TELL ALL THE TRUTH

TELL ALL THE TRUTH

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—

Success in Circuit lies, 

Emily said and I read

but failed to follow her advice.

Consequence for me: 

rejection at first

and finally exile

and a long life on Elba,

where I learned

that life

cannot be defined;  

can only be lived

and fully lived

only if one accepts it

as a wondrous gift

on temporary loan.

August 20, 2012

LIFE

        LIFE

Some say it’s sacred

since they have it

and the ability to describe it. 

Others say it’s cheap;

ask the murderers,

ask the military,

ask the killers,

ask the army.

I say it’s neither;

skip the adjectives,

give us a noun.

And the noun is “gift”. 

Your life is a gift,

a kind of miracle,

like hitting the jackpot,

like winning the lottery. 

Odds were one in three hundred million, 

at the moment of inception,

and you were the one.

So sing a song of Te Deum

and live every day

with joyful gratitude.

    August 5, 2012

ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR

  ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR

Dancing on the deck of the Titanic

as the band plays on and on. 

The moon is bright this festive night

with just a hint of sorrow. 

No need to stop the music now;

we’ll think about that tomorrow.

       August 2, 2012