#418
The Fear
The world's a terrifying place
For those who love their pets,
For they can vanish with no trace;
We live with constant threats:
Theft and fire and flood and storm,
All things the world abets.
At the Feeder Again...
#417
For Example
Nature is anonymous
Until you learn to love
That silly, serious, soft fawn bird,
That feeding mourning dove,
With jerky, bobbing head that pecks,
That wing-jab to the right,
That waddle down the wide board-walk,
That clumsy, whistling flight.
Nature is anonymous
Until you learn to love
That creature like the sparrow
Or that goofy mourning dove.
From Manners to Mind...
#416
Syndrome
What a complex jumble
Our human minds maintain,
Of thoughts and emotions,
Of pleasure and pain.
Constant vigilance
Should always be in place,
To guard the Threshold
To prevent the basket case.
Manners make social relationships possible...
#415
How Am I, You Gaily Ask
Let's just say,
It's a difficult day.
Feel free to quote me,
As you go your merry way.
Wind Chimes attempt to play Bach in our backyard...
#414
Swinging in the Wind
On this breezy spring morning
Bach died aborning
As the Wind Chime
Rang out loud and clear.
If the Wind only knew
How to create Bach true
Then Spring you could
Both see and hear.
Back in Bidness...
#413
That Is, The End
Eternity awaits us,
Three seconds from now,
Awaits us all,
And Peaches the Cow;
Chester the Oak
And Farsight the Eagle,
Dimples the Donkey
And Backyard the Beagle.
Peaches stands placid
In the midst of her field;
I tremble in terror
At this megaton yield.
Last night I watched
As the fiery orange sun
Slipped behind trees
For its usual night run.
How could it all
Come into seeming;
When will it leave
With only God being?
Update on 2013-05-11 19:34 by Startzman
I changed "minutes" to "seconds" because, as I was going into the restroom at the Richmond theater last week, a very small, very young lad held the very heavy door for me. I asked him if he was staying in or coming out, as I took over the door. He said "staying in," as his dad and brother were still in there. He immediately reminded me of what was lost in New Town recently, and I thought "three minutes" was too long for this image. I can still see the little boy looking up at me through his big black-rimmed glasses and giving serious thought to the question. Going in I passed his dad coming out; he had heard his son and had a big proud smile on his face. We nodded. Three seconds.
The First Snake of Springtime:
#412
After the Fall
Yesterday Eve saw a snake;
It called to her in passing:
"Don't worry Lass, God's humor is
Original and surpassing.
Two days from now you'll see how right
It was to take that first quick bite
With Adam sure to follow,
Though today it's hard to swallow.
So please don't fret, you ain't dead yet,
For pain is just an empty threat,
Though I'll be on my way today
Before Himself finds more to say,
And takes another body part;
His humor's what sets Him apart!
Adieu, my Sweet, Adieu."
Pookie was, Simon is; Love is stronger than death.
#411
Simon
He sounds like a Greek Philosopher,
Simonides the Wise,
But he's just my sweet little dachshund,
With the prettiest face and brown eyes.
The Song of Songs (12/6/07)
#410
For Pookie
The broken angel stands beside
The bright moss-covered rock,
An early harbinger of spring,
A grave in a backyard plot.
How much love will a small spot hold?
How much affection to fill
That which matter can never contain
And no matter turn to nil.
Kim Jong Ill, the illustrious...
#409
Little Big Man
That North Korean, he's a big Un,
Full of bluster, quite inane.
His people need to over-throw him
Before he causes loss and pain.
As IT stands that's hardly likely,
For the man's a featherbrain,
Who thinks missles, tanks, and rockets
Are the only way to reign,
While his people suffer hunger,
Deprivation, all in vain.
It is the Cause, It is the Cause...
#408
The Horror, the Horror
Don't touch your nose, the doctors tell us,
Or something nasty soon will fell us!
Germs, it seems, are everywhere,
Faucets, sinks, and Delaware;
Clean the fridge, the mouse, the goat,
Especially clean your big remote.
Wipe down every toilet seat,
Along with your pet parakeet:
Germs love cages filled with poo,
So you know what you have to do:
Get out the sanitizer wipe
And blast those bugs with every swipe!
It is the cause, it is the cause.
From Eden to St. Peter's...
#407
Pilgrimage?
When Eve left for Rome to visit the Pope,
Adam stayed home to tend their tame goat.
What on earth did Eve have in mind?
A Francis encounter or pay-back in kind?
Who can tell in this secular age,
Though the Vatican stays
A great holy stage,
For which we Thank God--
Amen.
Me Irish Genes (nudge nudge)...
#406
Shillelagh Dreams
It's been said to me face
We're a foul-smelling race;
It's been said to me face more than once.
Me response over beer
Is to initiate fear
In the hearts of those so inclined.
Now me wife has opined
That she finds it unkind
To respond in a threatening way.
So I wish them sweet bliss
As I send them a kiss
From the top o'me head to their nose
That rattles them down to their toes
And shatters that fine-smelling nose,
And shatters that fine-smelling nose.
Down the Cockle-Stair...
#405
Black Bird
I met a Blackbird eye to eye,
Sitting in the sultry sky.
His yellow eye looked down at me;
How can such a Blackbird be,
I wondered, as the spin began.
Or was it me the world outran?
The demon bird hopped off the sky,
Vanished from before my eye.
I scratched my head in puzzlement,
Called it a dream down somewhat bent.
But now I'll always test the air
Before leaving my big-dad chair.
Not Gravity...
#404
Rocked
The heft of the Rock
In our front yard
Holds down the earth,
Restrains its mirth.
Thank God for such a
Stable weight
To help our laughter
Germinate.
Inspired by the Dwarf and Nick Bottom the Weaver...
#403
Not Two Firkins Neither
Who's in charge of naming things
In this wicked world of sin?
Not Ho Chi Minh nor Lohengrin,
And Lenin's just a kilderkin;
That leaves one wild and wicked jinn,
Or, of course, one goblin,
One goblin Rumplestiltskin.
Evolution may be a tool in the hand of God (There are feet and there are feet).
#402
Goldfinch: At the Window Feeder
The four-toed winged marvel
Came down from the sky,
Stood on the feeder
One foot from my eye.
Each toe was perfect
For grasping a limb,
But not so perfect
On smooth plastic trim.
Yet he stood there
While I watched,
A bright golden wonder,
Not one feather botched.
The Adoption...
#401
Duster
The feral cat made up to me
When I fed her royally;
All that went from good to worse
(And I swear I heard her curse)
When I accidentally stepped
On her pride and fundament.
Simon: The Further Adventures of...
#400
Nemesis
The other dogs came limping back,
While Simon kept on running,
Chasing squirrels around the yard
With precious dachshund cunning.
More Blue Goofus...
#399
Malady
You don't want to get the Blue Goofus;
It twists your insides like a rope,
And treats your brain like a blender,
For which there's no rational hope.