WISP OF REASON©

PORT AUTHORITY

a basket of asparagus steps off the bus

my ambassador to the Civic Center

which has a large statue by the civic pond

an honorable leader

in honor of a memory which has escaped

and the story slips back into history

where it belongs

with a rabbit

sweet thing

and chimney sweeps long forgotten

it is sort of a bicycle chain

sprocketed with stuff that repeats so that

historically speaking

it won't get repeated

sand dunes beginning

an ancient slot machine pays out roofing tar

a pond with no frog

and rusty speakers in a weed-strewn drive-in theatre

spewing mushrooms I wouldn't deign to enjoy

in favor of

lightning never seen

an entire play that never happened

days long or short

stockings that fit or not

now we're talking

further . . .

so we get off the bus

to go where?

that is the question

which implies an answer that won't be repeated

benefits of roofing tar

if that would please

largely, though, it has no beginning

no end

the pilot's seat is empty

the Hindenburg

and the signs that accumulated

had anyone paid attention

to an illuminating silence

profound lessons that were lost

we are doomed

what do you mean we

white man?

echoes in a room without walls

the patience of doves is not strained

that watch through stained glass windows

flying free

and one imagines laughter

it all amounts to a basket of asparagus

for those seeking an answer

there is none

and it is everywhere

oh, and that ambassador?

look for a vermillion badge

FUSCHIA

the mind that sees itself is beyond hierarchy

is neither ruled nor rules

and finds itself in all beings

a pair of geese flying together

wings almost touching

festival goers in the park

war survivors

people who wear signs

on the window sill

a dying bee

all those wheelbarrows

on their way to the sea

red drops burning in the snow

why is Rosie scolded for catching a bird?

tattered flag on a boat

a bobbing tea pot

ah, the harmony!

NOODLES . . .

there are as many ways of thinking as there are human beings

many different ways of seeing a tree

and those squiggly things in your breakfast soup

are noodles . . .

when all slurped together

self evident

now if we can agree on what is a tree

we can all slurp together

of course this is a simplification

but indulge so we can think together

if we can do that, we can act together

which, relatively slurping, increases our power

as a species

Darwin applauds, together with his latter day saints

but here we totter on slippery things

life was somewhat dangerous

without a bowl

possible to break a bone which by degrees

is connected to the hip bone

hip bone connected to the ankle bone

praise the word of . . .

philosophers of prestigious degree might disagree

while slurping coffee and other perks

gardeners just mosey along

plucking daisies and dandelions

unbelievable enjoyment unrelated to . . .

ah, sneeze it!

THE FLOW

muted horn of a distant train

Miles Davis

Persian rug in a tent impossible

strewn with diamonds from the sky

without ants, pesky neighbors, angry birds

passing into silence

taking the history of slaves with it

the abandoned path

this report is revolutionary

its headlines in laser flashes on a front page

yet to appear

for eyes yet to see

Rosie's ears perk to attention

Susan's car rolling in

Tabitha with her crooked broken tail

sits just beneath this clipboard

purring

energy of stars kindly bent

to ease us

UNDER GLOWERED EVES

front porch jasmine

brittle paper brown

drifting battleground

for samurai beaks

hummers against a darkening sky

a gathering of clouds felt in Oklahoma

in Arkansas rain

tornadoes

pain as yet unknown by indoor California people

inconvenienced from day to day

between starting heaters or air conditioners

rolling thunder on the horizon

catching crickets for bamboo cages

fingering iPhone prayer beads

to summon a flash mob dancing in the street

mood infectious

perhaps pandemic

I celebrate the light fantastic

let good times move the iPeople

picnic in the park

prior to an expected earthquake

and who can stop it?

on handheld screens leaders are seen

channeling passion to causes

movements of great force

to rattle tea cups making discreet tinkles

to mask the final moans of millions

Duke Ellington . . .

how dare change the subject?

had a cause . . .

which was?

he was his own leader

moved along with his band by fossil fuel

Ah Ha!

POLITICS!

put your hat back on the rack

the Duke of ebony had his time

before the fuel was gone

and I am laughing

religious people, people with leaders

hold up books or banks and expound principles

I do not flip pages, wave flags, or chant

the earth is my support

bed rock

which at any moment may explode

or if it does not

may be struck by an asteroid big enough to create moon2

while humming birds argue

CHANCE

does the wheel of fortune have eight spokes or three

does god spin it

ever wonder why

out of 171 million

there is just one winning ticket

or your spouse's moods

pine trees sway in the wind

memories that disappear

here in the ordinary world of invisible truth

blue ceanothus

yellow ice plant left over from the last glaciation

and what does the highway remember?

might as well ride a bicycle

there is no gold like fool's gold

and in the morning, finally

just sitting

quietly . . .