A Vague Notion
A vague notion of an unheard sound,
Stolen by a dishonest imagination.
Two raccoons mating in the dark
Become unspeakable crimes against defenseless women.
That’s not what I heard.
But the leader says it is, over and over again,
Daring us to see our blood
Dripping down bedroom walls.
We must hate the bad dudes
When I only despise his theft.
Introspection
Every few decades
In silent comfort,
I ask,
Who am I?
The response is like
Gunfire in a canyon.
Birds scatter, dogs howl
And a rescue team
Scrambles for answers
Until the search is called off.
I wrote this when I was in the Army during the Vietnam War. The photo was taken at the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Sergeant Rooney
In a hospital bed
Sergeant Rooney’s face
Explains war
To the backs of a
Two-star general
And a beauty queen.
A Common Prayer
It matters so much
It doesn’t matter
What others think when
Our souls filter out
Fear and hate
With kindness.
Unseen
The man’s cell phone rings
Quail scamper into the brush.
Head down, he doesn’t see.
The Arc of an Orchid
There is no balance in life
When the arc of an orchid
Weighted with fragile beauty
Fails to hold our attention.
Veterans poured and dried
On chairs by a sculptor
Who wants us to know
The deep lined faces
With child-like eyes
Longing for spent youth.
