Half-asleep tree frog
Stuck on my kitchen window
Nonjudgmental friend
243
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”
242
Wet chilly morning
Crawling out of warm bed
Chickens need to be fed
241
Homemade vegetable soup
French bread in the oven
All-day reading books
240
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
239
Step inside my boots
They are wet cold will feel loose
Now beg for some coins
238
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
237
Chiseled out abscessed tooth
Tossed into rusty can
Lifetime of lost dreams
236
You now have the fame
Nothing will slow down your train
Why so unhappy?
235
Sushi sake beer
Home together for New Year
Fifties easier
234
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
233
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
232
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
231
Faceless nameless ghosts
Frantically stock shelves all night
Kowtow to machine
230
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:
-
- Self-confidence-believe in ability
- Do not quit until job done
229
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
228
Standing top of hill
Screaming that you have control
No one can hear you
227
Of course I’m employed
Work one full time two part time
Middle Class has died
226
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
225
Sweet corn on the cob
Boiled
Topped with butter and salt
Ice cold lemonade
Sitting under ficus tree
Lazy day
In the shade
224
Morning drizzle
Listening to Shakuhachi
Pruning bonsai trees
223
Barefoot simple dress
The Brasileira plays guitar
On front porch swing
222
Watching dry waterfall
No running water just rocks
Bird rests his mind
221
Snowshoes beef jerky
Don’t need lower 48
Free will solitude
220
Starting motorbike
Morning ride along A1A
Sea air soothes me
219
Winter cold snap
Honeybell oranges soon ripe
Gastronomic delight
Note to readers: Poem refers to Florida winter gardening. Just a bit of cold gives citrus a kick of extra sweetness.
218
Tropical storm gone
Angry Atlantic Ocean
Snatching my surfboard
217
Loudmouthed old blue jay
Cold hungry this morning
Eyeballs empty seed tray
216
Midnight bandits
Raccoons having koi dinner
Sashimi by the pond
215
Walking gravel road
Hot thirsty totally lost
Followed by thin dog
214
Spiders crawling on wall
Rain stopped bananas will grow tall
Rooster calls
213
Bought old pickup truck
Hitch up house on wheels
Let’s see America
212
Cool under palm tree
Young man repairs fishnet
Continues tradition
211
He was a flash in the pan
Never took a break
Mind turned to mush
Like a milkshake
Always full speed
Crunch
Crunch
Buzz saw
Cut down the trees
Now
Sits every day on his worn chair
Wondering
How did it all disappear?
210
Boots places on stoop
Morning garden duties done
Time to watch moss grow
209
Late night
Walking cobbled streets of Prague
Had one too many pilsners
Met a street performer
On the corner
Done for the night playing his violin
After an hour of shooting the breeze
I asked my new friend
Why is it that you are so at ease?
He replied:
“I play for spare change
I’m the only one who needs to be pleased
Some people call me lazy and completely crazy
But
Too much ambition would no longer be fun being a musician
I accept who I am
No need to try to be on top of the highest mountain”
208
Hurricane zoomed by
Gigantic mosquitoes missed ride
Toads are happy
207
Nippy morning
Fly fishing for rainbow trout
River moving slowly
206
Stack of unread books
Winter storm lighting fireplace
Cozy bookworm
The Hermit Poet's Ramblings 