On the move until he sees a fish

they carry their voices
cross country, from stage to stage,
city to city, one running path
blends into the next until this one,
where he sees a man fishing downtown,
he pauses in amazement and spots a trout.
this  man, this singer, zigzagging across
the country stops in his tracks when he sees a
fish,
its silver back flashing the sun into his eyes
and when he walks on stage tonight,
he tells us of the fish, his amazement,
how lucky we are to be able
to fish downtown.

Paying off Old Bets

It's 1974, I'm all of 16 years old

but I KNOW, I know my future and 

it will not include ankle-biting brats

who will cramp my style, cry, get in

the way, why would I ever..

do that crazy thing called childbirth,

sure to hurt like hell, for a lifetime of 

misery to follow, that's what my mother

said, didn't she, ok, so I didn't see

the future, I went and did that twice,

Daniel and Karen and I guess I'll

have to pay the bet, all $25.  

It's worth it.

Dinner

it was yummy 15 years ago

when kids didn't eat anything,

after a full day at work, mommy

had no energy, she could put a bit

of cottage cheese and sliced fruit

on the side, a few colors, a few textures

they would not starve after all.

my daughter might call it organic junk food

now, accusing me of bad parenting,

since when did basic nourishment

deserve the label of bad parenting

because it was not home-grown,

lovingly cooked and served

by a mom in a pink apron and cheerful 

smile, I might say that we mothers

deserve a medal for earning the money

to buy the food and then even having

the energy to cook the food, serve it

and do the clean-up.

how difficult to be a mother,

our reward to see our son healthy

enough to dead-lift 250 pounds,

and our daughter's brain sufficiently

nourished to receive faculty invitations

at top universities.

I think I did ok, even serving Annie's

on occasion, we all survived.

Reading the World

I read The New York Times
and listen to National Public Radio
on my way to work,
nothing else..so I can cite my sources.
Respectable sources except for the Fox News
crowd, or Republicans.
Did you hear about the Russian rocket that exploded
or that the quarantined nurse was released-
she got her dog back, such bliss.
I'd rather read the color
of the leaves across the creek, or try to
decipher the call of the crows that gather there,
why some mornings they stand at rivers edge,
other mornings perched high in the branches.
The NYT does not carry this and I admit
to spending more time listening to the crunch
of leaves under my bike tires.
It's fall now and the air has a crispness
not captured by the black and white text
on the Weather pages.

The Political System

I can't really watch the results come in,
I admit I almost don't care anymore.
the ones that vote against their interests
after viewing too many ads, the ones
who don't vote, the ones who are in the
middle, uncertain of which side to trust.
I understand all this, and turn away as
the results roll in, admitting in defeat
that I'm not sure it matters anymore.
how sad.

Receipt

A receipt, crumpled on the table.

"Keep it with you at all times."

I know the clientele here, not always

the most honest types, like me

who just picked up a chai, by mistake.

My receipt is for a decaf cappuccino,

but I'll admit the chai was more delicious.

when the barrista approached me just

as I took the first sip, I volunteered

to keep it, but she took it away because

my receipt was for a decaf cappuccino.

I watched her pour it down the drain,

such a tragic waste.

Shopping

why not

twelve rolls of toilet paper

a couple six packs of Pelegrino 

dinner, breakfast

it all fits

why not

get out of the car,

feel the wind caress your face

your legs pumping 

your life force moving

you with your groceries

so much better than a car.