Bike Ride

A hawk screams above
the loop trail at East Rec as
summer chases its tail.

Always An Uneasy Beginning

     Statement

My son, James, told us
he's a bit nervous   about
going back to school.


     I Remember

I remember being nervous at the start of the year
in elementary, even later.  Will I be with friends?
Will the kids be kind hearted?
It's not that much different now as a teacher.


      Good Omen

When I went in to ready my classroom
yesterday, I found a praying mantis
on the window.  This being the third floor,
I saw it as an auspicious beginning.


     Message

So, I told these things to my son
about my nervousness, as a kid and now.
I told him about the praying mantis,
how I thought it was good luck.


     Response

He listened politely,
but looked unconvinced.
School starts Monday.

Having Gone to the Cleveland Museum of Art Seeking Life and Finding Only Death.

The modern wing was closed
so we strolled through the ancient pieces,
a room full of disembodied heads,
vacant eyes almost sinister,
a young man's headless torso,
shrouds, coffins, headstones
in rooms the temperature of tombs.

Outside in the warm light of day
I breathed deep considering art
and my own mortality.

Illuminated

I was outside this morning

in the humid chill.

Sunrise made sharp contrasts.
The bottom of a tree in shadows
while illuminated at its top, for instance.

I was waiting for something
like an idea, a direction.
My coffee was hot.

A nice contrast to the air, I thought,
and as I tied those two together
a bird screamed,

the tuxedo cat chased
a squirrel up an oak
from shadow into sun.

Everything showed itself
as it is, connected.
I smiled, illuminated.