Aubade


Santiago Hemingway asked
Why old men get up so early
In the morning. Was it to make
The day longer? Perhaps. Or,
To make the night shorter. To be
Awake and navigate the night
By the stars rather than the clock
Adrift in the bladder that keeps
Us afloat in the warm stream
Where dreams flow and every
Man is an island there in the
Delicious dark hours before dawn
When solitude brews slipstream
To pour into the cup of daylight.
__________

Whatchamacallit


Gizmo, thingamabob, thingamajig,
Thingy, not to mention doohickey.
Okay! All these refer to things. But,

I remain clueless. These words are
Meaningless. No nutritional value.
No protein, no carbs. No edification.

They are noise that annoys. Worse,
Using them is demeaning. To hear
Them is maddening. Please stop.
__________

The Burning Bush


The burning bush
Gives light.
The burning bush
Gives heat.
The burning bush
Shows the way
Warms limb and soul.
The burning bush
Can fuel a holocaust .
The burning bush
Can spread wild
A fervor of flame
Without control
Destroy what is built
Consume limb and soul.
Moses walked away
Tablets in hand
Did not look back
The burning bush
Reduced to ash.