full moon —
the dog doesn’t care
if it’s a bat or a bird

extra innings —
the dog groans
in its sleep

windless night —
a cloud of gnats
all around me

sad dad?

...or pensive pop? you be the judge. photo by mmm at my daughter’s wedding.

an hour into the demo I’m not the only one doodling

disabled train
between stations
— dusk

late night dog walk —
a silhouette undressing
before the moon

cloudy night —
when did she become
my dog?

running out of words to say a tree branch falls

how it starts

caught in the act, my granddaughter exclaimed “it’s just to take the edge off of these teething pains...”

light drizzle —
everyone watches me
run for the train

morning rush —
rain streams down
scratched plexiglas

stay

it was a decision
not to move forward,
not based upon evidence
but rather a formal request
to review evidence
already used to convict,
searching for secrets
beneath rocks
long since overturned.
I am one of those rocks,
carried into a lab
by rubber-gloved hands
named “mercy.”

hot summer night —
I rescue a fly
from the spider web

Bastille Day —
freshly washed laundry
stuffed into a suitcase

revolutionary gesture

driven to madness by the breathtaking beauty of Spot Lake, Extra Special Bitter makes a revolutionary gesture in the general direction of the bewildered flora and fauna.
photo by mmm

July —
the refreshing breeze
of a passing freight train

July overcast —
the conductor announces
“this is not a station stop”

sultry night —
a man in a do-rag
shouts “beautiful dog”

minus the wine

that it boils before it flows
is little consolation.
that it’s mine as well as yours
is the core of your angst.
I keep telling myself
that it can’t go on forever.
well, it’s forever,
and it’s still going.
it’s still the very toxin
that keeps you alive.

outside Starbuck’s
I remind myself
that tall equals small

sunset —
a red balloon
floats into the sky

(Port Huron, MI)

for George

These two lines are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, citing abuses of power of a certain monarch named George. Hmmm...

“He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers ... For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments.”

Independence Day —
she reminds me why
she’s my ex-wife