I’m
climbing a
ladder
hauling
hefty
buckets of tar sealant to the rooftop.
Then I begin
scooping,
spreading,
patching,
thinking,
that
nothing says shack ownership,like fixing a roof leak.
*
*
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Single
Mother
Boy has no father.
She purchases very little fresh fruits and vegetables.
Mostly buys frozen and cans of food to save dollars.
Shares small apartment with another mother
Patch old car
Today
Repair
Radiator
Next Quarter
Starter
Always struggling to make sure bills are paid.
No free time and does not date.
*
*
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Large clump bananas
Hang from back porch wood beam
Snacks while working garden
*
*
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She calls herself a mutt.
Mix
Dutch
Portuguese
Amazon Indian
Black
Her broken English never holds her back.
Came from a dictatorship turned Socialist experiment when lawyers and dentists drove taxicabs.
Now lives in a country where the sky is the limit if one breaks their back.
She is an American.
*
*
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Two
Day
Cheap
Bus
Ride
Varanasi
To
Kathmandu
Hours on the bus rooftop
Lost
Within
The mountain scenery
*
*
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Dry season
Begins
Termites
Stop
Eating
Shack
Fire ants
on
Warpath
*
*
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Daybreak
Doves dart from ancient gigantic ficus tree.
Today
Unlucky one dies because no match for the falcon’s speed.
*
*
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Driving
Old
Truck
Collecting
Metal Trash
Selling for a small amount of cash
Many
Do not look my way
Maybe
Afraid
Thinking
They could also end up picking through garbage one day.
*
*
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Midnight
Sitting
on a Mexican blanket
drinking cocoa and coffee
watching
the waves
crash against the rocks.
Thinking about how
plummeting
into the depths of failure,
surviving,
regrouping,
and charging back,
is more beneficial
than
always
winning.
*
*
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All-night
I push the broom
Wet mop the floors
Clean the restrooms
Haul
Trash
Out the back door
Work done
Every muscle sore
On my way home, I stop at the liquor store.
Tomorrow
I go back for more
Watching
his car burn
on the side of the freeway,
he decided
it was time to take a long holiday.
Strong wind
Light rain
Coconuts fall on metal tool shed with a bang
Hanging gong continues to clang
Wind chimes dance and shriek
Waterbed starting to leak
Impossible to sleep
Tide Rolls out
Leaving behind seaweed clinging to the rocks
Exposed to hot sun
Dependent
On the ocean
For life to carry on
Scrambling the eggs
Fish rot on the dock today
Nothing left but hate
Hole in the window screen
Mosquitoes
Enter
Search
Locate
Feast
Leave
Yogurt
Topped
With blueberries and honey
Three-way organic concoction
Cools down my tummy
The old gambler
Lived in a small pool cabana
At a rundown motel
On Miami Beach
One evening
We drank several beers
Eat his homemade potato salad and kielbasa on the grill
When it was time for me to leave
Never again would we meet
The old gambler said:
“Save some of your coins so you do not end up broke like me”
The old man
Bent over
Walking on the beach sand
His pencil-thin wife
Holding his hand
Most mornings
They pass by around 8 a.m.
The couple told me
They will walk together until the end
I live in the backroom
Rent is cheap
Easy to sleep
Morning trips to the big-box store
Purchase
Extra-large frozen pizza
Two liter plastic bottle of soda pop
No longer bang the drum
Spirit gone
I pulled out a twenty
Retail clerk said
“Sorry sir
We no longer accept paper money
Pay only with your phone
All purchases must be known
The Watchful Satan
Is always with us
So we are never alone”
Pot of lamb stew
Bottle of Malbec
Greek peperoncini
Warm rye bread
Soon
Bellyful
Ready for bed
Afternoon rainstorm
Lost all of my energy
Maybe take a nap
Coming into the Hermit’s library
Wife
Said
“I cannot take it any longer”
“I need to dust this place”
Armed
With a box full of dusters
We cleaned a few shelves of books
Then
She
Started sneezing
And
Needed to take a break
Saved
By an allergy attack
Until
Next time
Surviving
Decades of storms
The sea grape tree
Wrapped around side of shack
Continues growing
Probably
Will outlast me
The flourishing 90’s
The good life
Would not end soon
Dollars
Scooped up with a gigantic dustpan and broom
Swinging back and forth
Moving mountains of hay with a pitchfork
Shifting sand
Globalization
Moved across the land
Jobs have disappeared
Elites
Now offer peasants
Handkerchiefs
To wipe away the tears
Small white bird
Five meters above whitecaps
Floating
Eyeballing
Then
Instinctively
Torpedoes into ocean
Catching prize
Spraying glass cleaner
Wiping with a soft cloth
Mirror
Of
My
Mind
Spotless
Dark clouds everywhere
Strong wind blows them away
Only 10 a.m.
Hot sun fills the stage
Perfect beach day
Silky
First light
A snake
Lounging
On a stepping stone
Catching some rays
Squirrels
Practicing
Acrobatics
In the coconut trees
Birds
Stop
At the feeders
For a quick breakfast
Frustrated
Cat
Needs playmate
On the steps of Krak Des Chevaliers
Walking with a cane
Hauling her oxygen tank
The old lady said
“Travel while you’re young”
Many balls in air
Busy
Not going anywhere
Purchased
New sneakers
I go round and round the track.
Faster
Faster
Faster
Wind is blowing on my back.
What is it all for?
I cannot think straight.
Change needed
Before too late
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
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.
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
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”
Holes side of roof
Mama Opossum and babies
Live inside rent-free
Bromeliad dies
Land replenished new pups grow
Hot wet days begin
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
Surf carving away rocks
Sun resting for the day
Alone on the beach
Time to leave
Folding towel
Walking away
No more negative thoughts
The Hermit Poet's Ramblings 