she sits on the porch
filled with anticipation...
the scent of pears floods the house
she cannot even guess how softly
I steal inside…
through the half-drawn curtain
cradling a broken rainbow
in my arms
sat down to a cup of soup today
next to a never-met-before man
about 70 years old or so
he was actually 85, a ‘home-movie star,’ poking fun
lent ear before tongue and pleasant as a
cooling breeze early on a summer’s day
I felt comfortable in his presence
especially when I saw his face was aligned
to speak well of others, and his outlook on life
was relaxed, leaving his shirt to flutter a bit in the wind
The world has distinctive experiences for a man
And his journey lies in it
To a child, Ice cream is a delight
But not only in taste
An encounter, Admiration, Curiosity and Change.
A real first look at life
The construct entices a person before its flavor
As a growing child, sweet and shining things speak to us
The process meant something to us, to me
The start was only a moment meant for the fun
But as time passed
Emotions we had as kids, unknown to the world problems
Became either you feel or you don't
Like your palate
You outgrow somethings that it becomes nostalgia you didn't know you had
An aching sensation that fills you as you choose
The life of an adult
From Ice cream to Sorbet
From sprinkles to Ice
You become someone you can't recognize
And the people around you have to suffer for it
As the workings of the world wasn't working for you
But you get use to it, and try to understand it more
And see a better reason why some choices left you pillow wet
Are now the reasons a walk seemed better
Than rotting with your feelings
A change necessary but takes a lot from our young selves
Some call it growing up
I call it
Changing my palate
How absolutely delightful to watch the sun sets
And all around above the sea and the beach
Some famous painter swipe everywhere in gold.
Soon night will fall and all-around bars will light up.
We walk hand in hand along the jam-packed beach,
Until we stop at the farthest end of the sandy nook.
There soft waves grace our feet and the summer heat
Relieves us delicately as we admire the tranquil bay.
Time passes in tranquility disturbed by the occasional kiss.
Sailing boats sail the Amalfi Bay, flags flying the Italian flags.
Soon we depart to Antonio, famous seafood chef.
We will sample spaghetti, with fresh clams sautéed
In olive oil, garlic, white wine, and parsley. As for wine,
Only the best: "Fiorduva": considered the Amalfi crown jewel.
Satiated from our delicious food, we return to our hotel
Accompanied by the melodious songs animating
From the thrill of a hundred guitars.
Great sunrise this morning
This time I was able to snag
A few rays, put them in my
Upper shirt pocket, to carry
About. Right off, a driver
Cut me off...reached in, withdrew
And smiled. Boss canceled
My day off – a rush job that
Had to be completed, I withdrew
Another. By the end of the day
They were all gone – Ah, moon-
Light, another opportunity! We
Met~ and the night beamed!
I stood in front of a Zoltar machine
having very little money.
Before I could put a dollar bill in,
I heard: “Can I help you, Honey?”
“Excuse me? What?” I said with a start.
“How are you talking to me?”
That crazy guy in gypsy guise
laughed and said, “Fiddle-dee-dee.”
“Fiddle-dee-dee?” I then replied.
“Is that the best you’ve got?
Tell you what, can I get my fortune
whether I pay or not?”
“I’ll tell YOU what,” he said to me,
“If you’ll do a little dance,
I’ll do your fortune. It’ll be free.
Are you ready to take your chance?”
“I need some music if I’m to dance,”
I said though I found him so weird.
His eyes were creepy moving around
and he had an ugly beard.
“Ok,” he said, “I’ll put on a tune.
What will you dance to for me?”
I looked around. If I were to dance,
I wanted nobody to see.
“How about ‘Gypsy Woman,’ I said.
“That seems appropriate.”
To this he replied, “And for you, dear,
I’ll also reveal your weight.”
“Now, listen here,” I said to him.
“A woman’s weight you dare not say.
Thus a wise fortune teller you can’t be.”
And with that, I walked away.
There in the corner of my room
I feel a strong sense of doom
With all lights out, the room is dark
My dog begins to bark!
Yet, I see a blinking light
Of a ghostly apparition in the night!
Clunk…Clunk…is the sound I hear
As the ghostly-being draws awfully near
The scent of the dead is somewhat odd
I spot its evil grin a I scramble for my rod!
It knows I see it and knows I’m there
Life flashes before me as I horridly stare
Right in the face of this ghostly-being
I can’t believe what my eyes are seeing!
Fear leaves its dreadful taste in my mouth and tongue
I can’t help but scream to the top of my lungs!
But, to my surprise
It winks and replies:
“Shhh! Not so loud, living corpse!
You’re going to go hoarse!
Just let me touch your mobile phone
You know, E.T. has to go phone home!”
caught by the drift
how it echoes
creating its own walls
a din undone
tying itself up in a bow
boxed and ready
to stare past souls
the substance of reality ebbs
with me amongst it, long lost
screams all at the outer edges
cocoons become brittle over time
yet may still bind those that don't shake free
I'm too tired to ask
if we've met before.
Last night I had a dream...
I stood up on a cliff
beneath a lighthouse
looking out upon a stormy sea.
And suddenly there you were,
your hands slide around my waist,
your arms wrap me in your warmth,
your kiss caressing my neck and shoulders.
The waves beat furiously
and you held me tightly.
Your lips softly kissing my ear
as the wind encircled us.
But then something woke me
and the dream came to an end.
That is,
until it begins again...
Although it was only an April shower,
Due to climate change, it lasted an hour.
And so we sheltered beneath that tree,
No one else, just her and me.
So, thanks to the typically English weather,
It seemed that fate had thrown us together.
From the moment she spoke, it seemed just right.
I could almost believe in love at first sight.
What can I say of her hazel eyes?
If I were a poet I’d eulogise.
And I would walk for many a mile
Just to see her dazzling smile.
I made a joke and, oh that laughter,
Will live with me for ever after.
Then, before I knew it, an hour had passed
And the sun peeped through the cloud at last.
Now, though our meeting had made my day,
The time had come to walk away.
I would have loved to meet again,
But decided not to linger.
There was a baby in the pram
And a gold ring on her finger.
I once met a girl in a downtown pub
who claimed we had met at a vegetarian club.
But I must insist, indeed implore,
that I had never seen herbivore.
I memorized your metaphors
As you laid me down
And beheld my beauty,
Studying every contour of my leaf.
With gentle urgent hands
you pruned
the cherry-colors of my bounty.
You pressed your face against my petals
Aromatic and entrancing,
I shivered when the warm air
Escaped your lips,
Delighted to taste my nectar
And the dew upon my trembling petals
Showed the efficacy of your masculine touch.
That visit to my garden where you
Plucked me,
From the land of exotic floral,
Like the scent of a fragrant flower
It remains celestial.
Moon's jagged edges gleaming from broken clouds
In the swollen wait,
sprouting in the late summer dawn,
naive longing meets,
unaware of the pride of scorching heat,
in the sleeping embrace
of the confluence of two rivers.
Facing the sharp heat,
like the tip of a rapidly growing bamboo shoot,
the hungry wind howls,
sharp as a mother wolf's call,
bringing forth the clouds that gather
to drive away the oppressive warmth.
An accidental meeting,
caught in the mischief of midsummer,
unable to exchange even a fleeting glance,
unraveling like an old straw sandal
in the dream of the aged river.
The solitary eagle sharpens its beak with a sigh,
unceasingly drawing in the scent of its lost mate,
as it fiercely pecks
at the arrogance of the searing heat.
The raven-black wait
and the vivid blue longing
open their embrace,
climbing onto the crest of the confluence,
they gaze at one another,
finally becoming a tingling wave,
reaching toward each other.
Like scenes from a romance the world passed by
When you came into view and Time stood still
As I sat agape, mesmerized until
Our cars moved on before I could say “Hi!”
Now my heart’s left with an eternal sigh.
October 27, 2025
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