The Final Frontier

“Oh Michael”, I said to myself,

"Look how the time has flown”;

Walking away from the bathroom mirror

Where I met my father’s clone.

I feared I might be growing up,

Maturing way too soon;

Deep in thought, I picked my nose,

Then flicked a booger to the moon.

I Am Just

I am just an old man

Alone in an upstairs room;

Who in life has done very little,

Between the cradle and tomb.

Once I climbed a mountain,

And saw a Yosemite fire fall.

Thirty thousand feet o’er  America,

I’ve flown and seen it all.

I’ve sent vinyl, tapes and CD’s,

Via the Post Office then digital mail;

Galloped freely in fields on horseback,

Against the winds later fueling my sail.  

I’ve sat on beaches with good friends,

Drinking wine until  sunrise…

Driftwood fires popping seaweed;

The world was perfect in my eyes.

I had a wall phone by the bath tub

Sold real estate from a swimming pool…

Repaired my own autos and tractor,

Collecting every imagined tool.

I’ve delivered calves and puppies,

Rescued earthworms from the road;

Bottle fed baby squirrels,

Relocated a warty toad.

Time deletes entries in address books,

Neighbors died or sold their home…

I am just an old man,

Upstairs in a room alone.

House of Relics

My house is full of relics,

Museum pieces on a shelf…

Korean chest, two aging friends;

A Boxer and myself.

Most likely in this decade

Our flesh will turn to dust…

The Korean chest, another century;

Asian mistress of auction lust.

Ankle Deep in Stockton

It was under the bridges of Stockton,

Where I discovered the world.

Hundreds of species beneath the surface,

In clouds of mud my footprints swirled.

Thornton Road, Davis Road,

Eight Mile, and Bear Creek we’d roam…

Collecting bottles, condoms, and adulthood:

Roadside attractions to hide when home.

We fantasized the millions

Our found contraband was worth…

It was the crawdads, carp and pollywogs

That brought us back to earth.

We built memories in the Cattails,

Like Moses, we parted green Duck Weed…

Ankle deep in muddy waters

The earth signed over to us, the deed.

War and Betrayal

In another lifetime maybe,

I’d ride a camel to the pyramids,

Sail the seven seas to you,

Cross a dessert of arachnids.

I’d have risked my reputation,

Given my life in a world war…

To see your face just once again

Safely inside my door.

Casualties of war exist;

Both sides to me have lost…

I can’t complain, I’m happy,

Although I rue the final cost.

Your name on the survivor’s list,

Perhaps the cruelest part;

Death brings a kinder closure,

Than a forever betrayed heart.