Dorian Gray

The camera doesn’t lie
No matter what deal you make
With the devil
Or how good the lighting
Or from which direction
The lines are there
The shadows
The southward drift
The dissipation
The swag
The jowls
The wattle
The problem is
When I look in the mirror
I see a friendly face
A face I know
And someone loved
Once
It’s a strange game of Dorian Gray
With the devil
Of the camera
And the camera doesn’t lie
And the only thing left to do
Is smile

Joyful Noise

I’m hearing voices

There’s a ringing in my ears

An echo and clatter

And ambient music

And I know
I’m not going crazy

I’m hearing voices
And not just in my head

There’s a ringing in my ears
It’s the Cathedral bells

The echo and clatter
Of people in the street
The joyful noise
Of babies crying
The ambient music
Of people talking
Dogs barking
And not
Just the sound
Of my own voice

At 55

Shock and horror
registers
my heart sinks
like being hit in the chest
my breath is taken
the heat
of every embarrassment
humiliation
shame
indignation
fear
anger
relived
when a warm wave washes
over my face
and shoulders
and ribs
I take a deep breath
and wait it out
knowing
this too shall pass

Transition

Awash in melancholy autumn light
I wash the linens of ten beds and
As I practice the Zen
Of swimming pool maintenance
The water still feels like liquid summer
Silk satin sheets

A RUSE

It’s just a ruse
Isn’t it
If I convince you
To play
A game of Candyland
Or a hand
Of Asso Piglia Tutto
Mondo Scoperto
or Uno
The long and lonely
Summer days
Won’t be
And you will remember your childhood
As happy
Won’t you
Because I don’t
But I didn’t
And no one
Tried to convince me
It wasn’t just a ruse

May Flowers

I always
Take this road
I know its twists
And turns
Cherry blossoms blink
On distant hillsides
Hope
As the dead of winter marches
From my memory
Honesty prevails
Deep violet bearded iris spring
Forthright from the banks
Warm scented Erica hovers
My pungent narcissus
Rears its ugly head
Mauve magnolia petals spread
In hubris
Crimson clover shoots upright
Dark magenta Judas blossoms
On black bark
Pale lilac wisteria
With humility
Wild flowers
And expectations
To be tempered
By summer heat
For love may
Never
Take this road
Again

SPRING II

Decomposing leaves
And bare branches
Turn russet in the rain

Discouragement
And disillusion try
To maintain a foothold

A bird chirps
A cat pules
A bud emerges