No rain birdbath dry
Turtle swimming in koi pond
Wife has hot flashes
277
We are slowly moving along.
I’m whistling and singing songs.
The early morning ocean is calm.
Dolphins swim by to take a look.
First mate is down below reading her book.
No need for a life of luxury.
This small old sailboat is enough for my woman and me.
276
She is an enigma who moves effortlessly in the dark.
Far Away
From Curious eyes
Studied
The art of disguise
Always
In control
Of her mystery life
275
It is cooler than normal on this May Southeast Florida morning. I’m on my knees, running my fingers thru the dirt. My hands are dirty and this makes me feel happy. The earth provides and I’m grateful. The vegetable growing season is almost over and I will soon place a light coat of mulch on the dormant garden area. Nighttime is for sitting in my recliner, smoking my pipe, reading the seed catalogs, and dreaming of next gardening season.
274
I was hurt
To gain advantage
You came running to give me a bandage.
I turned around
You sneaked inside without making a sound.
Filling your pockets
With valuables found
Our eyes met and at that time
I was unaware of the crime.
273
Some folks do not like changes.
Break the entire organization apart.
Resetting emotional equilibrium is the hard part.
It is time to do some spring cleaning.
Everything is covered with cobwebs and dust.
Chip away crust
Testing
One
Two
Three
Four
Shake up the beans
Rip the seams
Experimentation galore
Grab a broom
Sweep out the store.
Innovation is never a bore.
272
Simple devices
Erode
Democracy
TV listening to me
Complete infiltration has succeeded
Gadgets
Handle surveillance chores
No need to kick down front door
Privacy
Does not exist anymore
271
Choices
Choices
Choices
What should I do?
Choppy sea
Tourists gone home
Beach all for me
Everyday
I sit under the sun
Drinking
Agua de coco
With Jamaican dark rum
Should I go back and keep marching in the parade?
Play the charade
Or take U-turn
Toss
The instruction manual
On the fire
And
Watch it burn
270
You offer me a chalice containing truth.
Drinking
The cloudy solution
I now see all of life’s illusions.
Listening
I hear the lies.
My mind is clear.
However
The deception makes me cry.
269
Saigon
Restaurant
Eating
Extra large bowl of pho
Looking
Out the front glass window
I see a lady
With a hand out
Holding her child
Staring at me
268
Outdoor bar
Copacabana Beach
Rio de Janeirio
Two ladies
Sitting next to me
Discussing
My old torn flip flops
They say
“Very poor gringo
Not a good catch”
I interrupt and say
“I have come to Rio many times
I’m married
To a Carioca
Her advice
Is to dress down
So I do not get robbed
Always works”
One of the ladies then says
“Your wife is very smart
Dressed like a poor gringo
Also keeps Rio women away”
267
Overripe fruit
Falls from the tree
Rats feed ferociously
Zombies
Spinning
Round and round on the roulette wheel
Blinded
By outrageous promises
That barely provides a subpar meal
Bow down
To the new phantom kings
Worship
Like pawns on a string
266
Vacuum sucking up brain cells
Artificial intelligence
Taking society into the bowels of hell
Creepy and crawling
Along the path to oblivion
The technology masters’
Goal
Is to make everyone reptilian
265
Sushi Bar
Ginza, Tokyo
Sitting next to me
The Japanese Gastroenterologist said
“I could make much more money working in America, but cannot take the food.”
Thinking for a moment
Taking another sip of my sake
I said
“I fully understand
Japan’s outstanding cuisine
Has also ruined me”
The Gastro then said
“I’m doctor
Eat
Drink
I pay”
264
Lost in a desert paradise
Drinking Australian wine
Snuggling together
In our pharaoh sized bed
Covered with soft Egyptian cotton sheets
We spent the night
Engulfed in ancient history
263
Holes side of roof
Mama Opossum and babies
Live inside rent-free
262
Sitting
At the 5 star hotel bar
You begin dealing me cards
I would not feed your offers to my hogs
Nothing left to discuss
Your limo is waiting outside
I will go home on the bus
261
Bromeliad dies
Land replenished new pups grow
Hot wet days begin
260
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
259
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
258
Surf carving away rocks
Sun resting for the day
Alone on the beach
Time to leave
Folding towel
Walking away
No more negative thoughts
257
Carambola Tree
Constantly making a mess
Fruit is delicious
256
Sun and rain sneak inside
Shack sinking into sand
Aging just like me
255
Retail store wasteland
Close layoff sell online
Change or rot on vine
254
When will phone ring?
Feeding goldfish to keep busy
Rain falls no one calls
253
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
252
Wife says
Men
Have too much pride
Husband says
Men’s pride
Saved women
During caveman times
251
Strong wind heavy rain
Ocean waves erode past
Pain gone now have clear path
250
Hot sand burns my feet
Eating cold watermelon
Watching seagulls fly
249
Leaky shower
Drip drip drip please fix me
Old home always needs some love
248
A picturesque night
Choppy sea who will help me?
Keep swimming forward
247
Closing front gate
Daylight gone tools in the shed
Spiritually well-fed
246
Pile of logs rots away
Mushrooms grow among decay
New vines replace old
Resentment feeds on the mold
245
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
244
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
The Hermit Poet's Ramblings 