I'll remember you as you were.
Innocent; out against the bluest of blue.
Where the sky hangs low,
on the veil of green lands.

I'll think of you.
From time to time.
With a soft thought,
and a gentle smile.

A fond memory,
To get me through
this storm.

However,
I'd cut off my own hand,
before I ever reach for you again.

For you are the thorns
on a red, red rose.
The gleaming needle waiting
to be threaded.
The nefarious laced poison
dipped in candy.

I wouldn't dare reach for you.
Because the pain may fade,
But the scars you left,
Will always be the same.

For what is past do not lament,
Yearn not for what is yet to be.
Learn to live now; in the moment
For it passes so fleetingly....

I wish…
for bygone days
when folks put families first
Not jobs
Not climbing a corporate ladder
Not competing with the Jones
for bigger homes, better cars, smarter kids.

I wish…
for sublime satisfaction
thru the experience of God’s creation
Not from computers & video games
Nor TV & movies
smart phones or social media.

I wish…
that people did not suffer
When their jobs become obsolete
outsourced, redesigned, or restructured.
When they are pressed into conflicts
in their cities, states, or countries
For the sake of another’s perceived privilege
or personal gain.

But the Genie is out of the bottle…*
Set free by wasted wishes
Carelessly contrived
Without lasting purpose or value

I watch the water
beam from the sun
and that is what you call
making love
The Earth is the greatest poet I know.
I pluck at her expression
every so often
merely attempting
to translate her lyrics
into something,
just something
we can all feel and understand

By marrying me, my wife proved
That she, had a lot of guts
Because
If it wasn’t her, then someone else for sure
That I’d be driving nuts
WIZDUMBs BY JA 391

There were times
When I was young
I believed in magic
In superheroes
Santa Claus
A fine line between
Right and wrong
Summer vacation
Seemed to last forever
But never too long
Now
As an adult and a man
My idea of what magic is
Has changed entirely
Even more special now
Than through the eyes of a child
I believe in possibilities
I call it magic
When I touch someone's heart
When I see a baby smile
An old couple holding hands
My son hugging me
Magic exists
It is everything that is beautiful in the world

You should create
Write something down
Sing something out
Paint something golden

Make a new thing
Take hold of your voice
Or unique way of seeing
Your impulses, bolden

Your ideas are butterflies
That want to be caught
Grab your phantom net!
Do what you ought!

Share them with the world
Before they fly away
(If you wait too long they may fly away)

So what, you think it's already been done?
"Nothing is new under the sun"?
That may indeed (or may not?) be true,
But no one has done it EXACTLY like you