Famous and Shame Us

Celebrities think they're special;

Fame is a fickle, fleeting thing...

Their star shines like a floor lamp

Until the public pulls the string.

Magazines and television,

Flaunt what we need to live...

Life styles of the rich and famous fade,

When the world has little to give.

I'm starting to hear the whispers,

The used public, now corporates' whores,

Are wanting real marshmallow and chocolate

On their homeless camp S'mores.

Lush Redemption

Island winters take no prisoners,

The wind alone can sere your soul,

Endless rain can drown men's spirits,

The snow and ice exact a toll.

We winter deep in darkness,

Counting the days to witness dawn;

Then spring...a forgiving heaven

Rolls out Violets for a lawn.

We survey damage in the daylight,

Along the cliffs above the bay;

As the scents of the tiny blossoms,

Blow winter's memories away.

Strait Winds

An aura of terror envelops my world

I cower as the winds rage ashore...

Finding the only peace in the storm,

Is to bend and fight it no more.

Tomorrow, shingles and plastic bags

Roost with eagles in the trees...

The plum crop and my eight hours sleep,

Lost forever in the breeze.

Seagulls will hunt beached casualties,

Soaring on the first rays of dawn...

Indifferent to if I lived or died;

Life on Penn Cove, carries on.

Brotherhood of the Rails

There is a special brotherhood

Between the men who ride the rails...

Dusty sacks and thirsty boots

Whiskey bottles, and sometimes tails.

Hobo's hearts become their home,

Often shared with a canine friend...

Best buddies of a lifetime,

Up to the day the rail tracks end. 

 

What is Up with Humans? 2

A cat provides lifetime memories,

Just purring on some one's lap,

It is a rare child who doesn't remember,

Sharing their first puppy's nap.

We live our youth in harmony,
Removed from all ill will. 
It is when we reach adulthood,
That our innate morals spill. 

So Long to Youth Forever

Together we hit the teenage years,

Discovered music, joined rock-and-roll bands...

Practicing in cold garages, our dreams,

Hung on rusty old microphone stands.

We dipped our toes in the water,

That filled the pools of local fame...

Becoming Catholic school kids again,

When fans had forgotten our name.

I remember the Undersea Overgrowth,

And myself, the Shades of Sound...

Well into our professional lives,

Years after our feet touched the ground.

I read today, forty years later,

Obit details of your final ride...

I grieved for you when I realized,

Old friends split, but we never divide.

RIP: Steven Salady 2/26/12

Hedge Rows

 
There is a hedge row in the orchard,

Beside the house, a hedge row line...

Outlining pioneer perimeters,

Marking one hundred years of time.

One row protects the fruit trees,

The other separates what's mine...

The San de Fuca settler's

Defining fence before chalk twine.

Look into the hedge rows,

You will see the quail nest,

Where also garter snakes and bunnies,

Camouflage the very best.