Time Will Tell

Time will tell

or will it shout

loudly at night 

in the rain

when I am locked out of the car

screaming,

"you're not innocent!"

There's a story there,

but you will tell you in time. 

Valuable?

If I wrote of diamonds or oil, would it be valuable?

If I wrote of money, trinkets, and feathers, would it be novel?

If I wrote of big skies, roaring clouds, and fierce horses, would it be of value?

Would it stir something in your heart,

more valuable than gold?

On My Bookshelf

In the rustic attitudes of my history books

There is a party of fun flowers and light

masterfully played against the linen and the shack

The Impressionists and the dirt of the American South

are totally disconnected except

on my bookshelf.

The Bible sits next to Deepak Chopra

and titles like "Human Destiny" 

are next to a book from the 1990s about Feng Shui.

Let's not forget all the photography books from my uncle

and one book in plastic called "Lyrics for Song Hits"

which is from the 40s approximately

and is hard backed

and the ideas of those songs being hits

is what makes it a gem.

Perhaps I will open it, and write one.

Calendar Day of No Rain

Mark this day on your calendar with a red pen

full of love and solace

It wasn't exactly smoke from the peace pipe

But we stood here on horses together

Watching the prairie

and there was no rain

Bastions to the Future

The Earth began to spin as if it had stopped then started 

and engine in the rare earth minerals the field rocks after frost

Caterpillars crunched themselves forward

the stems of leaves bastions

to the future

Vinegar After Ravens

I crave simplicity

I seek to nullify the complications

To desalinate

To pick the seeds from the hay

and the pearls from the water

I crave a good cup of tea

Chamomile and honey

I will wash the floor with vinegar

after the ravens fly.

I will spot the cardinals

in the pine trees

the hare in the snow

I will look under the hood of the old Chevy

I will chop wood.

No More Wars

No more panic

No more awful obliterations of the truth

No more rewiring of the neurons

No more chimney soot

painted on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday

because we missed supper on Tuesday

and forgot the trash on Monday

No more apple cores

hurled out the windows of passing cars

No more wars

I Saw a Door

I saw a door and it was a two-sided coin.

It was welcoming and curious, allowing entry.

Yet at the same time it was a

a shield as it was a barrier.

No More Masters

The bones are really breaking inside of me

and I have no one left to conceive of

no imagination to dry up

no silence to feign

I have no foreign war to derive pleasure from

no shame bought and sold in miles

no fame crumpled and torn like sheets

no clothes fractured and torn

no sheep counted as I fall asleep unborn

no ribbons to tie my hair

no masters to serve

Image source: https://histclo.com/style/head/hair/bowh/chron/hb-chron.html

War

In the midst of the rubble we must pick up our chins

win sideways or not at all

find the beauty in the butterfly wing

soar on the ocean with the wind whipping

cry in silent tears

as the bombs pound the shores

Fake views brought us this lake of fire

oil tankers, floating Titanics

destined for the depths

but it's humanity

that is really taking 

the plunge

Image source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/12/iran-war-live-oil-tankers-hit-in-iraq-tehran-sets-3-conditions-for-peace

Gratification

We were hoping it would be here by now

but ma'am you will have to wait,

your gratification has been....

delayed.

We are terribly sorry. 

Normally the gratification is right on time.

We are dreadfully sorry.

Would you like a cold glass of water while you wait?

Perhaps we could entertain you,

juggling oranges or telling jokes?

There is really no excuse for this

and we think there may have been a thunderstorm

a bomb threat

or an arrow which was aimed at an apple

missed.

We are not sure when gratification will 

arrive

in the meantime

may we suggest you read a book 

from our library

and sit here by the window.

Gratification will be with you shortly.

May I hang your coat in the

meantime?

Jan Sterling waiting for love in Mystery Street 1950 (image source unknown)