"Doing His Part"

MP3 File

DOING HIS PART

He flashed his headlights

so the Honda could flow

into the stream of cars

ahead of him. He wanted

to help the world,

and this was one way

to do it. Death was a winner

all over the world,

but on this day in Westerly

one Honda was free

to follow the streets.

"To Do List" and "Writing a Poem"

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TO DO LIST

Today he will fill glasses

full of water,

wish his words well

as he lets them loose on paper,

prepare meals that lift

off the plate into his mouth,

make little miracles

of thoughts,

throw feelings

as far as he can,

and carry the freshness

of the universe

on his shoulders.

WRITING A POEM

Staring at the computer screen,

he suddenly saw

that it was a sky.

He typed some words,

which spread their wings

and rose away.

He stood and cheered,

and the vanished words

cheered too,

wherever they were.

"Rhythm"

MP3 File

RHYTHM

He tapped his cane on the sidewalk

as he walked in the park.

He was proud

that his heart was tapping

to the same rhythm,

and it seemed right

that cars were passing

at a similar pace.

There was power in it,

like the power of pages

turning at a certain tempo,

or words on paper

calling out in cadence.

His Garden

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HIS GARDEN

One summer day

he hung a small chime

from the ceiling

so it swung in front of the air conditioner.

He then called up some friends

and said he was sitting in his garden,

and could they hear the chimes

in the breeze. They said

he didn’t have a garden,

and he gave them the gift

of correcting him.

As they laughed,

he looked past the chimes

out the window

and saw flowers flowing

down a hillside.

Three Poems

MP3 File

A WOMAN HE SAW

She was sitting silently,

but her head

was constantly shaking,

just a little,

like a blossom in the slightest breeze.

He looked at her,

and liked the way wonder

seemed to be shaking 

inside him.

A GIRL ON THE TRAIN

She was so excited

to be going to New Haven.

Her happiness spoke to him,

though she was silent in her seat.

As he watched her,

something descended on him,

something soft

like excitement settling into his life,

thanks to this girl

going to New Haven.

IN PENN STATION

In Penn Station

he watched people walking.

Some were strolling

in a soft way,

like summer slowly walks away.

Some were rushing

as if sunshine and peace

was just ahead.

Others were thinking while walking,

throwing thoughts around them like sparks.

He, however, wasn’t walking.

He was holding all of life

lightly in his arms,

but the people walking past

weren’t watching.