POISON AND POISE FOR GIRLS AND BOYS

Arrogance

Insolence

Living in the

Past tense

Counting cents

Taking offence

Doing what

Makes no sense

Tolerance

Horse sense

Living in the

Present tense

Silence

Repentance

Accepting

Consequence

PRUNING POETRY

              

Be ruthless

Editing is

A heartless

Task.

Poems live not

By their wits

But by

Their words.

Don’t use

Twenty

When eighteen

Will do.

Expel

Extraneous words

Until only

Heart remains.

ADAM

Born a man

Alone In Eden

With no past,

Unable to grasp

His reality:

Prickery plants,

Shapes that moved

In the shadows,

What was real

The dagger of doubt

Or the voice in his head?

Early twilight,

The light began to change,

He noticed it before

He realized it,

The shadows were gone,

Squinting no longer helped.

Something was wrong!

He could taste sweat

With his tongue,

He felt a pounding

In his chest.

Night brought on

Confusion, then panic.

He sat on the ground

Waiting.

Nothing that day

Prepared him

For the darkness.

He thought

This must be death.

Lying down he slept

For the first time.

Morning light awoke him,

Faith was born.

AN ASTRONOMER’S LOVE

She was a brilliant sunburst

Doubling the day light.

His binary partner star

Circling him forever.

A splendid supernova

Expanding his universe.

A blue-white twinkle

In his heavenly sky.
The night she drove away,

He could still see her in the distance.

ELEPHANT




Watercolor by Barry Pariser

 

There must be a reason

The giant, hulking

Elephant

Stands silently

With aching shoulders

And grey, tired eyes.

Has he seen too much?

From his lofty view

Above the tall grass

Has he taken in all

The light and loss

His world has to offer.

Has there been

Too many trumpeted calls

To fight to survive

Or maybe flee

For the sake of another tomorrow.

Now he is tired and mostly

Glad to be ignored.

Then on rare occasion

A young male stands near him

And seemingly by sheer proximity

Tries to absorb his solitary strength.

Our giant from a time long past,

Stands very still and
Simply closes his eyes.