I Once Wondered

I once wondered  
how far is far  
for then   
the earth was flat  
and all I had  
was my imagination  
but then I studied  
science and things  
that could fit  
in my pockets  
atoms and neutrinos  
and all sorts of things  
invisible to my eyes  
yet known to my brain  
and no more was   
the earth flat  
when I discovered  
that it was the universe  
all along  
that was flat  
and the earth round  
and my mind  
infinite.  

What is, Is

What is, is
and never was
and never will be
for is
is stuck
forever now
until a mind
with memory
and thoughts
can put 
it all
together.

Carbon Talk

Stars are the factories
where protons are smitten 
denser and denser
until the time has come
to release the new creations
with graphite
to talk
marks on paper
carbon given voice
to the universe
and life
remembers
for as long
as stars
shine
in the night
sky.

In Silence

And right now
somewhere 
on the other side
of the universe
it is snowing
on a dead planet
with no one 
to behold the beauty
of the snowflakes
they fall
in silence.

In the Garden

Was it rude of me
biting into your apple
that you claimed
before I plucked it
from the apple tree
or were we partners
in crime
you worm and me
taking tasty bites
of apple's flesh
as if neither
you nor I
knew the difference
between 
good 
and
evil?

Truth was Here

Truth was here
before anyone
appeared
then evolution
brought us near
enough to think
we see it all
so clear
but time for more
when further change
will shape the mind
to fit truth
exactly so.

Without Past nor Future

The changing universe
subatomic interactions 
without past or future
ever the present 
a comet has not an orbit
a planet not a revolution
a star neither a birth nor death
for without an intelligence
be it large or small 
to connects the dots
that creates past and future
we have no spinning objects 
or revolutions
or even
an ongoing
reality.

Is My Mind Mine

Is my mind mine
only to mine
ideas from thoughts
to imagine
and construct
what could be
from nothing
and there it dwells
inside the head
until the mouth
and fingers
and toes
make it so?

The World was Doubtless

The world was doubtless
until another
entered the picture
before
all that I knew
was true
the bite of the apple
raindrops on my head
eyes waking to
a rising sun
now were added
observations
thoughts and ideas
opinions
that were not my own
then
I discovered
doubt.

In Our Youth

In our youth 
we have the choice
to deny ourselves
a world of pleasure 
or to yield to 
that pleasureful world
and in choice
we are empowered 
to flip the switch
take or deny
yet as time goes by
nature slowly takes away
with its want 
to finally 
deny.

Near the Roadside

An orange, an apple, a pear
were the fare
and I ate each
in turn
seated in my
blue Chevy
with the door open
and my legs swung out
and my feet
planted on the gravel
of the shoulder
near the roadside
fruit stand
and around 
my bare feet
were the bright
orange peels
an apple core
and just as I prepared
to bite 
into the juicy pear
I wondered
if life
could be
any better.

Unlocked

Ink to pen
to paper
words
thoughts locked
in time
the battle begins
save for nature's laws
all else must change
thoughts unlocked
as words
dissolve
in time.

The Fall of Icarus

Like Icarus too
we who escape
the maze of life
seeking wisdom's light
we the moth
drawn to promise
of revelation
yet soon find
our imagination
not enough
to grasp the fiery truth
that shines from afar
and burns all
that dare to venture
too close
with but
everyday minds
disguised
with feathers
of imagined
angels.

Hand Jive

I raised my hand
a flag waved
attention getter
the tool holder
the shaper of vessels
the caster of seeds
the plucker of fruit
from the tree of life
the grabber
the holder
the maker
the examiner
the connector
touching you
and me
inspecting
and admiring
beholding
I lift the apple
it feeds me
too
as it writes
my thoughts
for minds
to see
and touch
and hold.

Midnight

It was cold
and dark
and the flashlight beam
seemed to bounce
before me
the trail revealed
nothing but whiteness
the snow still falling
and up ahead
I could hear
voices
as the guard tower
came into view
"Halt! Who is there?"
it reminded me of
old war movies
on a Zenith TV
in the warmth
of the living room
and before I heard the challenge
with the password
on the tip of my tongue
I was struck by
how beautiful 
this white landscape was 
at midnight
in Korea.

Under the Sun

Did you say
what has been 
will be again
what has been done 
will be done again
there is nothing new 
under the sun?
Yes the building blocks
atoms and quarks
and all 
the tiny stuff
are ever the same
but the assembly
taking this 
or that 
shape
makes forever 
new
all under 
the sun.

Once Again

Earth spins
once again
sun rises
so I think
inside my head
a rooster crows
from long ago
memories rise
as I wake
to begin again
to construct
another day
recollections
from my collection
of days
when wonder and
anticipation
were 
all I had.

To Be or Not To Be

A tree is a tree 
and by being a tree 
it shouts 
to the universe
a tree I am
just so. 

But you and me
can we be
like the tree
just so
or need we be
one a tiger
another 
a lamb
all because
we chose
to be
or not 
to be?

The Porch

Giving thanks
for a chair
to sit and stare
at the stars
from the porch
for a time
and to listen
to words 
thoughts
feelings
and to share 
my say
and at times 
overcome
with memories of
youthful zeal
the kind that
blind the eyes
to all but one's
own rhapsody
yet to some ears
much too much
to 
deal
with
so they say.

The Table Saw

The table saw
had no safety features
just an on-off switch
and rising from the steel bed
a whirling steel-toothed blade
that divided the pine boards
as fast as I could
feed the hungry blade
saw dust filling the air
with smells of a pine
forest
and as a young lad
that was enough.