Tag: poetry

Blast from the Past

It was around 4 AM when I pulled my 240 ton production truck onto the dump, backed up alongside the catskinner, and proceeded to dump my load. Suddenly, night became day as the box came in contact with a 10,000+ volt overhead powerline. It blew out the windshield, gauges from the dash, and three of the tires, not to mention my mind.

I sat there in the smoldering truck for about half an hour as I waited for an electrician to come and give me the all-clear to touch the metal and climb down. Just as I began to walk away from the truck, it burst into flames. My guardian angel was working overtime that morning; nobody could really explain how that happened.

out of the trodden

depths of hell,

the mighty brute

i rode,

and so appeased

the metal beast

with yet

another load…

–Photo not by me

dance of the madmen (archives)

in the dark

before the dawn

eos slips

her mantle on

and madmen dance

out on the lawn

spin, scuttle, clop

for in the light

a toothless grin

or sunken eye

or drooling chin

betrays the madness

deep within

spin, scuttle, clop

and as the damning

daylight spreads

they waltz their way

back to their beds

to dance all day

inside their heads

spin, scuttle, clop

–image by ai

Silent Night, Sober Night

I stand here at the hotel window

And look down on a mostly empty street

All Lit up under a mostly cloudy moon.

I can’t believe how desolate it is now;

A few years ago, this place was booming.

This street would have been one big

Party on a Saturday night back then,

And, regretfully, I would have been one

Of the drunkest of the party-goers.

Now, those days are a blurry memory.

Tomorrow there’ll be plenty of folks

Down there on the street, shopping

And greeting each other seasonally,

But tonight it’s so dead, the only thing

Changing is the one lonely traffic light.

I must admit, it makes me feel a bit

Lonely too, but at least I’m not drunk.

–Photo by me

first snow 2024

first snow

here we go

temps will drop

winds will blow

car won’t start

late for work

snowplow man

what a jerk

but wait a sec

it’s not that bad

i didn’t mean

to make you sad

the holidays

are almost here

a gift of joy

a time of cheer

and so i hope

you understand

i love the winter

wonderland

–photo by me

others

nero blamed the christians

hitler blamed the jews

and now we blame the immigrants–

this isn’t something new.

well, nero died of suicide

as did hitler too–

when will we learn that ‘others’

are folks like me and you?

–image by ai

Meet the Blynx

I took this photo about a year ago of what I thought was a mama lynx, but since then, a friend of mine from the DNR told me it’s an extremely rare blynx– a hybrid between a lynx and a bobcat. The first one was discovered in Minnesota in 2003, but they put a tracking collar on it that was too tight, and the poor cat starved to death. Since then, they’ve been found in Maine and Michigan as well.

there once was a bobcat named jinx

who had a hot date with a lynx,

and the two, in a rush,

took a roll in the brush,

and promptly created the blynx

–Photo by me