Christmas Boxes

         CHRISTMAS BOXES Each year I wrap the ornaments with care And put them back in their boxes. Then they go off in the garage or in storage Somewhere out of the way. There are almost always a few new ones That become part of the memories....

Hopalong

                                        HOPALONG A small article caught my eye That said he was gone After so many years of silence Back in a cupboard of forgotten...

Gone

                    Gone Being miles and emotions apart it is not now A constant reminder It just comes now and then when I think Of telling him about this or that Sharing a...

Unknown Soldier

       UNKNOWN SOLDIER As the caisson rolled past With the flag draped coffin Some of the crowd began falling in Behind it For the most part, a scruffy bunch In jeans, T-shirts, Here and there an old faded field jacket There were more than a few...

Tigers In Cribs

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Spring Cleaning

SPRING CLEANING Cleaning house todayOf old boxes full of dust and memoriesTwo stood there as they had Since the summer monthsMy father’s “things”It is time with the spring cleaningTo clear and take the final stepThe final clearing and maybe...

Smok, Smok

                Smok, Smok I don’t know how to spell those words, But I know how they sound. They sound like a crazy man On a black and white television set. A crazy man who wore a silly hat, Played the piano, sang, and...

Late Night Phone Calls*

                                                 Late Night Phone Calls The baby came crawling to me tonight Saying “Da, Da” With...

Watching, Too

                         WATCHING, TOO I looked for you In the eyes of every girl I saw today Some eyes shined bright But not like yours I listened, too For your voice I know it well Though I’ve...

The Memorial

The Memorial Could it have been a dream? Brought back by this wall of black granite Towering above, Stretching beyond To blend with the falling mist. Black to gray to black. In stark silence that belies the violence implied Of these thousands of young lives, Of the...