December 31, 2012

#1282 souvenirs

smoke
the only evidence of what once was solid
and even the smoke is floating away
not letting me catch anything but a smell on my clothes
still, tears in my eyes are souvenirs
of the life of the tree

#1281 january

the worst annual job
de-decorating christmas
but still
after the worst
comes a sense of change
of new

December 30, 2012

#1280 365

january 1st brings my resolution
re-solution
a solution again
because i had the same three last year
i reslove
(re-solve)
the same things again
but this time i devote time
and i write them
and i share them

December 21, 2012

#1279 counting sheep

let me tell a vision
i will tell you a vision of walking at night on empty streets
while loving families stare blank at glowing screens
they watch the light until darkness covers
then they sleep so they can do it again
i count consecutive houses
my record is a baker's dozen

December 19, 2012

#1278 1am snowglobe

late night walk
solitude on the quietest night
watching snowflake shadows chase and race toward an imaginary finish line
winter butterflies on white canvas

i pass another streetlight
all the shadows change direction
dipping
swirling
laughing

streetlight- east
streetlight- west
streetlight- east
streetlight- west

until my feet turn in our driveway
and the canvas is still

December 18, 2012

#1277 clutter

a house full of clutter and love
a home full of stuff and support
a kitchen full of food and food for thought
a fridge full of mayonnaise and memories]
i'll take the love
even though it comes with clutter

December 17, 2012

#1276 o tannenbaum

symmetrical green perfection
garland hanging just right
bows equidistant
classic white lights
store-window perfection

and i'm looking forward to a messy tree
hung by little hands
a tree drowned in fistfuls of tinsel
a dry tree because the importance of watering will drop down the priority list
yes, a messy tree will be fine too


December 12, 2012

#1275 and these are the minutes

time is the offspring of a three-headed tiger and a one-legged armadillo
no that makes no sense
but neither does time
kill it fill it
buy it spend it
time the friend you need
and the enemy's seed
time is an a$$%^1e and a grandmother
we love him, we hate him
we are him
i had a meeting with time...

December 11, 2012

#1273 4x6

two people, smiling, happy
inside a faux wood frame
framed in another time, another place
isolated, cut off
from today and the wall on which it hangs
separate

December 10, 2012

#1272 portrait, black&white

my keyboard is my canvas
my wife is my model
my reader is my audience
how do i get the strokes just right
how do i let the audience know
how much she means,
how great she is,
how her smile spreads
i am an unworthy artist
but i'll give it a shot

December 9, 2012

#1271 we are family

god threw all six of us together
him with eyes closed
tossing sticks north and south
and now we're on the same team
we might disagree, we might mock
but we're on one team
and yes, there's a scrambled "me" in team
but there is no me, without the team

December 8, 2012

#1270 second intermission

i will forever associate the smell of cheap hot chocolate
with the smell of cold small-town arena corridors
learning the rules for being in testosterone-filled buildings
learning to sound knowlegeable about sports
and to pretend that girls' opinions would never change my actions
learning to hide low self-confidence behind team coats
and to pretend that i'm not afraid of anyone

December 7, 2012

#1269 surrounded by reminders

the poinsetta sits on the table
staring at him
the phone rings
he ignores it
or maybe doesn't hear it
and still
the poinsetta sits on the table


December 6, 2012

#1268 lab report

i walked back from the hospital
in shock
retracing steps from when life was a luxury
watching my opposite steps
straight, consistent, predictable
and the other set, of the four legged variety
weaving, sporadic, adventurous
we pass through the park
i unclip the leash
she charges through 30 yards of six inch snow
only to dive into the six inch snow on the far end

i had no choice
i followed

December 5, 2012

#1267 standing on train tracks

(the horn is loud)
i don't stand here thinking of suicide
i stand here full of satisfaction
satisfaction and adrenaline
facing a concrete, tangible force
equal in size and velocity to the feelings that face me
each day i lift head from pillow
(SO loud)
happy to be able to face the challenge head on
without verbally or physically hurting those well-intentioned souls who think they are helping me
(SO LOUD. FINAL-

December 4, 2012

#1266 2 minutes on HIGH

the sound of his keys meeting the table echoed through emptiness
and he sat on the low part of the couch to meet the low part of his day
supper, quick and convenient
void of taste and filled with memories
still he sits
some nights tears fall, some nights they fail

December 3, 2012

#1265 autobiographical

as a kid, time dragged on like a family home renovation
now, time speeds like the ground visible under the rear car mat
these similes are truly similar to similar truths from my life
and i would trade for nothing
even i am envious of this life
great people, special places, endless opportunity

December 2, 2012

#1264 thinking outside the inbox

put it down, it's
killing us and magic and relaxation
put it down, it's
rude and inconsiderate and mean
put it down, it's
frustrating and isolating and insulting
put it down
you can check your e-mail later