen

but i'm angry

angry at humanity

myself included

angry for putting ourselves first

for ignoring large-scale depression

for encouraging Sprawl-Mart

and all the chains we lock on ourselves

Convenience, Luxury, Lowest Price

we know that Lowest Prices comes at highest costs

but we're contented by our distance

off-line for a week... gone travelling... juan de fuca

#167 the art of handling the aggressive talker

standing on the wharf

seaweed and saltwater

demand olfactory attention

then i see the boat

heavier than anything

i could ever budge an inch

hull aiming 12 o'clock

for the now fragile wooden dock

collision course

a wave from the steering wheel

suggests i save the disaster

and i do

not with strength

not much at least

but by deflecting the dory's momentum

and the boat

now parallel

kisses the dock

#166 moments between moments

we hiked a trail today

and one of our crew said

this is my favourite time for waterfalls

but there was no waterfall to be seen

we'd passed it several minutes before

i asked him to explain

when its not so intense on the ears

when its in the distance a bit, soothing

there are moments in life

between the big events, before and after

these moments are life, no expectations

these are the moments

that if freedom was lost tomorrow

we would spend nights dreaming of

#165 a.m. prep

my eyes want to close

unadjusted to the early hour

i force them open

guilty for not showing them more sunrises

my feet want to walk back to bed

but i shuffle them to the kitchen

to pack sandwiches and gorp for the hike

my stomach pleads for pepto-bismal

instead i feed it orange juice

my Lab wants to go

I open the door

#164 something good must come

rain covered our street last night

while i tossed and turned from my thoughts

alone in a bed for two

now, mid-morning

dips, potholes, and cracks

hold the only evidence

and soon, all will be dry

no sign of the dark and glum night

but some morning

from this rain

from one of those cracks

will spring a remarkable daisy

#163 grief details

how long after the coffin is covered

before you delete her Contact info

recycle her mail in the bin under the sink

forget her laugh

one month?

six?

a year?

when do you remove her blu-tacked photo from the wall

move her e-mails to the Trash Bin

for whom would we keep them

she's gone

wasted space

#162 baggage and trash

i still sleep on the left side, habit

stretch

trust is slow

and might never return to its former glory

rumble of the approaching garbage truck rushes me

everyone knew

i'm in time, at the curb

sky one hundred percent blue

the only sign of rain-

everything is wet

must've rained an hour before i awoke

sometimes we see a thing happened

only after it is done

standing, i watch the man empty my metal bin

then his truck drives drives, ten yards

and the scene replays

again

and again

#161 a choice

the 8-ball awaits

he stands

bent, poised

sliding the cue-stick
back-forth, back-forth

his elbow a pendulum

a decision to be made

to smash or to tap

strength and authority over opponent

or finesse and understated power

back-forth, back-forth

his eyes blink

#160 the clean-up job / the hit man needs an "s"

no matter how many times

i never like this part of the job

i cover my hand in black plastic bag

wear it like a glove

i glance

ahead

left right

hoping for no witness

then

I

bend

at the knees

and scoop

her poo

#159 goodbye teacher

he cleaned toilets and changed the world

wore simple clothes and affected world leaders

stopped the British Empire, with salt

einstein said

there will come a day when it scarce be believed

that such a man as this ever did walk upon the earth

einstein

and still we failed to learn

#158 in my head

words spiral

hail mary

slip

flip

invert

convert

the homynym track is endless

the synonym track is parallel

puns appear

double-meanings abound

but what errand did my wife suggest 

twenty minutes ago..?

i have no idea

 

#157 one writer's argument against the Law of Conservation

my world

a radius of 30 inches

my mind my hand my pen

working at fever

time 

is an empty word

a non-existent phenomenon 

during these zone moments

energy cannot be created nor destroyed?

falsehood

ideas and images and sparks 

jump and dance and explode

in my inner space

if the energy leaves in the form of heat

a mammoth hole exists above my desk

in the ozone

#156 levels of participation

to watch golf re-runs from a couch

to watch a basketball game live

to play in a softball rec league

to join a competitive hockey team

to host a marathon

these re all participation

any one only better than the others

by situation

the recovering patient

the caring father

the new community member

the introspective teen

the injured athlete

#155 haiku2

write five syllables

write seven more syllables

then finish with five

#154 haiku

body and mind balance

mind walks: apples, gravity

i stretch, write a story

#153 the writing body

 isaac (mr newton)

was garden-walking

an apple fell

a catalyst 

for the theory of gravity

elite athletes 

visualize 

perform mental relaxation techniques

i write

and i stretch

i juggle 

i run

i eat apples

i walk

hoping to find My poem

#152 introspection

grey

raining

no cars travel to my ears today

just the plip-plip-plop

of drops drop-dropping

on metal roof and eavestrough

a day that begs you to  stay inside

to be inside

to look inside

#151 how progress has altered my day

wake up 

check my e-mail

lounge 

watch tv

check my e-mail

surf the web

check my e-mail

lounge

microwave lunch

check my e-mail

#150 the bravado of the male

as i near the tree

he shouts and screams

to convince me 

he's of colossal size and reputation

the nearer i get

the louder he gets

bullying me out of his territory

this happens everyday

as i pass by his home

the bravado of the red squirrel

#149 the measure of a boy (*accepted in "message in a bottle")

the boy strides outdoors in rubber boots

fishing rod in hand

it might not be far

but it's out of his mother's calling range

forbidden just last summer

his boots squeak-clunk down the trail

through still evergreens to the silent lake

he attaches a worm and casts

no people talking

no tv

no brothers

just the lake

later

on the picnic table in front of the house

he measures his one catch

it passes the halfway of the ruler

will be shorter after he cuts and guts

fish don't look so alive until you stare at their eyes

inside his chest, he is proud

mother watches out the window

nervous about the steak-knife

she bends to a lower cupboard and then brandishes a frying pan

happy to see her boy

enjoying something

#148 looking down on her overturned 4-runner

sirens wailing in drivers' ears

vehicles pulling onto shoulder

the jaws of life arrive on scene

but the jaws of death just left

is there some new understanding

some knowledge of the bad things in this world

the medic moves from joanne 

nothing left to do there

to her daughter

so much blood

but

the medic is relieved

all mother's blood

#147 monday morning, sunday long-run

hips swollen

quads screaming

stairs taking forever

even my arms hurt

why do my arms hurt?

i'm glad today is a rest day

not sure i could tie my runners

#146 sometimes

better teams lose

good people are pricks

jerks do nice things

rain is relief

#145 a nation asleep

the people's voice

the people's parade

undesired by those in power

montreal

seattle

then nothing

why?

someone

take back our streets

#144 learning the process

poetry is a habit

a poem is a plant that grows

from a lot of decomposing matter

poems and poetry are what happen 

when someone thinking

holds a pen

a poetry book then

ample unseen rot

#143 tenth anniversary

her ring has lost shine

but gained meaning

if she lost nine years ago

replacement would be an option

now

though the shine is gone

so many everydays 

and stand-out memories attached

sleeping in Saturday

skydiving

the ring goes to the right of the sink now

automatic 

without thought

the ring has lots its shine

but is part of her now

#142 the beast about to strike

king of pop

to butt of all jokes

then death

now social hero again

we all know he was odd

struggled with his childhood

even up to his death

what was he

singer

entertainer

icon

pedophile

father

son

chameleon

all these and more

he had a dark side

a private side

a result 

in part

of being a consumer product

a commodity

and whose fault is that?

the consumer.

you

me

and it will happen again

#141 us and nature

square buildings

boxy cars

straight lines and right angles

round trees

unsymmetric beauty

fluid lines and curvy angles

#140 float like a butterfly

from clay he grew

his words and fists mesmorized all

once so fast

now so slow

an honourable reminder of mortality

he lived

his life burst at the seams

he stung and was stung

but learned through it all

and now he's in a long battle

which he will surely lose

but their is a victory

in losing against impossible odds

if you are graceful 

and honourable

#139 pizza and poetry

first, mix all the ingredients together

get some words on paper

then place it, center of the pan

re-read it

play with the dough in your hands

switch things around

work the ball from the center out

add sentences, change words

when the pan is covered take another look

when the poem feels done take another look

fix thin parts

tweak

put it in the oven

let the page sit for a while

enjoy

share

#138 cycling to break the cycle

at home

alone on the couch

small fears grow big

upcoming appointments and assignments and commitments

the air

only goes as far
as my throat

and before i slip too far

down that dark mineshaft

i stand up

open the door

step outside

unlock my bike

unlock the grip that was on me

#137 a word on the street

spare some change?

a hoarse whisper

from the smelly guy 

sitting indin-style on the grimy sidewalk

huddled under a stained sleeping bag

a father of three

a schizophrenic

a self-medicator

he hears get a job and bum

several times a day

before sleeping in the Royal Bank ATM room

with empty pockets

i shake my head

sorry man

and i hope that soon

the world can spare some change 

#136 big family supper table

one on couch for TV

one at badminton practice

one reading upstairs

one helping prep

one at work

two playing outside

but then

they all join

round the rectangle

one family

#135 women's weekend

dog underfoot

cold beer in hand

quiet

except for the tv commentator's voice

this is the life he thinks but man

i miss her

#134 sandwiches are beautiful

i made mother a mayonnaise sandwich

with peanut butter and pickle

because she wasn't feeling well

she said it looked to good to eat 

that she'd eat it 

after she finished appreciating its innate beauty?

#134 #3 3/8"

from a warm autumn Sunday

i enter

i sit

middle of the kitchen

mother walks round and round

she the moon

my noggin the Earth

scrutinizing my head

clumps of brown

(long since white) 

drift to linoleum

arms folded

my nose tickles 

i blow 

she leans in

i focus 

the hum

electric scalp massage

the drone

bass note of the didgeridoo

finished

she brushes me off

hands a mirror

i nod approval

sweep the fallen

to dustpan

then dump 

to grocery bag

she vaccuums the tiny remnants

and i'm good 

for another few months

later i walk the bag 

to the garden and spread

a deterrant for unwanted ungulates

i rub my head

it feels cold out

#133 travellers

know how 

to make every backpack item count

know how to make a pint last

never turn down free meals or showers

and

maybe most importantly

know how

to make a friend 

in a room full of strangers

#132 the man inside

just gave me an F

unhappy

with my effort and performance

knows i can 

do more

do better

be kinder

be stronger

says this is unacceptable

says i am wasting my gifts

is tired of excuses and self-lies

is about to lay down the law

#131 last call

listening to her voice

cell phone message

i hang up

order another

stare at my left digitus medicinalis

no mark left anymore

no sign that the band was ever there

when did the last trace leave

i swallow liquid medicine

not enough to be the drunk

just enough to blur the pain

and to stop looking at my finger

trying to forget why i'm drinking

#130 inverted oceans

at first

i tried the muskokas

where the pines 

pointed me east

back to ocean

but i was pulled away again

and found fernie

where i feel at home

in mountains

which display 

ancient inverted oceans

everyday

#129 after bedtime-snack

tunnels

carniverous amphibians

a reverie's version of childhood home

chutes and adventure and danger

and victory

aunt

ordinary

gone wrong

unhuman

a child's stuffed animal

massacred by keeper of the trust

kindergarten teacher

#128 large family, kitchen table

sharing news

hoarding dessert

laughs

arguments

before departing 

to our own lives

the table is the family

homecooked meals

mud and blood on white 

for the picky

dad at the head

mum to his left

oldest at the foot

i didn't realize then

that i was being shaped

that i was so lucky 

#127 each had a yellow sword

two yellow swords

battle of the bowl

two young brothers

swords crossing through

one another's

manhood displayed

the battle 

short

ends 

in two smiles

and one flush

before dinner

#126 bless you

in kootenai mountain time
a day is a sneeze in history
an ocean floor thrust upwards

over time

overhead

over all

trilobytes and friends invite discovery

the world, Earth

turning over in her sleep

#125 missing out

i'm a musical snob

i like it independent

undiscovered

no top 40

i like their older stuff

their first album was the best

but what do i miss out on

i'm a social snob

only interact with visible characters

dreads

free-spirits

no to name brands

#124 the couple i hope we are

the farmer holds his wife's hand

under the small-town bar table

his eyes happy, relaxed

and she

white-haired, youthful, energetic, free

they split a burger special

when the waitress returns

with two plates

his eyes hint disappointment

after the waitress leaves

with mischievous moustache, he steals a fry from her plate

with hearty laugh, she steals one fry from his

then, under the table, their hands find each other

#123 thank-you, friend

i nurtured

loved 

and encourged

then i grieved 

as i let that part of me die

then

a friend came along

a stranger then

but now a great friend

and saw life in that part of me

#122 against all odds

on a raft flowing down a medium river

i feel tiny

walls on both sides cut off the world

but for a strip of sky straight above

walls of rock

i'm at the foot of enormous cliffs

my neck stretches back

three quarters way up one wall of rock

is a tree

a tree

i see no dirt

the tree grows out a bit at its base

and then up

how does this life exist in that place

#121 love

making the bed when you won't be there

a note with the lunch

doing a chore that's not yours

eating the heel of bread because they don't like it

warming their side of the january bed

#120 long live the book

to fall asleep upon

to host a bookmark

to appreciate in stores and libraries

the sound and feel of turning a page

to give

to receive

the smell of new

all this and more

#119 windows

pull down menu

Clear History

or

Show All History

what if life was like my Mac

windows into my father's childhood

options to omit life-regrets 

one click

Home

Back

Help

Save 

Edit

Quit

#118 midnight

another liquid heart-to-heart

passes my window

loud

mostly decipherable

two male voices

@#$@ her man

#$@! her

drunk guys talk about girls

drunk girls about guys

misunderstandings 

and differences 

and need

and the voices float away

#117 my lobster fishing career

4am alarm clock

drunk with tiredness

i somehow roll out

angus is there

coffee and smile on

are my eyes even open

by 5am we're on the water

the sun paints the sky

an easel 

changing every minute

i'm a university student

called as an extra hand

the last day of the season

today cement-weighted traps 

hauled up for the season

the catch is small

both men 

twice my age

work quiet

the weight of the traps is too much for me

after an hour of pretending

poorly

that i'm okay

i flop

are you faggin' out

i'm mad

not because of the rude comment

but because i can't meet their challenge

i need another minute

they send me home 

with a story to tell 

anytime i hear someone call fishermen lazy

#116 the wait of apples

when will we learn

some apples are to be eaten

but we label those that fall without giving us nourishment

a waste

round irregular trees

we humiliate into ordered rectangular orchard

feed them water stolen from river

river knows

apple knows

tree knows

but they are older, wiser

#115 delete

sunday morning

stressing over our telus bill

i grab my bike and close the door

two empty cotton bags

balled between fist and handlebar

sunday market, rotary park, 11 am

in time for lemon cupcakes

the sun, i grin

came for the cupcakes too

kids go wild on jolly-jumper rafts

dogs sniff dogs

people pay cash

all as i load up on the vegetables

our sofa-size garden lacks:

chard, peppers, corn-on-the-cob

then a snack

and a warm loaf of bread,

unsliced

the walkabout, smaller than a softball infield

equals fifty minutes of smalltown conversation

how's your summer

oh, hey how're things

we should ride together tomorrow

what're you up to today

et cetera

until

i wander to my waiting townie-bike

unlocked

i balance the bags

precarious

one per handlebar

shades of garden-green overflow

i wobble home

comical version of a strongman farmer's-walk

open the unlocked door

check my e-mail

message from a buddy

suggesting my girlfriend and i

move to the city, calgary

attached is a high-paying job posting

ridiculously high paying

i look to the cotton bags

smile back to the monitor

poke the key

#114 searching for a three-leaf clover

why

when man meets at a mountain

his eyes are drawn to the peak

and his being is tempted to the summit

ignoring the foot

a boy in a field of clover

spends hours searching for a four-leaf

attracted to the rare

but how beautiful the three

two identical wines

side by side

with different price tags

we rate taste according to the tag

the unattainable

the rare

the expensive

can we see 

and appreciate

the beauty

the miracle

in the simple

the ordinary

the mundane

letters

straight lines

a single breath

all amazing

 

#113 questions of home

an ocean, a mountain

a battle without arms

my family, my community

my struggle within

home

more than words and numbers on an envelope

can home exist anywhere

can it be multiple places

is home a place or a feeling

are nomads and travelers never at home

or always

is anyone always at home

buddha, dalai lama

or have they transcended home

what of the home with adults yelling

or worse, not talking

if a home is broken, is it still a home

what makes one more homeless,

dirty cardboard box

or painted concrete facade

born on the ocean

living in the mountains

across the miles

within myself

a mountain, an ocean

ebb and flow

rise and erode

ebb and flow

rise and erode

#112 is there?

is there a home for me in your scars

i won't yell or hit

is there a spot for me in there with the tears you fight to keep

i won't break trust

are you willing to accept an umbrella

under the thick rain-cloud that sits above you

everywhere

i don't mean to scare you

i just see the little girl

i understand your anger and your shell

i want to find a home in your scars

#111 supper rush

loud music

changing

hierarchical battle

some sing

some curse

timers and sizzling and shouting

fractions multiplied

portions divided

tempers and flambes flare

then

breaktime

breathe

and back again

#110 campfire audience

empty dock

beside laugh-filled campfire

a still night

but no one's still enough to notice

busy having fun

making friends and living memories

the sun retired two hours back

but enough light still reaches

to make a dusk

i search the lodgepoles

for movement

for sway
none

a quiet act ends

to a thunder of applause

and i watch dusk

change to darkness around me

alone

i listen to the fun

#109 bedtime

exhausted

i stumble up stairs

keeping my eyes

from pulling shut

my body

feels like 

i downed a fistful of sleeping pills

but i just 

i had 

a long

hard 

full day

i open bedroom door 

enter

too tired for happiness

i look at the bed

and remember

the sheets

down in the laundry

in the wash-machine

#108 i thought you were happy

behind tears are tears

behind smiles are smiles

or sometimes tears tears

we hide sadness anxiety frustration

with smiles

but not laughter with tears 

#107 stuff

stuff fills my life/clothes rarely worn, fill drawers and closets/books, already read, fill tables and shelves/trinkets, useless and unnoticed/own walls and corners\\as i look at all these belongings, all this stuff/i think, there is something to be said for

space

#106 old farts, old wives, whippersnappers, and spring chickens

has there ever been a generation 

that didn't worry about its young predecessor

are we the only species that does this

kids will be kids

and

like adults

they'll have moments 

of incredible brilliance and promise

and moments of sheer idiocy and stupidity

and

at some point

they'll worry about their predecessors

#105 after rain

sky 

shades of grey-and-white, dark-and-bright

ground

wet and puddled

air 

clear and quiet

people and the other animals

hiding in stores and shelters

the sky is already brighter

soon blue will conquer the sky again

but 

for now

i enjoy the moment

#104 three-ticket ride

that ferris-wheel stomach

just before the smile

2 o'clock angle

the feeling

it doesn't go away

little things cause it

paperwork, phone calls, outings

anxiety fills my perspective and my lungs

inhaling restricted

for me, the cure is three-part

movement
getting outdoors

and letting go

#103 running, trains, and poetry

it's a marathon

not a sprint

to keep a train moving

requires more energy than

get

ting

it

started

to move a ton one inch

is harder than the next ten inches

a poem a day is better than

twenty poems once a month
maybe better than
forty poems once a month

#102 mine-town train

a horn cuts the white noise of the everyday

locals hardly notice

tracks shake

before a garland of cars chug through

going west

a million dollars worth of black

going east

nothing

the black shakes my bed at night

woke me for the first three nights 

and never since

#101 bitter perspective

what can i say of a place and a sound

whose  best redeeming qualities

are 

white squall

mosquito-breeding havens

and #4

the hooters' streets are tired

though imitate life for summer 

yes

there are good clips too

loon's bleat

paddle's gurgling tornado

but i'll not rush to return

#100 (yeah, that's right) one thing

i run

10-minute miles

never been called fast

running teaches me things

i'm amazed 

how easily 

one day off

turns into 

one week off

like a freight train

so much more energy

to start

once momentum

is broken

#99 at home in distant mountains

june fifth

mountains 

green but snow-dipped

nestle me

here

as home sneaks around me

#98 small town

friday night

8 o'clock

kids dropped off 

two blocks from their friends

as if parents don't exist

or hiding the decade-old family car

they meet

in fields

under bridges

at playgrounds

by quiet streetlight

hours later

chewing chocolate bars

masking smell

chatty with parents 

but trying not to breathe

#97 hot feet and sprinklers

lounging

lazing on a tube down the river

beverages in tow

warm evenings and cold beers

water games and fireworks

racing your melting ice-cream

green everywhere

and trails filled with life

hats and mitts are forgotten

in a box

back of closet

forgotten evidence 

another world 

another life

forced out of mind

blizzards and flurries and snow-cones

a different language

#96 when the other far doth roam

she's back

whirlwind of life

items invade, floors and counters disappear

his inner compass spins, as though at a pole

routine

wiped out

calm existence

shattered

she's back

he feels life and smiles

#95 THIS IS A DEAD END

armed with blueprints

made by his hand

and a sack of supplies

and a vision

he turns left

the lot at the end of the cul-de-sac

his

had been for 3 hours now

he reaches in his sack

removes duct tape and a sharpie

marks

BEGINNING

and continues to the road sign 

#94 a shining armour

her beautiful panoply 

gets her in trouble

and protects her

in bars after midnight

the girl 

half a wedding-reception

stares at

the half that includes the groom

she will cause mens fists

to hit mens faces

and a few will see beneath her tight sarong

but none beneath her panoply

#93 irish metal music

clank

clank

tink 

tink

then 

a rhytm

1-2 3-and-4

clank-clank clank-tink-clank

1-2 3-and-4

clank-clank clank-tink-clank

warmed up 

now come the tricks

antics

for the audience

lightning gallops

and head-banging rakes

metal

on metal

one instrument

two spoons

#92 revolutionary

poetry

poet tree

poe at three 

po' at three

poet tree

poetry

#91 deep in the woods

thank you

to the people who have turned their backs on us

the people who have left us

for unknown unmarked cabins

deep in the woods

places that we would rather

hang on the wall

than visit

thank you

you give me hope that when we fail

worthwhile will still exist

and we will fail

i am afraid of the day or night

our gluttony and plundering and pillaging

fail

but i hope its soon

#90 embracing procrastination

would schoolbags ever get clean without 

procrastinating studying for exams

would this poem get written

if not for the overwhelming sensation 

my novel brings me

and reading

all those great books and words

absorbed and forgotten

all excuses out of daunting to-do lists

dishes

cleaning

phoning friends

getting outdoors

all benefits of procrastination

#89 when you're done reading my poem

when the world puts you down

when your couch lures you to laze

get up

when you're procrastinating on the computer

when you're a boxer on the mat

get up

get up

when you're in bed missing out on your day

when you're sitting there watching injustice

when your tv sucks your brain

get up

get up

get up

do something epic

#88 misleading

she has no clue

what i've done

she smiles

unknowing

secrecy

lies

hidden encounters

deceit

our friends know

but they won't tell

they wouldn't

want

to ruin

 

the birthday surprise

#87 don't yawn

i stare 

through the glow from my alarm clock

at sleepless ceiling 

stressed

i try deep-breathing

ovine counting

relaxing

but trying to relax 

is like pushing yarn

i resort to praying

with

and without

expletives

then

the sleep-deprived ceiling

offers a suggestion

i try my hardest to stay awake

to keep my eyes staring

through the neon light

and

i fight sleep

like the 10 year-old me

willing my eyelids 

to stay open with dad's

for the tv

third...  

third period

and just...

#86 time, money, and raspberry jam

mum had a theory

the theory of raspberry jam

every sunday 

she filled a grocery cart 

for a family of eight

her well-tested theory:

jar is empty on thursday

whether a small 

or jumbo

#85 ah camp

hemp

gimp

beads

all camp bling

sandal tans

and dirt lines

damp swimsuits

dock talks

sunscreen

and burnt ears

homesickness

followed by tears of leaving

#84 nb

they'll get me there

the 26.2

and all the miles 

between 

here and there

race day lace-up

will be 

a sanctified ceremony

they'll get me through

all weather

all obstacles

all failure

they'll get me to the starter's gun

and over a finish ribbon

discarded long before our arrival

they'll get me there

#83 beware of red

head

wine 

sign

danger

one 

turns into 

two

turns into...

brush of shoulder 

turns into

hand on thigh 

turns into...

#82 what happened?

the sieve of memory holds the good

the wish-i-were-anywhere-else's

slide through openings that grow with time

until childhood is a breeze

puberty, a dream

high school, a fairy tale

no enemies

no boring days

no wishing for freedom

no when-i'm-a-grown-up's

perhaps it's better that way

not to have to answer

to our childhood selves

#81 mountain watching

through the window

the three sisters beckon

bird of prey

headless

between proctor and the other

tooth-like in appearance

wings of stone

risen from an ocean floor

watching without eyes

#80 mum (accepted in "message in a bottle')

she had a space that was hers

eight by eight

counter

sink

fridge

stove

cupboards

her space

command centre

and if offspring entered

she'd scold or tease

(depending on patience)

out from under my heels

accurate for the first two

but by the time the sixth

intruded the zone

some had passed her in height

supper would be ready

when her man entered

lunchbox in hand

exhausted

and always something for his sweet tooth

chocolate cake

chocolate chip cookie

chocolate haystack

(yes, theme noted)

sometimes dishes right after supper

sometimes after their 6 o'clock news

teacups in hand

strong

later she'd prepare lunches

a relaxed flurry

bread and sandwich meat and snacks and fruit and wax paper and lunchbags and boxes

then

she'd find her book and her chair

and sink into both

before bedtime

#79 the cycle

i stay in the shower

re-scrubbing

re-rinsing

watching the suds swirl 

out of sight

not ready to face today

a normal day

not ready

finally

i exit into the towel

back to bed

read

eat lunch

leftovers

again

internet

tv

any invention or excuse 

supper

not hungry

crackers

the week and the weekend

are the same

evening drags

then bedtime 

and i promise 

tomorrow

tomorrow

again

#78 two seasons

meets her through friends of friends

knows she's attractive

but for weeks

denies his body's thoughts 

she is reminded of others in her life

he opposites the immature ones 

gentle

patient

drawn not by his body 

but to it

through his aura and mind

advances are slow

imperceptible

but after two seasons

winter and spring

fall together 

between bedside lamps

#77 anxiety and depression

body tightens

slouches

phone ignored

breathing

from the mouth

yesterday's clothes will do

procrastination rules

and belief in your own word

drops

withdraw

into your community

your house

your room

your body

#76 this we'll destroy

got a girl overseas

patriotic weapon by her pillow

full of taxpayer ammunition

as cnn scares my nightmares

decal ribbons on my toyota

support our troops

all i can do

her empty pillow fights tears

lonesome

helpless

angry

and no one knows why you're there

daniel's sandwiches fall apart

before the lunch bell rings

he shows

the few pictures we receive

brags

collector sports cards

and i know you're due home soon

and i pray to the one i curse

that you'll make it

but what then?

#75 a ride on the john deere

the world shrinks

slips away

my young ankles

bounce

along the trail

in the wake of my ancestral manhood

driven now by my father

the exhaust clears its throat

as i sit on the frankensteined rear platform

then my feet

pseudo-run

backwards

imagining their strength to push the tractor

and my father

in the driver seat

the world shrinks

slips away

into the distance

behind my father

ahead of me

#74 to die happy

to treat the king as i treat the janitor

we are all equal

crown on head or plunger in hand

to appreciate my parents and their struggles

accept the things i wouldn't do

admire the things i couldn't do

to tap the 8-ball when force is unnecessary

not for karma's sake but because it is right

to know the power of surrender

to find, only after i stop seeking

to learn to ignore the false voice

that screams premature surrender

to save the face of others

and to be able to face myself

when my own face feels lost

to thank those around me for their contributions

to smile at strangers

and to listen to people in need

to behave
not because my actions might be recorded

not because a well-selling sacred book says so

but to live according to my own inner god, my voice

whisper and shout

what is right

to live with mistakes i made

earning my position at the start line

struggling to the finish ribbon

broken or not

to accept and to learn

and to sleep

tired

smiling

knowing