Haiku Freight Train #2: Lonesome

White cat sits alone,

middle of my dark driveway.

He watches me leave.

Haiku Freight Train #1: Engine

Sometimes ideas

like a freight train tearing through

melancholy spring.

The Awful Moment when Birds became Cell Phones and Nature Seemingly Ceased to Hold Relevance.

I was driving

my son to soccer practice

when I heard a high pitched song

which I mistook

for a cell phone ring tone.

He corrected me,

as is his habit, with attitude 

and middle school condescension,

That was a bird, Dad.

I thanked him and

wondered when

this subtle shift in perception

would render my river

unrecognizable.

Another Theory of Relativity (for Bryan Ashkettle, an idea man)

My back gave up on shoveling snow in the second week 

of February, right around the time my station wagon refused to start.

In a somewhat alarming discovery, I realize

my friend Bryan had my best recent ideas 10 years ago.

In other developments, 

I have a conversation with Jim in which we discuss 

the fact that nothing happened 10 years ago - it is now 15 - 20.

Everything is now relative to my advanced age.

My station wagon sits lonely in a snow-covered lot 

on Cleveland Street.  If you need a ride, don't call me,

likewise for shoveling. If you'd like an idea

of what I'll be doing in 10 years, call Bryan.

Eddie Graffiti

With two simple letters

hastily spray painted

on the back of a stop sign, 

Eddie had told the narrow minded 

hypocrites in his neighborhood 

just what he thought of them.

Matchless

Having sent him a copy of my new chapbook, "River", my friend, Elyria poet Alex Gildzen, sent me a matchbook from Nick's Place and the link. I am honored to be included in his latest mail project.

River

New chapbook coming together. Get ahold of me for a copy.