Shepherds
of echo
sirens
that call
Masters
of legend
trapped
in the Fall
Moonlight
on ice fields
whispering
still
Voices
stay buried
destiny’s
will
Sunlight
awakens
mountains
that sigh
Hidden on
summits
new answers
there hide
But with
every Spring
a melting
ensues
Flowing
life’s message
recalled
— and renewed
(Memories Of Absaroka: May, 1997)
The eggs had been colored
and scattered about
The baskets were hidden
the children to shout…
“Was he here Mom, was he here”
they yell from upstairs
“Come down and find out”
she says—nary a care
Their little feet rush
taking two steps at once
Wide eyes dart all over
playing their hunch
Living and dining rooms
they tear with a fever
No corner is safe
from the incursion of either
“I found it, I found it”
the bigger one said
The smaller one saddened
their heart filled with dread
“The Bunny forgot
there’s no candy this year”
From across the big room
the first start of a tear
“The Bunny never forgets”
their mother cried out
“You have to look harder
both inside and out”
As the front door was opened
the little one chimed …
“Mom, he didn’t forget
— it was here all the time”
(To My Grandchildren: Easter 2017)
Upon reaching the top
I found a new bottom
Polarity lies
with the truth ill begotten
Direction a ruse
in misguided fruition
As searchers take flight
— in their new destitution
(The New Room: January, 2025)
When I was
a young man
I wrote as
a young man
Needing music
and art
to deal
with the times
But now
as an old man
my heart
chases neither
While dwelling
inside
what this moment
— has found
(The New Room: April, 2025)
You remind me
of a person
I’ve never
met
Of an
idea
that I’ve
never had
Of a
feeling
never mine
to feel
In a
moment
forever
— lost to time
(Dreamsleep: April, 2025)
Bury a prophecy
— resurrection assured
(The New Room: April, 2025)
‘Normalcy’
has its
depression
built in
Mundane
and ill formed
life hiding
from sin
Each day
like the former
unseasoned
and bland
With time
in the freezer
hope frozen
— and canned
(The New Room: April, 2025)
Neuroscience
takes a world class meal
grinds it into bits
and tries to convince us
— its taste has improved
(Villanova University: April, 2025)
When artists
grow reflective
their impact
is stalled
All direction
is hijacked
momentum
recalled
Looking back
through their psyche
a tunneler’s
view
As horizon’s
lie waiting
with visions
— anew
(Dreamsleep: April, 2025)
Once upon a time
the old songs were new
On prairies unplanted
invaders were few
Where rivers rolled onward
no ferries or towns
All riverboat minstrels
new ages impound
The time of the season
unmeasured refrain
And cursed belladonna
tomorrow to reign
As butterfly’s wander
o’er questions unasked
A dark shrouded answer
— the future unmasks
(Dreamsleep: April, 2025)
An Anthology Of Perception 