hOLeD yoUr qUEsTionS

For what do you search on the horizon?

Do you like your blinkers on,

nothing in sight but dirt track and another horse's ass?

Do you ever get tired of chewing the same piece of gum?

Does it never grow stale in your maw?

Have you grown to love the taste of paper mache?

Have you met my friend John Doe? Haven't I seen you someplace before?

Is it true you rebelled right on schedule, as expected?

Have you ever heard a question before you answered it?

Ever had the pleasure of changing your mind?

Do you know my friend John Smith? Haven't we met before?

You can see over the wall;

the top of the fridge; over the dashboard; into the eyes of another person.

So why can't you see past the end of your nose?

Won't you at least try the Brussels sprouts?

A new world is yours for the taking,

if  only you'd bother to take it.

Parenting in Real Life

OK, since I've been unable to write anything compelling of late, here's a repost of  one of my favorites in 2010. Enjoy!
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Parenting in Real Life   

On my Top Five list of "Worst Parenting Advice,"  is this article in the November issue of Parents:
 "Why Do Boys Have Nipples?  We answer your kid's toughest body questions".

This article promises to leave you armed and ready with a child-friendly, politically correct answer for anything Junior might ask about the human body. 

Here are some excerpts, followed by my "In Real Life" responses-
....
Why does Daddy have hair on his Chest and Toes?
Parents Magazine Answer:
What to tell your kid-  " It's likely a holdover from our early ancestors, who needed hair for survival", says William Leonard PhD...."A hairy body may have looked scary to predators and attractive to females- and it probably helped our ancestors stay warm"

My "IRL" answer:
Because some people grow hair there!

....
Why do some people wear braces?
Parents Magazine Answer:
What to tell your kid- Over the past 1000,000 years, humans' jaws have been growing smaller because. unlike our prehistoric ancestors, we eat mostly soft, cooked foods that require less force (and a smaller mouth) to chew, says Dr Leonard. But we continue to develop the same number of adult teeth and squishing them all into a reduced-size mouth means they often come in crooked. To straighten their smile and help prevent future health problems, many people wear braces.

My "IRL"  answer:
Because some people need them to fix their crooked teeth!
....
Parents Magazine, are you people serious??  It doesn't take a PhD to answer kids' questions;  then again if there really are parents who don't know how to deal with questions about teeth and toe hairs, maybe they do need professional help!

What I wanna know is where are all the questions kids really ask?  Why does Daddy have hair on his toes, why do people wear braces, why do people wear glasses, why do people have different colored skin?  PLEASE, my kids have never asked those questions!   How about "Why do girls have boobies and boys have chests?" "Why is that monkey trying to get a piggy back ride from the other monkey?"  and lets not forget "Why do you pee sitting down, Mommy?"   Hey Mr. PhD, give my kids a biology lesson, why dontcha?  I'm just gonna tell them to stop opening the bathroom door when I'm in there!

Calendars

four brilliant years ago
this calendar on the wall
meant something different
the beginning of a lifetime
of memories


this year

it shows the days before.
fleeting, wasted,
I couldn't know
were slipping so quickly through my hands.

it shows the days after
counts the blind litany of days to come
the ones she'll never see.

This little gift used to fill my heart
now nailed to the wall
its twin returned to me


the eyes it was meant for
will never look on it
never count down the year again

salting wounds

here's a plump peach

bruised all the way 'round

once too many, tumble and fall

don't touch.  might fall apart

doesn't matter

no one wants a banged-up old peach anyway

Surface

peering up through clouded liquid cold

straining, reaching up to transient light

arm outstretched through empty, dark unknown

blinding sparkle hovering just above,

winking in and quickly out of sight

need to reach this

surface

wait to inhale

choking back this mortal gasp for life

The Deal

I started this little blog because some friends and family, who have been so supportive of my artistic endeavors, encouraged me to put my stuff out there instead of hiding it in my Facebook "Notes" between religious and political rants and surveys du jour. I thank them.  I'm not entirely sure I will ever have more than a few followers, but whoever reads will witness my best efforts to soul-bare, rage, purge, rejoice and love, the way only text can allow. All of my work is continually work-in-progress, as am I. I welcome your participation in my evolution... 

à la prochaine