GOODNESS GRACIOUS
Great ball of fire
climbing to the East
with miles of enflamed
striated clouds embracing it.
FLEDGLINGS
What privileged robins live in my back yard…
racing through the sprinkler, barely giving me any notice…
but WHO, may I ask, tipped over the big blue pot under the umbrella?
Hmm?
Emil Catt, was it you?
HERE’S TO THE DAD
PLAYING TIJUANA BRASS AS LOUDLY AS I CAN
IN HONOR OF OUR SOMETIMES CROSS-EYED, LONG GONE OL’ MAN
HERE’S TO THE “HARKS!” THE OCCASIONAL EYAH,
ALL THE LOVELY FLOWERS FROM HAWAI-YAH
CHEAP RED WINE; FRESH, HOT BREAD
ARM WRESTLING NIGHTS WITH STEVE AND WITH TED
WINNING KITES MADE WITH BOB
SLURPY DINNERS WITH CORN ON THE COB
ERIC ON HIS SHOULDERS AS THEY “WALKED THE RANCH,”
LOUD, LOUD MUSIC THAT MADE US ALL DANCE
LOUD GUITAR STRUMMIN’,
MOM ALWAYS HUMMIN’
TOUGH AS NUTS, BUT A SOFT OL’ TOUCH
WE COULD MAKE HIM MAD, BUT NOT TOO MUCH
AS ONE OF HIS GIRLS, ROX, MAG, RUTH
I’LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH
HE WAS PRETTY DAMNED COOL
SOMETIMES ACTED THE FOOL
BUT ONLY TO GET US TO STOP OUR MOPING
I’M SURE WE BECAME THE PEOPLE FOR WHICH MOM AND HE WERE HOPING
SO IT’S ALL GOOD
LET’S SHARE SOME GOOD FOOD
AND A LAUGH OR TOO
AND RAISE A GLASS OF HOMBRE
THAT’S IT
I’M DONE…
HOT SUN DAY
SATURDAY, EARLY
This morning,
early,
before the traffic…
before even the neighborhood dogs were out snuffling in their yards,
I hit the open space…
all the birds were in diversionary action mode…
robins, running ahead of me, away from their nests…
red finches flitting from tall grass to tall grass…
no coyotes, though, too late in the morning for them, I imagine. The sun had been up at least half an hour.
The grass in the gulch is not yet high enough to mow;
the willows promise to be full and greedy all summer long…
cattails just greening up…
and Emil Catt has begun a new habit of slurping his morning drink of water from the day lilies, coming back into the house soaking wet, and leaving paw prints on the new wood floor in the kitchen…
and now it’s 8:15
so the day’s work must begin
the luxury of a slow morning
packed up until tomorrow…
6/3/17
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