Crossroads
Many a life has been
Planned at the crossroads,
Choosing directions
With last minute ease.
Standing with back turned to
Past indiscretions,
Looking for new roads,
Facing the breeze.
Left turn... Right turn...
Right straight ahead...
Up turn... Return,
Back to the womb.
Crossroads beckon,
Prod and confuse,
Crowded theater
Where destinies loom.
So much to live for...
Too much to lose...
We stand at the crossroads
And choose.
****************************
Monsters in the Closet
Hairy, gruesome, tall and ugly,
Lurking in the darkened hallways,
King Kong, Yeti and the Wolfman
Seeking unsuspecting prey.
Huddled deep inside my closet,
Waiting for my eyes to close,
Hungry fangs and bloody claws
Prepared to rip my face away.
Covers are my sanctuary,
Pulled up high above my head.
Shielded thus in restless slumber,
Waiting for the light of day.
Monsters dwell in darkened closets.
Do we face them? Do we run?
In my youth I ran to cover.
Seems like only yesterday.
**********************
Sitting On the Edge of the Universe
This insignificant speck of dust
Sitting on the edge of the universe
Is hearth and home to millions of billions,
Billions of trillions and even more.
Once ruled by giants, both gentle and fierce,
Erupting from nothing to lush forest green.
In an instant the giants are gone and forgotten,
Traced to a fossil, erased from the scene.
Now it is man who resides on the summit,
Cocky and bold with a confident beam,
Filled with a history, guided by memory,
Brash curiosity armed with his dreams.
The stalking moon parades through the heavens
Bidding him come to seek out his fate.
Unbridled adventure around every corner
Forbids him from patience, will not let him wait.
Never quite knowing what made it all happen,
Theory on theory, he tries to converse.
Wondering what gods collided to leave him
Sitting here on the edge of the universe.
*******************
Laughter
Ha!
Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Tee hee...
Ho Ho.
Hmm...
Laughter's little string of pearls
Trips merrily across the floor,
Swelling with contagious force,
Demanding more, always more.
Sweet confusion striking fancies
Deep within a secret well,
Triggering a multitude of charming,
Chiming, ringing bells.
Swells of passion and compassion
Fills the cup to overflow,
Quelling fears and chasing tears
To caves abandoned long ago.
Laughter... God's sweet medicine...
Panacea for the soul.
A miracle more precious
Than the wealth of silver and of gold.
*************************
Pistols, Slingshots and Mason Jar Lids
A carved out pistol of pliable pine
Tucked away neatly in the belt
Made me the toughest hombre in town,
King of the hill, the fastest draw,
Cop to their robbers, hop-along kid,
Equal to whatever hand might be dealt,
Eager to challenge the forces of evil,
Ready with lightning to face one and all.
Sturdy piece cut from the fork of a sapling,
Strips of old inner tube tied to each end,
Tin cans and bottles lined up on a boulder
To practice an art form as old as dirt.
Pebbles fly with the speed of a rocket.
Bottles smash and tin cans bend
As mother admonishes, ranting and scolding,
Wildly afraid that someone may get hurt.
Pilfered ring from a Mason jar lid,
And fifty three tons of imagination,
I've license to drive, spinning wheels, popping gears,
Changing course and direction but never speed.
I become Richard Petty, or Bobby or Cale,
The winner's circle my one destination.
Not looking back as I race the wide oval,
Desperately trying to stay in the lead.
Life is so simple with youth as companion.
Imagination is all that you need
