BRAIN STORM©

BRAIN STORM

basketball, to begin somewhere in the middle

is vaguely similar to baseball, football, pool hall, bocce ball

and to brain ball

which is more like ping pong

brains and ping pong balls are of dissimilar weights

but the object of the game

is almost without mass

ponderous decisions hang in the balance

thought is parent to the deed

so it helps to visualize where the ball must go

if only life were this simple

WIRELESS TELEPATHY

time does not begin or end

no “Pause” button

all the stuff normally thought about

is on a roll in a player piano

high rise window washers

with thoughts about shooting craps

Scarne on Dice

or the next megacity project now floating

to the surface of a luncheon for secretaries

and sycophants

and investment bankers

'neath the magic moss

calmly contemplating a coy pond

but then the sky gets real

begonias 'neath the oak tree

wilt

some sort of wildcat has attacked the chickens

a broken bottle in the creek

word over the radio that Wagner in his rusty vest

will save our western world

with the Ring Cycle

then in walks Hitler

view cameras in most places blink shut

history books suffer epileptic fits

until D day

when everyone dies

terror turns another face:

Mu!

this Etch-a-Sketch edifice

shaken to its roots

even our marching band, in all its glory

rattling down to dust

whew!

remember Seinfeld?

Kramer sliding in through the door?

no?

don't remember?

good

POINCIANA

beneath the rubble

creatures stir

smoking runes overhead

earthquakes and the Change

are gravity warps at the Mystery Spot

in the heart of psychedelic country

jets streak through the mystery

deep blue

then streaked with orange

with political undertones

lawn chairs and corrugated roofs

flying in disarray

an ill wind indeed

no radio sets

no national message of fireside cheer

just a few creatures in storm cellars

reading this

BAMBOO NOTES

a small Japanese dish

with just one morsel:

a bent piano note

or sliced apples

topped with cinnamon and yogurt

this is how dreams jockey for position

a piano can sound notes loudly or softly

or sustain some while others get played staccato

but can a piano bend notes

like a slide trombone?

as I stared at the white topped apples

with cinnamon flecks

and recalled the program Susan had saved

showing how Wasabi is made

and that it could be used in salad dressing

for some time now

having tried cinnamon

well what the hell . . .

it moved that bent note off the plate

my keyboard has sliders for pitch

it does work unthinkably well

BULLDOZE THE ORCHARD

perhaps a shift in gravitational fields

or a wicker chair on the beach

does the big black bee

laden with pollen

share my interest in a purple flower?

we both approach

and bump together

does the flower love the bee?

or me?

or you?

remember the Victrola record dog?

his master's voice?

history spins at 78 RPM

gratitude

peace at last

things that never mattered

are gone

HEAT

the median strip on Lawrence Expressway is devoid of weeds

backdrop for a Roadrunner cartoon

traffic moving like a caterpillar

no reason for this unexpected mood

Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

track meet days at Montezuma

echoing over the lake

over mountains

into where?

did it really matter how high we jumped?

but no one could speak of it

as I slowed the truck to park in front of our place

Susan walked up and pulled off a shovel

the day lily would have to come out, its pollen

she had learned

could be fatal to cats

but we'd have to use the pry bar

and finally, as we both piled on

the plant lifted up

yea!

this morning's light brought voices

a large woman and her small daughter

enjoying a walk together

her joy had landed in our garden

cinder blocks are just the right height

for a three year old

sitting right next to a tomato plant in its wire cage

pointing everywhere

while her mother pointed to adventures down the street

until unexpectedly the joy spread further

leading them to move on

then a small bird arrived

to perch on the wire cage