Tag: poetry

Midlife Crisis

My son Aaron and I took a walk through the lowlands at the foot of the Laurentian Divide yesterday. We chatted about his upcoming trip to Vietnam. At 45, he’s decided to take a month off from his job and visit a girlfriend who teaches English in Ho Chi Minh City, instead of buying a motorcycle like I did when I was going through my midlife crisis.

Some fathers might discourage such a thing, but I say go for it! Soon you’ll be too old to gallivant around the globe, and all you’ll have is memories, so make them worthwhile.

be like the mountain–

keep your feet on the ground

but reach for the sky

–Photo by me

sasha

taking in an old dog, whose owner had died,

i was told that he rarely took her outside,

so i tore off her collar and threw it away,

and we went on adventures day after day.

and though she was here for only two years,

i think of her now and it brings me to tears,

but deep in my heart, i am forever glad

that i gave her the best years she’d ever had.

–image by ai

sunday thoughts

it was on an old mine dump like this one

that a relative of mine lost his life

it was the first funeral i’d been to

and i sat with his kids and his wife

to a young child, it seemed so surreal

and i would take some time to mend

but now death comes calling so often

it feels like he’s an old friend

–photo by me

spring ahead

it’s time to write a poem, no doubt,

but what am i to muse about?

our country’s state is looking sad–

so politics is out.

perhaps i could expound my view

on sacred things i think are true,

but that might make some people mad–

so no religion, too.

and yet, here, on this winter’s day,

there is one thing that i could say

that’s sure to make most people glad–

spring is on its way!

–photo by me

the fat lady sings (archives)

the end is come, the veil falls

an earthquake breaks the temple walls

hell freezes over, donkeys fly

in chicken little’s falling sky

the son of god comes back again

a comet brings a fiery end

the mayan calendar runs out

the trumpets sound, the angels shout

atomic war destroys the nations

shiva’s wrath aborts creation

the universe implodes at last

for time itself has come and passed

–image by ai

Shot of the Morning 2/13/25

So far, February has been much colder than January; it seems like we’ve been a month behind in weather all winter. That may have been beneficial on the front end of the season, but it will not bode well come spring.

It’s almost 30 below again this morning. Cars make a crunching noise on the snow, there are popping sounds from the buildings as they contract, and the great, unblinking eye of an ice halo glares at us puny men.

i’m chilled to the bone

by the great eye’s icy stare–

that, and bitter cold

–Photo by me