Hearts on Paper

October 27, 2010
She's got mine!

Serenity sat with me this morning,
reached for my clipboard of notes and blank paper.
Awkwardly holding the mechanical pencil
     in her left hand,
made stabs and swipes at the college rule:
     the scribbles are getting bolder.
Fingering the letters of my name
printed and taped to the metal clip,
I explain she is of a select few
who call me Grandpa.

Gazing at the work of her hand
she wraps her arms around the stiff board
and hugs the page to her tiny chest.

Wet: morning of September 30, 2010

September 30, 2010
Serenity is a fount of inspiration!

It rained last night and the earth is all wet;
too wet for little feet,
too wet to be absorbed by a single disposable diaper.

So you return the favor and press
drool soaked lips against the window pane,
giving the world outside a sloppy wet kiss,

your diaper drooping below sea level.

When I Was A Child

September 11, 2010
Reminiscent of a simpler time.

Gumby,
Gunsmoke,
no one was voted off
     Gilligan's Island;
Bozo, Batman (in gray tights);
Dragnet;
wrestling greats Bobo Brazil,
Flying Fred Curry,
The Sheik;
I always lost at marbles,
     little league baseball,
     Webeloes and Awanas;
yellow Huffy bicycle, banana seat,
     sissy bar, chopper handle bars,
     no helmet, no pads;
Detroit Tigers on the transistor radio,
Hank Williams on the console stereo;
drive-ins;
station wagon,
bench seats, seat belts not required;
black cherry Kool-Aid™,
fried oatmeal, bread pudding,
     both with raisins,
goulash, Sunday pot roast;
weeping willow in the front yard,
cherry on the side, wild apple across the fence,
rhubarb and clover.
When I was four I was allowed
to walk a quarter mile
down the tree-lined road by myself
to play with my friend Ruth.