The tree in my backyard has been watching me since I was three.
As time passed, its gaze has never set me free.
In the light, it gives a shadow;
in the dark, it hides the light.
This tree makes my life just not right.
Like the other night, it knocked on my window, gave me a fright.
This damn tree is trying to take my life;
I know it looks at me like a killer with a knife.
So with an axe, I hacked it to the ground,
And joyfully, wildly, I danced around.
In the genial glassiness of the glazed conservatory
the jade in the green of the jasmine yellows;
geraniums, plumbago, bougainvillaea on the wall
let go on the hold of their precious flowers;
only this rose persists and stands tall.
Flowers fade, but love forever endures.
August 28
Do you know about him
The little tall man
Living in the brown street
His lips are hard
Like where charcoal is made
He feels high more than alcohol
And always scorn his wild hair
Do you know about the natural leaf
That scorned him
For the first time
He feels his lips
With a sedative herb
And forms a circle in his skin
There are dirts
Waiting to be heaped away
He picks them up by chance
Along with a clipper
He moves with the cloud
Seeing double shadows on the way
Laughing at him
Finally at a waste bin spot
The dirts are abandoned
He picks up the clipper
This is the best place for hair cut
He sits loving the moment
While passersby share laughters
sun tracks low in sky
sets in fiery bursts of reds
leaving earth aglow
trees are dressed in stained glass leaves
fall proudly makes its entrance
The key turned in the lock—a familiar sound…
The door sighed… just as we once sighed
Over lines of old and bitter rhymes profound,
So, gift, oh gift this loneliness till dawn’s light,
Love, with verses left unwritten, unbound…
Steps on the stairs like notes—a rise, then fall…
Words, doomed to the page, as if to the block, lie still!
I became the executioner of lines, killing all…
This pain, this bitterness… countless lines to fulfill—
Life, with verses left unwritten, stands tall.
Life, with verses left unwritten, stands tall…
candles
wax standing tall
a bright light glows shining warmth
dark rooms are filled with a bright light
what a beautiful sight
the weeds are begging
swaying in unison
asking to be mowed
The statue of a man is blatantly stand
Posture is evident
Oh what a man
~
Vertical virtue substance sustained
Spiritually ratified his vessel hooked on game
~
Fluently the world suggests stands a man, abreast
And yet man stands his tallest in his truest spiritural sense
~
More than I am just flesh a mere man flawed
In the truest essence, he is of himself, the image and righteousness of God
My spirit, My truest self stands strong and eternally tall
7/6/26
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2026
A big green tree stands in
the park.
It has a coat of bumpy bark.
It shades us when the sun is
stark.
waiting all day for your call
loving you since four feet tall
i couldn’t ever regret kissing you
i wanted to taste your sadness
was it wrong of me to dream of this?
your soul is a special shade of blue
staying up to watch you sleep
holding hands and softer dreams
with your eyes shut, you look softer too
running down the street at night
stars blink like the christmas lights
snow keeps comin’ down, i’ll miss you too
speak to me, don’t tell me lies
life flickers like fireflies
nobody’s gonna love you like i do
Tall crane wades the pond
he spears a perch and swallows.
Look out for gators!
i done stacked up cinder blocks to build a wall,
and hid my primary colors in the dark.
i grew so tall I forgot how it felt to fall;
instead, I permit my inner child to cry.
the ticking clock gnaws away precious minutes,
meanwhile I trace the scars upon a wooden floor,
I've run out of interesting, adult things to say;
instead, I permit my inner child to cry.
wax crayons smudge against my calloused skin,
mixing with the ink of bills and unread mail.
i've grown tired of the mask and the hollow grin,
instead, I permit my inner child to cry.
i press my palms against the bathroom glass,
remembering the kid with the grass-stained knees.
I'll stay right here and just let the world pass.
instead, I permit my inner child to cry.
and then her magic mountains were covered forever
petit morts had faded into memories of a pleasurable past
pushing and pulling were over as the truth settled in
yet rock bottom is where and when you stop digging
the valley is surrounded by peaks and anticipation
faith would reveal passion and love once again
patience my friend and chakras will open once more
temporary closure in surrender and acceptance
yields new openings beyond his wildest dreams
she wore heels that were three feet tall
no longer small, no longer small
men backed away, when she came to town
intimidated, their faces swiftly went down
she passed a giraffe and patted his head
I had bed head too, he told his bunkmate Fred
Her ponytail is seen above the rooftops today
Stilt-like heels give her a view of people six blocks away
Tall and sleek, a tower of might,
my eyes find the tall figure, pure delight.
I'm hot and thirsty in these sweltering days,
with salivating ways, I gaze at this faithful friend in countless ways.
Its lid twists tight, a secure seal to make,
a straw pokes out, for a refreshing take.
It is with me always, wherever I roam,
my trusty sidekick, never far from home.
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