End of July

If I could hoard a day

I'd spend it

One second at a time.

Add a second on

To linger in bed.

One more second of laughter

At the end of a joke.

One more second

To have seconds

Of chocolate cake.

Add a second to each birthday.

Save a few for the end.

One last second

To say goodbye.

A fleeting moment

As the eyes flutter closed

To wish there was

More time.

Nine Lives

Filling the space at my side

A furry ball of love

Curled up

Sharing sunshine.

Stroking soft velvet fur

A purr of contentment escapes

Constant companion

Home from the vet.

A Picture's worth a thousand words...

Moon Over Lake Pepin

Sunset soaring over the lake
Like an eagle
Cloud talon dipping down
To touch the waves
Then racing back
To catch a star.

A Child's Eye View

At The History Center

Spinning with the bodhran

Dancing to the fiddle

Arms thrown wide open

To embrace the whole world.

Wobbling like a top

Ready to fall,

Slowly sinking to the ground

Gazing up at the clouds

Wondering at their tie dye effect.

A Gaelic Storm.

Control Issues

I'm responsible

For everything.

If I stop moving

The earth may stop spinning.

If I take my eye off it

The sun may go out.

If I go on vacation

All hell may break loose.

Being in control is exhausting.

No wonder God rested on the 7th day.

We're All Stars

Thanks to Ringo at Mystic Lake

You can't yell

If you're singing.

You can't fight

If you're dancing.

You can't disagree

If you're in harmony.

You can only find love.

Love is all you need.

Compassion

Understanding.

Standing under

The same sky-

Shields you/oppresses you

The same sun-

Warms you/burns you

The same rain-

Restores you/drenches you

The same day-

Fills you/kills you

Compassion

Is standing in the middle

And seeing both sides.

Numb Skull

Pain in the neck

Shooting up through

My teeth to my sinuses.

Throbbing down my

Right side to my jaw,

Stiff from being open and tensed.

Headache from

A toothache.

Day at the dentist.

Thursday Afternoon

The cool air makes me sleepy

Or maybe

It's the busy week

Cleaning and painting.

Or maybe

It's the early mornings

Up and at it by 7.

Or maybe

It's the busy evenings

Out for music or dinner.

Or maybe

It's the late nights

Reading or watching

Chelsea Handler.

Or maybe

It's just nap time!

Painting

Muscles stretched and released

Like a rubber band

Stinging as snapped back in place.

A push and a pull

In places that shouldn't be

Pushed and pulled.

An ache and an ouch

Followed by

An oops and an Oh no!

And more paper towels.

But all worth while

Eating dinner by candlelight

In the freshly painted dining room.

Magical History Tour

A Woodstock of an evening;

Blankets and bodies

On the ground,

Dancing in the grass,

Swaying to "I Me Mine"

Singing "She Loves You"

Cathedral and clouds

As a backdrop,

Beatles night at

The History Center.

At the Zoo

Naughty little monkey

Chasing another.

Very brave

With mom behind him.

Till his bullying went too far

And papa had to come

To show him who's boss.

Two day old dolphin

Swimming with her mother.

Breaking the water's surface

Together in a perfect arch

Of sleek silver.

Underwater jungle of amazing life.

Sea horses-

An impossible animal.

Unicorn fish-

Beyond imagining.

All kinds of coral magic

Under the sea.

Lions and tigers and bears

Oh my!

What a day at the zoo!

The Art of Compromise

I do it this way

You do it like that

Together we can

Find a better way.

By putting our heads

Together

And melding ideas

We create something new.

A masterpiece

Ice Cream

Smooth and silky

On the tongue.

Rich, sweet flavors

Fill the mouth.

A trickle of cold

Down the back of the throat.

A satisfied feeling.

Ice cream

On a hot summer day.

The Twins

Beautiful new stadium-

Great views;

A magnificent city skyline on one side

A crescent moon and stars peeking over the other.

Great atmosphere;

Everyone so friendly

Even visiting with fans of the other team.

Great fun;

Minni and Paul celebrating a homer

Kiss Cam and the seventh inning stretch.

Great time;

6 runs in the second inning

Bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.

Same old Twins

Losing 8-7.

Los Lobos at the Zoo thanks to Dave & Maggie

A beautiful place for a concert.

Even the caribou were listening.

Overlooking a quiet pond

Where swans were dancing

As the sun set.

Spanish or Samba

Blues or Boogie

The music made everything move.

Lifting you up

And carrying you

From guitar to horn

From organ to accordion

What a wonderful ride!

Steve's dog, Angus was more than a dog

He was a distinguished gentleman

An old soul, a loving friend

In a cute furry body.

Here's Gary's poem for Angus-

Dog Heaven

If there is a heaven for dogs

It may be right here.

A dimension of man's best friend.

The connection made

Between animal and human.

A bond like fate and trust eternally

Becoming at peace with life and death.

Heaven!

Old Friends

Seeing an old friend

Is like looking into

A mirror of your past.

Seeing the person you are

Through the person you were.

Sharing a history of stories;

Characters in each other dramas

Jesters in each others courts

Supporting cast in romance

Chorus in the choir.

The names are in the credits.

The Day After

The sun rose

This morning

Though maybe not as bright.

The newspaper headlines

Were of interest

Though maybe not so much.

The TV

Was strangely muted in the corner

Vapid images floated by.

The time passed slowly

Without a penalty

Without a cheer

Without the World Cup

Till Brazil in four more years!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Time to linger over breakfast

To make pancakes

Or fry bacon and eggs.

Time to read the whole paper

From front page

To funnies.

Time to crawl back in bed

Curl up under the covers

And savor the time.

Hot Enough for You

Heat

Like a bully

Steps on you

And holds you flat

Rubbing your face in the sand.

Like a 98 pound weakling

You lay there gasping

Wishing for the cool waves

To wash over you

And wipe out the humiliation

Of being bested

By the weather.

Let's Do Lunch

Lazing on a patio

On a sunny summer day.

Pretending Grand Avenue

Is a French Cafe.

Taste and talk

A sip and a story

Sharing food with friends.

Salute!

God is in the Details

How floppy headed daisies

Stay standing.

How the summer sky

Is a maze of clouds.

How one snowflake from a blizzard

Can be so delicate.

How refracted sunlight

Reflects so many colors.

How a rational mind

Can comprehend

The concept of God.

Poems

I need a little structure

To hold my words.

I need these lines

And punctuation

To keep them in check.

A little rhyme or simile

Provides a glimpse

Beneath the surface.

But with out poetry

My words

Would run wild.

From The Help by Kathryn Stockett;

"We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

From my experience;

We are all connected.

The blood in our veins

Like an underground river

Courses through us all.

Tributaries branching off

Winding through

Other experiences

Other cultures

Other moments in history.

But the same recycled atoms

Flow between us.

Connect the dots.

Lake Hiawatha

We're drawn to water

Our baptism into nature

Seeing our best selves reflected

In the clean calm surface.

Constantly changing scene

Gliding across our vision-

A TV screen of life.

Happy Independence Day!

4th of July Eve

Patriotic-Loyally supporting one's country

see loyally

see allegiance

see how words can be twisted

I love my country

Its hopes, its dreams, its people.

We are so much more

Than boundaries on a map

Or words in a pledge.

We are the offspring

Of our ancestral homes

Taking what's best

From our parent countries.

We are young,

Growing and changing

And learning from our mistakes.

Like a child

Full of wonder and potential

We emerge.

I love America

For its possibilities.

Phone Home

I know I can't stop by the house

Like I use to.

I don't think the new owner

Would let me sit in his living room

And watch Jeopardy.

But I think of all the times

I'd head home tired after school

And pause at the corner

Heart winning out over head

And taking the turn to mom and dad's

Dad would solve the world's problems

From his chair in the corner

And ask about my students.

Mom would sit cross legged

With a book in her lap

And we'd watch TV.

As dad said after mom died,

It was nothing

But it was everything.

Jazzercise

Music comes in through the ear

Agitates the brain

Flows down to the belly

Till it undulates

Like a washing machine.

Pouring out to the knees

Kicking the ankles

To send the toes tapping

In the rhythm of the dance.