REALLY?

There is a moment of clarity

When I let go of yesterday,

Banish thoughts of tomorrow,

And embrace only today.

FLOUNDERING

There is a world out there

Spinning out of control

With a few that "have" and

The rest on the "dole."

The plight for most is an awful shame,

There are those who wish only to blame.

The political pundits who traverse this scene

Are bereft of ideas and can only demean. 

The country flounders, leaders can't cope,

We wander a landscape devoid of hope.

Enlightened arrogance is ever growing,

Failure our destiny without care or knowing.

Isn't it enough we struggle to eat, have

A roof over out heads, shoes on our feet?

The path we tread will test our will,

For us to survive will take real skill.

I only hope we can travel as one,

If we cannot nothing will get done.

CANDLE LIGHT

The orange flame shines in the night

Piercing the gloom with its tiny light.

The candle flickers all aglow,

Hiding the memories of long ago.

Puffs of smoke drift away,

Like kitten paws in relentless play.

I huddle closer to the flame

Moth and man we are the same.

I wonder how long my candle will glow?

Is there a message that I should know?

My little candle melts down in size

And will soon be gone before my eyes.

Will there be an ethereal light?  or,

Will I be lost to that endless night?

DOORS

The old doors close,

Locking away memories,

Squandered opportunities,

Spilt drinks and all

The missed kisses.

A daughter with tears

And no bedtime stories.

A little league game fading

Into a colorless haze.

I search desperately for

A new door to open, the one

With sunlight shining on a day

Filled with love and smiles.

There is a life worth recording, not

The dance of the damned or a song of

Forgotten hope with no tomorrows.

Running With The Wind

Running with the wind,

Branches swaying with

Autumn leaves dancing

To natures eternal song.

Blades of grass sparkle

With the morning dew

Providing a carpet ready

For the September day.

My heart is pounding as

Rivulets of sweat pour down

My weather beaten face as

I continue to grind out

Mile after mile, enduring

Pain and loneliness in 

The hope of staving off

Infirmity, illness, muscle fatigue

And yes:

        DEATH

Fear of the inevitable, an eternity

Without warning, the last stanza of

A poem written with tears, and a 

Recording of a life in search of resolution.

I charge on, hair matted on a damp scalp,

Eyes stinging from perspiration long ignored.

A golden sun rises offering a beacon of hope

As it traverses a blue, cloudless sky.

The pressure in my ears shouts a warning,

"You better stop this torture or you will......"

The thought ends as I see my puppy waiting

At the hill top, tail wagging, ready for the day.

FEAR

Fear is standing still, doing nothing.

Fear is waking in the morning and

Not letting the sun pierce the darkness.

Fear is dwelling in the shadows of my mind,

Watching the world turn, not giving a damn.

Fear is walking down the street, feeling naked,

Having people pass by not seeing me, not caring.

Fear is the loneliness crowding a languorous mind.

Fear is a tear falling to the floor with with

No one to see  it, or care, its fate only to dry up.

And fear is being lost in your own story, without end.

On Senility

Reflecting on senility,

It is my fragility

Which leads to hostility,

Preventing my ability

To achieve some humility.