ENDURANCE©

GRACE

gradually the pretense of entertainment fades

Rosie and I hang out in here

my bathrobe on the clothes hamper is her spot

she washes and watches

her take on these scratchings is a nap

it fits well

relaxation

I have decided not to reform the world

it will take care of itself

or implode

explode

whatever

there is no oratorical fancy

no subtle message

that might be called evasive

perhaps silence is the best diplomacy

and if the usual cadence follows a familiar course

here we are not discussing ramen for breakfast

symbolic stalactites

dental plaque

something to be removed

eschewed is the usual rhyme

foregone scintilla of a minor dissonance

or a quick sparkle of leaves on that rainy day

at last, after more than a lifetime

fingers move with natural grace

picking up a glass

starting my mower

pouring a cup of tea

all these symbols flowing just as naturally as a geranium petal

cherry blossom red

floating down a creek

Rosie sleeps

the room is grateful

INVISIBLE WRITING

a little while back

before time could be counted in moons

or days

heartbeats

well, let's be honest

before anything could be counted

I was building up to this:

an online purchase of Jockey shorts, Classic, size 32

a microscopic history of all that intervened

would be

well, rather boring

something on which we, probably all of us

can agree

of course we all share the journey

but then comes the preening

my peacock feathers outdo your bull's horns

your bank account towers over mine

scuffles pick up cosmic dust all the way out to Neptune

isn't it like playing marbles . . .

remember aggies?

but I have already dated myself

and your self

or any self

in this space

which measures cyberspace as a mote

less than nothing

we are silent

all the world churns up dust

which obligingly follows the law of gravity

and we disappear

isn't it wonderful

how we reappear?

no use trying to remember

there was a time before the moon appeared

Amazon.com's computer has kindly bent to ease me

the shorts will arrive on Sunday

and so that wraps it up, folks

TRAVELING MUSIC

THERE IS NO BIG SECRET AND I OFFER NO APOLOGY

for doing this

I enjoy my life

and why?

who knows

it's a wonderful world

though clearly, not everyone agrees

ah, so

palms together

OK

I bow back

fact is, broccoli is OK

even TV is OK, a panoply of the denizens of my mind

clipping nails is fine

doing nothing

silence

 2AM

fossil fuelers drag race on the Lawrence Expressway

ads from Citibank

robber lawyers and their PR team

all the stuff of a dusty windowsill

or those bright leaves next to a guitar

maybe you'd rather go for a bike ride or eat hot dogs at a football game

goodbye, good day, no explanation needed

main thing, though

there is no main thing

rituals and dogma have their place

but mostly elsewhere

temples and freeway over passes are OK

burn sandal wood or gasoline

chant or curse

maybe I'll refrain

fun is payback for something planned

JOY

understood in less than a commercial sense

suffuses when it will

laughter

crickets chirping

rain drops dropping

I could go on and on

and will