POETRY MONTH.

In celebration of poetry month, I offer the following of my poetry.

THE SEA OF GALILEE

Written in the scrolls of the Elders

Of the village of Galilee

Is the story of the formation of the “Sea”

The sea of Galilee

It was formed eons ago

By great men and women of Faith

They built a dam in middle of the desert

In the middle of their village

They called it the “Sea”

Then prayed for 40 days and 40 nights

And their GOD was pleased

And for 40 days and 40 nights

The tears of Heaven rained down on the village

And filled the Sea with the tears of joy

And populated with fish and other creatures of the sea

So that the people of the village

Will be fed each day

Will drink its waters each day

And be nourished each day

And bathe each day

And wash their garments

And pray each day

In a life of joy and happiness

In the village surrounding the “Sea”

The sea of Galilee

In the village of Galilee

I AM A MAN

I am a man

I am the Ying or the Ying Yang

I am the seed that impregnates the soil of Mother Earth

I am the salt in the Ocean

I am the fishes in the Ocean

I am the stars in the Heavens

I am the Sun

I am the Moon

I am the Earth

I am the Hills

I am the Mountains

Even the ones under the Sea

I am a man

I am no one else

I am the man that the Almighty has made

And no one can convince me otherwise.

THE BONES

The bones, the bones

Neckbones, elbow bones, ankle bones

Bones from the ribs of many, many people

Men, women, and children

Murdered, or wounded and left to die

Death from a war waged by men

Because of disputes of all kinds

Disputes that are angry, selfish, unreasonable, unnecessary

Useless wars where no one wins

Just people dying and suffering in great pain

Hunger everywhere

And bones, and bones and bones

From the millions and millions of those robbed of their lives

NEW BROWN SHOES

These are my new brown shoes

They are leather

Good dark leather

Smooth and shiny

I have had them for over 30 years

A gift from my lover

I wear them often

Almost every day

And I think of her whenever I do

The comfort of these shoes reminds me of her

Soft, warm, caring, and full of energy

She keeps me excited

Just like these new brown shoes.

They are not new now

But they have been worn well

Well cared for

Polished and shined every day

Even on Sundays

I wear them with affection

And the endearment of my lover

OUR FRIENDSHIP

I remember how it started

Over 40 years ago

It was just your voice in a crowd

Warm and playful

Distinct from the rest

Indeed, I can still hear it after all these 40 years

Not what you were saying

But the sound of it

And then I saw your face

Just a glimpse

To see you smiling

Your eyes staring directly at me

And then I met you

It was like meeting a friend lost to me

We shook hands and electricity coursed through me

You said hello

Just hello was enough to win me

And I to win you

And now we are together

Quietly embracing each other

Tightly, no space between us

Ours is not transactional as that of lovers

But comforting, relaxed, honest, and endearing

We spend our days and many nights together

HAIL TO THE STATUS QUO

I am a knock around

Moving from pillar to pillar

To post, to post

Like a bouncing ball

Up, down, and rolling around

Shaking like a shik shak belly dance

Jimmie jammin, jimmie jammin

I slide side to side in a smelly grease pit

I am just a knock around

I am flailing about wildly

Like dry leaves on the pavement or in the park

On a windy day in the fall.

I don’t want to be a knock around anymore

I want a regular woman in my life

Work at a real job

Eat regular food, not mystery food

Sleep in the same damn bed every night

My foot planted solidly on the ground

My eyes steady, not shifty, shifty

This is whom I want to be

Hail to the status quo.

This Creek in the valley

Dried, filled with rocks and debris

Winding its way at the base of this mountain range

This creek in the valley was once a raging river

Deep in some parts, shallow in others

The creek was filled with fish and other creatures of the sea, and plants

It fed many who lived along its banks

They bathed and drank it delicious waters

Over time, over time it has dried up

Leaving the remnants of the sea creatures

and even some of the humans that inhabited it

The dried-up creek forced the people who lived along its banks

to leave and find new homes

And now this dried-up creek is inhabited by

those interested in learning its past

Digging, and digging for history’s sake

It’s a tomb of sorts for all that lived here

Sea creatures, animals, humans, and plants

All living and thriving together

And now teaching us about life as it was lived

And perhaps informing our future living.