The Couric Effect

They’ve altered today
sent sunshine away
in hopes of increasing their rating,
but perky concern
results in a turn
of the channel to find one less grating.

THE Code

Obey the demands of imagination
the whimsical flights unrestrained,
vow only to seek the complete liberation
of dreams your fear may have reined.

Wistful Wood

The arc of a long since fallen tree
a bower where I chanced to see
one nubile naiad beckoning me,
her laugh enthralled
my virtue stalled
and ere too long we frolicked free.

On mossy mats near a tuneful brook
she smote me with her fertile look
then laid me down and fiercely took
her wanton fill
with fluid skill;
I gladly languished in her nook.

Too soon she was restless, dispossessed
of current, confined to this nest,
her need for depth coalesced;
she turned to depart
I woke with a start—
then rose with a sigh, and got dressed.

Commercial

I find myself on Sunday watching TV quite perplexed
admonished by evangelists who seem completely vexed,
perhaps they know what fantasy the station’s airing next
the chronicles of living in a city over sexed.

But why become so damned upset
you can’t ply guilt without regret.

Mine

A green embrace
undoes the stone,
relentless sand
erodes the bone,
within her breast
the blind atone—
a mother come
to claim her own.

Tide

Each chapter adds a brand new twist
to bend the paradox,
confounding the protagonist
with mysteries that won’t desist
like crashing waves upon disheveled rocks—
awash with mist and salty glee
we can’t exist without the sea.

Old Glory

The clamor of metallic clips
against a hollow pole
increases as a tempest whips
our frayed and fading soul—
remember how the stars once shone
when liberty was justly sown?

Integer Envy

I feel the difference keenly
getting by with what I’ve got
between the halves like me
and the wholes who are not;
an ocean of disparity
that always seems to ebb—
the tattered silken travesty
of a long aborted web—
a shriveled blossom left to rot
rejected by each bee—
unlike those ones who know they’re not
a lowly half like me.

Remaining plus can sometimes be the hardest part of all
don’t underrate your value, regardless how small.

Strains

Communing with the sylvan kings
whose regal limbs protect me,
enraptured as each creature sings
their part in Nature’s medley;
I gratefully applaud for more
undaunted by the real score.

Coverup

Perfection is profaned,
unblemished beauty feigned
through miracles of modern mud—
new goddesses ordained.

Surface Dwellers

Cracks in the ceiling
splits in the wall
how would life be
with no rifts at all,
no chasms to span
or clefts to explore
no dark little place
to find a new door,
no way to get up
or place to slip through
no fissures to mar
the facade we pursue.

Danger:Flying Monkey Zone

What good is talent
left to fate,
sans fortitude
you’ll hesitate,
morose lament
may incubate
to hatch a brood
inveterate.

Keepers of the Flame

Joining hands we spin around
the fire roars an anxious sound
though filled with joy this is no game
we come to raise the living flame.

Solstice calls us to the dell
to stoke earth’s blazing sentinel
creatures of the wooded glen
watch our clan revolve again.

Embers flare with each rotation
around this ancient conflagration
we laugh and sing with pure delight
vortex twirling through the night.

For eons we have danced just so
basking in the primal glow
circling from dusk till dawn
then like smoke *POOF* we’re gone.

Nouveau Cuisine

The nails of indecision dig
just a little deeper
whether dreams are small or big
be wary of a sleeper
that may sneak up and catch you unaware.

But elements unscripted add
a pinch of spice quite tasty
to cook a dish you’ve never had
so don’t become too hasty,
and try some new techniques when you prepare.

Paying The Piper

A few years of vanity – what could it hurt?
You never know until you try.
Common sense falters becoming inert
and suddenly you don’t feel so spry.
Living life high will take a grand toll
don’t join the band if you can’t rock-n-roll.