National Poetry Month

Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day
(Inspiration from Shakespeare’s sonnet 18,
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day)

Shall I compare you to an early day in Spring
your brain develops with the freshening green
Ides of March help the sudden garden mind sing
our love moves from sprouts to flower in our bean
during Spring due to bouts of new love and new rain
rivers and eyes of tears overflow their banks
levees and lovers feel the pressure and the strain
drought stricken farms and couples give thanks
your spring shows in your lively step and your lip
as over love’s muddy ground you keep walking
in clear consciousness winter is given the slip
love takes the lead with gossip and talking
as love’s steady Spring rains melt the winter snow
my love for you takes roots and continues to grow

A Breath of Death
(My senior citizen spin on Shakespeare’s sonnet 73)

I behold my time of death in some eternal cold
limbs lame, knees shot, fingers gnarled and froze
most of my songs sung, teenage tales all told
requiem for my frame cawed by a murder of crows
on sea cliffs I welcome the coming of night
watch the moon slowly rise in the east
and darkness as the moon slips out of sight
no worries about eternal night in the least
what is left of my tropical life is glowing coals
a low tangantangan fire of burning embers
now its heaven or hell and roasting souls
Thanksgiving has life way beyond Novembers
going for good now old age saps life and strength
my love for all that lives will stay the length

Earth Days Before We Were Born
I did not see all of the thoughtless events
that lead us up to the moment where we are
but using everyday basic common sense
we don’t need to look back in the past very far
maybe a hundred years before our parents were born
we began serious pollution of the waters and the sky
as farther and farther from the Earth we were torn
few earthlings stopped to pause and wonder why
I did not hear of all the tragic man made events
that slowly diminished the quality of our daily life
yet entire countries continue on in a manner most dense
little disturbed by the Earth’s present daily strife- but
there is light in the darkness and clean water in the bay
as people help the Earth by celebrating Earth Day

Thallasophobia—Fear of Oceans
From the tempest a terrible torrent
overflowing the banks of every seaside stream
flotsam and jetsam mix with the current
omnipotent in my evil ocean dream
fishing boats ripped helter skelter from the quay
smashed and broken scattered along the reef
stinking fish floating out in the bay
silently pulled out by a high tidal thief
thank Neptune there are no rotting sperm whales
oil spills in shrimp and oyster beds blacken the coral
perhaps it is calm enough to hoist the foresails
time to heave away from the coastal arboreal
with more care for and respect for time and devotion
let’s live without fear and in synergy with our oceans