He sits cross-legged
in the middle of the sidewalk
A tan coat, dirty and worn,
the final layer of protection
over all his belongings
all of his belongings
Hands in pockets
Hood over head
Shoulders hunched
Hidden in plain sight
Foolishness claims he
chose this lifestyle
That throwing away
His belongings will
magically clean
up the streets
Instead, this demolition
paves a dangerous path
toward ignoring our
responsibility to love,
no matter what
A dangerous path
whitewashed as a
much-improved scene,
until close observation
reveals the truth
Someone’s son helplessly
sits in the middle of the sidewalk
Hands in pockets
Hood over head
Shoulders hunched
Hidden in plain sight
Tag: life
First Few Notes
Like an old friend
whose gentle voice
immediately fills your soul
so is the song whose first few notes
gently pull you into a familiar embrace
Tears and smiles
grapple for their rightful
place in an emotional response
before finally acknowledging the
intention was always to coexist
Working together
they plant melodic lines
and poetic lyrics deep inside
the heart of the youngest listener-
at first, unaware of their influence
Roots grow, weaving in,
out, and around the decisions
and experiences of life, creating
a sweet, pliable core of awareness
always ready for another listen
And then one day…
A familiar chord
A long-fade ending
like a trusted friend
offers a lingering sense of sweet
acceptance…a hopeful see you again soon
Kelley Morris, piano
Grab Hands
My heart says rise above
Don’t be pulled down by
the weight of ugly words
and thoughtless actions
My head generates
logical responses
intended to make me
sound more intelligent
Where is the love in that?
Held back, pressed
down and further
down, tying me
to deep discontent
Where is the answer hiding?
Perhaps if I stop
thinking only of myself
and grab your hand
and we run through
a field so fast our feet
begin to hover
above the ground
before we fall into
the soft grass, laughing
and gaze at the clouds
Perhaps…
Enduring Imprint
The sky was dark
except for a few stars
and distant street lights
I watched in amazement
as the space station
flew overhead
It soared like an
undying meteorite
moving in slow motion
My eyes followed
its path until a swath
of mysterious white rays
painted on the horizon
blocked it from view
Had sun rays carved
an evening cloud bank
into evenly spaced beams?
The sun had long since
disappeared from my
little corner of the world
Long out of sight, yes
but its impact remained
quietly reminding me
of the enduring imprint
etched into my once
stilled heart by the
light of lasting Love
Simply Sunday
Returning Customers
Her quiet way and
seasoned mannerisms
eased my impatience
I watched as she wrote
each order in shorthand
on paper tickets
Waited as she entered prices
one key at a time on an
old-fashioned cash register
She was part of a well-oiled
machine concerned with
service and product, not speed
Have you been here before?
Yes, this is my second visit
We love returning customers
Right, Alex? Glancing behind me
Looking back at me, she smiled
You have a beautiful smile
An unexpected compliment
while ordering lunch
I smiled back, Thank you
Forward
Clouds could not contain
its brightness-squinting
I looked only long enough
to snap two photographs
Side by side, the difference
was slow to appear, slight
adjustment of time, seconds,
but a revelation for eternity
Closer to the light than
I could ever hope to be
flying across the sky
wings spread wide and free
Light held in clouds
yet, bright enough
to carry him forward
into the hope of his future
Simply Sunday on a Monday
I spent the last few days in Oklahoma City at Writercon https://writercon.com/. What an amazing conference! I will share more about it later. Today, my brain needs a little rest. The following is only a drop in the bucket. 😉
Stitch in Time
My heart is full
My thoughts crowded
Words are slow to arrive
Meaningful connections
Old, new, renewed-
all held together by a thread
Perhaps a smile
Hand on a shoulder
Or a sweet hug
Each silently waiting
for the next strand
to strengthen the bond
Also, a big thank you to Raw Earth Ink! https://raw-earth-ink.com/
Crisis Averted
The morning air was damp-
Did I brush my hair
before stepping outside?
The feeling of hurry wasn’t helpful-
funny what makes me frantic
Well, maybe not frantic
but slightly concerned-
A dying phone battery
being away from home
bringing the wrong charger-
Purchase made, crisis averted
Sitting quietly with my
tea and my thoughts
Hopefully my curious smile
reaches past my frazzled
brain and frizzy hair
Enjoying a weekend of being surrounded by fellow writers! Writercon
Learning, relearning, and someone even said unlearning. 🤍🩶
Unfolding
Logic would say today is gray
Tell me to move on
I take a second look, then a third
Subtle color variations appear
Lines of demarcation between
Heaven and Earth seem to ripple
within the rhythm of the wind
I keep looking until a tiny
semblance of light appears
from behind wispy layers
It doesn’t last long
Only a few seconds and a smile
Darkness covers the faded colors
Now, the sky is gray
Rain begins to fall
I smile again, grateful for those
subtle variations gracing
the morning sky-Preparing me
for the slow unfolding of today
Simply Sunday
Mysteries
A beginning so strange,
so pure and innocent.
A sweet baby
lying on its back
feet up in the air
a perfect button nose
evident in its profile-
A picture that changes
so quickly, it is like
a stretched-out cloud
that holds its shape
only until the next
breeze blows by.
Perhaps it was
a cloud I saw,
and not a baby.
Both are strange,
pure, and innocent.
And if a cloud can remind me
of a precious baby, well,
Therein lies another mystery.
Piano Girl 