Good News from BP

smiling faces bring welcome news
that casinos are open and beaches are clean,
that business is thriving and those
tourists are back

the clear blue waters and white sands
shimmer beneath sun filled skies and
a bounty of seafood, fresh and safe, awaits your palate,
for, on the surface, all is restored

the past is behind us and our worries were, as
promised, in vain, for our faith has been repurchased
and there is no time for caution, dear friends,
it's now time to drill

August

the sultry air
refreshing pool
fear expressed
a promise made

so little known
so much ahead
that august heat
will never fade

White Stones

they catch our eye in every town
on country roads and city lanes
most adorn a stately lawn
others grace a peaceful shade

metal gates protect these stones
each of measured size and shape
some reflect the glow of dusk
and some the rosy light of dawn

in silent waves they stand erect
symbols of the young and brave
inscribed with names and vital dates
that fade as endless seasons pass

a pleasant scene in blocks of white
those even lines above the graves
but will the quarries yield enough
for all the youth we send to die

The Lamp

I see it still
as if today
the turning shade
the rising flames

the running deer
and colors bright
a scene of fear
that held my gaze

a gentle buzz
arose within
as fire danced
before my eyes

English Leather

its heavy bottle
clear and square
its amber tonic
blocked despair

unable to drive
too young for beer
a fragrant splash
to douse our fear

Rio Grande

it trickles from the lofty crest
to tundra pools in grass and rock
from there it flows in icy streams
that merge atop this massive block

and down it snakes beneath the spruce
through aspen groves and hills of pine
through fragrant woods and meadows gold
through swirling pools and falls divine

this eastward run to san luis
though rather short is very steep
and thence it rumbles o'er the plain
beneath the ramparts broad and deep

and soon it curves to face the sun
and weaves a path across the floor
to bypass domes of molten rock
and cut its way through lava core

for now it lies within the rift
where thinning crust is pulled apart
and on it flows to drier lands
where painted skies are nature's art

past faulted blocks and barren domes
past desert scrub and watered land
it leaves a swath of marsh and wood
before its flow by humans dammed

from here below it angles east
and forms a rift of man's decree
through walls of rock and lush preserve
a final run to meet the sea

One not Only

we humans hope
in days of youth
that one will come
to heal our pain

a special soul
a perfect match
the one designed
to make us whole

and so we search
an image drawn
of one immune
to human flaw

we cannot seem
to trust our heart
awaiting signs
that never come

alas we learn
as years go by
that love is not
confined to one

though love endures
returned or not
another chance
will come along

Never Again

the signs unfold
before our eyes
the words of hate
the troubled mind

we do not act
we look away
perhaps from fear
or simple doubt

and then the peace
to violence lost
and we declare
never again
once more