Defeating Strangers
I think of my own neighborhood, how people do not know each other. How quickly we go out to get our garbage can. As we nod our heads briefly so that we might understand, that there is something more important going on inside, than to chat. Maybe a pot of something boiling for a recipe. ...
FloatStrong
This letter is to all who survived and did not cheat. How you punched me in the gut. How you stole our dignity. I now envision your bracelets being recycled to help another cancer cause. Maybe from yellow to gray they might say, BrainStrong. Taken out of all the dresser drawers they are hidden in. ...
Neighbor
If you listen, you will hear cries Of a world becoming desensitized To the tragedy of tomorrow Bombs blowing up Buildings falling down Shootings in schools Children stolen and abused The slaughter of innocents In another country prevents Us from taking any stand How can we make a difference When the world watches it all ...
You Are In
as you wake each day there is a mission get them to school get them fed pick up family members drive them to doctors be there by our sides to be an extra pair of ears and eyes pick the kids up let them play for an hour get them showered while making dinner and ...
Grace
There is grace in you The way you carry you The way you lost Mickey No goodbyes, so quickly The way you held Joel Through and through Till death did you part The way you worked and toiled Grading papers till midnight Putting up with bullies and school fights So many years of not having ...
It Just Is
Either it is or it isn’t There is no in between And is does not ask for anything It just is It exists It is not objectified It does not have value It does not ask to be bought It cannot be contained And isn’t is purchased It can destroy It can cause pain It ...
Ultra-Honesty
I did not get the context That was intended I did not understand What was transmitted It was cut and pasted You did not think I would take it Any other way than Here is something I should know You did not get the context When I went on that rant You did not hear ...
Bleached Clean
There is a tower that grows For those who know How to climb and reach For the power to preach Be it staff, faculty or students The tower constantly produces Followers of their major’s creed Graduates know not what to believe Students come out ready to bleed For the letters behind their names Not knowing ...
The Hum of Humanity
When you close your eyes Can you hear their cries As the ball-bearings pierce As the nails curse Flesh shredded and searched When you saw their photos Their limbs blown off Was your face full of disgust Questioning all of humanity Did you think about history Did you think about OUR story The tens of ...
Down That Dirt Road
How to frame the situation Take a word and make an allegation Let us use the word terror For its weight is more than gold Destroying countries sold Black blood flowing deep Beneath the desert keep Once an oasis How to frame a nation Pin the tail on the donkey Come to think of it ...
Free Range Kids
ten kids biked and roamed. land full of pine trees, empty lots, where freedom rang as children ran among the Summer long and hot, dirt under nails for months forgot what school was. forgot what lessons we learned was, all night board games after we ran until our legs fell off. having sleep overs and ...
Another You
what would you do if you looked at you? not in a mirror but at another you. sitting in a chair. over there. that is you. what would you think of you? what would you say to you? what conversation would you have with you interviewing you? are you happy? do you like your choices? ...
A Box of Dirt
Vacation can be as simple as a box of dirt. Seeds to plant and water for the earth. This vacation we stayed in town. To build a garden from what was bought and found. There is a time and a place for everything. The seed needs the sun and moon. The soil needs the water ...
I am a Coward
This might not rhyme. This is a share. Something I have to put out there. I was asked to come to a 5K run supporting brain cancer cures. I have known about it for months. Thought if I got my poetry book together it would be a nice thing to be a part of. That ...
Exporting Freedom
I apologize if I have not responded I am being reborn Becoming unattached All my tubes are coming out It is a slow rebirth that is felt As you begin to reach Out from your second womb Eyes blinded now can see Tubes attached to my back and mouth feeding this reality. Programmed through DNA. ...
One Paycheck Away
In the morning I wake Muscles sore, tendons tight Fight or flight Hard to get up because I know all my moves Will be for others. Each choice I make Based on fear. Fear of losing my job. Fear of losing health care. Fear of not having enough To pay the mortgage. To pay the ...
Gil Van Wagner
What do we leave behind? Betterment? Truth? Example? Our humanity with all its highs and lows so that others may see and know and choose? The danger lies in disappearing without a trace. Even worse, in leaving behind something other than what we were. A mirage. An illusion. A slight of hand.
Three Words Remain
Note to self, reveal yourself. Be dangerous In your honesty. Let it be known That you are not alone. That we are in this together. Note to self, Be thankful. Write a list. Check it twice. Then by no device Let it be known That you love them so They will always know. I love ...
The Rat Race
Rats interconnected Brains switch Legs twitch Across continents Moths wired Neurons fire Flight is controlled As billions are spent on modeling the human brain So that we may rearrange cells And cure all disease So we can scan consciousness Into machines I want to see my father again Where did his memories go When he ...
