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
                         

every time I drive my car
or fly in an airplane
I am partly responsible
for the oil-soaked feathers
of dying pelicans

after smelling
several bottles of shampoo
a teenager's quest
ends with the purchase
of the one that makes her sneeze

I suppose he has a reason
for everything he keeps
like the rounds of buttons
cut off shirts
he no longer owns

spirals of glass
pointing in all directions
a compass
of  life's uncertainties
or just another bad hair day