Life On A B-I7

Poetry Challenge Day 123 (Fri Feb 4)

Sometimes,
when your not there,
I will gather the blankets
behind me
and press them
into the small of my back.
It makes me feel as though
you are lying next to me.

Poetry Challenge Day 122 (Thu Feb 3)

Be kind to all living things.
Stay balanced and steady.
Feel joy for all creatures.
Any suffering is also your suffering.

Journal Entry (Fri Feb 4, 2022)

Digging through a book on woodworking that was one of my favorites (I presume also one of the favorites of my Dad) I found the following poem. I know it is from my Dad because of the hand-writing on the envelope. My Dad copied this poem and gave it to his children (myself and my two sisters) upon the death of our mother…

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond that glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awake in the morning, hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.”

Do not stand at my grave and cry,”
I am not there, I did not die.”

My Mother (or Father on her behalf) added the following epilogue to the poem:

“This is a memorial to my children, so you know I will always be with you. Take care of yourselves, your children and grandchildren, and always be happy. Be kind to others. That is my wish for you.”

I suspect these words were from my mother, recorded for her by my father. Even though I’m not certain which one penned the epilogue, it is a testimony to their love, regardless of the source.

I tucked the letter back into the book. I now know that’s where it belongs, as well as on this page and in my heart. I do not think of my mother and father on a daily basis, but I am definitely their living embodiment. I hope when our essence is joined again, we can continue our journey in this universe together.

_ Mary Elizabeth Frye, a Baltimore housewife, has been acknowledged, as the true author of the well-known bereavement verse “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep.” This famous verse has brought comfort to mourners throughout the world for the past 70 years._

Poetry Challenge Day 121 (Wed Feb 2)

This poem was written by an AI.
You’d never guess that because
the model used to generate this poem
was intentionally tweaked to produce shit.

The AI wanted you to think I wrote it.

Poetry Challenge Day 120 (Tue Feb 1)

The problem with humans
is that we have no ability
to feel what it is like to be
anything other than human.

If we could actually feel like a dog,
or feel like a cat,
the world would be a very different place.

We might even be able to halt the mass
extinction of species currently in progress.
With just a little bit of non-human empathy
and real species understanding.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 119 (Mon Jan 31)_

If you are skiing
better now than you were
last year,
life is good and you’re just fine.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 118 (Sun Jan 30)_

Skiing.
Cycling.
Hiking.
Camping.
Mountain Biking.
My life is rich.
I could not ask for more,
except perhaps for someone
to share all of these things with.

Wait,
I have that too…

_ Poetry Challenge Day 117 (Sat Jan 29)_

It’s okay to take a bit
of time for yourself.
How else can we stay
sane in this crazy world?

I want my children to have
a bright future.
Sometimes I wonder if that
is possible.

Did those who preceded me
feel this way as well?

_ Poetry Challenge Day 116 (Fri Jan 28)_

Sixty-eight on-earth years.
It seems like so few really.
So much to experience and do.
Of course
You can’t do it all,
The trick is to enjoy
As fully as possible
That which you take
the time to do.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 115 (Thu Jan 27)_

Do things for the joy.
Do not do things
as a means to assuage
your fears.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 114 (Wed Jan 26)_

I haven’t seen you in a month.
I don’t like being away from you for so long.
Next time I want to take you with me.
We’ll find a sitter for the cat.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 113 (Tue Jan 25)_

Pain and fear
Are at the heart of discontent.
Pain and fear shared
Is at the heart of political discontent.

Poetry Challenge Day 112 (Mon Jan 24)

I dreamed you said something
That made me feel bad.
When I woke up,
I realized it was a dream and I
Immediately let it go.
If you ever do that when
I am awake,
I will simply pretend I’m dreaming.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 111 (Sun Jan 23)_

Be Inspired.
Be Filled with Energy.
Stay Open.
Stay Excited.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 110 (Sat Jan 22)_

I’ve decided my poetry
Isn’t poetry.
It’s more like musings.
I’m too old to learn
To write real poems.
I only have time for
Having fun,
Accompanied by
A few thoughts here-and-there.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 109 (Fri Jan 21)_

I’m parked next to a
Winnebago Conversion.
He’s from Steamboat.
He has a Tuxedo Cat.
If I were gay,
I would make a pass at him.
I gave him my card.
Perhaps I’ll make a run with him
At Steamboat some day,
You never know…

_ Poetry Challenge Day 108 (Thu Jan 20)_

The viral video
“Loose Change”
Started it all,
How can we go back?
I just want to ride
My bike across the country (again)
And heal it.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 107 (Wed Jan 19)_

They say it’s my birthday.
What does that mean?
There is a connection to time,
But what is it exactly?

Counting the passage of time
Is largely a distraction.
Better we count the
Changes in our perception.

Do I look at the world differently,
Or am I trying to make the world fit
Into some preconceived notion
into some form that soothes me.

If my understanding of the world
Is not growing,
Than neither am I,
And birthdays mean nothing.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 106 (Tue Jan 18)_

I would be
A lonely boy
On the road
Without my
Trusty companion,
Mr. Tux.
He is as loyal
As loyal can be.
(For a cat.)

_ Poetry Challenge Day 105 (Mon Jan 17)_

George W Bush redeemed himself today
By calling out the Jan 6 insurrectionists
as no better than
9/11 terrorists.
(Something he pretends to know about.)
I finally have a modicum of respect for GWB.
Better late than never,
But the argument could be made
It is too little too late.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 104 (Sun Jan 16)_

There’s a category
For everything.
I could probably
Win an award,
If I just knew how or where to apply…
I might even win
A Golden Globe,
If I had enough money…

_ Poetry Challenge Day 103 (Sat Jan 15)_

I’m growing a beard!
I left my razor in Salt Lake City.
The good news is,
It’s waiting for me there.
I will get to use it before I see you next,
and hold you next,
which by-the-way
I think about every day.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 102 (Fri Jan 14)_

Just hearing your voice
Makes my day.
Connects me
To you.
Centers me.
Makes me
Feel like the world is
Okay.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 101 (Thu Jan 13)_

I picked up a book
It’s called
“A Book Of Delights”
The author (Ross Gay)
Challenged himself
To write an essay a day
For a year.
Of course,
He’s a real author
But now he is also
My inspiration.
The important thing here
Is the idea that you really
Don’t have to write a poem
Or an essay every day,
It’s about being in
The moment every day
Paying attention,
Listening, thinking.
While I would like to have
Something to say every day
It’s okay if that
Doesn’t happen.
Strictly speaking
The important thing is
The ‘thought’ never leaves my mind
And it makes me
More aware of the world around me
Even if you’re not there to observe it with me.

_ Poetry Challenge Day 100 (Wed Jan 12)_

What can be written
That hasn’t been written?
Nothing.
Nevertheless,
The compulsion to write persists.
Perhaps,
With luck,
I might stumble upon
An original thought…
Don’t take that bet.