September 30, 2009

#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

September 29, 2009

#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

September 28, 2009

#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

September 27, 2009

#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

September 24, 2009

#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

September 22, 2009

#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

September 20, 2009

#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

September 19, 2009

#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

September 17, 2009

#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

September 16, 2009

#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

September 13, 2009

#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

September 12, 2009

#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

September 10, 2009

#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

September 9, 2009

#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

September 8, 2009

#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

September 7, 2009

#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

September 6, 2009

#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

September 5, 2009

#171 side profile

my favourite shape
the small of her back
makes geometry exciting
a well-proportioned curve
invites my hand

September 2, 2009

#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

September 1, 2009

#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