at the end of the day

and where is your heart my dear today
have you left it somewhere on the road,
between trains, or at the last bus stop,
mixed up by the business of the day?

and where do your dreams project
the facts of the day? did you make any plans
do you still think where you would like to go
if tomorrow will come?

are you perhaps tired today
of your daily races and would like to breath
slowly with a friend at the end of the day
telling each other stories of no matter what

for the simple joy of sharing time and mind?
would you like to wrap your arms around
me and I will support your dreams with my trunk?
We will grow together greener and higher

under the sun
will have to relearn to reflect
warmth and candor
and learn to listen to the pulse of today

summer rain

it is one of these last days of summer

when the balance did not tilt yet in the favor of fall

when the sun caresses the kids hair

and turns it for a minute to gold

it is one of these days when grapes taste best

when the smell of rotten fruit has nothing unhealthy about it

when melons still roll through the garden

in search for the joy of one more day of vacation.

it is one of these weeks when if it rains

the kids have no fear but instead want to feel it

they have no desire to get into the house 

and perhaps watch cartoons;

it is one of these days when teenagers

are busy adding a whole inch to their height;

one of these days when their bodies fill up

with warmth and energy to last them enough

through fall and at least some of winter

it is one of these magic seasons

when it's raining babies

around the neighborhood

and they all come out with their sun hats on

and their parent carry them with joy

on their breast, in their arms

in a parade of new life 

in a declaration of love

and strength - cause they have the power

to carry all

for all the trip's length

and through all seasons ahead

so help them God! 

quote of the day

"sometimes I think we're not real
we are just (playing a part) in God's dream" AKB

chess song

men maybe pawns
but they have brains of their owns
beware they can change
the rules of the game
they need to know
in their minds
that their king makes
the right moves
or else they may choose
to leave the board
and let the king
and maybe their queen
dance alone
to their tune

advice of the decade

- for a scholar-

"read (the literature) for two hours a day"
PTF

comment:
reading is still work, work that makes you grow, and you do not want to stay in place!

metro news or the good old boys

this one to the peaceful writers of our own Durham local placeblogs

where are the days
when the good old boys
who worked for the newspaper
where there all day long
and most of the night
sipping their beer and telling a tale
waiting for the next big thing to happen
while they were there.

where are the local old boys
proud to be dressed in gray suits
and dusty fast shoes
are they still waiting
by the phone, at the pub?

have they been replaced
perhaps because their rides home
took a little longer everyday
as the city grew larger;
perhaps because they were one day allowed
to start a family
and lingering at the pub
suddenly did not seem as tempting
as it used to;
or maybe because
somewhere far away
a non local guy bends hard everyday
and looks to understand what happened
in their corner of the world
and then writes a story
much cheaper.


they may have changed out of their suits
but they are still here on the field
the writers and makers of news,
our daring brothers
in sneakers and boots,
in sunshine and storms
they can say good bye to the past
and in with the news!

the forgiving plant

this one for Maria, who can write poems about food and prose about other important aspects of life

Basil
the emperor herb
spreads generously
aroma when touched

basil
too proud to ask
for much care
shines in the sun as much as it can

basil
when left unattended
in the scorcher heat
wrinkles and wilts

basil
will never complain
(in fact it is but a plant)
and will try to survive for as long as it can

basil
when finally remembered
and throughly watered
will come back to life with majestic power

when watered
and appreciated
will reward you with its wonderful smell
(and let you make good pesto as well)

disregarding

disregarding
the fact that is summer
sunny and 90 degrees in the shade
we dress with long sleeved shirts
hard pressed collars
heels and black pants.
because today it looks good
and it makes us look cool.
all it takes is turning the AC on.

we've learned to make our day
relatively comfortable.
who cares if outside
of our little enclave
the world burns a little bit faster
the river flows
a little bit slower
the ice melts a little bit faster
and seasons have forgotten
how to time their rule.
maybe, if given another chance
our kids will.

the poem

she loves poems
and she requests
to hear one every day
it has to have rhymes
and an image
to dance with it.

she loves poems
but they should be
always the same
- one of those who became
a good friends of hers;
one of those who she knows rather well

it takes time
to befriend truly and deeply
a new poem
and you know by now
that she is not
the kind who falls in love easily

tea

I suggest
you share
a cup of green tea
with a friend

sweeten it
with a cookie
made by your friend's
hands; or yours

relax
this day shall pass
good or bad
as others have

what you have
is this cup of tea
and the option to stirr it
gently

the way you want it
elegantly
if you will only relax
it is 'bout tea

heat

photo courtesy Melinama - http://pratie.blogspot.com/
this one for River Dave and Josie

a day on the Eno
we passed
where the river talks
his stories in a low voice
under the elm trees
where the river goes
in invisible swirls up to the sky
because it evaporates
while we somehow manage
to gently slide our boats
on its mirror like surface.
is it still water or is it still running?
almost effortlessly the grass sweats
blue sweat
while the strings play
along side a tuba
old music of the Carolina.

now that is monday and cloudy
we wait for another day
to go on the Eno
even if the newspapers say
it's gonna be cloudy we know
it might well be cloudy
with a chance of rainbow

sweet love

her love is so sweet
if you only could get
enough of it
sometimes it feels
like there is
more need for it
for her being sweet
so sweet

song of the day - summertime (lyrics- DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin; music -G. Gershwin)

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But till that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

summer days, water days

these are the days
when the kids move swiftly
from one stage to another
as they jump in the middle of summer

these are the days
when they still give their parents
kisses and hugs
without being afraid of their peers

these are the days when
light lingers longer and sleep
does not want to come to the eyes
cause it must be afraid of the heat

these are the days of splashes
and swimming fins
and floats and other sorts of devices
to keep them afloat

until they have really learned to swim
until they have grown wings
and the will to go away from home
and learn on their own

these are the days to cherish
and write about in our diaries of love,
save their pictures in albums of photos
and put into songs

Cape Hatteras

image courtesy of NASA
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/EFS/photoinfo.pl?PHOTO=STS034-83-69

We're back from the wonderful place of sand and water called Outer Banks. Such a fragile territory, such a powerful ocean and weather. We learned about the brave men of the sea - and some of their challenges and loneliness. We learned about the value of lighthouses and climbed to the top of the tallest brick lighthouse - Hatteras.
We learned about the wind that helped give wings to the Wright brothers.
We flew kites.
But mostly we enjoyed the waves and the sand.

"STS034-83-69 Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, U.S.A. October 1989
The famous barrier island coast of Cape Hatteras, is visible in this near vertical of the North Carolina coast. This barrier island system is protected as the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with Pamlico Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. A plume of sediment, visible off of the tip of Cape Hatteras, creates a light blue color in the Atlantic Ocean waters. This outflow is from the precipitation runoff of Hurricane Hugo (Sept. 1989) which was still evident during the STS-34 mission (Oct. 1989). This same delayed or extended runoff phenomenon was also very marked along the periphery of the Yucatan Peninsula following Hurricane Gilbert in 1988."

symbiosis

we've build our city in the forest

because we thought we love it;

now we're cutting down the trees

because we're growing

we live with the ever thinning impression

of a forest, and one should ask:

are we trying hard enough 

to keep it from disappearing in ashes at dusk?

kid quotes

I love it on the balance bean!
Let's take the alligator.
you have to say CUCUMBEARRRS!
Ana

float

today the river will flow
effortlessly
to the sound of the wind
in the trees;

today the light will shine
calmly
on the foreheads of those
who look at the sky;

today you can float
worry free
on the river of life
and let your heart shine

because baby today
your family and your friends
lend you their wings
and their fins to keep you afloat
I will keep watch carefully.
lovingly and I know
that tomorrow
you will learn to swim
gracefully in this river
of everyday's life;


anybody can
push you in the water
nobody really can
teach you how to swim
but we will cheer
send you tips
lots of information
you would have never asked for
and you will find in yourself
the skills that you need
and grow
strong and young
in the shade of old trees
ready to cut through them
to get out into the light
while the river flows
as always
effortlessly
to the sound of the wind
in the trees.

quote of the day

"I love you more than math and apple pie!"
my son's message for mother's day

the forgiving song

happy birthday to Ty
who nibbled on my pie;
happy birthday to Lila
who drank my vanilla;
happy birthday to Lucy
who drank my juicy;
happy birthday to Bob
who stole my lollipop!

I am happy today
and I am gonna forgive you all
not gonna feel small
cause it is my birthday
and I wish it was the same everyday!