So sick
he’d have to get better to die
Each breath
grows more distant and thin
Longevity
a dream that’s now passed him by
The call
— of tomorrow lost deep in the wind
(The New Room: October, 2026)
Conestoga Woman
She loved him enough
to stay and not leave
She loved him enough
no rest or reprieve
She loved him enough
to walk in the sand
She loved him enough
behind the wagon upland
She loved him enough
to leave what she knew
She loved him enough
her regret to eschew
She loved him enough
to bear him his young
She loved him enough
her song left unsung
She loved him enough
to make him a home
She loved him enough
braving hardship alone
She loved him enough
as the years stole her youth
She loved him enough
— always bearing the truth
(Dreamsleep: October, 2026)
Inside Where I Live
I’m not ready
to be old
Time’s number
be damned
Here inside
where I live
There is youth
on command
I’m not ready
to give in
Too much fight
in my bones
That may dull
with the Winter
But whose marrow
— well honed
(Dreamsleep: October, 2026)
Spirit Reclaims
Age
our great teacher
The years
are our books
Each page
tells a story
That youth
overlooked
Age
the true master
Whose spirit
reclaims
Those things
once but wishes
In dreams
— to ordain
(The New Room: October, 2026)
The Broken Hourglass
Time
a prisoner
in a Bedouin’s dream
Shadows
moving
on the sand
Distance
like bars
that trap you within
The farther you
travel
— the less you command
(Dreamsleep: October, 2026)
Willy Loman
The fear
of being common
a nightmare
defined
Caught in
the maelstrom
late victims
of time
No effort
or consequence
of note
to stand out
The broken
unwashed
with life
dying out
A frightful
inclemence
luke warm
at its best
Those lost
Willy Lomans
as fate
— will bequest
(The New Room: October, 2026)
The Star Garnet
Idaho is
what America was
The best
of what we dream
That place
where fortune hides itself
That place
where freedom breeds
Idaho is
what excuses dread
In fiction
and in fact
All life
is sized there extra large
And forever
— calls us back
(Salmon Idaho: October, 2026)
Smoke & Mirrors
What could be
more worthless
than a social media
influencer …
With smoke and mirrors
their house of cards
in empty pander
— clouds
(The New Room: October, 2026)
24 Karat Dream
An ounce of time
cannot be bought
with a 100 pounds of gold
And never spent
but only lived
— no moments bought or sold
(Dreamsleep: October, 2026)
The Mainstream Recalled
True greatness
is found
in the
ordinary
The special
or
exclusive
passe
Available
to all
in the mainstream
recalled
The fringes
where
poseurs
— foray
(Dreamsleep: October, 2026)
