A workday morning,
time to begin the frantic to and fro
get up! get dressed! eat your breakfast!
hurry, please hurry, we need to hurry
can't you see
that time is racing, time is slipping
away, away, away ...

she rubs her sleepy eyes
and reaches out
to hug me tight
words get stuck in my throat
I take a breath
and hug her back

There's only time
to check off the items
on the mental list
suddenly the baby smiles
and tells me "hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
with all the world's enthusiasm
and I now I've lost my place
because I'm laughing
and holding her tight
smile for me!
smile so bright
Brighten even this frantic soul

Let's go, time to go, we need to go now!
Hurried goodbyes and missed kisses
tugging at hands and clothes and shoes
I'm on to the next thing before finishing
this thing, thing, thing ... what was I doing?
Oh please hurry
out the door and into a day brilliantly bright
into the truck and down the road
she frowns and slumps into her chair
picking at her zipper and staring out the window

Here we are, lets go, remember your jacket
Unlock the door and undo the seatbelts
I lift her high and the sun flashes in my eyes
oh look at the blue skies ... no time!
Hold her hand and we head through the door
hurried polite hello's and off to the classroom we go
a teacher hands me an award
"She's a star!"
She's doing so well, she's very funny and she
lights up the classroom
Only a nod and a tight smile from me
time for me to go, tell me goodbye
"Oh wait she made something for you."
I pause and bend down to see
She looks at the floor as she hands me the card
"Happy Father's Day" she says in a little shy girl voice

Suddenly, it's time to pause
I exhale and feel the blood pounding
the room spins and halts,
everything snaps into focus
my pretty little girl takes my hand
and I smile, a smile to beam my love
I clear my throat
and ask her how she made it
and she gleefully launches into the details

A time to pause
and notice ...

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Published: (2006-06-16 15:23:16.0)

Here I am
stuck in the same hole
scowling at the endless sand
staring into the same relentless sun
until I go blind
until all my tears of rage have dried
until I can no longer watch your unmoving lips
tell me the same words, yet again
if I could just pull myself free
if I could just make it one more day
salvation lies in the morrow
but isn't it funny, isn't it just precious
how your day never ends

there was a time, there was a lust
to kiss your expressionless face
but that was when I was foolish
long ago in the glow of a spring night

I've forgotten what the darkness is
and I no longer care, no longer yearn
just leave me to my silent tomb
and let the sun boil away
all of my blood and all of the bitterness
that pollutes it so ...

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Published: (2005-12-05 15:34:27.0)

in the sun, golden shimmering sun
spin the endless blue (ache!)
la joie de vivre hums in my bones
i'll tip my glasses
and wink at the passing memory
no time to reflect
only a moment to
breathe deeply of now
now! warm golden hues
flickering and sparkling
on those thoughts
that happen upon my landscape
barefoot, i'm off to find a little piece
of cavalier, where I can ignore the world
look for me when the stars and sister moon
make their return ...

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Published: (2005-05-25 14:14:24.0)

There was no time
no time to think
no time to remember
no time to ponder
what no time meant

I had no time
the clock told me so
I took my daughter to school
and she wanted
to hold my hand
and be near me for awhile
I told her
that Daddy had no time
but she cared little
and pulled me closer
so Daddy stayed

I had no time
and the man behind the counter
made mistakes
and took longer
he kept peering nervously at me
wondering when I would start yelling
Instead I smiled
He rushed to finish
and apologized
"Don't worry about it. Thanks and have a nice day."
He relaxed and grinned.

There was no time. I had no time.
But I stopped to hold the door open
and pleasantly nod.
I stopped to ask how she was doing
and she turned to look in my eyes
and smiled a true smile
"Fine. Thank you for asking."

People glanced at their watches
but there was no need for me
I was comfortable
in the knowledge
that I had no time. No time at all

And the man on the corner
dressed like Uncle Sam
waved a sign
telling me
it was Tax Time

Time was forever running away from me
and I had no hope to catch it
But that was ok.
Yes, that was quite alright.

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Published: (2005-04-08 16:48:15.0)

I watch the people
walking as evening approaches
the sunset glistens gold on their skin
and i'm fevered
with the coming of spring
i'll slip of my shoes
and leave behind my concerns
never mind those things ...

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Published: (2005-04-01 00:03:09.0)

This morning was filled with clouds, and the description of "mud covered skies" popped into my head. And then came the poem.

well i just needed to pass
half a day or so
so i figured
i would drop by
and try out my shades of grey
and hope that
you would not realize
that my bag of new tricks
were actually the same
old ones
instead
i walked through the line of fire
of your piercing words
punching through to the blue
the beams of light that
pierced my gloom
left me staggering and
blinded
i desperately tried to
plug the holes with
my tired excuses
choking on the dusty words
as the cracks grew
i watched
as my defenses
came tumbling down
you smiled
and asked sweetly
"hollow man hollow man
whatever will you do now?"

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Published: (2005-01-25 15:03:24.0)

Valentine's Day draws near (so reminded by all the candy-filled hearts at the supermarket), and that means I need to come up with a poem for my wife. I have one brewing, and I keep reworking it in my head. Anyways ... the constant storms in the Bay Area tend to create some fantastic cloud scapes for my Dumbarton Bridge commute. There's plenty of inspiration there ...

Storms furrowed my brow
and I dreamed of writing you a poem
that would tear holes in the clouds
to let the sunbeams of my affection shine through
but you simply smiled
and waved your hand
an affectionate dismissal my brooding
"i'd rather have your skies clear and delicous blue
they are so much prettier that way"
for a few moments, or maybe a day or two, I forgot my name
I was off looking for the sunshine, and a place to store my clouds ...

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Published: (2005-01-10 13:34:59.0)

dazed to find ourselves tangled in earth
when the memories of our wings
collecting drops of the sunlit clouds
in the bright blue aching sky
as we blazed our confidence
are still fresh and fragrant

theories of the causes and who's to blame
fire like roman candles
in our brooding heads
and as we stare at the scrapes and bruises
we wonder
are we the only ones
were we really the only ones
to pluck the dreams from sleepy eyes
and hold them aloft for all to see
our private gems catching the gleam of the rising sun

learning to fly, before we learned to lie
learning to smile, before we discovered jealousy

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Published: (2004-11-18 00:32:31.0)

she opened her eyes
and she smiled
as if to say
"prepare to adore me
now, today, and forever"

i hesitated
but i had lost
before the battle
had even begun


i had lost ...

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Published: (2004-11-15 12:42:00.0)

60 seconds to add your 10 words (or less) of brilliance.

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Published: (2004-11-10 14:06:59.0)