Poetry

Santa Barbara

When you turn your head
Just enough to catch my glance
Out of the corner of your eye;

When you invite stories out of me
With such gentleness and ease,
Listening with your kind smile;

When you say sometimes it is
Worth it to be cold as we walk
Together along the moonlit beach;

When you laugh as you reach
Onto your tiptoes to kiss me,
Completely in this moment;

Then I feel the opposite of loneliness;
Then I know how full and good
Contentment and our love can be.

Murray

Loving brown eyes and a scruffy button nose,
Instead of graceful fingers, he has thick, stubby toes.
He sleeps and snores, never does any chores,
Has mismatching socks, but avoids clothing stores.

Silently passes gas without so much as a warning,
Completely neurotic about his routine every morning.
Brazenly jealous if not the center of attention,
Stubbornness and feistiness are also well worth mention.

He beats me in tennis and begs to eat all my food,
Yet employs such charm that it never seems rude.
Chews with his mouth open, never covers a sneeze,
Gets fussy whenever someone is about to leave.

Oh, how his wagging tail brings me delight without fail.
The truth is, I am in love with his every last detail.
He loves me unconditionally and fills my life with joy—
There is no bond like that between a dog and his boy.

Lingering

Even when
the sun brings
a new day’s heat,
fog lingers
in the creases
between the hills.

Even though
our love has set
and another risen,
sometimes I find you
in the crevices
of my heart.

Children & Grandchildren

I can hardly wait for you to join us here,
When I can bounce you on my knee—
Can hardly wait to be amazed each day
By another lesson in your soul’s beauty.

How eager I am to learn your smile,
Hear your laughter, hold your hand—
Eager to softly kiss you each night
As you begin dreaming a wonderland.

I have already met you inside my soul,
Seen you in the kindness of my eyes—
Have already experienced love stories
Journey from mystery to surprise.

I wonder what will become sacred to you
By summer’s sunlight and winter’s snowing—
Wonder who you will befriend and defend,
The work of your lifetime a glory glowing.

Please have faith that good things
In the end happen to people good—
Have faith that good things take time,
Often lots of time, as they should.

Success

Some think it is bought,
A result of material riches;
Some think it is taught,
A result of removing hitches.

Some think it is inherited
From the blood and the seed;
Some think it is merited
From goodwill and kind deed.

Yet each of these falls short,
As there is more to mention;
Any trustworthy report
Must surpass one dimension.

Practice patience and belief,
Full effort and nothing less:
Then you will wear the wreath
Of peace of mind that is success.

Faults

It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
The conversation just felt so at ease.
It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
How you gently moved with the breeze.

It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
Your smile, the shape of your neck.
It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
But now you’re gone and I’m a wreck.

It’s not your fault our kiss had me thinking
This was finally my last first one.
It’s not your fault our kiss had me thinking
My days of searching were finally done.

It’s not your fault the fault lines shifted—
Surely timing played a poisonous part.
It’s not your fault the fault lines shifted—
Still I must repair each tear in my heart.

It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
Maybe the moonlight was to blame.
It’s not your fault I fell in love with you—
But I fell for you all the same.

I Promise

I promise: When you know,
It’ll be clearer than mistletoe
Hanging above the door,
Hinting at what’s in store.

I promise: When you strike gold,
You won’t have to be told;
The love will flow as simply
As the river runs to the sea.

I promise: When you get it right,
You will not have to fight
Any doubts in your mind;
She will be gentle and kind.

I promise: When you see her smile,
It will make the wait worthwhile;
Indeed her love, from the start,
Has been within your heart.

Run Haiku

Run your race. It is
The simplest, the most profound
Advice I can give.

Simplicity Haiku

Do less in order
To do well what matters most:
Clear mind, clear action.

Shoelaced Haiku

We go together
Like a pair of well-worn shoes
Built for journeying.

Endure

“I’m glad that I met you.”
The last words she would say,
Looking into my eyes
Before the final walking away.

My hands are left empty
Thumbing over the riddle—
How to not think of her
Too much, nor too little.

It is wise to lift the eyes
Every once in a while,
To glimpse the cloud-swept skies
That remind us to smile.

Even when I feel broken,
I have learned to be sure
There is still good fight in me—
I can endure, I will endure.

So I walk with head held high
And with hope inside my heart,
Seeing this sudden ending
As, to some end, a new start.

Love Is

Love is sometimes a first hello,
and often a last goodbye.
Love is why people live,
and at times why people die.

Love is the moment you know
what it feels like to fly.
Love is the child’s first breath,
and the life-affirming cry.

Love is the blessing rainstorm
upon the desert hard and dry.
Love is telling the truth,
and occasionally a white lie.

Love is the courage to rise
and give it another try.
Love is the greatest of all gifts
underneath the always sky.

Namesake

The great-grandfather dies, but his love lives on
Along with a hat, a flag, and a poem
The minutes of life ticking away
The great-grandson knows his namesake through them.

My work is with children and women and men—
And pigment, and canvas, and wood
And I hope when I lay my paintbrushes down
That my Ansel will call it good.