.
I drove the spike
that bent the spine,
the screaming left me
at the turnstile
without exact change
and late for the sunset

Slippery tracks added
to the conceit
while the homeless
decorate sidewalks
in spray paint Monets
leaking onto the curb

Cardboard memories
create hardships
in perforated nightmares,
paying cost for something broken
and calling it a bargain

When the conductor signals
a left turn on a straight run
creasing the
permanent press avenue

And billboards say “god is not dead”
until their contract runs out
and the labels
are peeled
for good

Still I stand here
holding the hammer,
swinging between the rafters
in this life after death
revelry

on any night
of the week
that brings each moment
to a dark conclusion

Inspires love,

a rose, maybe
a kiss, often
a smile, possibly
a song, might
a touch, perhaps
a poem, sometimes

you, forever

Only four of us today
We can have some tea and don't have to pay

Poems are ready to display
Who will start to read today

Poems on love, poems on war
Poems on strangers at the door

Minds are working oh so fast
From the first poem to the last

We put them up on a screen
Where all our poems can be seen

some believe in the deity
others in the sanctity of self
I think poetry is a religion
a soul unto itself
not a god
but close
and I seek her his its
calming words
wisdom
to get on my knees
and worship
every night
alone
here
in my sanctuary
like any
true believer

Though I love those dark clouds
and though I love the rain -
how it brightened my heart
when the sun came out again

The sky - a sea of tranquility
as peaceful as could be
calm I felt when those warm rays
rested upon me

I'm sure I heard the roses laugh
saw carnations turn a richer hue
how could they but not smile
upon a sky so  blue

I saw the lake ripple merrier
in silver, copper streams
glistening with flowing joy
how it glimmered and beamed

Though I love those dark clouds
and I love the rain... I do
but how my heart gladdened today
for I can do with sunshine too

I hope the sun lingers long
shining through sheesham trees
for I love the way his rays rested..
so softly upon me