Lyricals

Lilting, soft and lyrical,
Biting, tough, satirical,
Reaching, holding, never letting go.
Sonnets, songs and elegies,
Acappella melodies,
Where they come from, no one really knows.
Lifting spirits in the air...
Easing pain with gentle care...
Driving out the demons that we fear...
Seeking out their hiding place,
Simple power to erase
The haunting, nagging doubts that placed them there.
Who would think a simple tune
Could be the bearer of such boon?
Could ease such worry?
Chase away such woe?
The truth be told, if we had known
That lyricals work miracles,
We would have started singing long ago.

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Laurels to the Victor

If you've ever been a winner,
Then you know how sweet it is
To wear the victors' laurels like a crown;
To stand up on a pedestal,
The world spread at your feet,
Admiring eyes look up as you gaze down.

Cherish moments such as this.

They're few and far between,

And we mere mortals seldom get the chance
To ride upon the crest
Of such enduring adulation,
To be the center in the victor’s dance.

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Kismet

It wasn't chance that led me to
Your doorstep years ago.
I'd never had much luck at such before.
Something stronger held out an
Insistent invitation
Causing me to stay and wait for more.

It wasn't simple happenstance that
Caused our paths to cross;
Though circumstance was surely on our side.
No. I believe in kismet,
The fate that binds our souls.
So, I sit back and just enjoy the ride.

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Haiku 53

Saucy silver fox
Ferreting fair provender,
Swift your seasons fly. 

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Keys

Key to the city.
Key to your heart.
Key to my front door.
Keys are to open,
For those entitled
To all of the joys that lie in store.
Breaking and entering?
No. That's not an option.
Take without asking?
No sir! Not for me.
I never would enter
Without your permission.
I can wait 'til you
Give me your key.

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Haiku 52

Morning’s kiss renews
Promise of a gilded world.
Dreams rest ever near.

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The Juggler

From ancient times
In jester's court
The juggler brings his fame.
Honing art in bold display,
Never knowing shame.
Whether played for king or pauper,
The act remains the same,
Treating life as entertainment;
Living just a game.
Spheres and clubs go flying
As if suspended in mid-air.
The juggler takes no cue except his own.
He wouldn't dare.
To let his mind go wandering
Would bring him to despair.
He must focus, concentrate
On what's before him there.
And now the show is over.
Onlookers drift away,
As those appreciative toss a coin
To make the juggler's day.

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Double Helix

Twisting down to wrap around
And double back again,
This way, that way,
Your way, my way,
Ascend to descend.
Bubbling up and over / under,
Always in repeat,
Catching glimpses from the past;
Deja vu in heat.
Life is just a double helix
Wrapped around its core.
Spiraling its victims
To leave them wanting more.

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Haiku 51

Fluff, fur and feathers,
Puppies, cats and parakeets.
Shadow’s sweet surprise.

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The Ladder of Success

Corporations give us ladders as a metaphor,
Expecting us to climb up to the top.
The lower rungs are wider without much incline.
They have to be. They bare a heavy crop.
The chosen few allowed to pass
Quite often step on fingers
Causing them to lose their grip and fall.
Callously advancing, passing those who are descending,
Unaware the meaning of it all.

Life is not a ladder, or at least it shouldn't be.
The path ahead should be a level plain.
Ladders are for suckers, a mind trap for depression,
A willful predilection for disdain.
You can keep your ladders;
Leave them stored in your garage.
I prefer to live my life content
Knowing there is no regret, no apologies,
And no trespass for which I must repent.

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Haiku 50

Acorn yields it’s hold,
Gravity obedient.
Life must be reborn.

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Broadway

I've only been twice to a Broadway show;
Saw the same show both times.
Marveled each time at just being there;
All the glint and glitter on forty third,
The "Majestic" the "Helen Hayes",
The magic of just walking through Times Square.
There's something truly special in
The lights along Broadway.
They beam to say they've nothing left to hide.
And after dining on the veal from
Sardi's evening fare,
One tends to overlook the seamy side.
But it's inside, when lights go dim,
That the senses exercise.
The stage transforms to a life of its own,
And a new world fills the eyes.
Reality takes a holiday trip
To a playwright's fantasy;
To wake the mind,
To stir the soul,
To set the spirit free.

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Haiku 49

Puffy rumpled cloud,
Midday dancing white and blue.
No tears in your eyes.

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The Well of Passion

How often can the well be drawn
Before it comes up dry?
How deep the waters?
How full the pail?
What do you measure by?
If passion be a seamy thing
Distraught by lust or greed,
No mortal mind can save a heart
Inbred without a creed.
Passion with compassion is the
Path that makes us great,
But life without compassion
Is the breeding ground for hate.

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Haiku 48

Pastures cloaked in jade
Nourishing voracious droves.
Marvel at your feast.

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Doctor Says

Doctor says, "Diagnosis looking grim."
Doctor says, "Hope for survival very slim."
Doctor tries not to go out on a limb,
But there's something; something I'm not telling him.
When survival is dependent on mere hope
And physicians have begun to grasp and grope,
There is one thing, short of tying noose in rope,
That can save you, that can help you deal and cope.
It's faith. Faith in something; anything;
In god, or you, or someone else
On which your hope can cling.
Faith in someone from your past who's worth remembering;
In longing for tomorrow, to see what it may bring.
Many are the souls whose faith
Has brought them from the brink.
When mired waste deep in sinking sand
They just refused to sink.
They found a someone deep inside,
Someone they never knew,
Who brought them hope to save themselves
And start their lives anew.

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Haiku 47

Take me down again
To our villa by the sea.
Shall I feel so small?

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Every Sight / Every Sound

Every sight I see,
Every sound I here,
Every touch I feel
With my fingertips,
Every taste of life,
Every scent of fear,
Every word that rolls
Across tongue and lips
Is a signaling
Of what life's about;
All the wonders
Given each to know.
It is ecstasy,
Or it's meant to be,
Not to be beleaguered
By events of woe.
So, it is to live.
It's our daily task.
Looking on ahead,
Unafraid to ask
About something new,
Something far away;
Living life in wonderment
Every day.

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Haiku 46

In the meadow glen
Nature plays a wedding march,
Waits for Springtime’s bride.

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Dare To Dare

All are challenged. Few respond with
Bold, resounding, quick resolve,
Throwing caution out the window,
Stepping deftly to the fray.
Leading by example to the
Edge of rational reason;
Holding high the banner
And a torch to lead the way.

Here's to those who knew enough

And felt enough to care.

Let's raise our glasses in a toast to
Those who dare to dare.

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Haiku 45

Tinge of twilight’s fall
Casts her shadow into night.
Shrouds of mystery. 

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Page One Fourteen

Here we are on page one fourteen;
Our reading just begun to glean.
Have we learned anything that’s new?
Kindled up a thought or two
'Til it becomes a soaring fire
Forty stories, maybe higher?
Have you stopped to see yourself
In the eyes of someone else?
Will you read and read again
From beginning to the end?
If you only stopped to think,
Poetry could be a drink
Nourishing the very soul,
Nurturing to young and old.
Don't stop now. No! Please, read on.
Many battles to be won.
There's more beyond page one fourteen.

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Haiku 44

Snowflake on my brow,
Chill me with your feather touch.
Winter flaunt her wings.

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Screaming Into the Wind

You simply can't be heard
If you are screaming in the wind.
Your words will only leave your lips
And double back again.
Like casting out your nets
To have them land upon the shore,
Catching only sand and shell;
A fitful futile chore.
Better not to scream at all.
Better to convey
Messages we need to send
In a more subtle way.
We are known by our example;
A fact on which you can depend,
And it's foolish to go screaming
Loud into an angry wind.

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Amazon giveaway of 101 Virtues

Follow this link for a chance to win a free Kindle download of my book, 101 Virtues.

https://www.amazon.com/ga/p/e7e8d9532c715368?ref_=pe_1771210_134854370#ln-en

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Haiku 43

Busy little bee,
Slave to your pretentious queen.
Honey-coat my dreams.

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Legacies

What we leave behind us,
And what lies up ahead
Are the things upon which
Legacies are made;
Building blocks upon which others
Formulate their plans;
Lasting memories that never fade.
Legacies to act as symbols,
Torches in the dark,
Carrying the dreams and hope
Of what we come to be.
Shame and pride are intertwined
With anger and compassion;
Both cross and banner
For humanity.
Looking down from high atop
The mountain range of reason,
Scanning all resources one may see,
Honesty must bring us to discuss
And to discover
Exactly what our legacy should be.

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Just exactly what is Haiku?

Many people are intimidated or, at best, put off by the mention of haiku. They may find it confusing, contradictory or just downright silly. Actually, it is none of these things when you understand the structure and premise of this lovely form of Japanese inspired poetry.


First of all, let us consider the structure. A haiku consists of three lines of non-rhyming poetry. Lines one and three consist of exactly five (5) syllables; no more, no less. Line two consists of seven (7) syllables. Count them. Sound them out. There must be exactly seven. 


Next rule: the haiku must relate, in some way, to nature. Birds, bees, plants, animals, the sun, the sky, the moon and stars, the seasons; anything that has to do with nature. 


Finally, each line has a specific purpose. Line one sets the stage. It’s like the introduction, the opening statement. Line two supports or expands on line one. Line three is the kicker. It often seems to take the poem in a completely different direction. However, on closer inspection the reader realizes it is not only related to the previous two lines, but gives them a whole new meaning. This juxtaposition is the essence of haiku.

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On Being the Age of Us

Boomers, beware! The seasons are changing,
Paths rearranging and fading fast.
The soft silent Spring that rained on your Summer is
Fumbling, tumbling into the past.

Try as you may to stop time in her paces,
She flashes many faces,
Escapes without traces.
And though you may witness
Her bounty of graces
You know she must win in the end.

She doles us her favors on limited basis
To run out our races
In various places.
With all of the gusto good harvest embraces
She dons the mock mask of a friend.

But those of our age
Are not fooled by her witness.
We’ve seen where her
Nightmarish limits reside.
We live in our moment
Secure in our hour
With faith in the prize
On the other side.

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Haiku 42

Autumn bending near,
Inhales summer’s final sigh.
Wondrous colors glow.

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Meltaway Heart

Oh! Poor poor fool with the meltaway heart.
We caught you crying again.
So foolish to give yourself away
So quickly, completely, so easily.
There's nothing quite as saddening
As unrequited love;
A storybook whose end you long to change.
That devastating blow that only comes
When you reveal your heart to learn

That you are nothing more than friends.

It makes you swear that next time,
If a next time there might be,
Will be different,
Will be better,
Will be sane.
But comes along a giving soul
Who makes you feel at home,
And your heart can't help
But melt away again.

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Haiku 41

Nod to your partner,
Gesture the virtuous maid,
Bow to Mother Earth.

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The Figure Skater

Grace and beauty on the ice,
They jump and twirl and spin,
Racing down, around and round,
Around and back again.
Poetry on figure skates
Defying gravity;
Elevating, levitating
Angle by degree.
Music playing in the background
Softly, soothing, warm;
Lifting up the spirit
With an easy distant charm.
Every move precision.
Every motion primed.
Like a poet's sense of meter,
Every sentence rhymed.
Coming to a grand crescendo,
Spinning like a top!
Leaving watchers wanting
Curtain calls that never stop.

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Haiku 40

Saints and martyrs sing
To the heights of paradise.
Sinners cry alone.

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Arms Akimbo

Hands on hips with arms akimbo,
Strident, stalwart, self-assured,
Mother knows that something's happened;
Knows the truth will be obscured.

Questions probe but find no answers,
Yet her fervor still persists.
In the end the child relents,
But "not my fault", he must insist.

Now he promises he's sorry.
It won't happen e'er again.
In her eyes he seeks forgiveness;
Blind compassion from his friend.

Who can punish wide-eyed childhood?
Would it help make him obey?
In the end she finds forgiveness,
And she sends him out to play.

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Age is Just a Number

Father Time is masterful at
Changing plots and storylines,
And all bear witness as
The transformations are discerned.
As season shifts to season
Etched in incremental stages,
Mortality becomes
An unavoidable concern.

But age is just a number
And old is but a state of mind.
And I’ll be here (until I’m not),
So, set the feast and pour the wine.

Like Mister Frost whose lifelong task
Was oft misunderstood,
But found the road to longevity
In a lonely yellow wood.
Or Glenn, the younger, circumnavigating
Time and space
To Glenn, the elder, after
Seven decades and still in the chase.

So, let the aging process roll
Unchecked and unforgiving,
And I’ll be here (until I’m not)
To make the most of living.

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Haiku 39

Sky descends at dusk.
A million fearless fireflies
Tickle evening’s bloom. 

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Chameleon

One day green, one day brown,
One day smiling, then a frown,
One day hanging upside down,
Next day standing on the ground.
Fickle fancy, changing moods,
Sometimes happy, sometimes rude.
Sometimes raunchy, downright crude.
Ever changing attitude.
Do I know you? Perhaps not.
Running cold. Running hot.
Never sure of what you've got.
Never sure of where or what.
Just like a chameleon,
Never sure when day is done
If you've come or if you've gone;
If you've lost or if you've won.

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Haiku 38

Angels among us
Lithely watching every move. 
Bring me safely home. 

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Shades of Gray

There are shades of gray you'll only find
In the folds of a winter sky,
As day goes creeping wearily
And the sun begins to die.
At dusk, as sunlight fades,
The walking shades caress the light.
Shadows wash away all but
The brightest of the bright,
Leaving only shades of gray;
Lifeless, dull and vague;
Threatening, foreboding,
Like the darkness of a plague.
Never only black or white,
Never night or day,
Life is filled with colors
And infinite shades of gray.

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