Baby in a shoe box

left in a dumpster

behind the grocery store

weak but alive

barely breathing

found by a tramp

looking for stale bread

now he has a baby

in a shoe box

who left it and why?

someone hoped

it would not be found

a burden

that could not be dealt with

the mother changed her mind

had second thoughts

the father distant

unin...

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I know it's a long way off

but I want to plan this thing out

so there will be no missteps or surprises

my funeral will be held

on a cloudy day

with a chance of rain

bring umbrellas just in case

there will be no preacher

but there will be chanting

and much sorrow expressed in

moans and tears

complimentary Kleenix provided on site

you will be r...

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Take all your New Year resolutions

and roll them up in an old newspaper

and then toss out

with the rest of the trash

so they don't stink up the house

like dead fish

that stare at you with their frozen eyes

as if they expected more

but were deceived by a shiny lure

and the promise of an easy meal

they start to smell after a while

and don't keep too well

and ...

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We hang up lights

to light our houses

or trees

or lamp posts

or anything else that is standing still

the lights

make the world so much nicer

more colorful

more bright

a softer glow to the harshness of the world

it's a better world at Christmas time

as people ride around

looking at lights

saying WOW

look at that one

and for one magic night

there ...

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In this season

of good will

may men make peace

and hate be quelled

With peace and joy

our hearts be filled

let kindness reign

Love be instilled

Place this good wish

on top of list

dismiss our hate

our differences

Let us give pause

reflect on this

oh what a gift

our Christmas wish.

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The little boy who lives here

so cheerful and bright

so caring for his years

so much beauty in so small a boy

yet this brief elementary moment

will not last

soon he will grow wings and fly

and the little things that made him

so special will disappear

that small window will close

and he will leave

his boyhood giving way to manhood

it won't be ...

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This poem is not

in the public domain

frankly most wish

I'd just refrain

from writing poems

but just the same

this poem, my loss

but yours to gain.

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If you study

you will learn

if you work hard

you will be rewarded

if you say something

mean what you say

if you give your word

stand by it

if you lie

you will be discovered

if you are honest

you will have a good reputation

if there are crowds

don't follow them

if you do something

do it to the best of your ability

if you cry

do not be ashamed

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LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER

Thank you for all your hard work

and dedication with my daughter.

You are so kind, patient, and nurturing.

I could not ask for a better person

to help my little one.

You will always hold a special place

in our hearts.  Thank you for giving me

the best Christmas gift ever-

hearing my child speak.

LETTER FROM ME

How beau...

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Crescent moon

hook in the sky

hang your hat on it

sing lullabies

when the sun comes out

moon fades away

wish it would not go

just ruins my day

Oh crescent moon

sliver in sky

you went without

saying goodbye

too soon you left

but we intend

to look for you

tonight again.

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Time takes its toll

then leaves them there

their vigor gone

it isn't fair

knees and legs go

along with hair

too old to live

too old to care

Shortness of breath

pacemaker repair

old men may rage

curse wear and tear

they're put away

then at walls they stare

too old to live

too old to care

Sit in the lobby

sleep in the chair

roll do...

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aint they purdy

them momma cows

with their big brown eyes

and long eye lashes

why the very sight of em

makes your heart melt

and you just wanna give em a hug

cows smell

well, like cows

but their milk is sweet

and their whole attitude is

laid back and easy going

relaxed in deep breathing

accepting their lot

don't expect much

they don'...

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See something

write something

the rule

a poet must follow

all our senses

recording moments

conversations

sights and sounds

it is a poet's responsibility

to write everything

he sees or hears

all the nuances of life

how else can people share

what is in their head

and heart

unless it is written down

we wait our turn

to write ...

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We live to eat

but find that soon

our stomachs bulge

our waists balloon

yet in our haste

to more consume

we end up fulfilling

our own doom.

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It's cast iron

not just aluminum

my wife's fryin' pan

is a lethal weapon

the doc says my swelling

should go down in about two weeks

at least it distracts from

the black eye

people always ask me

what happened

I tell them it was an accident

I fell off the roof

in the meantime I don't fry eggs

or cook anything in a frying pan

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Separated by war

by bullets & guns

by an artificial boundary

a no-man's land

one nation now divided

north and south

old from new

the war split the country

and split families apart

so there are people now

who never knew their grandparents

or even their parents

so they cling to shreds of memory

dimming with each day

becoming ever more distant

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Two rats

in a test

one rat

smoked

one did not

the rat who

abstained

was healthier

the rat who

smoked

died

its lungs filled

with tar-

smoked rat.

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I am the book

that was left behind

I was tossed out into the street

they said I had no life left

that I was just used up

but I surprised them

when I was rescued by a poet

who has a history of saving books

retrieving them from dumpsters

saving them like homeless souls

Now I will have a home again

a place that's safe and warm

and I'll be in a place of ho...

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Birds bunched up

under the feeder

ruffled feathers

busy bills

pecking away

at seeds mingled in

the yellowed grass

late comers

getting the leftovers

the pecking order rules

as the mean one

chases off the small

but small birds persist

they circle back around

outsmarting the bully

sometimes smaller

is better

faster ...

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When a whale falls

in no time at all

it becomes a feast

for denizens deep

how sad a death

its sight appalls

a smorgasbord

a shopping mall

the beast won't keep

eternal sleep

as feeders feed

strip away its meat

those banquet guests

have all the gall

fast food it's called

come one come all.

*Dead whales sink to the ocean floor. ...

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Old people have

what all young people want

time in front of a screen

there is plenty of time to watch TV

or play games

in a nursing home

other than the lobby

there is no place to go

they are prisoners of

their years

held captive by infirmity

but in those lobbies

is the wealth of generations

reams of experience

collected accomplishment

vau...

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I used to be

young and stupid

now I'm just

old and stupid

being stupid

as a kid

is okay

it's kind of expected

and people cut you slack

but being stupid

as an old person is frowned on

people immediately think of Alzheimer's

then run and hide

stupid old people

get put off and put away

folks don't like to deal with them

they think if...

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Took my wife to the doctor today

I left her there in the waiting room and told her I would pick her up tomorrow

when I got back she was still filling out the paperwork

it would take a Philadelphia lawyer to decipher all the terms and conditions

and it has to be witnessed and stamped by a notary

people used to read the magazines while waiting

now they immediately break out th...

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I did not get

the IT you sent

guess I deleted IT

by accident

So I never got

ITs full extent

explain then what

IT was you meant

Can't find the IT

so I lament

retrieving IT

I found I can't

Of ITs demise

plead Innocence

ITs disappearance

just a coincidence!

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Let us be trees

with solid roots

planted in solid ground

and with each year

a place of growth

and continual maturity

spread limbs and grow

make seeds and bear

more shoots will spring

and soon

there is a forest

of strength

a permanence of kith and kin

all raised up on solid ground.

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I am your Holiday Turkey

just minding my own business

until You came along

and interfered with my pleasant life

you froze me to death

then put me in a pan

stuffed my cavity

basted me with hot oil

then left me in the oven for hours

until I turned brown

all the while poking me with a fork

and watching my suffering

with glee through that window

smiling like...

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"The enemy of my enemy

is my friend-

or then again maybe

just another enemy".

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