Night Vision

One third of my entire life,

Was spent living in black and white…

The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show

Changed my world one Sunday night.

I ate popcorn while in the bathtub,

On Saturday nights with Carol Burnett.

Mike Douglas and Dick Cavett aired

Stars no one had heard of yet.

I spent years on Walton’s Mountain,

Fished with Opie on a quiet stream…

Walt Disney provided a portal

To infinity through a small screen.

PBS introduced the taboo world,

Cousteau, the Pacific to Asiatic…

Tin foil bow ties on rabbit ears,

Cleared views and sounds of static.

What an incredible theater,

Played out on stages so small!

My heroes and role models,

Never more than three inches tall.

The cast we watched on Laugh-In

Referred us to our Funk and Wagnall’s.

I discovered the world one day at a time,

On Black and white, 10 inch diagonals.

Driving

I am driving across the island today,

My dog on the passenger side;

Driving over Deception Pass,

Crossing the great divide.

The iPod's playing blue songs

In tune with the rain outside,

Setting the scenery to music;

It’s a wonderful day for a ride.

Salish Sails

It’s a beautiful day for sailing,

The seagulls look red in the sky.

A gentle breeze unfurls the sails

Like wings preparing to fly.

The hull skims over the white caps

A smooth magic carpet ride…

Faces tingle from ocean spray,

Spinnakers billow against the tide.

A sporting few Dall’s Porpoise

Race us against the bow;

Sometimes life offers nothing,

Better than the here and now.