The Watcher

The Watcher


I'm watching you
your eyes
your smile
or lack thereof

An old table radio
waiting to be tuned in
calibrate me
to your signal

Your body movement
head bob
tone
silence

No phone calls
no e-mails
can't see your face
to know how to react

Do lids rising
mean disapproval
are eyes darting
to get away

Watching and waiting
waiting and watching
watching
waiting

I'm who I think
you want me to be
not who I am
I am the watcher

Recycle Me

At my end
strip me down
a store mannequin
at the end of the season

Recycle me
my clothes
my skin
my bones

Don't bother with my eyes
they've seen too much already
my ears
they barely work

The right shoulder
no longer throws a ball
and the left
yoga did it in

The wrist I broke skiing
it's never been the same
eight fingers are still usable
the middle ones worn out

My brain is shot
from working overtime
my hair, what's left of it
could be used to tie a fly

My private parts will remain private
gathered in a large urn
dumped unceremoniously
like unrecycleable foam

I am planning to die
early on a
don't want to miss
recycling day


(photo from BitwiseAND.com)

Old Man

No "Sing Along with Mitch" anymore
Miller died at 99
no more bouncing balls
no goatee surrounding silly grin

I laughed at him in 1960
a useless old man
when I was 10
and he was 49

Stranger in the mirror mist
surely not me
no hair
creases and crevices

I discount the old
including me?
I need young love
for an old man

Still, I Am Loved

Despite
my sorry jokes
my sagging skin
my greying hair
my bad wardrobe
still, I am loved

Despite
my inflexibility
my hard headedness
my controlling
my know it all attitude
still, I am loved

Despite
my rants
my ups and downs
my boyish tears
my pain
still, I am loved

by you

Love is Gathered

Love is gathered
over years
deliberately
from unlikely places

bushes on the side of the road
cobwebs in the corner
underneath the car seat
from the pocket of an old coat

Love is the cry of a child
a bark of the dog
giggles in bed
sharp words

hammering nails
folding laundry
baking cookies
paying bills

Love is gathered
kneaded
braided
woven

slapped
crushed
stripped
tossed aside

rediscovered
soothed
glued together
held in wonder

Love is gathered
a mosaic of shards
stretched through decades
shimmering in the moonlight

Disassociation

Simple question:
Give me the view
from 30,000 feet
your childhood home

Simple answer:
Scary and unpredictable

Slideshow begins
in my head
conversation ends
connection severed

Overwhelmed
cells exploding
I can't listen
a child again

I leave
out the window
to treetops
green crowns of safety

gone
again
it's all I have
my only protection

Will I always be
back to the wall
facing windows
looking for treetops?

An Image

An image
something growing
deep inside
buried in intestinal sludge

where tears and fears unite
amorphous shapes
songs crying
to be released

An image
apples hanging
precariously
listening to whispers

Reverie

Just after Day's end
Fireflies emerge to startle
Am I blinking
Or is it them?

Seized by the moment
Reverie

How to capture
To preserve for tomorrow's pleasure

No.

Reverie
is in the startle
in the discovery

Life Lessons of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sweetness requires both light and dark.
A little vinegar mellows the mix.
Chocolate and nuts are a balancing act.
In heat, cookies spread and touch each other.
It's best if your nuts are toasted, but it's easy to get burned.

My Dancer

My dancer moved with grace
Twenty five years ago
First of many recitals
Grass skirt hula
Short bangs
Rouged cheeks

My dancer moves with grace
or not
Belly swelling
Tutu rising
Still on pointe
A dancer within

How could I have envisioned such joy?

Watermelon Smile

Watermelon smile

Lemonade laughter

Blueberry eyes

Sweet potato nose

A little melon mojo from

The girl with the strawberry curls