a new lesson posted
in Spanish
ella es ciega
no glasses strong enough
to lift the fog from my eyes

threads of rain
ending a long drought
now that I've finished
crossing the bones
of the "pan de muertos"

a tree knocking
down a powerline
an indoor hike
with a flashlight to find
our way around the house

with the best viewing times
before dawn
once again I will be
sleeping through
the orionids

reminding me of two cats
wandering along the beach
a brother and sister
take care not to get
too close to the river

at the edge of a cliff
I view the rock face
with the mind
                    of an agile dancer
and the body
                    of a creaking floorboard

in
the shade
of a circus tent
game show hosts
cut out of cardboard
looking just like they do
on tv

the unfinished work
of a dead tree

in its blue eye
the widening gap
of a lonely afternoon

the day having
lost its smile
a child peers through
the sagging mesh
of a screen door

on a bluff where
     the wind refuses
to slow its pace
     the trees become the first
pendulums of winter

fading voices
at sunset
a pair of bicycles
deserted for the coolness
of a fountain

substituting leaves
for dropped coins
the 'o's in october
going by faster than
I can count them

the same argument
as yesterday
if only disagreements
could be resolved
through repetition

late afternoon
the construction project
drifting into the shadows
of a ladder
climbing the bricks

almost ready
for a good night's sleep
the crescent moon
wearing its nightcap
of clouds

like pairs of black oars
on a downed cottonwood
the reflections
of double-crested cormorants
resting in the slough

perhaps she's grown
used to them by now. . .
on a cool evening
the meteor streaking by
cassiopeia's chair

The Campaign Ads of Heroes and Villains

campaign ads airing
like a bad western
with no one wearing any hats
it's hard to tell the heroes
from the villains

Shall we just assume it's the latter?

(Fast Forward 2016: I wrote this tanka for a previous election year. I did not foresee Trump running for President and wearing a baseball cap.)

as though it were
warning me about
my finances
the dead leaf blowing past
the atm machine

how many oceans ago
since I walked along this beach
in the palm of my hand
the sand dollar currency
of a childhood vacation

feeling the pulse of autumn
with all its arrhythmias
the heart seems to steady itself
around the red-leaf 
patterns of sumac

this day would be
nothing without
the golden musella*
armed with its brief poems
of raindrops and spider webs


*Also known as the Chinese
Dwarf Banana. 

Link to the Missouri Botanical Garden:

http://tinyurl.com/zgorwjj

the lights of the theater
adjusted for fall
I watch the silent film
of a snake crossing
the gravel road

the blare of fire alarms
inside the hospital
maybe now is not
a good time for
another cup of coffee

three blankets deep
into late september
the furnace stays off
until the crickets
stop singing

camouflaged
to blend into
its surroundings
a rain barrel painted
with fallen leaves

http://www.rainbarrelguide.com/

the fog slow to lift
from the marsh
I hold onto
my blurred photo
of a whooping crane

gift of the bonsai
I believe the pine
knows better than I do
what shape
its life should take

she got to be
so small with the details
you couldn't even see
the stitches she made
with her needle

in the low-sodium,
low-cholesterol diet
there's not much to look forward to
the refrigerator as quiet
as a burned-out light bulb

alone 
for 30 minutes
in the examining room
I contemplate the stacks
of expired magazines

as though
they hitchhiked here
from another galaxy
the strange orbs
of pawpaws

fall pockets
of decomposing mushrooms
I often find them
sewn into places
I would never think of looking

as if my life
needed more music
the batons of goldenrod
       s w a y i n g
with the windchimes

knowing this book
will end 
"happily ever after"
grandma falls asleep
before she finishes the story

a rerun
of the tonight show
the willows listen
to the light
of the moon's monologue

lacking the pizzazz
of madeleine albright's brooches
I am content to have my mood
expressed by the flashes
of another gloomy thunderstorm

echoes of children
in the playground
an acorn
still rolling across
the classroom floor

our government cloaked
in its "business as usual" attire
how many fish have to die
before the epa
decides to investigate

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/huge_fish_kill_reported_in_pla.html

temporarily blinded
by the morning light
I slowly pass
a bicyclist maneuvering
around traffic cones

on a ping-pong table
with the net askew
it reminds me of a chalkboard
where all the lessons
have been erased

who knows how long it's been
since their last meal
the unplugged stove
with a soup spoon
and an overturned saucepan

with its short tail
wrapped around seaweed
it's not likely the extinction
of the dwarf seahorse 
will make the front page news

wishing my son
a "happy birthday" on 9-11
the brief song
of a henslow sparrow
before it flies away

Like me, the henslow sparrow is not noted for its vocal ability but it likes to sing anyway.

outlasting all
of our writings
this fossilized
oyster shell
preserved for posterity

rows of coffee cups
grouped together
like companions
in the grip of each handle
a different opinion

the noncommittal posture
of tree branches
over a park bench
there's no way to tell
if they're lovers or just friends

accompanied
by solitude
it's hard to be depressed
around so many
yellow chrysanthemums

how many dangerous journeys
have started out this way
the monarch butterfly
weaving like a drunk
in and out of the weeds

perhaps they hold the secret
to a successful marriage
the duck couple
ignoring each other
on a sunday afternoon

dwarfed by the faded hues
of a vess soda bottle
I drink in
"a billion bubbles" of dust
from the vacant lot

using the remote control
to turn off an episode of CSI
I'm not sure I want to know 
why someone's put a piece of tape
over the mute button

at peace with themselves
after the rain
the resurrection lilies
lining the path
to the hospice

travel brochures
for the caribbean
a splash in the shower
is as close as I'll get
to taking a cruise this year

the impertinent squawks
of blue jays during
the presidential address
they must know that troops
are still being deployed
to afghanistan

the flap of 500,000
pigeons at sunrise
I'm happy not to be part
of the inflated crowd
at the glenn beck rally

a step back in time
into the narrow booths
of crown candy
where there's no plans to expand
anything but the patrons

In business since 1913, Crown Candy Kitchen is a St. Louis landmark featuring great ice cream, candy, and other food items. 

http://crowncandykitchen.net/about/

well protected
from the midday sun
a bee resting
under the parasol
of a squash blossom

a chipmunk eyes me
from its rock perch
perhaps I'm
the only nut it's met
along this overgrown trail

a dimly-lit waiting room
as if this were a restaurant
where the waiter
is about to give me a bill
I don't want to see

Quotes by George Orwell:

"War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent. "



"Political language - and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists - is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. "


"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. "

"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. "


Source:

http://www.george-orwell.org/l_quotes.html

cardinals surveying
the Garden's ProgresS
neither the government
nor the birds respect
a citizen's curtilage

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2013150,00.html?iid=tsmodule

as though
they were campaigning
for a political office
the dark and disfigured leaves
of an american elm

the repeated flatness
of the interstate
I roll down the windows
and sing anything out of tune
just to stay awake

ready to vent
over a canceled class
I stare at a phone number
on the bulletin board
about kickboxing

living in
a bilingual household
since two years of age
I've known that "nein"
means "no" in german

60 mile per hour winds
the windows start talking
to each other
as if they are about to ask
for better working conditions

a sense of abandonment
in the brooding
water tower
and the patches of rust
going up the conveyor

dawn at the sunset hills
country club
a goose looking around
as if it had just lost
a golf ball

no room for sleep
listed on this itinerary
the bags under my eyes
all packed and ready
to go on vacation

in the part of town
where laws
are merely suggestions
a boy skateboarding down
the yellow line of state street

the day quickly sinks
into the ribs of a chair
with few of us caring
if blagojevich is
innocent or guilty

in the fourth edition
of the american heritage dictionary
I'm not sure how kerouac would feel
about being wedged between
"kerosene" and "kestrel"

a ride to school
in a taxi
dad flips on the meter
to let me know how much
this trip is costing him


In 1907, the first taxicab started on the streets of New York City.


After serving in the military, my father worked for Laclede Cab Company and retired in the early 1980s. Thankfully, he retired before the rise of Uber.

in a place
that reminds me
of a football field
the goalposts of woodhenge
tracking the sun

http://cahokiamounds.org/explore/cahokia-mounds/woodhenge

This photo was taken before a thunderstorm.  It's unfortunate that the view surrounding woodhenge contains busy roadways and a fenced-off area that looked like a school bus repair yard.

Woodhenge

"Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them something to ignore." 

~ Ogden Nash

as if that part
of me still existed
a social security card
in an envelope sent
to my childhood address

greenland
real estate
cracking up faster than
late-night comedians
can joke about it

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/07/petermann-glacier-giant-i_n_674326.html

mom waits
with her camera
expecting great things
         from a young boy's
                            first trip
                                 down the slide

In the past few days, I've added several more tanka to the Marjorie Content tribute.  I plan on writing poems for at least three additional photos. I wish more of her images were available on the internet.

the yellow butterfly
not settling
on any flower
until it reaches the one
nearest the drinking fountain

"Speak when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret."


~ Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990)*


*author (along with Raymond Hull) of The Peter Principle  


The Peter Principle demonstrates how some politicians get elected to office.  It also applies to certain CEOs whose names are currently in the headlines. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

a full swing
and another miss
the evening star
waiting outside
the batting cages

voting day
as if I could
right any wrongs
armed with a ballot
and felt-tip pen

The tribute to Marjorie Content has been updated with three new tanka inspired by a Canyon de Chelly photograph.

Marjorie Content

ensconced on
the fireplace mantel
a flowered vase
I love how it reflects light
without knowing its age

hoping to eradicate
any signs of neglect
I brush my teeth
with renewed vigor
before going to the dentist

undoing an entire game
of solitaire
with control z
I wish it were as ez
to take back careless words

"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will kill you."

~Oscar Wilde

Irish dramatist, novelist, and poet (1854 - 1900)


There's another variation of this quote attributed to Billy Wilder.

as though
they were expecting
an honored guest
the leaves of hydrangea
rising up to greet the rain

after running up
two flights of stairs
to answer the phone
a salesman tells me I've been
pre-approved for life insurance

a mouse hiding
behind the laundry basket
as though it were a child
that had broken something
I've yet to find

reminding me
of a chalk outline
where a crime
has been committed
the dark edge of water
that has flooded the basement

The "Tribute to Marjorie Content" page has been updated.

my dad unscathed after years
of military service
only to be robbed
and left for dead
in the streets of saint louis

the energy of a song
rewinding itself
no one has to ask
the cicada
for an encore

the request to sign a politician's
birthday card refused
for all the dead soldiers
and civilians who won't
be having any more birthdays

five rockets fired
at a school in Afghanistan
who tells the parents
their missing children
were mistaken for terrorists

The loss of a child is a wound that never heals.

miles from home
the only comfort I find
is in the lacework
of shadows
crossing the wall

in the car
waiting for my son
at airport arrivals
I switch the radio
to his favorite station

looking as though
they've been out
all night partying
the drooping hats
of sunflowers

I don't think I could race
a snail up this hill
with a heat index over 110
even the smallest step
ends in pools of perspiration

a paper cut
while rolling pennies
it's quickly becoming a day
when the best thing to do
is to do nothing

on his tractor explaining
where we should have turned
the farmer's voice
picks up the sound
of a gravel road

the birthday hoopla
as if maintaining
my sanity for another year
is some form
of accomplishment

grayed out faces
in the photograph
our teacher erasing
whatever it was
we had written
on the blackboard

Normally, I write my tanka on five lines. This one is an exception.

"We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language."

~Joyce Carol Oates

as though a week's vacation
might be longer than
seven days
my son has to sit on
his suitcase to close it

knowing the brutality
of a saint louis summer
the purple coneflower
opens up like
a closed umbrella

endless spam opportunties
I throw away a career
stuffing envelopes
and an offer for valium
without a prescription

not scoring
a single run
the night sky filled
with the all stars
no one voted for

hanging onto the power lines
for six months now
the frail skeleton
of a tree branch
powerless to move on

"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." 

~Adlai E. Stevenson

playing a game
of hide-n-seek
whatever the cat had planned
altered by
the squeak of a door

a replica of one
of the world's greatest
curiosities
the leaning tower of pisa
now dispensing parmesan cheese

a letter in reply
to my corexit concerns
arrives with a personal touch
my pal obama
addresses me as "dear friend"

you can't find
everything on google
or mapquest
my son asking me why
his socks keep disappearing

wending our way through
aisles of department store
we find the deceased founder's
picture in the same hallway
as the restroom

rows of tables
crowded together
like a small city
a stack of pancakes
holding onto the heat

Today is Frida Kahlo's birthday.

open hearts
decorating their dresses
the two fridas
connected by
an artery of pain

brown-eyed susans
re-sculpting the road
where the shoulders are missing
and life has a need to
fill in its empty places

a great way to cool off
before the fireworks start
we're the last ones
to ride the ferris wheel
in the rain

the wave of flags
in the cemetery
this fourth of july weekend
I pledge allegiance
to peace

New pages have been added to the blog as well as updates added to the other pages.


Quote:
A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.
~Eudora Welty


By the time I catch up to the moment, it's already run away.

with a little patience
and some hot water
I manage
to shower away
today's disappointments

the limbs of a willow
never swaying toward
any goal
beyond their reflections
touching the water

this morning's message
about getting myself organized
lost somewhere between
the light and dark keys
of piano blinds

opportunity isn't
the only thing that knocks
every summer
a few more dents
in the mailbox

just like my son
tuning the world out
a ceramic owl
with a pair of ear buds
strapped around its neck

toy story sequel
someone's baby
lets out a wail
far louder than any 
of barbie's cries

another jump
in temperature
the rabbit stays put
in clover shaded by
the air conditioning unit

not as appealing
as deer standing
in the meadow
yet surely skunks must be 
endearing to each other

losing sight of the ball
after it's been hit
instead I catch the moon
above the lights
of a billboard

no set agenda
for today's meeting
the table wobbles enough
to become part
of the conversation

on this longest day I wish
the humidity would travel
to some arid land
where it could make flowers
bloom instead of wither

*For the summer solstice which was actually on Monday.

from the clown's
survival guide
dad gave me his sense of humor
without giving me a sense
of how to use it wisely

Even though my father and I differed on politics and religion, we shared many interests.  To him, I owe my fondness of nature, my love of birds and hiking.  Some Father's Day statistics:

http://tinyurl.com/32kurms

more helicopters
than traffic swarming
the house at 2 a.m.
maybe they mistook our roof
for a landing site

accusations
of stonewalling
poison ivy
doesn't respond well
to the shake of one's finger

finding a silver lining
in the afternoon breeze
the bur oak
carries the only news
worth reading

near the sprawling hills
of the state capitol
108 dogs have spent their lives
in cages not much bigger
than a shoebox


http://www.missourifordogs.com/media/news/108-dogs-rescued-central-missouri-puppy-mill

breaking the spell
of another day
gone sour
the "remember me" trill
of an eastern towhee

something the afghans
might learn from
our gulf of mexico tragedy
the greatest treasures on earth
can't replace clean water

as a child I once
told a neighbor
I was allergic to life
worse than pollen
the swollen eyes
from reading today's news

letters sent to politicians
screened out
by mail sorters
and office assistants
I write them anyway

If I write enough letters, maybe a few postal employees and office assistants will keep their jobs.

after waiting an hour
for a page to load
"crash, dump"
my computer starts writing
its own memoirs

as if the bank
of one butterfly
had insufficient funds
another butterfly
joins the milkweed

cookies, potato chips and jam
what kind of shelter
can gaza residents build
with israel's grocery list
of approved ingredients

not everyone's
meant to be a swimmer
whatever dreams
the lawn chair had
pulled out of the pond

singers, dancers and acrobats
on america's got talent
I'd settle
for just one of us knowing
how to fix the gulf oil spill

now that I've
finally found
the tennis racquet
only the dust motes
taking up the challenge

the tiger lilies
grouped together
beside the road
as if they were about to sing
but thought better of it


I could not salvage the tanka I posted earlier.

on a torn out page
of blue ocean
the smile
of a child's ship
with its number 4 sail