Fall Sacrament

Grateful recipient
of more Fall sacrament

at Autumn's altar
of resplendent colors

worshipful homage
with immersive welcome

transcendent cathedral
of glowing sensations

celebratory amens
for each rapturous moment. 

Coyote Chatter

Yip, yip, hooray
the gang's all here

excited howls
discordant joy

good hunts tonight
tummies well filled

without any worries
until tomorrow. 

America's Nero

Fiddling his ego
with truculent curses

upending all norms
with corruptive abandon

dissing longtime allies
with imperialist motives

costly warmongering
with murderous intent

edging toward treason
as Russia's best friend

Democracy's worst choice
now torching the Republic.

Rulers of the World

Bits and billions
control the world

computer wizards 
paired with oligarchs

lethal combine
of fiendish futurists

risking existence
without our consent

simply to prevail
in winner-take-all game. 

Vestigial Southern Connection

Glass, bow-fronted chest
in family transits
from Carolina homes
to Massachusetts address

stuffed with silver icons
goblets, pitcher, trays, plates
various Revere bowls
symbols of a vanished past

time of formality
conventional manners
prescribed etiquette
dressed-up pretensions

some lingering sentiment
commemorative birth bowl
special wedding presents
one significant antique

cultural artifacts
for later generation
unburdened with emotion
even for heirloom chest. 

Suburban Play

Turrets and slides
climbable playsets
filled with absent children

nearby woods to explore
granite rocks to scramble
without any artifice

dirt, water, sand, trees
autumn's crunchy leaves
less magnetic pull for kids.

Fall Foliage #25

Seasonal return
of autumnal muse

heightened awareness
of developing color

still unseen within green
of anticipatory trees

simmering, incubating
alchemizing, smoldering

soon-to-be explosive vistas
of radiant, blazing beauty. 

Unlikely Escape

Human ego and greed
DNA gene imprints

evolution's success
also apocalypse

stuck in recurring ruts
of wars and corruption

sadly, unlikely escape
for humankind's folly

still creative genius
perhaps our saving grace

or re-acquired antidote
of not yet gene-imprinted love.

After Eighty

Each day
a dividend day

any pain-free day
a lucky day

another walking day
an upbeat day

each beautiful day
a gladdening day

one more together day
a grateful day

every grandchild day
the very best day.