Larger Than Life

A mighty voice has now been stilled
A country mourned as Teddy
Was buried upon that “hill.”
He did so much over the years,
He stood so tall among his peers.
He “sailed” the Capitol as
He did the seas, making
Every move with consummate ease.
His many accomplishments helped us all,
He left this country standing tall.
Oh, he made mistakes and would admit,
The worst of which was Chappaquiddick.
For that eventful day he made amends,
Yet lived to regret it right up until the end.
On the campaign trail or Senate floor
Teddy stood to help both rich and poor.
We are all the better for his life on earth
And miss his wisdom, caring and the mirth.
Now that his boat has left the shore
That lion’s roar will be heard no more.

67 & 68

Plodding through life

The comfort is knowing

Not where you have been

Rather where you are going.

Time slips by at a terrible pace,

So how do we prepare

For mortality’s race?

Reviewing the last three score

And seven years, I search for

The smiles and suffer the tears.

There are painful memories of

All those issues in the past,

Now the humor is in what

The future has cast

Before I arrive at destiny’s gate,

I must concentrate now

On reaching sixty-eight

“SLIDING BY”

 

Time slides by,

Thoughts of

Long July days

Are now crisp

Autumn evenings.

How easy to become

Mesmerized by the

Sunset exquisitely dying

In the shadows of dusk.

Sadly, the pages of the

Calendar turn quickly,

Showing no quarter for

Missed opportunities.

Reaching for a coat, I

Long for yesterday,

With shorts and tees,

Forgetting summer's

Penalty of bug bites

And aching sunburn.

Hopefully, the panorama

Of drifting autumn leaves

Will offer some magical

Elixir justifying my having

Found a way to smugly

Lounge through life.

OUT OF CONTROL

 

The fear inside is palpable,

Causing a mumbling and

Stumbling in a headlong

Effort to simplify heroically a

Life spinning out of control.

There are desperate words to

Scream for help, but no one hears.

There is only the wild, staccato of

Threats, bouncing off hastily

Erected walls used to fend off

All attempts at reason.

The message is loud and clear

“Enlightened arrogance is here.”

Where do you go now?  Who cares?

The noise drones on, fear lives.

 

IT’S  HARD

 

Trying to establish your

Identity is hard, 20’s or 30’s,

Doesn’t matter, it’s hard.

You feel marginalized- by

One and all-through their

Exhaustive indifference,

It’s hard.  You are the

Undisputed leader of

“Nowhere Ville, it’s hard.”

Don’t know if it’s pride,

Don’t know if it’s denial,

Asking for help-it’s hard.

You’ve made it through

High school and college,

Time to find a job-now,

It’s hard; doors slammed,

Phone calls and emails are

Ignored or politely dismissed.

It’s hard, yesterdays dream

Has become today’s nightmare.

It is everyone else’s fault with

No one offering a helping hand.

Maybe it’s time to try being

The hero in your own life,

             IT’S HARD.

Nature and Inspiration

 

I stood there like a mast

On an old Spanish galleon,

Swaying in the winter wind

Being pulled in all directions.

The intensity of the storm

Tugged at my hair, stung

My eyes and cheeks as needle

Like spray knifed into every pore.

The steel pewter clouds above

Hung carelessly, so close to the

Whitecaps they seemed to touch.

I could smell the rain even before it

Washed my face in a wet frenzy.

Nature had spun her damp web,

Squeezing me with her fierceness,

Both frightening and awe-inspiring.

Then, with a final shriek it blew

Out to sea leaving me with a

Shiver in the gloom of evening.

 

THE GARDEN

 

Time stands still in

That granite garden

Etched in the hill.

Names and dates

Are carved in stone,

But those entombed

Lie there alone.

We wander by

The “stones” and urns

Wondering when

It will be our turn?

The cold wind blows

Across gray skies,

The mother shakes

While her baby cries.

There is no beginning,

There is no “end”, just

The deafening silence

Is your only friend.

Time has sent a calling card,

That this is home

For this lonely bard.