Great

No one 

Has asked me lately 

What I think 

Makes a life 

Great 

 

If they did

I’d say

 

It’s a stranger 

Offering to share 

A swim lane

At a crowded pool

 

It’s appreciating

The enough-ness

Of an average house 

An average job

 

It’s having 

A few dreams

Come true

 

It’s living the life you decide

With the people you’ve chosen 

 

It’s pursuing opportunities 

That light up your soul

 

It’s looking out for another

Because we all

Need a hand up

Sometimes 

 

It’s living unafraid in freedom 

 

It’s being kind because it’s right 

To be kind

 

It’s learning from our mistakes 

And becoming better humans 

It’s living in a society 

Where the schoolyard bully 

Would never 

Be elected principal

It’s living without fear

That a disability

A skin color

Or an immigration status 

Might land you

In concentration camp 

Might get you killed

It’s the simplest 

Of things really

That make 

Life great

So the question then

That needs answer

Why take these things away

And exactly who

Is life great for

When these things

Are gone

Remaining Years

With my remaining years

I don’t desire

Travel to far-away places

 

As much as I desire

Travel within

And to know myself well

 

To leave some measure 

Of wisdom

To those 

Coming into the world

As I’m leaving it

 

To remind myself 

And others

 

That an average life

An average appearance even

Isn’t so bad

 

That there are worse things 

In life 

Than being chubby

 

Like lacking empathy

Or living void

Of compassion

For instance

 

That most of us

Get to a point in life

 

When our bodies will 

No longer

Conform 

 

When we feel 

More vulnerable

Than strong 

 

And this is 

To be expected

 

This is a right

Of passage

 

And the good news remains

 

Life is still ok

Life is still good

 

Our vessels 

Wear down

With use

 

All efforts

To get them back

In factory condition

Are futile

 

But mostly

They still drive

Even if they sometimes 

Make a tinny sound

Or need higher quality fuel

 

They still take you

Where you need to go

 

So go

 

Don’t waste 

One minute more

Apologizing

To the world 

Or yourself 

 

For what 

Is visible proof

Of a life

Being lived

Forgive Yourself Now

 

Forgive yourself now

For all you’ll never be

 

You will die someday

With some regrets

 

With at least a handful

Of unfulfilled dreams

 

With things you wanted to do

But never did

 

You will die

Before you are done

Living 

 

And that is ok

 

That is what it is

To be human

 

To try 

 

To strive

 

To be surprised 

That we are out of time

 

To understand

That our imperfectly lived lives

Still meant something 

 

Still left the world changed

 

Human

It is human

To be sad

When sad 

Things happen

 

Human to despair

Over the unthinkable

Unfolding 

 

Human to wonder

 

Do I have what it takes

To make it through 

What generations before me

Have not

 

A good question

To be sure

 

One that can only

Be answered

With time

Not Going To Answer It

I do not multi task

 

So if the phone rings

At a time when

I’m doing literally

Anything else

 

I’m not going to answer it

 

If it rings 

While I’m driving 

In my 20 year old

Bluetooth less Toyota

I’m not going to answer it

 

But also

If I did have Bluetooth

Even then

I wouldn’t answer it 

 

If my phone rings

While I’m home

Finally making a recipe

I’ve been waiting to try

I’m not going to answer it

 

If it rings

During the hour

I have happily set aside

To get lost in a read

I’m not going to answer it 

 

Should it ring

At days end 

While I’m  scrolling 

Social media 

Yes even then 

I won’t be answering it

 

If I’m talking 

In person

With any human

Be it neighbor, friend 

Mailman or cashier 

I’m not going to answer it

 

If I’m peacefully sitting

With my dog

Petting her

And telling her again

That she’s a queen

I’m not going to answer it

 

If I’m sitting on my couch

Silently going over words

In my head 

That will one day become 

A poem

I’m not going to answer it

 

There is a line

Sprawled for miles 

Of things fighting 

For my time 

 

And if I don’t protect 

What’s important to me

It disappears

 

And I can’t have that

 

So if you have a question

Maybe email it

 

That I will answer 

Usually the same day

But only

During the moments of my day

That I’m not already doing

Something I enjoy

So much more

Juneteenth

If you have information   

That you know 

Could instantly lift 

An unbearable burden 

Off the back 

Of a fellow human

 

But opt not to share it

 

Because un-complicating 

Someone else’s life 

Might complicate

Yours 

 

Then you suck

 

And if you are not interested

In exposing yourself to facts

 

In learning as an adult

What you were never taught 

As a child 

 

Than at least have the sense

Not to be the loudest one 

In the room

 

What heavy burden 

Are you carrying

Today

 

Maybe bankruptcy 

Or cancer

Or something else

Too painful

To mention

 

What if someone

Walked through the door right now

And brought the solution 

 

Told you that

A huge surprise inheritance

Had just paid your debts

 

Told you that

The cure for cancer

Had been found

 

Told you the suffering was over

 

And though 

The last many years

Had nearly broken you

 

Required you 

To make impossible choices

As you scraped together a life

With no funds

 

Required you 

To say goodbye

To those you loved dearly

As cancer took them 

From this earth

 

What if you then learned

That the inheritance left to you

Was supposed to be given

Nearly three years ago

 

That the cure for cancer

Had really been found

Long before 

Those you loved 

Died 

 

You might still

Be thankful 

For the windfall

For the cure

 

But you’d also damn sure

Be angry

 

That such life altering information 

Was intentionally withheld 

 

And when finally

You realized

That this injustice 

Was by design

 

You’d see 

As well

How little

Has changed

Sometimes Things Fall Apart

Sometimes 

Things fall 

Apart

 

Completely 

Unexpectedly

Unfathomably

 

Everything 

That matters

Destroyed

 

And all

That can

Be done

 

Is nothing really

 

Only wait

Bear witness

Give name

To the pain

That took

Everything

 

Maybe one day 

Years later

Relearn 

To breathe

 

Maybe one day

Write the story

Of what you’ve 

Lived through 

 

Maybe one day

Look the ending

Loss has written you

Dead in the eyes

 

Hold its gaze

 

Pick up a pen

Rewrite