1964

"Holy Cow!"
I could not tell
a homerun?
the snowy screen
a summer
baseball game
fell still
I left the room
outdoors
into the sun
into the Ford
behind the wheel
I drove away
without a thought
to where
another
lazy day
without a job
or direction
the total sum
of life
for one
young man
without words
to piece together
wordless thoughts
to share
or care
for what
lay ahead.

Countless Journeys

Sometimes I think of life
as countless journeys
many steps along the way
each a miracle in itself
if only we are awake
with ears to hear
eyes to see
layer upon layer
memories
shaping the heart
to feel
what the mind
cannot
touch.

I Hope the Encore

The dear young lady's life
began when you sparked
the Big Bang
and the makings of her being
were forged inside stars
and what seems to me
an eternity
of evolution before
her every feature became
to my eyes perfection
and for a blink of my eyes
the creation of star dust
returns to star dust
I hope the encore
is yet to come
else next time
ask me
when enough is enough
and when time to stop
when it is
as good
as it gets.

Grace

Nature teaches
us grace
when we open
our eyes
and just look
at what is
that needs not us
flowers and trees
rocks and streams
clouds and sunlight
and the ebb and flow
of the ocean surf
needs us not
yet our need
to be part
of it all
is enough.

Matters of My Heart

The matters of my heart
began with that first breath
or before
and all around me
everyone
and everything
shaped my feelings
formed my emotions
with every little action
and reaction
until my mind
filling with reason
inside my head
was
and is moved
by all that are now
matters of
my
heart.

Her Memories Were Many

Her memories were many
stored inside her head
a few even occupied
hidden places
the scar on the knee
from childhood
the scar on the heart
imagined
but now
thought real.