Do you demand my lies,
instead of the truth
Do you hem and sigh,
or stammer uncouth
Does the word unfiltered,
get trapped in your brain
Does the message uncovered,
wash down your drain
Does the time spent looking,
measure time well spent
Does the verbal unlocking,
pay your spiritual rent
Are the memories you wished for,
in the time you invest
Are the feelings you hoped for
—at your spirit’s behest
(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)
Will The Present Forget
On which side of the authority line
do you fall…
The pulpit,
The assembly line,
The suite down the hall
Who makes the decisions,
do you stand—do you kneel
Is it giving or receiving,
do you take—do you steal
How many horizons,
do your dreams fall behind
Are they distant—uncertain,
not in view to remind
Where your memories lie,
are your promises kept
Is the past now your future
—will the present forget
(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)
(Abbreviated)
Are Promises Kept
Where your memories lie,
are your promises kept
Is the past now your future
—will the present forget
(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)
One Kiss
Left just one chance
to gild the night
One kiss
—before you leave
8th Grade Poetry Contest
St Thomas Of Villanova Grade School
May, 1962
The Mountainous Roar
If consciousness were to exist
beyond the self
What opinions
might it change
Can something exist outside
its space
Can something be something
it’s not
Is time the new slave
to the master it birthed
Can the end
be started again
Can the future or past
exist on their own
Can the present
be something that’s both
Can you believe what the facts
will disprove or disclaim
With reflection beyond logic
and guilt
Can you teach what you’ve learned
in spite of yourself
Can your silence
—tame the mountainous roar
(Villanova Pennsylvania: November, 2016)