I
Here is a wheelbarrow,
Here is a hand.
We are on a field of ice, flat & breaking.
Everything here is white-gray.
There is a bird screaming large wings in the sky.

Learn a lesson from the bird, you say.
He screams for today, not tomorrow.

II
Here is a city: you will love it.
Here is my hand: it's what I've given to you.

Take, give, love.

The bird is still screaming.
I look up, and scream too.

"Is this chicken or tofu?" the teenage
vegetarian asks. Her little sister looks at the night's dinner.
"I'm not going to eat this!" she cries in rage.

"Is the oven on?" Dad heads to the stove; the page
in the cookbook turns. Mom slices carrots thinner.
"Is this chicken or tofu?" The teenage

daughter slices a pepper for salad. Her age
brings inexperience to cooking dinner.
"I'm not going to eat this!" She cries in rage

as Dad throws a handful of bacon bits and sage
into the salad, saying, You can't get much thinner.
"Is this chicken or tofu?" the teenage

daughter says hopefully. All the rage
now, protein that looks like meat for dinner.
"I'm not going to eat this!" He cries in rage.

Her erratic chopping of the carrots is a good gauge.
Beware, Mom's patience is getting thinner:
"Is this chicken or tofu?" The teenage
"I'm not going to eat this!" cries of rage.

Before turning pink,
the magnolia blossoms
look like tiny snow squalls.
They are too familiar
in their place, suffering
all the seasons in short order.
It's a good thing.
Soon enough we all will
have forgotten the words for snow.

Spring and his    sap is
                          running
            we say of  Evan
            boy of four of    four springs done un-
          counted springs impending

son of friends a
    friend im-
pendant
        running
Evan, boy of
spring of      four as
                                      Evan
countless more as
Evan coming running down the
  thousand  springs till
easing off the throttle time-
traveler God
says  Whoa boy
Be born here.  Be
friended.
Run as
  sap to          upper
                      -most leaf  Be
tapped, Be sweet.

Impend all your years unto death running Evan live

If we should escape together
Under the trees and through the fields
Up and above where the bumblebees call
Up above the sparrows' nest
We hide

The effect
of moon
light

on the Seine
foreshadows

sorrow;

darkness
moving as

a tide

A true poet has
to come from a
place where nobody
has been
before.

Walking down the street
Numbers
Figures
Pressures of the job
Rattling through my mind
Stoplights flashing
Sirens whining
My senses inundated
A breeze picks up a leaf
Sending it into the air
Skipping down the street
Calls me away
To a tree-lined meadow
Far from the city glitter
A field of clover
With violets and wild strawberries
In the shade of trees
Standing guard
Defending this meadow
A leaf rustles
My heart jumps
Your shape materializes
Out of the woods
Leaves of an ivy vine
Form a crown on your head
Your face shines with brilliance
Eyes glistening blue
You touch my hand
And I lose myself
I stumble on a curb
A taxi threatens his horn
Bringing me back on a breeze

She has been abused by her handlers.
AmericUS, fearless, faithful and trusting,
a noble Dane, a good Shepherd, an intrepid Pit Bull
is getting infested with lice, Candida Lice et al.
Abused by her former and current masters.
The well dressed, smooth talking, well armed, filthy rich ... cowards,
growing fat from oil revenues and war profiteer+ing.

They throw AmericUS, without shame or remorse into dusty pits
to fight any cur that has the audacity to bark, growl or sniff.
And Why not? no sweat off their miserable immoral backs.
AmericUS, my brave and noble warrior,
you are fast becoming overwhelmed by blood sucking ticks, ....Politicks.

AmericUS, my faithful friend, protector,
you are in great need of a good Frontline,
to make you immune to these vermin.

They are thriving on your blood
that was made rich by working class immigrants.

AmericUS, hope of the oppressed,
you are in need of a Humane Society to free you
from this undeserved abuse
and bring your masters to task.

They are not fit to rule such a noble friend as you.
They are not fit to feed from your bowl,
yet they feed you scraps from their festive tables, bask in luxury,
control the Nation's wealth,
while using you to guard it and them with your life.

Instead of keeping you here to protect our homes,
they send you abroad to chase after illusive shadows.

They are stifling your voice, they have placed a bark restrainer,
like a yoke, around your neck.
they threaten to confine you in the dog house should you complain.
They have put you on a leash and parade you around
like proud owners at a dog show.
They smile, wave, make empty promises and strut
around the globe .....but keep you on a leash.

But they do not own you these slave masters
You were born free,
our fathers shed their blood to keep you free
You were made strong and weaned on our mothers' milk.

You don't belong to US
You are US
We all belong to you

The switch goes on.
Over here we have our best new product.
A machine that will give us endless possibilities.

Don't touch that.