—REMEMBER WHAT THE DORMOUSE SAID

 

…You have it 

but you don’t have it.

You miss it, it misses you. 

You miss each other.

This poem is sad because 

it wants to be yours, 

and cannot.

—John Ashbery

 

…I’m so tired of waiting 

aren’t you

For the world to 

become good 

And beautiful and kind? 

Let us take a knife 

And cut the world in two—

And see what worms are 

eating.

—Langston Hughes

 

…If you roll it all back to Jesus, there’s a lot of clarity and it’s pretty easy to see what’s right and what isn’t. Maybe that’s all I’ll say about that.

 

…“What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion and love. You can’t see any of those, but they’re the guiding lights of life.” Jimmy Carter

 

…You get judged for being poor and now it’s the opposite, but it’s just the same.

 

…How weird to get a hankering, out of the blue, for “Frampton Comes Alive!”

 

…Feels like everyone I know, or know indirectly, is dying. I suppose that’s when you know you’re up there, that your time’s getting shorter, and you should be grateful as hell.

 

…I know Pete the eagle is not just Pete by himself, but it was another thrill to see him (or his doppelgänger) swoop down into the lake and catch brunch in his talons. 

 

…Sometimes it’s so hard to bite your tongue.

 

…Did I mention that I sigh a lot?

 

…Thank God for luminol.

 

…Do I wear hats?

 

…The word “however” changes everything.

 

…I never knew I had such a big mouth.

 

…One of the hardest things to ask, when you’re up against the wall, and what you love most is about to leave you is: “So, tell me what I can do differently.”

 

…I’m not a fan of smirking.

 

…I wonder if anyone else ever wakes up sad for no reason.

 

…“If you want to get on in life, there‘s things you have to ignore, so you can keep on in life.”  Small Things Like These

 

…I wrote a huge batch of poems, or things yesterday, some really just sketches, but others pretty good, or so it seemed. What worked was trying harder not to try so hard, and let simple be enough to say what’s intended.

…Case in point:

 

A Love Story

 

Aren’t we all getting older 

or else simply 

lying our asses off 

to no one who will listen?

Maybe so maybe not

But today I saw a robin 

huddling with a beer-bellied crow 

on the lawn 

and what I took at first for collusion 

or conspiracy turned out 

to be a love story instead

as the pair waddled away

over the sun-bleached blades unbidden 

wing in wing 

never looking back 

not even once 

not even coming up for air

 

…The main thing I’ve learned from watching "Forensic Files" over the years is that it’s always the husband, and he was an absolutely horrible person.

 

…It’s funny how important a word is to you when you really need it.

 

… It’s July and the spiders are back, half a dozen of the walnut-sized things dangling from my office window, their broken webs scattered across the panes like shredded wedding veils. (This is the opening sentence to a long story I just wrote, but my office windows really are spotted with spiders.)

 

…I go back and forth so much, but I’m trying really hard to steel myself. 

 

…Transparent only works when both sides are listening.

 

…These birds are pretty cute, and apparently, they’re also Mariners fans.

 

…Been caught stealin’, once when I was five.

 

…When there’s nothing left, no dregs, and you’re desperate, that’s when you know you’re almost there.

 

…To be honest, I’m not sure what you’re doing, or why.

...Hey, your shade--I'll accept that, and wish you luck.

 

…You can’t begrudge a 104.5 mph fastball, no matter whose team you’re on.

 

…Introverts are very catlike. I always wonder what they’re thinking. I’m guessing most of it is profound.

 

…I still think the most important thing you can do is listen.

 

…I don’t really believe in karma. Not always, “What goes around comes around.” But I support people who think it’s something. I just haven't experienced it enough, the same way you have.