AROMA of BLISS

 

Marks of a good person:

Kindness and courage,

usually performed unconsciously

Revel in those moments

planted in the garden of memory

to blossom unexpectedly,

in a welcome aroma of bliss

 

 

PREDATORS

 

Backyard scene

Bird with broken wings,

fluttering awkwardly,

unable to lift into the air

High above hawk notices

the easy meal

Living room scene

Confused old lady

answers her phone

a predator salivates

anticipating the money

in her bank account

an easy score

 

 

 

FOOL'S GOLD

 

Selling fool’s gold

requires a spellbinding skill

that Trump has down cold

The buyers see only the glow,

hypnotized by the salesman

who could sell Eskimos snow

They love listening to his pitch

He’s such a fascinating

son of a gun

But sadness comes in time

when realizing

glitter does not mean gold

 

 

BALANCE

 V

The groaning board of life

offers so many experiences

Choosing the right balance

between work and pleasure

is a conscious choice

that will shape a family

coming at the cost of time

once spent, gone forever

 

GRACIOUSNESS

 

 

Graciousness is an addictive quality,

likely acquired at the kitchen table

where decency, compassion, and love

are shared in family conversations

 

Graciousness isn’t to be measured

In coin, but in the quality of life

for whoever experiences it

practitioner or witness

 

Graciousness is an antidote

To mindless belligerence

That pollutes the atmosphere

of a room and the entire world

KNEES

 

The hinges of the legs

linking the calf to the thigh

Silently carrying

the weight of the body

up and down stairs

running and climbing

Unnoticed when pain-free

So easily damaged in sports

Wearing achingly in old age

 

CONTINUING to LIVE

 

Continuing to live, while waiting to die

seeing how the world has gone awry

through online versions of news

and the smorgasbord of YouTube views

 

But every day brings me pleasure

via novels and films, I treasure

At dinner every single night

I enjoy a gourmet delight

 

In bed, I sleep sometimes

deep or in waking creep

My dreams are full of rhymes

in waking I am unable to keep