translate love into food,
into money that matters,
into health that lasts,
into substantial living
not the charade of wealth
that floats away
on crimson wings
I am still here!
Alive is more
than a five-letter-word
I don’t know the birds
I don’t know the rocks
I didn’t know how hard
life would get
until I was in the middle of it
more so than gnawed wishbones
cold on a plate in the sink
next to an empty wine glass
(still purple)
Last night left room
for more than life can offer
My feet are here on old carpets:
all orange, blue, raging yellow patterns
(the coarse and unforgiving fiber)
I misalign meanings
while angles insult me,
tilting this house I call a home
while everyone I love sleeps
I stare at the circle
on my leg-
ringworm and a swollen tendon
on the same side
God stopped looking
when I needed him most
and the goldenrod is growing
so I know that fall is here
I am not Odysseus
“Just as this snake devoured
the sparrow and her children, eight of them,
their mother making nine, so we all fight
this war at Troy for nine years. In the tenth,
we take the city with its spacious streets”
Would You Now?
It's A Hard Nut
To Crack!
It's Better
That Way.
How Nutty!
Right?
Soothing Refreshment
Free At The Well...
I'll Try The Bucket
See What I Draw...
I'm Always Wrong,
Maybe; Right OR
Wrong...
For Certain
What would you wish for, if the stars
Bent low to hear your quiet plea?
A cup of dawn in folded hands,
Or one kind heart beside the sea?
Would you ask the wind for sweeter songs,
Or roses that could never fade?
Would you seek the silver moon
To bless each shadow evening made?
I would not ask for crowns of gold,
Nor gardens bright with endless spring;
Only one faithful soul to love,
And peace that blossoms without wing.
I'd wish the rain would heal the fields,
The frightened child forget to weep;
That every lonely window glowed
Before the world surrendered sleep.
I'd wish that grief might lose its name,
That hope would bloom where sorrows lie;
And every prayer too softly breathed
Be gathered by the listening sky.
For wishes, like the morning light,
Are fragile as the robin's song—
Yet one small kindness, freely given,
Can make the darkest night seem gone.
Dr. Frankenstein surely tried
to make, for his monster, a loving bride;
but the woman he produced,
could in no way be induced
to marry a man with a brain, sub-par,
though she said one thing bested most, by far.
“2.99 for the box,
on sale.”
"How much was the burger meat?"
"Nine dollars. Meat is always expensive, Ben."
Ben stirs his Italian ice
into lemonade
The bathtub is full
of cold water
The dryer is full
of damp clothes
The sink is full
of half-eaten meals
My 13-year-old wedding plates
used to showcase birds on branches
but the birds flew away
It is ten at night in July in North Carolina
I can't decide
if I am satisfied
or complacent
I count days between rain
because it is more honest than time
or clear-cut certainty
Turtles know true direction
and monarchs always know
their way home
I am jealous of them, too
I watch Ben stir his melting ice
to consistency
I adore his fascination
for little things:
the circumference
of his thriving watermelon,
the yellow flowers
of cucumber plants,
his pride in making things grow
“Try the lemonade, mom”
HORMUZ NOW, RED SEA
GAS PRICE SURGE WE WILL SOON SEE
A TRUMP TRAVESTY
Would I rather be me or a Celebrity?
Celebrities get stalked
No one stalks me
Celebrities give autographs
No one asks me
Celebrities get interviewed
No one knows me
Celebrities get mobbed by fans
In some ways, I am glad to be me
We became
a republic
when Washington
said ‘NO’
“Only debate
and compromise
hold a democracy
together”
Every man
given power
is at risk
to abuse it
Three branches
of government
our Founder’s
great gift
Ambition
counters ambition
when authority
is shared
To check and
to balance
as the voters
— hold sway
(America’s 250th: July, 2026)
Who would you like to have lunch with?
With Mylène Farmer, I think,
Love is important,
But less than a beautiful rondeau,
Who would you like to have lunch with?
You have to sleep alone at night
Or drink a good whiskey,
Should you think about friends?
With Mylène Farmer, I think,
Or this cousin Catherine,
His voice is a touching sapphire,
Love is important,
But less than a beautiful rondeau.
Avec qui aimeriez vous déjeuner ?
Avec Mylène Farmer, je crois,
C’est important l’amour,
Mais moins qu’un beau rondeau,
Avec qui aimeriez vous déjeuner ?
Faut il dormir seul la nuit
Ou boire un bon whisky,
Faut il penser à ses amis ?
Avec Mylène Farmer, je crois,
Ou cette cousine Catherine,
Sa voix est un touchant saphir,
C’est important l’amour,
Mais moins qu’un beau rondeau.
Of all the animals I could be,
which one would fill me with glee?
No fur here with a flea,
maybe smooth skin is the key.
I would love to see,
the great big blue sea.
Cool pretty water I would love to feel,
it makes me want to real.
With friends I can play and squeal,
as a fish we will steal.
I feel like a big wheel,
even through I am just a cute little seal.
This old lighthouse wants to say,
about the cold clouds of gray.
When it rained all night and day,
with the keeper wanting to pray.
Then the sun would come out to play,
making the blue sea a pretty highway.
This old lighthouse saw many ships,
some sailed by and some smashed like a souffle.
Sailing by were many birds of prey,
telling the old lighthouse it was like a cast away.
Old lighthouse even on Christmas day,
I can not getaway.
For the old lighthouse and keeper was it judgment day?
Why did the keeper want to stay?
Why not just run away?
The keeper knew he could not leave ~ no way,
telling God they both were not a runway.
Krugiodendron ferreum or Black Ironwood
Ostrya virginiana or American Hophornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana or American Hornbeam
--------------------------------------------------Black ironwood (like African Blackwood) is not a good choice for a modern bassoon body. While its extreme density makes it ideal for oboes and clarinets, it is far too heavy and reflective acoustically for a bassoon. -------------Ironwood is best suited for acoustic and electric guitars, specifically for dense, high-wear components like fretboards, bridges, and tuning pegs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Acer saccharum or Sugar Maple------Acer nigrum or black Maple----------Acer rubrum or red maple-----Acer heldreichii or Bosnain Mountain Maple-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Keep my Reed Moist............................................................................!
It was forty years ago,
I still regret that ring in the window.
It was champagne topaz,
a precious stone in the most gorgeous shade,
cut in a most unique shape,
round but not quite,
a most subtle oval.
It was forty years ago,
I still regret that ring in the window
AP: 3rd place 2026, Honorable Mention 2026
When I re-broach a pressing, unresolved issue,
I wish you’d engage me in productive, fair debate
instead of withering me with sarcasm.
When did your seeming love for me morph into hate?
When I can’t do whatever you ask of me
“Right NOW,” I wish you would patiently wait.
I wish you wouldn't rudely foist your duties off on me.
You know I already have a full plate.
I wish you would stop treating me as your underling.
I long to be valued, as your equal, your cherished mate.
Please mend fences. Don't force me to leave
and burn bridges behind me. It will soon be too late!
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