In this one corner
You’ll find works of
Great beauty and depth,
Evoking wonder,
Recounting tales of
Places visited,
Feelings felt,
Life lived.
Ask the artist a question,
There is a lot to be learned
About humanity here,
Knowledge earned through
Experience, vulnerability,
Courage, bliss.
Doing nothing at all
And still enjoying
Each other’s company.
Thoughtful conversations
Imbued with empathy,
Listening, depth.
Silly jokes
About anything
And everything.
It stares back at me
Daring me to do something,
To create anything
Of consequence, some idea
Not previously conceived,
A feeling revealed anew,
Some treasure that
Lends new life to an
Unsuspecting passerby.
An old tree stands
Alone on the edge
Of the pond,
The last one of
His family to enjoy
The gentle breeze
Blowing across the
Water, the birds
Visiting from faraway
Places, the people
Resting in its shade,
The magic of being.
He hopes to himself
That he can one day
Transcend this drab world
Of daily gatherings at the
Same old bar with
The same friends talking
About the same exploits
From high school,
Angry at never having
Left this town to enjoy
New vistas,
Closing hearts and minds
Railing against
Anyone who doesn’t
Share their misery.
A pernicious myth
That those who accumulate
A vast amount of wealth
Are somehow better
Than everyone else:
Wiser, more industrious,
Gifted in some way,
When what’s really going on
Is that they were
In the right place
At the right time.
Countless others toil
Just as hard,
If not more,
For far less,
There but for chance.
A door opens on a
Narrow lane in a small
Hillside town forgotten
By time. She steps out
Into the familiar mix
Of shadow and light
Playing off stone.
A neighbor walks by,
The perfunctory hello.
Once in a while she sees
A tourist or two, adventurous
Sorts who journey to isolated
Places for an authentic experience.
She wishes she could tell
Them what her life is like,
Ask them to take her with them.
