in the woods
to live ‘deliberately’
not a recluse
as many think
mile and a ½
from town
walking distance
went into town
once a week
for supplies
to see his family, friends
have dinner
sometimes
he’d have visitors
talk to people
passing through
the woods
he said
we should
try to simplify
I can agree with that
I’d like him a lot more
if he would have said
the hell with everybody
moved far far away
from the human scourge
visiting ancestors
in their old homes
many moons ago
homes long gone
demolished
forgotten
sitting Buddha’s
red silk pillows
old couches
hanging wooden beads
in doorways
great grandma
in the kitchen
pork dumplings
fried rice
chinese sugar donuts
a once mighty tree
standing tall in the forest
falls down helplessly
the ocean comes in
taking me far far away
I have peace at last
a father and son
with the warm sun behind them
quietly it sets
never invited
under a gray cloud
it is much like a gray shroud
I rest here in peace
despite our efforts
fate always has the last word
life is preordained
The Olympics are here! Rah, rah, wave the flag! Yeah like I’m supposed to care whether some young, or in some cases not so young, brat wins a medal for my country. USA ! USA! USA! I don’t and I get tired of all the jingoistic banter you have to listen to when the ‘Games’ come around. Some of these athletes are fine and anonymous. They train hard. I wish them well. I get these other countries wanting to beat the big, bad, Americans. But these spoiled professional amateurs who have done nothing in their lives but sponge off the government (and probably taxpayers) for years or even decades and ‘overcome adversity’, and wait, I’m supposed to care whether these skiers and others like them win? Not at my house! They’re not heroes, at least to me. I wish the Olympics were once every twenty-five years so I wouldn’t have to hear about them so much