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DUST JACKET BIO

 

A writer, a poet, a dog and a pony,

a piano player in an whore house and an activist for sloth.

The author is multi-talented and is also self-delusional.

His works include "It, and other pronouns"  and the autobiographical Tails of Iguanas".

The author is a Fellow at the world-renowned University of Hard Knocks

and can be seen and heard on local street corners after dark.

Hi...

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POCKETS

 

We walk around

with pockets stuffed

with things we think we need

the accumulation of living

slows us down

and prevents us from being free

that is why we feel so much better

when we put on our pajamas

which are light and soft

and have no pockets

nothing to impede us

or burden us with the past

so empty your pockets

of all that you have

for the weight of...

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The Independence Of Cats

 

Cats are aloof

cats are independent

they do not submit

they do not come when called

people only think

they are domesticated

but they are only putting on an act

pretending to be pets

they scam us for free food

a soft pillow on the couch

a scratch between the ears

but behind our backs

they laugh at us

they come and go as they please

they ignore us until...

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WREN AT OUR WINDOW

 

Wren at our window

clutched onto a chair

with inquisitive looks

in the window it stares

 

Such a cute little bird

from out of thin air

we marvel at it's curiosity

why it even cares

 

Wren at our window

from what we discern

happiness is reflected

and joy is returned

 

Your stay at our window

was only short term

oh wren at our window

we hope...

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SUN SPOTS

 

The latest photos of the sun

reveal barbeque grills

hidden in craters

 

apparently some space dads

were grilling

and used too much lighter fluid

as dads often do

 

things got out of hand

one thing lead to another

and soon the sun was a ball of fire

 

all these years

we thought the sun was hot on its own

 

we never knew

dads were to blame

 

...

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GOLDFISH

 

Round and round

the Goldfish swims

trapped in a bowl

he swims up to the glass

to look

to see what else is there

in its small unnatural world

with a tiny ceramic castle

its only distraction

it is a pet under glass

someones desire

once upon a time

now barely looked at

or talked to

flakes in the bowl

once a day

are all the attention it gets

it w...

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REFLECTIONS

 

Wore a white shirt and tie for 35 years.   

never had a earring or a tattoo

went to work everyday no matter what

my grandads wore suits to church on Sunday

despite the 90 degree weather

and no air conditioning

women also dressed up

long dresses and long sleeves and hats

you used to have a hat to attend services back then

I remember the first time I saw a young woman

...

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E FOR EFFORT

 

White page

fill in the blanks

 

draw out a poem

add some color

 

stay within

the lines

 

scribble

some more

 

erase the bad

keep the good

 

when complete

post for a grade

 

the common

comment

 

at least he made

the effort.

 

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THE UN-POEM

 

This poem

is not really a poem

it may start out

looking like one

but looks can be deceiving

this poem

has no rhyme or reason

it is just a string of words

that fell out of my head

like snow on a sidewalk

the words may look pretty but

soon the poem will melt away

into your memory

and leave only the slush behind

eventually becoming

a puddle of poetry.

...

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God Only Knows

 

Rioting

looting

burning

wars and pandemics

is all we see

God only knows

what will happen next

we see the movement

but are not moved

God knows he made a mistake

his plan did not work out

Cain slew Abel and

it started the slide into evil

God knows he erred

but he could not turn back

the dust had already settled

God only knows

what will become o...

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Taking Care

 

She takes care of me

when I get sick

or hurt

or when I am in pain

she is always there

with a diagnosis

a pill

a heat pack

an immediate remedy

welcome relief from the suffering

Best of all are

her soothing words

the kindness and concern

in her caring voice

that is the medicine

that does the most good

the medicine that heals

a broken spirit

...

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EYEBROWS

 

Why are eyebrows up there

what purpose do they serve

 

whoever put them up there

had a lot of nerve

 

I guess they're decoration

yet in subtle ways

 

they emphasize expression

when one or two are raised.

 

 

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Pain In The Neck

 

I have a pain

it's in my neck

then across my shoulders

then down my back

then sometimes even across my chest

then down my spine

it moves around

so it cannot be nailed down

it's a slippery devil

basically it is the proverbial

"pain in the neck"

so often talked and written about

in the annals of mankind

I  now have it and it won't go away

hot packs, col...

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Pandemic Poetry

 

A poem of this nature should be isolated

and people should distance themselves from it

for the good of society and civilization as a whole

poetry like this can go viral and

infect an entire population without warning

it could have come from a wet market

or some kind of nefarious Poetry Lab

we recommend the poem be tested often

and readers be quarantined until it dissip...

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Like Children

 

Let us come together

forget the policies

and the politicians

and be just people

helping each other

let us bind the wounds

repair the damage

and do all we can to achieve

peace among ourselves

if nothing else

do it for the children

who had no hand

in bitterness and revenge

let them show us the way

like children

let us see only the goodness

in eac...

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The Lonely Room

 

Dim lit halls

and empty walls

remind me

of a tomb

 

I see no sun

no greenery

from within

this lonely room

 

No one comes in

no one goes out

no visiting is

the rule

 

I miss my wife

my family

they must be

lonely too

 

It's been so long

since anyone

came close

or shook my hand

 

I am alone

without contact

I do not

...

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BAH

 

This Virus song

goes on and on

it won't go way

so we play along

 

It will not end

so in between

distance yourself

be quarantined

 

We did as told

accepted our fate

we didn't complain

now it's too late

 

Like sheep we followed

as they changed the law

how we went along when

we should have said Bah!

 

 

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Night Visitor

 

We hear a scratch

on window screen

like tiny paws

though sight unseen

 

Then baby eyes

with trust appear

could almost touch

it is so near

 

What a strange creature

night provides

an odd visitor

from the outside

 

How awkward it 

seen in detail

a fantasy

from fairy tales

 

Yet to our eyes

quite a delight

tapped into our lives

...

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TURTLES

 

We can never go back

now that we have learned

the new way

we can never back to work

or back to school

or resume our normal lives

until every last disease is eradicated

and human suffering and death

completely eliminated

all ailments and sickness must end

every stubbed toe

every bee sting

every cold and sniffles

every headache

human experience must be ...

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When I Write A Poem

 

Sometimes when

I write a poem

there is something in it

that floods my psyche

and brings a tear to my eye

the words

expressed upon a page

seized by emotion

I feel exhausted at the end

as if my soul was torn away

and left out in the open

I get up from my desk

drained and unsteady

I hesitate in walking

as if I had just come back

from the experience

...

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MASKS

 

Need a mask?

order on line

now there are more masks

than ever before

all colors

all varieties

some clear

some opaque

they have become

a fashion statement

have one for every day of the week

for every occasion

now you can hold up convenience stores

without any problem at all

who was that masked man?

it could have been your Rabbi

your Doctor

you...

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Retrieving The Morning Paper

 

In the morning

just before dawn

it is still dark and

still in pajamas

he makes a run for the paper

lying there on the driveway

like a dead bird that fell to earth

he hurries to pick it up

before a car comes

to catch him in its headlights

quickly back toward the front door

before anyone sees him

the next door cat does

he's been watching the whole time

...

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Managing Your Beard

 

Men wear beards

because they think

it makes them more virile

more handsome

it's all about ego

plus the fact that they are too lazy to shave

that being the case

they fail to realize the stench

that goes along with a full grown beard

that musty mossy odor

that emanates from tangled beards

is the same as that of stagnant ponds

and swamps of green algae

the ...

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Free Speech

 

There is no speech

that is not free

yet they want to take

that liberty

 

and tell us what

to think and say

tear down those who

stand in their way

 

yet thankfully

we are still blessed

the Constitution guarantees

all speech is correct

 

if speech denied

we won't exist

speech compromised

we must protest!

 

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REFERRAL ORDER

 

I spoke to the Doctor

who was very direct

 

he assured me

that lab results did not lie

 

and so he referred me a specialist-

a board certified Mortician 

 

no sense in arguing with

what is most likely probable

 

or postponing

the inevitable.

 

 

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Mirror Image

 

My mirror can't be trusted

anymore

there is someone in the mirror

but it can't possibly be me

it is a stranger

a criminal

who has stolen my identity

and now pretends to be me

he has copied me

and all my quirks and characteristics

but when I look closely I can tell

it is not really me

it is some interloper who is

playing a cruel joke

pretending to be m...

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Wiped Out

 

There are no wipes

to sanitize,

for us to wash

and wipe our hands

 

But empty shelves

are our surprise,

supply couldn't keep up

with demand

 

A single wipe's

now quite a prize,

so scarce are they

throughout the land

 

We bear the blame

we must surmise,

united but un-wiped

we stand.

 

 

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Salt Of The Earth

 

The sun bears down in full force

it radiates and penetrates

the sore limbs of sunburned men

who labor in the fields

 

sweat pours from their brows

the work exhausting

as hunched men pick the harvest

 

when the work is done

they will find some shade

and recover from the blazing sun

the farm's crop is in

and the farm settles in to a slower pace

awaiting...

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BEING BRIEF

 

I am sitting here

in my briefs

there is no sense in

getting dressed anymore

 

I cannot go anywhere

or do anything

without a permit

from the authorities

 

I am locked down

with all the other prisoners

so I remain in place

enjoying the fresh air

circulating around my parts

 

I am under house arrest

but with my shorts on

playing it a little l...

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