Stop trying to be clever,
and try to be smart
The coyote said
to the fox
The hunters are coming,
the bounty’s been offered
Their traps are all baited
and boxed
Stop trying to be clever,
and try to be smart
The coyote to the fox
said again
There’s a reason your fur
is always in season
And mine, never coated
—or skinned
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)
\'For My Grandchildren\'
Renewal
Poetic verse, to praise or curse,
its edge to save or wound
Now less than dear, on fewer ears,
whose silence will entomb
A finer point, the words anoint,
when fired both straight and true
Its arrows sharp, to hit the mark
—the past again renewed
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2018)
Memories Of Bob
I met him on a summer’s day,
when life seemed very far away
A home once mine when as a boy,
I’d lived and loved and searched for joy
Twas taken cruelly from my grasp,
the black sheep son, now left askance
As I walked past this house so tall,
a dark haired man in t-shirt called
“How are you today” he said and smiled,
my burden lightened, my mood beguiled
I knew that instant, my Angel named,
and in that moment, we friends became
With all the magic in his heart
my life rebuilt, he drew the chart
For two short years he gave me all,
and fifty more I still recall
How at a crossroads he there stood
a lighthouse shining, and always would
I owe so much to that young man
who took me in and took my hand
And saved me from a life unhinged,
and me a stranger—but not to him
Bob may be gone, but deep inside,
his smile stays, his goodness shines
If I may live another year,
his words I’ll carry close and dear
And thank my Brother from the sun,
—for the grateful man that I’ve become
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February 12. 2018)
‘Read At Bob’s Funeral, 2/24/18’
To Some
To some
reality comes early,
to others
it comes late
The lucky
get a pass,
where the facts of life
will wait
With truth
backed in the corner,
and fantasy now
to reign
No love
to go asunder,
no past relived
again
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)
New Mornings
Each day moving forward
—plus one looking back
Every new morning
—offering all that I lack
Night brings new cover
—the stars peeking through
These moments a gift
—as I spend them with you
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)
A Community Of Friends
There once was a time when women could cook,
and men knew how to dance
Education was by the book
no fuzzy math or creative finance
Parents visited their own parent’s homes,
as the grandchildren came along
And life was so much better then
new words to every song
There once was a time when women could cook,
and men knew how to dance
Hearts were pure as dogs roamed free
neighbors talked across the fence
Everyone shared those values true
family mattering most of all
Because in the end, a community of friends
—let you rise and then stand tall
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)
Envy Is A Curse
Envy is a curse
with the darkest shadow
Its yearning left unsettled
in a greenish cast
Jealousy its evil twin
beyond veracity’s purview
Coveting the burning torches
—of all darkness past
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)
New Lore
Commercial success
A spirit repressed
Your shell now
The substance below
The glittering fame
Of a deepening shame
Darkened chards at the surface
To glow
Commercial success
Demanding spiritual redress
The light burning down
To its core
With the evening in shade
And emotions now grave
Your soul choking on its
new lore
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2015)