Footprints

Yellow siding

Spotted with the footprints

Left behind by ivy

Flower beds

Begonias

Geraniums

Concrete steps

Screen door

Usually broken

I may never actually take that walk again

But I

Obviously don’t have to

I would think

It could have been the same

For Pete Seeger

And

We shall overcome

He could have stopped performing it years ago

He knew that walk all too well

He could have inhabited only new songs

But he didn’t

If you watched him perform it over the last decade

You watched him gradually retreat from it

Cede it to fellow musicians  

To the audience

Imploring others to step in where his faltering voice was leaving off

He needed help up the driveway

Up the steps

But he never stopped going inside

I have

Because

A house isn’t a song

It can be neatly severed from what was

Is

Always waiting just inside the door

To the right

Past the basement stairs

Through the kitchen

Past

Formica

Checkered Wallpaper

Dark Lacquered cabinets

Greens

Browns

Yellows

In the three attached light-filled and professionally decorated

Squares

On eleven acres

And

Deep

In my heart

For
Your footprints

Are spotted across more than just the siding

And you aren't finished leaving them

My Mother’s Life: The Musical … You’ll Wish You’d Been Within Earshot

She’d write it

She’s written it

Diaries

Poems

Letters

Cards

Bulletins

Minutes

She’s written it all

And it’ll be great

Because it’s not always been easy

Trust me

I’ve lived within earshot

She’d choose the cast

Calling in and texting her vote as many times as it takes

Busy lines be damned

Trust me

I’ve been drafted into the election effort

I’ve been loitering within earshot

She’d direct it all

The crew

The actors

The orchestra

I can see her now

At rehearsal

Calling out missed sharps and flats

From the front row

The back row

Backstage

An office upstairs

The parking lot

Anywhere within earshot

Trust me

I’ve missed an F sharp within earshot

She’d sing lead vocals too

On every song

Whether she chose them or not

Whether she was in the cast or not

Whether she was supposed to or not

She’d sing them all

And she would sing them all

Choir style

Probably as an alto

Though she’d give the soprano line a try

It wouldn’t matter if it was

A hymn

An original country ballad or

A cover of Guns N/ Roses

Or Prince

Or Eminem

Trust me

I’ve been within earshot

She’d serve cake at the cast party

Telling everyone

As she handed them a plate with a piece of cake on it

How thankful she was

And how wonderful they’d been

And they’d believe it

Because she believed it

They’d believe it and

They would be that good next time

Even if they hadn’t been this time

Because she believed in them

I’d be cutting the cake and placing it on plates

And I’d believe it

Because

I was within earshot

Because I’ve been within earshot

Sharing Friendship

Friendship is like

Sushi

It is like the sunset at Point Reyes after a long day of hiking

It is like that promotion to assistant manager

It is like a flat tire on a dark country road

It is all of that and more

It is Success

Fear

Joy

And tired exuberance

Wrapped up in seaweed

It is

And will always be

Best when it is shared

Which is why I let my seven year old daughter go into her room

Shut the door and

Stay in there for forty five minutes

And upon being given back my phone

Simply say

Hi mom

A Mother's Braids

Arms folded

Like …

A Cossack soldier?

An airplane passenger in an emergency situation?

An undecided b-boy?

A parent expecting dissapointment?

Braids twirled up on top of her head

Like …

A young Helga secretly posing for Andrew Wyeth before he was born?

Princess Leia frolicking on Endor among the furry little Ewoks?

A woodland fairy resplendent underneath her crown?

Smiling a gap toothed smile

An impish

Reluctant

Gap toothed smile

Sitting next to her doll

Slightly slumped in a chair in her own living room

And wearing a cute little sun dress

Accentuating knobby knees and long legs

Like …

Any young girl

Like her granddaughter

Like …

Every other picture of her

From straight down over a knit poncho to afro perm to chemo smooth

From gap tooth to multiple crowns

From then to know

Seventy years worth

Defying categorization and chronology

Triggering a love in me

Like …

No one else

Learning To Swim Again

Can you drown in a stream of consciousness?
If so I am worried for my son's safety
I can throw him a rope
But I can't grab it
And screaming from the shore has not proven to be very effective
Thus
Up until now
I have given up trying to be very effective while
Watching
Directing
Cheering
Wincing
Waving
And shaking my head in amazement
In addition to screaming
But if you can drown in a stream of consciousness
I may have to give up on being ineffective
I may have to put on my swimsuit
And jump in
Just a little more often

Tracks In The Snow

Three hours in
And it's still falling
Everything still covered
Under an unbroken blanket
Not a blemish
Track or
Footprint
Anywhere
It's like the perfect blue sky
Painted onto a canvas and
Just waiting
Waiting
Waiting
For a cloud
For a bird
For a dream
And I hope it's not mine
I suppose some folks need only their own footprints
To follow
To examine
To keep them company
But that's not what I'm looking for
Waiting for
Not anymore
Not now
As the snow continues to fall
Three hours in
No hint of the blue sky that will
Follow
And Wait
For us

winter standoff

mushroom stuck in mouth
won't go in and can't come out
no more snow outside

the difference of distance

the window helps with
enjoying the snow but not
so much with kids

the limited power of snow

in less than an hour

snow concealed it all

outside of the house

the mid-winter reflections of a parent

snow falls differently

reflected in your green eyes

then it does outside

I like to bake my cake ... and eat it too

I like sneaking out to the refrigerator at night and

Absconding on tip toes back to my office with a piece of cake that fills my plate

Regardless of the size of my plate or

The consequences

But                  

I get a lot more out of baking it

Which I suppose is why it shouldn’t have surprised me

To see my son and daughter there on the platform

Alternating between

Standing right on the edge of the yellow line  

Bending forwards at the waste with head cocked to the left

To peer down the tracks at anything that seemed to move

And

Bouncing about with huge smiles

To no discernible end whatsoever

Now it is true

That they were in slack jawed and open mouthed awe of New York City

But never again that day

Not emerging from the subway station into Times Square

Nor Watching taxi after yellow taxi zip past

Did I feel like I was upstairs in one of their bedrooms

About to head down the stairs

Into the darkness

On pins and needles and

Tiptoes

Eager to see up close

Just what was in the stockings

Under the tree

Bake a cake before you eat it and

You’ll understand

Why Making Major Life Decisions Is Hard, But Shouldn't Be

I’ll have tuna and cheese

Yeah, a melt

With a little mayo

On wheat bread

What?                    

Do I want lettuce?

Sure           

But if I have lettuce

Maybe I’ll drop the melt and go with turkey

Yeah, sure, roasted sounds good

But do you have whole grain white bread

No?

Well,

What about chicken

Yeah, I’ll go with chicken

No, no tomato

Yes, keep the lettuce

No, no mayo now

I’ll go with mustard

Spicy brown mustard

What’s that?

You have Dijon too?

Ok, Dijon it is

Do you have avocado?

Yes, excellent

I’ll have avocado and chicken

Avocado and chicken

Wait a second

You know

I think turkey would go better

And hold the mustard

Yeah, mayo would be great

Right, sure

Let’s see

That would be turkey, mayo, avocado on

What kind of bread did you say you had?

Ok whole wheat

But you know

In that case

I’d like tune

Tuna and mayo on whole wheat bread

With cheese

A melt?

Sure, then drop the mayo

But keep the avocado

Yup

Sounds great

What’s that?

Chips or apple slices?

Divergence

What I wouldn’t do to find myself

Standing in the woods

At the point of divergence of two roads

Rather than standing on this hand cart

Smack dab in the middle of a switching yard

In the early afternoon

Having skipped lunch and

Having only used the extra time

To scoot around some more in the yard

Peering down the various tracks

Into the distance                                 

Into the horizon

Not a yellow wood or

Bit of undergrowth

Anywhere in sight

Peering and

Staring and

Looking and

Hypothesizing and

Dreaming

Because

I’m standing out in the sun

Not at the mercy of shadows and wild beats and

Because

After all

It doesn’t make any difference

Way always leads on to way 

The Skeletal Day

Water

After breakfast

Banana

Yogurt covered pretzels

Pistachios

Toast with butter

Water

Apple juice

After lunch

Cookie

Apple

Blackberries in soy milk with sugar

Water

After dinner

Cake

More cake

Cracker

Toast with butter

Water

The Discomfort of True Love

It felt like I was lying on a small branch and

I’m sure that could you have seen my eyes

You would have seen the eyes of a Lion

When his mouth is open as wide as he can get it and

His beloved trainer’s head is inside

It was practically circus worthy

But for the look in his eyes

When he sized up my head and neck for an opening and

Then took advantage of it

It was the look that my beagle used to give me

When she was searching for a way to join me on the couch

So

Obviously

We were there like that for the entirety of the singing performance

Plus an extra minute or so

Enjoying the love

That Only

A

Dog

And

A

Cat

Can

Ever

Know

Getting a handle on things

He’s helping the cashier bag the

Six rolls of packing tape and

The grout sealer and applicator

When he runs into a problem with the plastic bag

He fusses, sighs, and says in a noticeably annoyed whisper

That he can’t find the handle

When the cashier helps him fix it

He thanks her

I sign the electronic signature pad and

Hand in hand we head for the door

Each of us content with the illusion

That we have a handle on things

I am Five, Hear Me Roar

I like cheese

I actually love cheese

I eat pizza crusts

For dinner

As the main dish

Occasionally with a smattering of raisins, grapes, peanuts, and maybe leftover pasta to accompany it

But pizza?

Which is essentially crust

In a less chewy and challenging form

Covered in cheese

Do I eat pizza?

Well

As of today

Yes

If you cut it into bits the size of a small Lego brick

Place them directly in my mouth

One by one

And dwell on the fact that I did not need to wash each bite down with milk

Without giving much thought to what might happen tomorrow

If you don’t

Or even if you do

Going forward

You would do well to remember that

I like cheese

My Grocery Lists

Every week I write a grocery list

On an ordinary eight by ten sheet of paper

Folded in half lengthwise

Produce on one side

Dry goods, meats, cheeses, and the like on the other

The week’s menu inside

I fold it in half again the other way to carry it in my pocket

Upon entering the first store I make marks to indicate where I might find each item

Then I usually scratch off the items on the list

One at a time

As I find them

Until every item on the list has a line drawn through it

But not always

Then I bring the list home

But not always

And refer to it throughout the week

But not always

Then I throw it away

Always

Eventually

Because

Every week I write a new one and

Age isn’t valued

Every where

Every week

New Foods Can Be Trying

Determination

Stubbornness

Inflexibility

Ridiculousness

Bemusement

And

Frustration

All intersect

At the moment

When your son

Pukes

While

Trying to force down

A piece of cantaloupe

Trapped In Winter

It's not cold enough
For me to escape the rain
So I stay inside

Happy Birthday ... With Love Baked In

A peanut butter sandwich cookie

Is not always

Just

A peanut butter sandwich cookie

A two layer carrot cake covered in cream cheese icing 

Is not always

Just

A two layer carrot cake covered in cream cheese icing

A piece of construction paper that is folded in half, covered in stickers, and scrawled across with letters

Is not always

Just

A piece of construction paper that is folded in half, covered in stickers, and scrawled across with letters

A blue Cape Cod with four bedrooms, two baths, a crumbling driveway, brand new marble countertops, dutifully made beds and emptied trash cans, and the fine aroma of juicy hamburgers and frying Brussels sprouts floating through the air

Is not always just

Levittown

And will not always be home

But

He knows that better than we do

It’s why he could look at me and solemnly dismiss my suggestion that we buy a cake

With a simple statement

Delivered as if he was a philosopher

Talking with an annoying but lovingly tutored graduate student

“Dad, we can’t buy a cake, we have to bake the love in.”

to my wife on her birthday ... a thank you for the perpetual spring

Outside rain washes

Away the remaining snow

Inside it’s always

...

flowers

Strawberry Malt

This morning

I put him in front of the television

For thirty minutes

So I could write this poem

It’s nearly ten and

I’m still writing it

Who knows what I was really trying to do

When I failed to hammer that can of paint shut

Last year

My only can of Strawberry Malt

I certainly would have liked to know

Two nights ago

When I was planning to touch up the living room walls and

The strawberry malt

Was more like a real strawberry malt

Then it should have been

I wonder what unhappy surprise will be waiting for me

Ten or fifteen years from now and

Whether I will be able to fix that

With Windex and

A roll of paper towel

Barry Bonds Should Be In The Hall Of Fame

Go ahead and leave

But when you come back

Check and make sure

That your top hat and her doggie are where they were when you left

That all the same houses are in all the same places and

That all the same money is in all the same piles

Because

She cheats

She’ll smile if you catch her

Roll around a bit on the floor and

Wait for you to take your turn

She won’t protest

Won’t lie to the grand jury

Won’t plead not-guilty

But

Like them

Like all of them

She really doesn’t feel guilty

She wants to win

They’re all just trying to win

At monopoly

At baseball

At life

She cheats

But I still play

She cheats

But she’s good

Whether I stay or go

Whether I choose to recognize it or not

Sibling Smiles

He’s smiling

Now

He was asleep

Thirteen seconds ago

He was groaning and moaning and rolling about

Mostly hidden underneath his covers

Six seconds ago

Now

I can see his hair

His ear

And his smile

Because

Through the spaces between the wooden dowels in his headboard he can see his sister crouching down in the two feet between the head of his bed and the wall and staring right at him

He’s smiling

Right now

Because

He is awake

Right now

And he can see

Her

Smile

Parental Vortex

Polar bears swept inside by the polar vortex

Are like parents when the power goes out

Why put on an extra layer of blubber

If you don't really need it

If it is only an inconvenience that makes you sweat

If it is easier to play with colorful beach balls and

Gawk at tourists then it is 

To scrounge for extra food

If the bills get paid

If the e-mail gets read

If Facebook is visited

If no one stays unhappy

After all

It can't stay cold forever

Not anymore

Searching For Alternative Definitions

Tonight

As my son was screaming at me

For insisting that he eat at least half a sweet potato fry

Or surrender his customary nightly bowl of cheerios

I was wondering whether it was true

That we are defined

By the causes we champion

By what we are willing to fight for

I love what you've done with winter!

record cold and snow
forty five degrees and rain
a man made winter

Dinner Party

You’re having a party

Your driveway is full of cars

The street in front of your house is full of cars

It’s awesome

Unless half of them belong to people who live in the house and

The rest belong to your mom and a couple of cousins

Who each drove over alone

Your son requires three plates for dinner

It’s awesome

Unless

One was used for the crusts from his sister’s pizza

One for a handful of olives and

One for a half cup of leftover macaroni and cheese

Then

All we are celebrating is modern excess and
Mess

why I tell my son I love him, would never tell him to suck it up. and have no problem when he wears a purse out in public and gives me hugs and kisses

Whenever a male Blue Bird-of-paradise is looking for a mate

He finds a quiet spot

Hangs upside down

Spreads out every feather he can

Puffs his chest in and out

Rhythmically and

Sways back and forth

Rhythmically and

Waits for something to happen

If I was a male Blue Bird-of-paradise

This is what I would do

If a male Blue-Bird-of-paradise was me

There is no telling what he would do

Ha

Chimps produce laughter like vocalizations

Fine

But can a young chimp produce these vocalizations in response to the absurdity of signs admonishing people not to jump into the toilet

And then

Not five minutes later

Laugh even harder as he was being practically pushed into the toilet by his father’s stumbling attempt to help him urinate

If so

I’d be ready to clear out a chair at the table of civilization

For them

And their laughter like vocalizations

New Years Walk

Brisk

But downright cold when the wind was blowing

Fast          

But even faster when I was carrying him on my shoulders

Quiet

But quieter still when she picked up her American Girl traveling case rather than pulling it and its squeaky wheels behind her

Fun

But less fun when he was proclaiming in his loudest and best whine that he couldn’t stand it any longer and this was certainly not a ten minute walk

Intimate
But less so when we exited the woods and found ourselves walking alongside extensive fields watching runners go quickly by and wondering not about our own resolutions but instead about whether we would be likely to see these folks out on a Saturday in April or May

Unrushed
But for the last half mile after he declared he had to urinate and a debate ensued about how best to meet that need, a debate which ended with his pants pulled down next to the car

Successful

But with only dry underwear to point to as evidence amidst the screaming and hitting going on in the backseat

Complete

But not really, as we were all outside again after nap

New

But not really
Amazing
And ...

Used Years

I prefer new jeans to new years
You can't return new years
You can't wear them with the tags still on
Even if you match them up with a shirt that is a bit too long
They shrink
Continually
And without a single wash
I'd really prefer used years
They all last the same amount of time
Regardless of how many bangles and baubles get added
At least with jeans
Regardless of how often you crawl around on all fours
Until the knees go
You can pretend that they never will

Socialist Parenting

My son

Sometimes talks in his sleep

Right through the monitor

At me              

To me

It’s never anything I can understand but

I listen and

When it stops

I smile to myself and

For the nonexistent spy cameras

Then I go back to work and

The next morning

I make sure

To give him an extra hug

Look him straight in the eye and

Tell him I love him

For the non-existent spy cameras

For history

For God and

For posterity

His and

Mine

Talking About Flint

When you talk to your wife or

Friend

For the first time

After meeting a man

Who bears the scars of torture and abuse

Emotional, physical and

Otherwise              

Openly

Do you tell your wife

Brother 

Uncle or

Friend

Facebook or otherwise

About this guys

Wicked

Backhand 

His

Disconcerting

Ability to get right to the issue and

His 

Startling

Smile

form as function

first five syllables

then seven and a peek       

at snow, leaves, or rain

The Blurry Lines Between Fall, Winter, and Spring

No coat in the car

For trips over an hour

Rain or shine or snow

The attraction of the night

Driving at night
On the expressway
You will never see the face of another driver
truth be told
It's often hard
In little light
With your attention where it should be
On the road
On the task at hand
To see the person next to you
If there is one
To talk to them
If there is one
To think about them at all
With all those other people out there
Just headlights in the night

The smell of life

Standing in front of the live nativity

My daughter smelled 

Farm

Sheep

Goats

Cows and a donkey

Shitting as we watched

My son

Who can't stand the smell of cooked chicken

Said

All he noticed

Was

The smell of life

The truth is

Of course

That they were both right

From Christmas And Into The Gutter

A warm and rainy
Christmas Eve Eve
Eve
Has come and gone
Now we have only two eves left
Tomorrow
We'll be down to one and
Then
We'll find ourselves on
New Year's Eve
Eve
Eve
Eve
Eve
Eve
Eve
Counting down again
To the day
When
All we'll have are
Eaves-troughs
Still full of fall leaves and
Probably still bereft of snow

Packaging Doesn't Always Matter

red suit, red hat, red nose on
a dark snowless, starless night
might as well be black

Christmas Dreaming

short sleeve shirts outside
and unopened gifts inside
where I'm still dreaming

December 20th

I am December 20th
Maybe you are December 22nd
Are you
I do hope so
Because really
It is all that most of us can aspire to
Like a sports nut
Playing a sport
Any sport
At the collegiate level or
A reindeer
Being assigned a job from Santa
Even if it is only playing with kittens
Who wouldn't want to be paid to catch footballs on Sunday or
Be in line in front of Santa's sleigh
Bells ringing
Breath just visible in the dwindling light
It's not living on the moon
It's visiting and
Who wouldn't want to visit
No one
That's who but
Want it or not
I'm December 20th
Fun
Smart
Festive
Sought after
Full of hope and
Anticipation and
Always aware
Come December 21st
That I could have been
February 18th

moving beyond first impression parenting

bare feet sticking out
mom in mittens boots and hat
stroller moves briskly

the entitlement of every american

snow falls outside while

my daughter studies and oat

meal cookies bake

We The People ...

We

The

People

Wanted

Improved union

Unison

Unity

And

Sought Justice

Peace

Safety

Welfare

For right now and

The future

For us and

Everyone else

Freedom

Coming last

Unrecognizable

Responsible

Responsibility

Liberty

After all

We were

Not

A Person

We were

The

People

Freedom

Freedom

To speak

To worship

To assemble

To vote

To starve

To remain ignorant

To hate

To leave

To be

You

And

Me

White and Red Christmas

It's mid December and

The snow is accumulating outside as fast as the

Expenses on my spreadsheet 

All signs point to a 

White

and

Red

Christmas

blind faith, kids, and winter

Eyes closed and tongue out

Nothing within range is safe

Except the snowflakes

Protected Speech

Expression is inherently partial
Unfinished
Inadequate
Often public and
Seemingly always prone to feedback
I mused
As I drew in crayon on my paper place mat at the cocoa diner
I reflected
As I watched multiple three
Four and
Five year olds
Tear around the lobby
At eleven at night
Only one wearing polka dots
Which takes courage if you are over the age of eleven
But before eleven
Is protected speech

Tis' The Season of Excess ... No Quarter For The Weary

There's a quarter on my desk
With less than two weeks until Christmas
It's a dead George walking
Out

relax and get overwhelmed with the rest of us

We don’t have to leave for ten minutes

That’s one trip to the bathroom for everyone and

Two for your grandaughter

Including a four minute handwahsing session including tears

Because she thinks she’ll be left behind

It’s also one complete wardrobe change and hair brushing nightmare

Complete with screams and tears

And a tour of the Christmas decorations and

His birthday gifts

Again

Plus there are dishes to do

Basketball scores to check

Fried potatoes to taste and

Doublehceking of the time of the holiday concert

Yet to do

So …

Take off your jacket and

Stay a while or

Twelve minutes

Or so

Snow Days and Tomorrows

I was staring at my kids
Through a slowly growing hole in the ice on the windshield
Whose receding I was facilitating
However haphazardly
Pain beginning to radiate inwards
From my fingertips
When the windshield wiper buckled
Leaving half of it dangling like the broken wing of a bird
Cowering in anticipation of the words of some distinguished gentleman
With a British accent
Proclaiming that the end had come and
Indeed there was little doubt that the end had come
That
The
Snow
Day
Was
Over

Evidence of a failure in religious education

Jesus’ mom was Mary

His dad was Joseph

He had no electricity

No model trains and

Was nailed to a t and

Died and

Now we celebrate his birthday

Merry Christmas

Winter Warfare

Only sporadic

Clumps of snow fight on waiting

For reinforcements

Ruminations on 75%

Some day far in the future

When I am looking back to this December

December 2013

Sitting in Adirondack chairs on the back porch with

Grama

I wonder if it will feel like I am star gazing with a

Telascope 

Or looking down on another planet from the

Space Suttle 

Or strolling through a

Museim

I think I’ve been to before in a city like

Richmund

That I am quite certain I've never been to

Or maybe It will feel just like it does now

As if I am standing on the 54^th parallel and

Trying to get over the fact

That it is all

Corea

This day

Can I move my new drum set up to my room
This day
Can I shovel the driveway
This day
Will we have candy
This day
This day
Will I be going to school
Did we have cupcakes
This day
This day
Will we see Grandma and Granddaddy
This day
This moment
This second
Right now
This day

Sometimes, Wet Is Just Wet

Parking cars in the cold rain
To earn volunteer hours at your daughter's private school
Feels a lot like
Parking cars in the cold rain
To earn volunteer hours at your daughter's private school
Coming home to a warm shower and a cup of hot chocolate
Lovingly prepared by your wife
Feels a lot like
Coming home to a warm shower and a cup of hot chocolate
Lovingly prepared by your wife
Sometimes I see the metaphors, similes, and analogies so clearly
That I can feel the spray in my face as
I cut across a perfect blue sea and
In front of a perfect blue sky
On my way around the world
On a forty foot sloop and
My muscles tense up at
The sound of pterodactyl screeches
But tonight
I felt cold rain
Pushed cars out of the mud and
Smiled as
I sipped out of my handmade earthenware mug of hot cocoa
Sometimes
Wet
Is
Just
Wet

The Seasons of Nelson Mandela

dying in winter
in prison throughout summer
sprang and fell ahead

limits

now I’m wearing socks

from sun up until sundown

but never at night

Nothing But Numbers

Twenty nine

Thirty two

Zero

One

Two

Zero

Three

One

Four

Two

Five

Three

Six

Four

Seven

Five

Thirty Six

Forty

Thirty Seven

Birthdays Dancing Through My Fingers

The cupcakes form a five
No two adjacent cupcakes burdened
With one of five candles lit
Illuminating the face of the
Five year old
Who was clearly the
Three year old
That sat in that same spot
Two years ago and
May have been
The one year old who
In that very same spot
Tried to catch hold of the flame
From his one candle and
May have earned that
No matter how many or
How few
Cakes and
Candles
You have
You can't grab hold and
Never let go

Five Years Later

Five years ago
About this time
I settled in
To mostly sleep through what was to be
My very last night
As the parent of one child
Thinking that I knew fully what was coming
Just not when
Which
Except for irritation at having garbage bags under the sheets and
A body pillow jammed into my back
Could explain my mindset
Right at this
Moment
Five years later

Blame the Moon

Inflatables on the shelves at Lowes

Before Halloween

Christmas Carols on the radio

Before November is over

Hanukkah nearly half over

Before school returns to full swing after Thanksgiving

The holidays are turning into

A cheap and

Barely sanitary

All you can eat buffet

Where you come just before eleven and

Stay till close
If I get indigestion

I guess I should blame the moon

Heavy Wind And UPS Failures

When the Christmas tree blows down
Before the lighting ceremony
That's got to be a lot like
Having your kids gift
The one they have been asking for ever since you didn't get it for them last year
Not arrive on time for their birthday
Except
As I stand looking at a 15 foot deciduous tree covered with lights
I can't imagine
Ever getting away with presenting
A bucket
In the place of a drum set

Thanksgiving's Tail End

Pie of the pumpkin
Pie of the apple
Pudding of the banana
Celebration of the Thanksgiving
To an end
Does come

Order Restored

My sister moves the chair up a foot and a half

So she can sit closer to the laptop

Which is perched at the edge of the coffee table

Apparently

Though

In so doing

She has thrown off the balance of the whole room

But

Since the interior director already had his stroke

And

Legos and Hot Wheels are scattered indiscriminately about

I’ll just move myself

My laptop

And the wicker bottomed stool underneath me

A smidge

Or two

To the left

And

Restore

Order

young bones welcome winter

sliding on pavement
even onto his backside
laughing all the time

a wet ass and the absence of dis-ingenuity

Crying

Naked 

Wet and

Clinging precariously to me

Me

Who was dry and calm

But now is trying frantically 

To get a reassuring grip 

On a very small and

Definitely damp

Little ass

It smacks of a usually far away primitive people being visited by a television chef 

Who eats monkey brains cooked in cow dung over an open fire and

Smiles and

Nods and

Seems both 

Enticed and

Grateful

Until he and the camera man sneak around the corner of a hut and

Laugh and gag in hushed tones

Except of course

There is nowhere to hide from a wet ass

going home

eleven hours
blowing snow and endless roads
left at the doorstep

Permanence

A river

A lake

An ocean

Even water from the sky

That has yet to find its new temporary accommodations

Mark a line

On the walls of your

House

Like teenagers do with pocket knives on the trees in the local state park

You erase the marks

The initials written over double hearts

With the languid carelessness of a squirrel preparing for winter

New walls

New floors

New paint

Channels to redirect

The river

Lake

Ocean

Even the water from the sky

Should the whim move it

To return

To a spot it hadn’t been to in years

To renew and venerate connections

Muck like F.C. and C.B.

In the woods

On a perfect summer day

With not a cloud in the sky

Freeze

Freeze

That’s what I want to say from the front seat

So that I can take all my attention away from the

Chevy’s

Honda’s

Ford’s

Jeep’s

Toyotas

Red

Blue

Black and

Mostly white

It’s the white ones I can see in my mind’s eye

Them and

 The Dunkin Donuts and

 The Dairy Delite and

 I’m not interested in seeing any of them

Then or

Now

And I want the radio to stop too

No more Katy Perry

I want to be able to turn around and watch her face

Immediately after I reach behind me and give her hand a squeeze

Immediately

Before she reciprocates and

She always reciprocates

Almost automatically

But not quite

It’s a delayed twitch

And it’s delayed

Because first she has a natural reaction

Her whole little body relaxes

She smiles

Just a little

No teeth

No laughter

No hysteria

Just a slight upturn of her lips and

A different look in her eye

And then it’s gone

Always

Before I can appreciate it or

Even be sure it was really there

Amongst the Accords

Sierras

Coffee and

Ice Cream

Before

I can focus my powers and

Make everything

Freeze

The benefits of being a woodchuck, chipmunk, or bat

forty-eight degrees

in four months it will feel balmy

now it's time for bed

Dinosaur Duds

I’m like a milk dud a few days after Halloween

Classic

Sweet

Perhaps aptly named but

Considerably better than nothing and

Even in an overflowing plastic pumpkin with a seemingly endless selection

Not a bad choice

Kind of like a hadrosaur

Given a choice

Who wouldn’t prefer a raptor or a pterosaur

But Now

Sixty million years or so later

The hadrosaur doesn’t seem like so much of a dud

I have A Difficult Tree

I wonder about the tree at the end of my block

It seems like its been a month or more

Since it lost its leaves and

I don’t remember much in the way of

Yellow

Red or

Orange

Before the branches went bare or

Mostly bare

A few leaves still cling in the upper reaches and

Are still green

Although more lime than kelly or forest and

A bit bedraggled

More Cleveland than Pittsburgh but

Not quite Detroit and

Without bankruptcy or angry creditors

Who knows how long they can hang on

I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes new leaves next Spring to push them out

The tree seems to be in active denial

As long as on leaf still hangs on

No matter how empty the branch

The long winter has not set in and

Rebirth is not necessary

I wonder if it were a boy

Whether it would eat its vegetables

Colder Temperatures

The weather finally seems to be turning cold

For more than a few days

Which with a little more than a week to go to Thanksgiving

Should be remarkable and

Wonderful

Especially for me

Who has been planning our next move

Since right after we signed the mortgage papers and

Is always planning the next vacation

From the beach and

Has a garage and

House

Filled with

Boots

Gloves

Coats

Hats

Sleds and

Kids

But

I still remember

An afternoon of dodge ball

At a friend’s house

That I drove to and

I still remember

Feeling

As I always did

That the last game of dodge ball

Was just as much fun as the first game

Which was how I felt

Pulling my son around the block in his wagon

Rather than watching him ride his bike and

Sporting short sleeves

Rather than my fleece

Which is hanging in my closet

More ready than I am

For colder weather and

Tomorrow morning

Turning Over Old Leaves

It’s calm now, but high

Winds arrive early morning

I’m not done raking