A collection of verses in the Haiku style Don Lehman ____________________________________________________________________________________     07/17/2018 1659 a hot summer night two women chat on the porch somewhere there’s music     1660 after all these years we are still confused by death before and after     07/15/2018 1654 do you remember? tattooed girl with purple hair face like summer night     1656 The trump baby blimp bobbing over london town then on to scotland     07/13/2018 1651 ordinary pain the kind you get with aging picking up a stone   07/04/2018 1648 an opioid, heroin or a bullet to relieve the pain   1647 now the rest of you consider physical pain just for a moment   06/27/2018 1645 pay the conductor ticket to oblivion beyond the magic   06/25/2018 1643 here’s what I’m thinking that nice lady in my dream I wish she’d come back   06/24/2018 1641 a wheelbarrow, yes some things you can push around but not a poem   06/22/2018 1640 heavy cloud cover fat woman picks up her mail deep melancholy   06/16/2018 1639 We sat for a while the catbird and me, talking then i flew away     1637 you know that thing - guilt makes you feel miserable it’s OK, rover   1636 what a drag it is unhappiness without cause the bird that won’t sing   05/31/2018 1634 he’s talkin” man stuff throwing shade on the women checking out the bods     05/16/2018 1621 living with demons the stockholm syndrome weeds among flowers   1618 pacemaker, pacing term life policy, expired azaleas blooming   1617 would you beg for love on your knees with tears streaming humiliated?     05/10/2018 1616 check the folded notes smooth the wrinkles in your mind write something profound     05/05/2018 1613 i see more clearly the complexity of love when i close my eyes     05/04/2018 1612 who’s walking that dog who lives in my neighbor’s house strangers on my street     05/02/2018 1610 crocuses are first they shout, “we are the winners!” then the tulips come     04/25/2018 1606 you are blessed, you say because you have so much stuff it is not god’s plan     04/20/2018 1605 when i care the most i am inarticulate a rock on the road     1602 I want to be wide tall and wide, reaching out more but I’m a silo     1601 men are dishonest at least the married men are take monogamy     1600 avoid stop signs take direction from the stars reject gravity     04/19/2018 1599 radical stickers a liberal in a prius being the cliché     04/17/18 1598 the beer on beale street, tacos in tijuana it tasted better     04/09/2018 1595 the birthday party Gerri is turning eighty that is her, laughing     04/06/2018 1594 as i slowly shrink i am not likely to die becoming a smudge     04/05/2018 1592 my public facade upright, polite and decent privately darker     04//2018 1589 now we will rethink what it means to be a man we left the jungle     03/22/2018 1587 The young girls dancing old men lost in memory penny tootsie rolls     03/20/2018 1586 rain drips at down pipes wind tuning up in the trees a wood fire burning     1585 the first day of spring a cold wet wind is blowing somewhere a wind chime     03/09/2018 1583 i am listless the mirror says, “you again?“ bran flakes for breakfast     03/06/2018 1581 having fun with words some phrases are fun to say whacka piñata     02/28/2018 1579 we are off the rails there is no civility “fucking idiots”     02/25/2018 1577 do you ever ask how much do i love my gun the dead want answers     02/23/2018 1576 cowards need big guns they are scared of everything shoot that thing that moved     02/22/2018 1575 spikey was constant how to love is what he knew now he is no more     02/20/2018 1574 hey hey, NRA who you gonna kill today the taunting corpses     02/17/2018 1570 that jack nickleson what he does with his eybrows takes him to the bank     02/12/2018 1569 you olympians years of physical training do your tricks for us     1568 life is so easy the common cold feels tragic bump on a smooth road     01/23/2018 anti-gravity oh the chafing of the chain that keeps me grounded     01/15/2018 1561 i have lost my voice shouting in the wilderness hearing the echo     01/04/2018 1455 a frigid, snow day white on bending evergreens winter storm Grayson     12/06/2017 1450 peeling an orange it lingers on your fingers thoughts of winter past     11/25/2017 1447 later Sunday night sitting on the davenport rain on the porch roof     11/03/2017 1440 that misshapen heart that dark corner if the mind lungs filled with stale air     10/70/2017 1433 four-thirty am step in and out of a dream dogs barking somewhere     10/06/2017 1432 you’re immersed in art when everything looks like art It’s the baptism     10/03/2017 1430 uniontown hotel hauling sand for frackers “it’s sand, it’s just sand”     09/21/2017 1424 watching the tv ken burns replays viet nam patriot hubris     08/26/2017 1421 it's theatre camp Toby is the young simba three weeks in august     1420 two weeks with Simon what it’s like to be thirteen and seventy-one     08/16/2017 1418 we know our leaders we know what we have to do speak up and resist     07/11/2017 1406 getting used to trump suddenly up to your neck it's cartoon quicksand     1407 getting used to trump like trying some heroin getting hooked on hate     07/07/17 1401 she is soft as suede her hand grasping my finger that new baby smell     1403 awaiting my turn memory, don’t fail me now can't make this stuff up   06/28/2017 1400 the age of despair In the twenty first century fuck this and fuck that     1399 legislated greed celebrity politics twenty seventeen     06/22/2017 1394 waking in the night sleep walking to the bathroom slam into a door     06/02/2017 1385 mother's spring routine lace curtains used to come down washed, starched, stretched and dried     05/30/2017 1382 those trump supporters flag wavers, Bible thumpers, flim flam believers     1381 like emily dickinson I’d rather hide in my room than defend my art     1379 those times in your life when you feel lighter than air count them on your hand     05/27/2017 1378 a hybrid human with a battery assist platinum and plastic     05/25/2017 1376 in a modern world old folks, alienated staring at smart phones     05/22/2017 1373 feeling pulled, by time anchored to the memories how long will they hold     05/15/2017 1371 if less is more, then more must certainly be less “the first shall be last”     1370 “more” is our mantra the poor are repeating, “some” voices in discord     1367 when that day arrives i will break my promises the final regret     05/14/2017 1365 The suggestive Y “every why hath a wherefore” so sayeth shakespeare     05/12/2017 1364 if you bring the rain i will bring the umbrella and bags of sunshine     1363 when you’re not talking every kiss is a promise just pay your dollar       05/11/2017 1362 i told him the truth for years, it felt like a lie I was just a child     1361 at the restaurant all, talking at the same time brothers and sisters     05/06/2017 1359 observe surroundings pretending you’re a statue still as a rabbit     1358 her pants are so tight you can see her cellulite puttin’ it out there     04/25/2017 1353 his mouth was too big his eyes too small and squinty his ears were okay     04/23/2017 1351 we were so polite when I bumped into someone they apologized       1350 it was on earth day we marched in DC again too much CO2       03/31/2017 1338 at the hospital forty-four short years ago a small miracle     1337 be clear about this your computer is no friend it never forgives     1336 isle of stromboli woody and ingrid bergman as light to orchids     03/21/2017 1327 we played politics but we called it religion we were sanctified     03/19/2017 1326 i don’t fish, I write If haiku gives me a fight it's not the great white     1325 arms at four and eight he's a muscle bound coward pushed against the wall     03/10/2017 1324 We keep pumping oil Living in a plastic world “oh look, something new”       1323 snow on daffodils tempered expectations flexibility       02/13/2017 1321 Toby and Simon ten and twelve respectively strikers on the pitch     01/31/2017 1317 what did Trump do now? what do the protesters say? then sell viagra     1316 the white man got scared too much change happened too fast now we have scorched earth     1315 take all the bad news grind in good news seasoning edible sausage     01/26/2017 1314 i wrote a memoir seventy two thousand words so that’s about it       01/20/2017 1309 then the swearing in pompous, sneering, petulance wild contradictions       01/19/2017 1308 if you do not come assuming you lost your way i will come for you       01/06/2017 1303 do you remember the kind voice, “your number please” “yes, operator”       01/05/2017 1302 there’s no escaping no matter your piety natural beauty       01/04/2017 1299 two naked figures sailing across a dark sky I'm earthbound and clothed       1298 the heat from her face and taste of salty tears a dark red sweater     01/02/2017 1297 The rustling of wings From somewhere near the river we sat down, waiting       12/27/2016 1293 placed into a box the year, two thousand sixteen paper, tape and string       12/26/2016 1292 an apparition black crows with human bodies waking from a dream       12/22/2016 1289 Angels with black wings And faces in burnt umber robes of dried oak leaves       12/16/2016 1286 she’d often been told but she didn’t seem to care she sat like a boy       1285 two thousand sixteen with all those disappointments misguided masses       1284 one week ‘til Christmas that’s when all the joy arrives we wait and worry       12/06/2016 1280 if you want to know i was over here hiding when you were naked       1278 raining in the night and continuing all day The smell of wet leaves       11/26/2016 1276 exposed to cold wind winter is a naked tree one shivering leaf       11/23/2016 1274 words, jibbed up and spooked slung out, lewd and without gar our fist a warbling       1172 we who pay taxes what can we expect to get beds for the homeless?       09/07/2016 1165 suddenly slow-mo power pumped into moments bats in the bedroom       08/14/2016 1164 the color of gold evening light in late August moon in a blue sky       06/11/2016 1162 there’s the milky way Gerri said, “look, orions belt” I was mystified       1161 those star gazing nights when the sky was bigger dark before the black out       06/06/2016 1158 rich manicured grass it mostly goes unnoticed the red fire hydrant       05/31/2016 1156 how much poetry written on the prison walls and painted over       05/02/2016 1157 now it’s just a blur the day before yesterday an old calendar       04/28/2016 1155 the shift of a line evolution of a shape follow the pencil       04/24/2016 1153 TV blue main light the fill bounced off a blue wall so Instamatic       04/23/2016 1151 sitting in the dark I can still see everything my senses intact       04/20/2016 1150 so few real problems and so many solutions hidden in plain view       03/30/2016 1145 I have been reshaped the way water shapes a stone with softer edges       03/02/2016 1143 a tree call hatred growing in the hallowed halls produced sour fruit       03/01/2016 1140 civil citizens with words as sharp as needles pop the trump balloon       02/14/2016 1138 a dog on a chain pulled at the end, sniff the wind accepting, knowing       02/05/2016 1131 that civil debate the glancing innuendo you cover your ass       01/21/2016 1129 with a focused mind desire is in the waiting lost in memory       01/20/2016 1128 her eyes follow you each time you glance back, she’s there high resolution       01/13/2016 1127 something beautiful made from all those broken parts sitting on a shelf       01/09/2016 1126 those rebellious songs shouting when we were children “I shall not be moved”       01/04/2016 1125 we’re always sincere especially when we’re lying wishing it was true       01/03/2016 1124 young and pliable a rubber ball tossed around then left deflated       12/06/2015 1121 are they plowing roads? the way snow absorbs sound as stars reappear       11/24/2015 1119 it’s Puerto Rico on a midnight arrival in that slow motion       11/22/2015 1115 that dream of a train hauling the biggest cigar into a tunnel       1116 in that other world the one where people say, “NO” we will not bear arms       11/16/2015 1110 rolled and tied t-shirts trying out their new bodies on a few old men       1111 sidestep the hard stuff by hard stuff i mean hard stuff and i mean side step       10/11/2015 1107 the magician asked “do you believe in magic?” at that moment, “yes!”       10/02/2015 1106 a strong nor’easter I thought of tanya harding something hit the roof       10/01/2015 1105 the sensitive child I remember everything the disappointment       09/26/2015 1100 i could stop talking taking a vow of silence but for that humming     1099 we chew on our words arranging and shaping them then we spit them out       1098 confused paradox safe with a state of grace yet unrepentant     09/21/2015 1095 i will not embrace everything within my reach what is too fragile       09/13/2015 1093 a weaponized drone doing it’s terrible thing just push that button       09/08/2015 1091 the boomer’s lament sorry, we ate the candy and left the wrapper       1089 it came without words welcome to the other world imagined, maybe       09/01/2015 1088 to resist aging the downside of vanity fruit left on the vine       08/22/2015 1087 when I’m not busy making something out of air I’m working with light       08/06/2015 1083 simple figure ground a minimalist approach the mental landscape       08/04/2015 1082 we are affected by those things that lie between what our eyes can see       1077 so what it is is people walking with blinders I’d rather be spooked         07/28/2015 1074 there’s no denying whatever your religion decadent beauty       07/21/2015 1073 expediency put it together quickly if it lasts a year       07/13/2015 1069 the unhappiness time spent staring at nothing no light. no color       1068 people come and go there’s a shadow on the door I am curious       07/04/2015 1066 someone must compose a song for the last taboo the sky with one cloud       6/20/2015 1064 moment by moment everything is touch and go feel the wind changing       06/18/2015 1062 why did you love me? why did you stop loving me? just lucky, i guess       06/08/2015 1059 time is a vortex it can pull you up or down riding the cyclone       06/01/2015 1057 I’d stop at Mike’s house delivering newpapers and watch some Dick Clark (1958)       1055 at night, in my dreams the secret doors are opened dark rooms and closets       05/19/2015 1053 cold, hard colors and the buzz of a neon light gas station at night       05/12/2015 1051 i stopped to listen a bird calling “Rosita” warm breezes blowing       05/10/2015 1048 it’s all so lovely waiting to see what comes next letting things unfold       04/27/2015 1042 i captured some light yesterday was pinhole day light, held in a box       04/25/2015 1040 on a spring morning she’d wash the crocheted curtains starched then stretched to dry       04/23/2015 1039 that long frozen month brackish water turned to ice we hibernated       04/21/2015 1037 all that is to come the dawn at the new morning and the growing light       04/05/2015 1034 words are confusing heterodoxy, homophone I’ll go my own whey       04/04/2015 1033 I’ve been in black holes i understand dark matter accepting nothing       04/02/2015 1031 he has his IQ tattooed right behind his ear it says ninety-three       1028 we were camping out and smoking in the cornfield lies and confessions       1027 they promised they’d come we’d meet back here after dark crickets and bull frogs       1026 they’re pitching pennies taping dimes to railroad tracks gangs on bicyles       04/01/2015 1024 with dog-eared pages the back’s beginning to bend getting on in years       03/31/2015 1023 touch black and white keys compose today’s melody taking dictation       03/30/2015 1022 when shadows lengthen let me hid myself in thee where love is refuge       03/25/2015 1019 my anxiety tomorrow ruined today saved by Saturday       03/24/2015 1018 the white clown tonight filling time with amusement dandilion love test       03/20/2015 1017 if you are obsessed you’re a hyprocracy, a saint or disillusioned       03/19/2015 1015 those naked angels dancing in cinncinati like christmas morning       03/18/2015 1013 productivity staring at an empty box until i see it       1010 unfinished business shall still remain unfinished another season       03/02/2015 1006 when i feel too much or when i don’t feel enough I’m that little boy       1005 oh February you pushed your clouds into March dark barren winter       02/23/2015 1002 how can i describe the banality of death an apple falling       02/20/2015 1001 cold winter poems heavy words drop dark and gray against crackling ice       1,000 the bright blue morning of a day not yet spoiled one thousand poems       2/19/2015 999 what is that anvil hanging from your necklace chain causing you to bend?       02/16/2015 996 how heavy are those secrets you could never tell now, twisted and bent       02/10/2015 992 high anxiety not like Mel Brooks’s movie the, i can’t work kind       02/04/2015 991 how do i respond when i exhibit my work people walking by       01/30/2015 989 cezanne’s large bathers three hours in a museum van gogh painted rain       01/28/2015 988 i used to make stilts my way of being grown-up losing my balance       01/26/2015 986 pearls on black velvet digging through the lost and found awake, then dreaming       01/25/2015 985 feeling big and small the biggest ant on the hill or the smallest whale       980 mourning without sun we’re in the dead of winter my black overcoat       979 fascinated by his improvised religion bent and twisted tree       01/21/2015 978 we take all the blame or we take all the credit we take everything       01/15/2015 974 how small can I get maybe a drop of water evaporating       01/11/2015 969 thinking about truth ancient religious fables the great cathedrals       01/10/2015 968 a favorite thing tipping over sacred cows just a little nudge       01/06/2015 967 they’re waiting for me those little birds, small as mice the empty feeder       966 the futility existential busyness defining ourselves       01/03/2015 961 what are we, wind-up monkeys, beating on a drum is that what we are?       12/30/2014 960 yes oxygen but what’s the purpose of this tree one of so many       12/26/2014 959 my dreamy night life floating in pools of color under a dark sky       12/18/2014 957 the camera saw them grandfather and grandmother memory machine       12/16/2014 953 why doesn’t God smite Dick Chaney for being a dick? there, now I’ve said it       12/15/2014 952 the weather holding i made a big pile of leaves the halcyon days       12/13/2014 950 magical night trips my dreams take me to places on rollercoaster       949 I’m the bird that sings not the bird building the nest what is winter’s song       947 at the parties end everyone standing around happiness over       12/12/14 941 it’s hilarious being without gravity floating, light hearted       12/11/2014 937 no one lies to me everthing i hear is true it’s just fantastic       12/09/2014 934 hitting the right notes harmonizing in three chords then something minor       12/05/2014 933 by pushing forward i stumbled into stillness sitting then with rocks     12/02/2014 926 your favorite breath out of eight hundred million all those first kisses       11/30/2014 923 writing their own songs the young girls are singing out those mixed messages       11/29/2014 922 sallow and sagging I will not age gracefully observe the wroughting       921 time flattened and pressed I’m noticing my body wrinkled at my knees       11/26/2014 917 before she could walk she stood balanced on my hand i thought she might fly       11/27/2014 918 Mr. Black is white his friend Mr. White is black that gray area       913 apples and oranges or melons and bananas sex and survival       11/20/2014 911 with longer shadows the attention to detail motion and placement       910 without the saucer the cup is cradled by hand you bend down slightly       909 precious china cups the ones we keep to look at behind the glass doors       11/19/2014 906 i have stopped painting I’m just looking and thinking the life of a cat       908 all this climate change the scientists might be wrong it could be much worse       11/18/2014 904 she’s walking the streets where is that long ago place searching through the fog       905 elon musk, writing the AI apocalypse he gives us five years       11/17/2014 903 the last painted leaves falling with the autumn rain the fast, fading light       902 exploring contrasts doing and then not doing the light and the dark       901 an obscure desire the curse of wanting too much the unknowable       11/12/2014 900 trees getting undressed a slow annual burlesque is that a garter?       899 leaves are drifting down firewood waiting to be stacked the brave holly bush       11/11/14 898 maybe you were right you served a failed government and you did your best       897 had i gone to war i could never have survived my gun would have jambed       896 those defense contracts soldier signing bonuses moral injuries       11/10/2014 895 is there enough air is there water in the well how much time is left?       894 where are they hiding when memories go missing locked in the gray cells         11/09/2014 892 going off the tracks staying with my train of thought knowing some have jumped       11/04/2014 888 in a grocery store I’m sometimes a little boy eating a twizzler       887 van morrison sings just a closer walk with thee i go way, way back       11/03/2014 883 you're not a genius but the way you hold your head gives weight to your words     884 my dad used to say “don’t throw your pearls before swine” i know what he meant       11/03/2014 880 the leaves that are left warm the colors of the sun november morning       11/01/2014 876 we breathe the same air what could be more intimate our naked faces       875 people say, “hello” we can be content alone a sky with one cloud       10/31/2014 870 from deep in the fold bored with the straight and narrow i found the torn edge       10/30/2014 868 I’ll be someone else when i go to Amsterdam urbane at museums       10/27/2014 862 the ones that scared us were the big bible thumpers their booming voices       10/26/20 2014 861 i dug all the holes and buried the resentments hidden and unkept       860 you will feel lonely when all the gifts are opened that thing you wanted       10/22/2014 849 those money puppets they want to have everything chasing the karot       10/16/2014 844 warm october day the smell of wet musty leaves stock market falling       843 time doth take it’s toll the cerne giant once was i now a withered troll       842 i was much too young to share my mother’s saddness so i share it now       10/08/2014 837 moving gracefully ovulation to ashes dreams to memories       836 we’re walking beside that fragile curtain between the light and the dark       10/07/2014 835 sometimes it’s the eyes embracing the things we see and being embraced       833 nights at the drive-in the sorrows of the old men searching through netflix       10/05/2014 831 they were believers praising mystical Jesus sitting on benches       829 tell me everything then tell it over again the sound of your voice       10/04/2014 825 so taken by her i could have mistaken it for a miracle       10/03/2014 824 she played her cello the lights were set and i watched through the viewfinder       10/01/2014 820 looking for a word searching my brain, digging through a bucket of rocks       09/24/2014 818 the clouds match the sea turning dark and dirty gray the booming of waves 09/23/2014       816 thinking of soft things comforting things that hold us fending off dispair       812 most people feel it no one’s quite sure what it is some tell ghost stories       810 we should honor them i pity the animals raised as table food       809 instead of working today I’ll watch videos nick cave on youtube       09/16/2014 801 how shall I pretend to know or not know the Truth to be without doubt       795 people are sleeping laughing, crying, making love I’m writing haiku       09/14/2014 794 we were young and green the wind blew us together old trees whispering       09/11/2014 790 the day they fought back us and our symbols of wealth good bye, bon voyage       09/10/2014 789 before eyeglasses everything was soft focus aging looked better       787 the president and all the president’s wise men decide, we’ll bomb them       09/09/2014 785 microsoft has fans hating all the Apple stuff vice-versa, i guess       784 to start the school year drift toward the hurricane then push to the eye       09/06/2014 782 I’m sick of hanging those formulaic paintings duller than laundry       781 rolling in the surf she’s a woman, not a girl giving herself up       09/03/2014 780 ...and that’s what I did back when i was doin’ things looking at my watch       08/30/2014 776 who can you sing to when you are without talent you can sing to me       775 i had a dream of a black book with tall secrets wishing they were true         08/28/2014 773 holding a baby takes me to where i started before memory       08/25/2014 768 the slant of the sun afternoon light through green leaves a yellow school bus       08/25/2014 767 a silent kindness when telling the truth may hurt either way, a wall       08/22/2014 766 I say, are we sheep are we demanding our rights all i hear is baaa       08/12/2014 764 robin williams died the mysteries of the mind hilarious and sad       08/04/2014 762 I’d rather a cat lay on my desk than a dog yipping at my feet       08/02/2014 761 lunching al fresco when motorcycles parade all flags and slogans       07/31/2014 759 searching through my mind looking for lost memories my happy childhood       758 my insomnia a constant pushing against the coming big sleep       07/26/2014 756 he’s shaking my hand smiling and making small talk there is so much fog       755 the cruelty of war we find ourselves taking sides there’s blood on our flag       07/22/2014 754 It was a novel a suspense by Paige Turner with some irony       07/21/2014 753 who cares about facts the melting polar ice cap not in my lifetime       07/20/2014 751 it’s all beautiful under heavy cloud cover colors fade to black       749 nature presses down while we struggle to rise up reaching for something       07/17/2014 748 while dancing with him her eyes were glancing at me later they went home       07/16/2014 747 mid-morning, still dark the earth, sloppy drunk on rain you can’t trust july       07/15/2014 746 the brain appears gray with darker places inside behind unmarked doors       744 i respect science but i was raised on magic the sun still rises       07/14/2014 743 look at the pencil when facing the end, a dot and when turned, a line       07/13/2014 742 it was there, now gone a gray bird, small as a mouse with after-image       07/12/2014 739 his hands at the keys then pulling out all the stops creating mayhem       07/10/2014 737 i want cleaner air and the right temperature peace for everyone       07/06/2014 736 the young rabbits play while the old sit in the patch munching vegetables       06/31/2014 732 time starts speeding up like water down a funnel feel yourself aging       06/15/2014 728 noticing the thing and the shadow of the thing moving with the light       05/28/2014 720 my grandfather’s life what did he think of Hoover the “party line” phone       05/26/2014 718 some will love part time focused on themselves and work a casual love       05/21/2014 717 the mind is aging becoming soft and slippery bouncing like rubber       716 God is the word for beyond imagination love and outer space       715 colorful circles inside the largest circle larger than the sky       05/19/2014 714 we live where the sun rises out of the ocean then clouds surround us       713 trees are listening and the willows are weeping with our ancesters       05/14/2014 710 the sun is shining all the lights have been turned on the dark interiors       05/13/2014 709 move that line a bit paintings that aren’t working out move it back again       708 I’ve been living here waiting for it to happen the next big event       05/12/2014 707 this is new music I’ll sit and watch the youngsters arms above their heads     705 summers at the beach winter is bare bone pretty nature chooses spring       05/07/2014 703 we’re all connected you, me and the rocks and trees the air and the rain       05/06/2014 701 she’s young and pretty I’m old but she turns, smiling her dog tugs the leash       700 i like to paint fast relying on happy luck i have no technique       05/05/2014 698 I’m not in this room I’m living inside my head that’s right, I’m in here       696 the heart wants to stop when the body is tired or when it’s broken       05/01/2014 695 for food and comfort a cat gives you what they have graceful elegance       04/30/2014 693 i bark like a dog and the cat just turns away it’s the rejection       691 pretend I’m not here and forgive me when i stare i can’t stop looking       04/29/2014 689 going to movies anonymous, in the dark with the voyeurs       04/23/2014 686 they say life unfolds maybe a letter from home or an old time map       04/21/2014 684 i have been thinking how best to illustrate time motion and stillness       04/12/2014 682 hitchhiking that night i heard, “i want the new boy” someone said shut up       04/07/2014 679 daddy took pictures i can smell the polaroids that special coating       678 like in New Hampshire that week in sixty seven a cold, foggy rain       04/05/2014 677 when told to go kill in some strange, far-off country be sure to ask, “why”       03/30/2014 674 shameful behavior saying careless hurtful things silence and regret       03/20/2014 670 he’s got the money and looks like Gregory Peck the TV news man       03/19/2014 669 the black Mr. White introduced white Mr. Black to brown Mr. Grey       667 cooling sensations fragrant oils of the orange tearing the peeling       03/18/2014 666 flowers in the snow the air is a frozen scream winter’s finale       665 a spider’s shadow i examine the banal I’ll stop at nothing       03/17/2014 663 it snowed overnight there is a clean, white stillness winter waves good-bye       03/14/2014 662 i crawled out of bed a jackhammer in my head fractured memories       03/10/2014 660 what would life be like if everyone gave freely without jealousy       03/08/2014 658 I’m thinking about my medicated mother her twisted hankie       03/05/2014 656 beating the devil on a tilted playing field that’s the game of life       03/03/2014 653 we ate Cracker Jacks looking for that big surprise a cheap plastic toy       02/26/2014 650 your eyes are happy rub a stick and start a fire be warm and content       02/24/2014 648 a winter sunlight drifts through lazy loblollies waiting while time sleeps       02/19/2014 646 checking in to find some ordinary dispair too much gravity       02/15/2014 645 there is an awkwardness between the generations the distance in years       02/13/2014 644 there is a straight line separating rain from snow weather map dot com       02/12/14 642 waiting for the snow when, how much, will there be school then, thoughts of Key West       641 but you can’t touch it without doing some damage exquisite torment       02/11/2014 639 when i was a kid I didn’t win the pony i knew it was rigged       638 hating everything having a “caulfield” moment feeling pretty smug       637 well, forget the myth of gender equality demand equity       02/08/2014 635 fifty years ago the beatles played sullivan they had that “something”       634 it’s winter again we laughed and sang Auld Lang Syne now we long for sun       02/06/2014 630 yes i have regrets but I’m halfway out the door bake your own cookies       629 the repetitions forgive us our obsessions as we dull the edges       02/05/2014 628 walking in circles who’s the jailer holding me behind winter trees       01/31/2014 626 in the house all day like a mouse in a shoe box exploring corners       01/28/2014 620 no more big events no more infatuations maybe a sunrise       01/20/2014 616 beyond the pine trees icy thoughts circle in the cold winter's night sky       01/14/2014 611 thirty deep knee bends a few minutes of tai chi the old cat stretches       01/11/2014 610 nineteen eighty-nine the last golden toad just died that’s why i was sad       01/06/2014 605 life’s oldest question is this as good as it gets? let’s taste the apple       12/30/2013 601 I’m your long, lost friend the elephant in the room the abstract painting       12/16/2013 591 look at your body you’ll live with it all your life can you make it dance?       12/15/2013 590 he drew a red heart and folded it carefully it’s in her pocket       12/10/2013 586 days filled with loose ends incomplete conversations unfinished paintings       12/08/2013 585 the visible parts and the invisible parts your strong heart-shaped heart       12/02/2013 582 in your own corner the quiet stability walls come together       11/26/2013 579 here’s what i would do I’d make a new religion without commandments       578 the mysteries of space where it starts and where it ends black holes and comets       577 people get worked up over simple anecdotes yeah, that’s what I've heard       11/16/2013 571 when the sun breaks through after an overnight rain a brisk morning walk       11/11/2013 567 what if i travel on the wind, without baggage a paper airplane       11/05/2013 566 well into the leap you know you cannot go back pure resignation       10/31/2013 562 we can push buttons and kill every living thing when will we make peace?       10/28/2013 557 which drop of water smoothed the edges of this rock who made this highway       10/27/2013 553 the sign says, “future” and it hangs above the door the smell of wet paint       10/24/2013 550 Do you think i like standing here holding my tongue you blabbering on       10/21/2013 549 when their work is done they slowly drift to the ground golden leaves in fall       10/19/2013 548 time drags for children but it races for adults it’s the cuckcoo clock       10/17/2013 547 outside the farm house i listened for the voices my dad’s childhood home (aber wer bist du?)       10/12/2013 540 languishing under a dark, four day nor’easter the low droning wind       10/09/2013 537 i am bilingual and know what you are saying when your lips are still       10/07/2013 536 it’s another day and the ordinary man arrives unnoticed       10/06/2013 534 up at night, i hear the trilling of the screech owl rhythmic and mournful       10/05/2013 532 i snuggled back down pulled a cloud over my head and resumed the dream       533 the sky was so close stars were almost within reach from here, on the ground       10/04/2013 531 peeking in windows watching the holy rollers childhood summer nights       10/03/2013 530 i just keep moving but i never burn bridges I may circle back       09/28/2013 525 it's in the painting a room with a purple rug and chamber music       09/26/2013 521 trees releasing leaves embraced by the autum wind spinning, drifting down     522 the baseball heros with names that are fun to say like sandy koufax       09/23/2013 515 a chilly morning and the early yellow leaves the slant of the sun       514 I’m slow on my feet after sitting on the ground markers on a trail       09/17/2013 512 soft a capella we sang “peace like a river” from musty hymnals       09/15/2013 511 she’s always smiling when I see her in my mind and waving goodbye       09/14/2013 509 morning, noon and night tomorrows come too quickly what was left undone       09/10/2013 507 your perfect body suffers in tragic lighting play outside and smile       09/08/2013 503 there is a light show on the back of my eyelids my ears are screaming       502 the caffine messed with my circadian rhythm sleeping on the beach       08/25/2013 500 a lone, sad faced man pushing a cold shopping cart with no grocery list       08/24/2013 499 we were hippies then in torn, faded denim jeans peace and love, far out       497 the dignified cat sits on the chair and watches neighbors walk their dog         08/23/2013 494 with choice there is loss the option that’s rejected is what might have been       08/20/2013 492 stacks of painted canvas boxes of works on paper a broken easel       09/19/2013 490 the house is quiet with summer almost over I’m putting on shoes       08/11/2013 489 angry at the sky why are you being so gray? go ahead and rain       07/25/2013 488 politicians still throw young bodies at bullets someday we’ll say, NO!       07/22/2013 464 I’m a movie star with a big yacht and mansions happier than you       07/18/2013 458 we all love the rich with their zippity do-das and mausoleums       459 i just read the news maybe my head will explode "believe it or not"       07/10/2013 453 nineteen fifty-six I am pumping kerosene the snow is drifting       450 my two lives are merged dreams of my memories and memories of dreams       07/08/2013 448 awake in the night something inside me vibrates maybe it’s broken       07/03/2013 446 it’s Alice Walker reading poems on T.V. being beautiful       06/27/2013 444 lost in her Zen world the boardwalk hula hoop girl moving smooth like smoke       06/25/2013 443 the peace candidate savors the taste of power he's losing his way       06/22/2013 441 what did alfred dream? platinum prints of georgia’s hands opening her shirt       06/17/2013 436 some blow the whistle if they have the evidence and what would i do?       434 am i thinking thoughts do i question my questions am i weighing words       06/11/2013 427 words without a voice in silent contemplation that’s your heart beating       06/10/2013 426 rain, sun then more rain a misty rain for walking walking without shoes       06/06/2013 424 there is that same tree is it still a miracle? it moves with the wind       05/28/2013 420 another pop star chewed up in the press today that’s entertainment       418 in sixty six years i don’t know what i forgot all the blank spaces       417 (memory from 1970) sweet smelling head shop a small, braless hippy girl selling waterbeds       05/26/2013 416 working on the nest bluejays fighting for a stick suddenly they’re gone       415 we all have two brains or two halves of just one brain laughing at failure       05/25/2013 414 the self denial and religious perfection giving up to get       05/23/2013 413 summer or winter his color of choice was gray ambiguity       412 what is she thinking staring at her reflection the curve of her nose       411 the world’s gone crazy so we swear at the tv take our pills and sleep       05/22/2013 408 they arrive at dawn the workman with their muscles low tones and laughter       05/20/2013 406 when the lights went out we had lots of time to think so we thought dark thoughts       05/18/2013 404 it was a long rain yesterday till tomorrow soft and persistent       403 so what do you do when your heros lose their way? you carry your sign       05/16/2013 402 mornings at the beach the ocean gives birth to fire old men pick up shells       05/15/2013 400 i open windows put marks on scraps of paper then wait for the wind       05/14/2013 398 i paint like van gogh my brushes dance on canvas at night when i sleep       05/13/2013 396 everything seemed small I looked down then and noticed we were lifted up       394 invisible arms a still, unbusy presence enfolded and held       05/11/2013 391 what’s in that black hole a lot of negative stuff you feel it pulling       05/09/2013 389 let’s talk about sin you know, the kind with dim lights lust and stuff like that       387 sun splashed through wet leaves like paint on a new canvas waiting for a frame       05/07/2013 382 stuck between two thoughts then thinking about that space a wall with a door       05/06/2013 377 may all world leaders be less thirsty for our blood and roll up their sleeves       376 prayers to God of man the God of dogs and donkeys the God of spiders       04/28/2013 373 pinhole photographs catching sunlight in a box the smell of “stop bath”       04/24/2013 369 kissed by flaming tongues baptised in the Guilty Sea held the golden mean       04/23/2013 365 the smell of stale air and cedar pencil shavings Miss Martin’s tight bun       04/22/2013 362 we celebrate earth how much more can she give us? junk wrapped in plastic       04/17/2013 359 playing the juke box hanging out at Red’s Twin Kiss cheeseburgers and Coke       04/16/2013 356 everything was cool pompadour with Vitalis pretty girls, laughing       04/15/2013 354 on taxes and death mailing in my tax returns a bomb in Boston       04/11/2013 352 Some days, going out I’d rather wear a burka just to be a shape       04/09/2013 350 it was ugly art and i couldn’t look away charmingly ugly       03/27/2013 339 desperately alone we all say, “if we had known” but there was that wall       338 I’m invisible swimming under the surface coming up to breathe       03/26/2013 336 cold with wind and rain dashing to the car i see daffodils waving       03/24/2013 330 here’s a piece of light captured back in ‘86 bouncing off your face       03/18/2013 323 life is changeable I’ve seen snow angels appear and leave the same day       03/14/2013 318 it’s unbearable to watch the calendar kill your last sacred cow       03/12/2013 314 you’re tired of your hair it won’t go the way you want your daily routine       02/26/2013 298 I’m thinking about contracts signed in duplicate the color of ink       288 my hair was “strubbly” she wet is down with her spit then we went to church       02/19/2013 286 we piled in the car without a destination sunday afternoons       02/06/2013 270 someone has a gun and some bullets in their hand nothing matters now       01/31/2013 267 without small courage how can you have big courage? crawling to the dance       01/30/2013 264 we do what we do like beavers building a dam seldom asking why       01/28/2013 253 some say there’s hell fire others invent religion with happy endings       01/26/2013 248 she touches her hair her dark eyes glance to the side a cloud without rain       247 the space between words and slipped in between the lines where the meaning is       01/25/2013 245 they hid cigarettes and I loved to watch them smoke their virginia slims       01/24/2013 243 search through the bible and justify anything your heart knows the truth       242 we’ll turn against war like we turned against slavery morals and money       01/24/2013 238 death is curious we say a hundred goodbyes or drift off like smoke       01/22/2013 234 he woke from a dream so real and so dangerous sleep became his drug       01/20/2013 232 you have a power people move at your command tell them who to love       01/19/2013 230 the sound of a flame the sound of water when still speaking with our eyes       01/15/2013 221 simon is now eight and sarcasm first appears "yeah, that’s right pappy"       01/08/2013 216 she talked of gumption those who have it, or need more mother spoke her mind       01/02/2013 209 he pushed to the edge and he looked death in the face like winter all year       12/20/12 198 assault rifles are beautiful, sexy weapons preferred by the weak       12/09/2012 193 when I think of dreams i think of my grandchildren and who they will love       190 somewhere it is noon someone skip'd lunch to make love here it is midnight     189 last night when you slept i matched my breathing to yours a quiet love song       187 beauty is power erotic beauty is a military force       12/03/2012 184 I dreamed of paintings in colors that don’t exist museums without walls       183 imagine free will trapped inside a bag of skin with thoughts of regret       12/01/2012 180 love is more like air than anything substancial the changing seasons       11/27/2012 175 all our private thoughts and all the words unspoken walls made of paper       171 and may God forgive the killer drones, payday loans and melting ice cap       11/19/2012 170 the war was over and my first word was dada then i said Man Ray       169 there was no one home except me, so i stood up and then i sat down       11/05/2012 162 a hole in the roof becomes something quite different when it starts to rain       161 how easy it is to send others into war and sing their praises       10/23/2012 149 the ambivalence of this thing or of that thought the curse of old age       148 brushing thick white paint over a disappointment feels like forgiveness       10/02/2012 140 in the forgetting and in being forgotton sweet oblivion       139 flirtatious old men a pathetic thing to see wild oats bent with snow       09/28/2012 135 from the start, we are just a disappearing act old broken tombstones       09/24/2012 134 staring at canvas art is elusive magic and slippery as light       09/13/2012 124 normal is normal odd as it may seem to you do birds compare songs?       08/25/2012 118 with flag lapel pins the rich love america cash in the caymans       08/13/2012 101 everything can wait as time stretches and unfolds sunlight on the floor       98 this is a gray day everything i say is gray tomorrow is blue       08/07/2012 96 where is the pleasure when november rolls around a cold wind blowing       07/25/2012 87 we learned about god he’s above us in the sky stars and galaxies       07/13/2012 66 what if i had tools the kind for fixing the world a child without food       07/09/2012 64 those cheating cheaters don’t you hate the way they cheat squirrels in the bird seed       07/05/2012 60 does the bear wonder what lies beyond the mountain we see what we know       06/18/2012 53 bending toward earth old people will cup their ears dignified beauty       52 those birds are singing somewhere off in the tree tops songs about fat worms       05/22/2012 22 my heart is plastic wrapped in something made of fat is everything cheap?     I like the discipline of recording an idea in three lines with a total of seventeen syllables, five, seven and five. If you have comments please write to me at the address below. don@holdingbook.com               M