Garbage Piles up on the curb
Filthy
Filthy
Filthy
All that is heard
The beggar sleeps hidden in the alleyway
Feed people fear
So they obey
Crawling
Out of the sewer
Politicians
Offer promises
But only give manure
Internet
Tracks every move
All thoughts known
Carry a smartphone
Constantly watched
Never completely alone
Dumb down population into mediocrity
Take away paper currency
Pay electronically
Total control is the elite’s philosophy
Lazy Saturday afternoon
Opening a bottle of pinot noir
Listening to opera
Chopping garlic
Fresh garden basil, oregano, and rosemary
Mushrooms, onions, and peppers
Vine ripe home-grown tomatoes
Ground sirloin
Sausage
Simmering
Hour after hour
Occasionally
I stir the pot
Contentment
Making homemade spaghetti sauce
Surf carving away rocks
Sun resting for the day
Alone on the beach
Time to leave
Folding towel
Walking away
No more negative thoughts
Carambola Tree
Constantly making a mess
Fruit is delicious
Sun and rain sneak inside
Shack sinking into sand
Aging just like me
Retail store wasteland
Close layoff sell online
Change or rot on vine
When will phone ring?
Feeding goldfish to keep busy
Rain falls no one calls
My car broke down today
Received
A high interest
Payday loan
No catching the bus
The mechanic
Will get paid
I work
For a dollar more
Than minimum wage
Scared
Lose sleep
About becoming homeless
Only a couple lost paychecks away
Eat no name can or box dinners everyday
I’m told
To put money aside
For my old age
Not in prison
But
Trapped
In a cage
Wife says
Men
Have too much pride
Husband says
Men’s pride
Saved women
During caveman times
Strong wind heavy rain
Ocean waves erode past
Pain gone now have clear path
Hot sand burns my feet
Eating cold watermelon
Watching seagulls fly
Leaky shower
Drip drip drip please fix me
Old home always needs some love
A picturesque night
Choppy sea who will help me?
Keep swimming forward
Closing front gate
Daylight gone tools in the shed
Spiritually well-fed
Pile of logs rots away
Mushrooms grow among decay
New vines replace old
Resentment feeds on the mold
She would ride
Her surfboard
On the monster waves
She would frequently
Tiptoe
On top of the razorblade
Worked as a bartender
Up and down the coast
One night
She tied me
To the bedposts
Had her way
Then was gone
Like a ghost
Half-asleep tree frog
Stuck on my kitchen window
Nonjudgmental friend
The prosperous
Old man
Sitting
Behind
His
Oversized
Luxurious
Desk
Meticulously
Crushing
His cigarette
Into the ashtray
Looked at me and said
“Kid
Success is easy
If you desire it
Some do
Some do not
Some are afraid of success
All the self-help
Mumbo Jumbo
Only goes so far
Put
Horse blinkers on
March, March, March
And
March some more
Until
Every muscle
Cannot move anymore”
Wet chilly morning
Crawling out of warm bed
Chickens need to be fed
Homemade vegetable soup
French bread in the oven
All-day reading books
Shattered eye glasses
Nothing makes sense anymore
Ice thawing
Below my feet
Trying to keep alive heartbeat
You offer me a weathered map
We both know
It is a trap
Speak louder
I’m having trouble hearing
You say I should follow society’s rules
What for?
All I find is locked doors
Step inside my boots
They are wet cold will feel loose
Now beg for some coins
They come to Miami
Purchase a multi-million dollar condo or two
The area has magnificent views
They do not put deed in their name
Setting up a shell company
Is how they play this game
Funds wired
From
Hong Kong, Istanbul, Sao Paulo or Dubai
Lawyers
Many times
Do not ask why
Push it out the door
All involved
Make out on this score
They wash the illicit cash
The corrupt
In the future
May have to leave motherland
FAST
Chiseled out abscessed tooth
Tossed into rusty can
Lifetime of lost dreams
You now have the fame
Nothing will slow down your train
Why so unhappy?
Sushi sake beer
Home together for New Year
Fifties easier
May I offer you this extra-large heavy duty trash bag?
You toss away friends like old rags
No thank you needed
Everyone knows you are conceited
Goodbye
I must go now
Do not offer me anymore rainbows
Dreams full of horror
Mind in disorder
Voodoo priestess
Has poisoned my soul
Constant sleepless nights
Heart has turned black
I must go back
Purchased ticket to Haiti
Will locate the lady
Submit to her demand
Become her man
Snip Snip
Snip Snip Snip
The barber
His shop
Located on a luxury avenue
Some wealthy patrons
Would discuss a stock or two
No ordinary conversation mind you
Just juicy
Trading knowledge
He was privy too
Blue Chips
Small Caps
Bull Markets
Bear Markets
Decades gone by
Never married
Diligently
Investing every extra cent
Watching his portfolio
Climb up to the sky
One day
The barber died
Accumulating a sizable estate
No family
No close friends
No one knew
No one to give the money too
Snip Snip
Snip Snip Snip
Faceless nameless ghosts
Frantically stock shelves all night
Kowtow to machine
The father
Told his young son
“Here is a box of fresh picked grapefruit
Haul the fruit in your wagon
Go door to door
Keep going until all sold”
The boy
Did as he was told
Spending a few hours
Going house to house
Until all the grapefruit were gone
The father
Did not tell his son
That he priced the citrus so cheap
Many people would buy the fruit
Lessons learned:
Craps was the game he played
Once a month
Took a round trip flight
Lauderdale to Nassau
Carried his cash in an old bag
Stood most of the night
At the table
Sometimes won
Sometimes lost
His demeanor
Always stable
Just a way to unwind
The game
Cleared his mind
Standing top of hill
Screaming that you have control
No one can hear you
Of course I’m employed
Work one full time two part time
Middle Class has died
The scholarly
Highly compensated
Inside the beltway
Statistician
Made his prediction
Based only on raw data
Unfortunately
Completely neglecting
The emotional human condition
Leading to a wrong embarrassing prediction
Sweet corn on the cob
Boiled
Topped with butter and salt
Ice cold lemonade
Sitting under ficus tree
Lazy day
In the shade
Morning drizzle
Listening to Shakuhachi
Pruning bonsai trees
Barefoot simple dress
The Brasileira plays guitar
On front porch swing
Watching dry waterfall
No running water just rocks
Bird rests his mind
