Post Demolition

Staring at a spot where

Something special used to be,

Assumed that it would

Stand there permanently,

But now I realize my

Belief was wrong,

Some buildings and businesses

Just don’t last that long,

So, as a result, all that

Remains, all that I've got,

Are memories of what used

To thrive, on this empty lot...

Survival Tip

The wise man told me

Something good to know...

It's not the big who eat the small,

But the quick who eat the slow...

Sand Through Fingers

Sobering to realize

How it went,

Priceless time

Wastefully spent,

Present rotting

Steadily into past,

Hubris to think

That it could last...

Seen on the News

Mad theater in Washington,

Emotes and unspools,

Oligarchs and lawyers,

April fools...

啓蟄

The return of Spring

Not just about plants,

Or flowers, but also

Appearance of ants,

And the other insects

Which green resurrects...

Marriage

Yes, of course, my dear,

Eternally yours,

With love (and fear)...

Optional

To be, or not to be,

A stark choice,

Or useless sophistry...?

Wallflower

She mainly wanted

To be left alone,

With her thoughts

And a smart phone,

Carefully preserving

Her safety bubble,

Human connections

Just too much trouble...

土曜日の朝

Roll out of bed, and

Balance -- steady, steady,

What? How can it be

A Saturday already,

Rub eyes, shaking head

Summoning some pain,

The dregs of last night's

Bacchanalia remain,

Bathroom, then kitchen,

A new day must begin,

But first thing fortify with

Coffee and aspirin...

Office Haiku

The challenges a workday sends,

How to handle them,

Well, that all depends...

Somewhere Near Kursk

Isolated, surrounded, recognizing

The hopeless situation he's in,

Being taken prisoner not an option,

So, he reaches deep within,

For the strength, and with a sigh

Of resignation, pulls the pin...

Saint Paddy's Day

What have we here?

Shots of Jameson,

Cold green beer,

This, our crazy day

Of Irish cheer,

Drink until the

Leprechauns appear...

ADHD

Some of us

Step lighter,

And the flame

Burns brighter,

Can't stay quiet,

Can't keep still,

Just run ahead to 

Where what will...

Moments at The Surfrider

Jet-lag-sedated in a wicker rocking chair,

Lazy-gazing, bemused and transfixed,

At the colorful tropical human

Cocktail, being stirred and mixed,

By the common urge to roam within,

The veteran colonnaded lobby, full

Of various shades of untanned skin,

Bulging T-shirt, flowered dress,

All aloha-urged toward their leisure,

In the Trade Winds' caress,

Hurry, the luau drums starting,

Hibiscus, pork, and mindlessness...

- - - - -

(Note: This is a revised version of a poem written on May 17, 2012)

INCEL

Few things are more

Dangerous in life,

Than an angry, lonely

Man with a knife...

Solitary, un-loved,

He eventually kills,

His pain exploding

As random blood spills...

Group Panic

Bird screaming, suddenly,

Starlings launch up

From the tree...

Then, based on something

They mysteriously learn,

The Starlings, to a different

Tree, circle, and return...

Why

I sometimes wonder,

Where and when,

I feel happiness,

Now and then...

Gray Matter

From where comes the

Instinct to flee or fight,

Or the urge to create,

To paint, to write,

All of it comes from

Somewhere deep inside,

Our uncharted brains.

Where gods reside...

Theater

I get the feeling, sometimes,

That my life is like a show,

Whether it's high drama, or dark

Comedy, I do not know...

Grandpa's Leg

Small grandchild hugging

My leg, looks above,

At me, with happy eyes,

Unconditional love...

So precious, such

Small innocent trust,

But evanescent,

For change it must,

As I can only 

Protect so long,

And the child must

Grow hard and strong...

TMI

The hell with this crap,

Turn the thing off,

Go take a nap...

Destabilization

Something's off, confused

Unsettled air,

Of which she's only

Slightly, dimly aware,

Her mind in a state

Of mild disrepair...

Brew

First gulp of cold beer

Refreshes, always does,

Those thereafter diminish,

But enjoy the buzz...

Modern Society

The priceless luxury

Of being alive,

And not having to

Struggle to survive,

Lucky to dwell

In a welfare state,

While others face

A more dismal fate...

Our Gift

A compassionate curse

The creator gods sent,

By making us

Man apes sentient...