A Portrait of the Artist

She climbs the pedestal in her best clothes,

Her beauty's laid bare in joy and sadness,

Inscrutable eyes hold all highs and lows,

She’s Life in all its capricious madness.

He reaches for a blank page and palette

And contemplates this Venus before him;

Swirling his pen, stirring his alphabet

He creates colors that match emotion.

With long and short strokes words form on the page,

His vision of Life begins to emerge;

It’s honest, he refuses to assuage

Life’s traits; the unflattering he won't purge.

The sonnet’s his medium ‘cause he swears

It alone strips Life of the clothes she wears.

November 2015

The Day's Lengthen

The days lengthen until that moment when 

The sun stands o’er the Tropic of Cancer

Marking the longest day of the year, then

Signaling the day’s decline to winter.

Midway atop the Rocky Mountain range

For the trav’ler heading into the sun

The direction of the rivers' flow change

Flowing to the Pacific now they run.

That day of the year - the summer solstice,

That point atop the range - the great divide,

But gradual change no one notices

Until the chasm is great, deep, and wide.

Ere long we reach midpoint of our journey

And wonder in awe how it came to be.

July 2001

The Day Loomed Heavy

The day loomed heavy in the early morn;

My weary, tired eyes longed for needed rest;

I searched for some good but remained forlorn;

Stiff backed, chin up I prepared for the test.

A door quietly closing caught my ear;

Shuffling, you crawled with stealth across the floor;

First your head, then your eyes, focused and clear

Checking to see was it safe to show more.

Our eyes met, you feigned sleep, got on your feet,

Eyes mostly closed, stumbled over to me;

Wrapped arms around my neck; a hug so sweet

That burdens of the day I could carry.

And Robert Frost’s words once again rang true

As you changed some part of a day I rued.

September 1994

That Is Not It At All

The imprint of a hundred seemingly 

Insignificant incidents inform

The actions I perform apparently

By my free-will during the daily storm.

So how do I begin to illustrate

To you the who, the what, the where, and why

Of motivations that proliferate

As I try to explain and justify.

And how should I presume to know about

The impulse and the impetus behind

Your choices and the words that you speak out

In a moment that should not you define.

No wonder in the middle of the squall

We’re led to say, “That is not it at all”.

September 2013

Terrible Twos

I step through the door at the end of day

Heavy with the weight of life’s daily care;

I hear your feet draw near and then you say

“Daddy, up in the air, up in the air.”

Running to the entryway you stretch-out,

Bending over your hands reach to your toe;

Standing after the splits you turn about

Facing me with a smile ready to go.

I grab you under your outstretched small arms

And toss you like a ball above my head;

You spread your legs and grin without alarm

You laugh out loud, you show no sign of dread.

Whoever coined the phrase Terrible Twos

Never had the chance to be around you.

January 2009

Swim In The Deep

Heavier than the water I displace

It parts easily, pushed down and aside; 

I slip beneath the vexed, turbid surface

Drifting downward through the brief dark I glide.

Sev'ral feet below, the churning ceases,

My declension slows to a steady float;

Light filters through while the surface seethes,

I see clearly to seek the antidote.

In the deep the ballast of truth's burden

Presses, preventing recrimination

Against the surface horde's sly stratagem,

Encouraging thoughtful introspection.

Near me I see other few; my heart leaps

Knowing that hope swims in the silent deep.

August 2016

Love of Literature

I have a little haven, my retreat,

A place of solitude where I resort

To escape life’s interminable bleat

Of babble ever sounding at my door.

Far removed from the turbulent talk show

I rejuvenate in rarefied air;

The gods visit me, their secrets bestow,

As an exquisite host assembles there.

Sages and visionaries from times past

Vouchsafe to me the mysteries of life,

Dispensing hidden wisdom from wells vast,

Leading me to treasures of knowledge rife.

This epiphany distills upon me

Love of literature and poetry.

August 2016

Losing Liberty

Their backs against the impassable Sea

Despairing that no one their lives would save,

Israel complained to Moses bitterly,

Wishing that in Egypt had been their grave.

Facing starvation in the wilderness

Another implacable time of dread,

Faithless Israel complaining to Moses

Said t'were better to eat Egyptian bread.

Human nature reveals its sad limit;

The line between freedom/safety is thin;

Our absolute liberty we'd forfeit

For even scant security to win.

But such surrender won't leave us with bliss,

One day our freedoms we will sorely miss.

August 2015

It's A Wonderful Life

You know George and Mary Bailey's fable,

They dreamed big but life had different plans,

Though they lived life wholly commendable

Life loomed merciless, as only life can.

But angels, dropped into the mortal realm,

Showed up in their desperate hour of need;

Just as life conspired to overwhelm,

Family and friends to their cries gave heed.

We're not that diff'rent from George and Mary;

The big dreams we dreamed remain unachieved; 

In hours of need we’ve seen angels tarry;

Our burdens, fast friends lovingly relieved.

Despite life's vagaries, vicissitudes

It's a wonderful life being with you.

December 2015

It Hangs Insouciantly

It hangs insouciantly from the shelf;

Dangling freely the frilly cups beckon

In soft molds, an inversion of the self

That minutes earlier had this bra on.

Tossed over the chair the white lace panties

Mock me; carelessly they gaily entice,

Informing me of a prior strip-tease;

To ignore this scene will never suffice.

Following the clues to the candles' glow,

You're basking wantonly in a warm bath;

Your gentle eyes meet mine and I now know

That your intent leads down no primrose path.

My guess could not have been more wrong indeed,

Showing again the classic male misread.

January 2014

Fellow Traveler

Beat from my journey on the winding trail,

Resting on a rock in the wilderness,

Thinking my efforts were to no avail

In correcting errors made in weakness.

The hardness of the journey weighed heavy,

Unforgiving thoughts accused “pretender,”

Of course these were moments of self-pity,

But mostly a moment of surrender.

I resigned myself to live as one lost, 

Even alone has its silver lining,

I would shoulder my burden, bear the cost,

I would act like my sun was still shining.

A voice behind me spoke there on the rock

A fellow trav’ler joined me in my walk.

October 2016

In My Little Circle

In my little circle we all agree

On the important topics of the day,

Outsiders who don’t think the same as we

For their own good must be forced to obey,

Because if they don’t believe as we do

It must be due to some deficiency,

In their mind is certainly a loose screw

Or else it’s hate and simple bigotry.

We can’t allow them to think they are right

Because their wrongness is so obvious,

From the goodness of our hearts comes our might

It’s benevolent not imperious.

Conformity to our view is the ought

Even if with freedom it must be bought.

October 2015

Beautiful Lover

You are my Lovely Wife, 

Our children's loving mother

But before they came along 

You were my beautiful lover

I'm not saying anything new -

Back then we were younger

We often held each other close 

Because we had the hunger

Our love was like the first time 

On a roller coaster

Where the rush of it urges you 

To ride it over and over

We relished our love 

And reveled in our youth

Holding each other then

Was the ultimate truth

Do you remember when 

You trembled at my soft caress

When my lips on your neck 

Brought forth your gentle yes

Do you remember those 

Long playful days

When you used to beg me 

To please, please stay

The ride is still a lot of fun but 

With a gentle swing and sway

Not the roller coaster of before 

But a ship anchored in a bay

And when we hold each other 

We aren't looking for truth

Comfortable in each other's arms, 

We don't long for youth

Now holding each other close 

Doesn't have to mean passion

It's just a way of communicating

For two who have become one

And though our children have 

Truly made of you a mother

To me you will always be 

First and foremost a beautiful lover

And will always remember how 

You trembled at my soft caress

How my lips on your neck 

Brought forth your gentle yes

And will never forget 

Those long playful days

When you used to beg me 

To please, please stay

May 2014

Pajama Cloister

It's gates ensure only worthy enter,

It's walls shield the women from worldly view,

To get within the walls of the cloister

Is to enter heaven's sacred purview.

Her habit, her veil and her covenant

Are shield to eyes of immorality;

In her walk she's constantly vigilant

To protect her gift of virginity.

My girl's jammies serve the same purpose as

The nun's layers of divine protection,

Impervious, hermetic, featureless,

To entice, tempt is not her intention.

But to enter in her cloth cloister walls

Is sacred ground of heaven's hallowed halls.

December 2013

I've Never Felt at Home

I've never felt at home upon this sphere,

To my daily existence it's hostile;

It's "survival of the fittest" down here

Another way of saying it's brutal.

I felt abandoned at a tender age,

Followed by a long train of rejection;

I carry emptiness into old age

Though I've spent years searching for connection.

If I'm here or not no one really cares

As long as the need I fill is provided,

A commodity, a basket of wares,

Not a person whose presence is valued.

I feel no shame in saying, "I am done,"

So don't weep for me when my time has come.

February 2014

We've Travelled Miles

Through sunshine, storms, and all kinds of weather

Running errands, driving on vacation,

We've travelled a lot of miles together

Over the terrain of God's creation.

Galveston, Florida, Yosemite,

Sitting in the car for every mile;

Steamboat, Cheyenne, the Texas hill country,

Lovely minutes, every one worthwhile.

Job changes, births, and a couple of moves,

Know nothings to the wisdom of the sage;

Kids beginning then ending years of school,

As one we've toured young adult to mid-age.

Cruising across the miles and years is sweet

With you beside me in the shotgun seat.

July 2015

I'm Never Alone

When Sadness settles on my empty soul

Like an anvil on the blacksmith's clay floor

Winking at me mischievously and droll

I receive the familiar visitor;

When sweet Melancholy covers my hope

Like a black curtain eclipsing the light

Softly touching my arm helping me cope

I believe everything will be alright;

When Loneliness lays in bed beside me

Like a blanket of snow on the high plain

Whispering need in a seductive plea

I grieve that by my side she can't remain;

For although their reputations are known,

In their company I'm never alone.

June 2014

I Wonder if Eve

I wonder if Eve ever regretted

Yielding to the serpent's sweet sophistry;

Did she stand at the Garden now gated

Wishing that back in Eden she could be?

Did Lancelot ever know compunction

For his affair with lovely Guinevere,

Sending the round table to destruction 

While losing both love and friendships most dear?

Once we have chosen we cannot undo

That decision now living in our past,

We can change, become better, it is true,

Nevertheless the consequences last.

It is wisdom before we act to think

Once over we can't come back to the brink

April 2015

I Peered Into My Midnight

I Peered into my midnight blue dark sky,

The coy moon playfully veiled her pale face,

The silent stars twinkled their lullaby,

I mulled my significance in this place.

A star stared back at me with eyes of green;

Looks locked, my soul sprang up from my body

And stretched toward the star in her demesne;

My eyes held the gaze for eternity.

Stars have been known to fall, and this one did;

She tried to stay in her celestial sphere

But to no avail, so I sadly bid

That star farewell, but not without a tear,

For many stars stud my dark midnight blue

But none ever returned my gaze like you.

March 1990

She Stares At You

She stares at you behind bullet-proof glass,

She speaks no words of loving tenderness,

You can share her cryptic gaze as you pass

While all other senses remain useless.

Beethoven's Fifth, a masterpiece they say,

Something nearly all willingly admit,

“Open your ears and you’ll be blown away,”

Yet hearing is the only sense you get.

But your love is the greatest work of art,

Integrating sight, sound, smell, touch and taste,

Meriting praise from my aesthetic heart

For nary a sensation’s gone to waste.

Such genius to engage every sense

You are Nature’s pièce de résistance

April 2016

I Have Chased the Sun

I have chased the sun on its daily climb,

Early bird gets the worm and all of that;

Working long and hard for that extra dime

Is not all that different from combat.

The days they come and go, the years they pass;

You wake one day chagrined and sad to find

The treasure you tried so hard to amass

Is not worth the time and life left behind.

So I’m changing tactics while there’s time yet,

I’m not going to let work rule my days;

Find me on the deck watching the sunset

Staring at that orange ball all ablaze;

And going gentle into that goodnight?

You won’t see me fuss or put up a fight.

June 2009

I Fondly Remember

I fondly remember stories you told

Of Mother Goose and Humpty Dumpty, too;

The words you read - a kiss - awoke my soul,

The moments spent with you were far too few.

Remember when I plead, "Oh, please say, 'No'"

Because I was afraid to leave your side?

To friends I said, "My mom won't let me go,"

With eyes all puffy red, they knew I lied.

I remember when my secret you found

And to you I lied to cover my shame;

I'll never forget how then I was bound

To make the lie the truth, remove the stain.

Of what I am today you had a say
Thanks for the memories, Happy Mother's Day.

Between 1986 and 1989

I Feel the Peace (A Proposal)

I feel the peace in ev’ry new sunrise

Heralding a new day and a new hope

For the weary, homeward bound soul whose eyes

Love light while in darkness he blindly gropes.

The sun reaches out with transparent rays

Gently wrapping them securely round me

I am bathed in her light throughout the day

And am blind to the gross that surrounds me.

Connie, you are like that life giving sun

When I see you ev’ryday hope renews

And so I feel that you must be the one

And I sense that you have these feelings too.

To keep these feelings, you don’t need to guess

Only behold what I hold and say yes.

March 1992

Hero Stories

Hero stories used to animate me -

Against the odds the hero overcomes;

They would encourage and motivate me,

Believing the hero I could become,

Shoot the winning shot as the clock runs out -

A Hail Mary for the winning touchdown -

Young David felling the Goliath stout -

A brave soldier's sacrifice brings renown.

But now hero stories lay bare my shame,

They bring to mind not success but failure;

I fear the test 'cause the result's the same,

See the moment of my greatness flicker.

Though we regard him as an average joe 
The hero's a uniquely sculpted soul

June 2014