WOMAN

Different shape,
different demeanor,
heart full of love
gentle, serener,
nurturing, caring,
hopeful and compassionate,
warm, teaching healer,
wife and companion,
mother and mate,
her own woman,
a gift from God,
an improvement on man.

DOCTOR ROBERT

Dang, my friend you've got the flu,
Doctor Robert.
Night or day, anytime will do,
Doctor Robert.

Doctor Robert.
You're burning up with fire,
he can help, if you desire,
to control your hot and fevered pyre,
Doctor Robert.

With a shot he'll pick you up,
Doctor Robert.
Tamiflu from his special cup,
Doctor Robert.

Doctor Robert.
Take a stand if you believe,
helps the sickly ones indeed,
there's no one else that can succeed like
Doctor Robert.

Hope you're well, and feeling fine.
Sickness sells, he'll make you sign..
Doctor Robert

H1N1 will sap your health,
Doctor Robert.
pay the price with more than wealth,
Doctor Robert.

Doctor Robert.
Take a stand if you believe,
Helps the sickly ones for greed,
there's no one else that can succeed like
Doctor Robert.

Hope you're well, and feeling fine.
Sickness sells, he'll make you sign.
Doctor Robert.

Dang, my friend you've got the flu,
Doctor Robert.
Night or day, anytime will do,
Doctor Robert.


*** A parody lyric based on... Doctor Robert by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

FLYING

(Everybody Says It Couldn't Be Done)

Lightness of being,
a free bird, free as a bird,
releasing convention and
holding firm to the belief
that love conquers all.
They speak of the impossible
nature of the ability to "fly".
But, inside your heart, there
starts a flutter, a spark
that ignites your emotion,
stokes your devotion and
brings your soul into the wind,
where you can begin to
speed blindly down the runway
of love and compassion,
allowing you to fashion
wings to let the two of you,
achieve weightlessness;
that lightness, where your
pilots license is a license
to love. Skies are clear
and you're ready for take off.
Thank you for flying the
friendly skies!

REVOLUTION 9

(The Thing-me-wats-it)

Behold the thing-me-wats-it,
the modern mini marvel.
Made of a space-age polymer,
about the size of your navel.
It clears your head congestion,
it monitors your weight,
it gives off light when power goes,
this thing-me's really great.
They are in mass production,
the assembly line is quaint,
it looks just like an aspirin,
but, be assured, it ain't.
A half a million are in use,
a million more projected,
airport security bans their use,
(but they've never been detected).
They're coated with a resin,
so it doesn't need a case,
but use the wats-it with caution,
don't put in near your face.
This is the ninth rendition,
their condition is just fine,
you can tell them by their label,
They're all marked Number 9, Number 9, Number 9....

PLEASE, PLEASE ME

(And Then He Begged)

In his carefree days of bachelorhood,
he politely asked, "Please, please me?"

As a young newlywed he said
in loving tones, "Please me."

Twenty five years down the pike,
his query comes only as, "PLEASE?"

FROM ME TO YOU

I thought about you last night.
I think about you every night.
It is something I do, because I can.

But last night you were in my dreams.
One of those, "so real you can touch"
dreams that awaken you in cold sweats and

make you clench your eyes, hoping to see
one more glimpse, or share one more moment
before what little sleep you get evades them.

You were there, by my side with smile wide,
and eyes that stayed trained only on me.
When we walked, I became your vision, steering you

around obstacle and hazard in our way.
My arm around your shoulder, feeling the tremor
in your every breath that landed upon my nape

keeping my pilot light well lit, and reminding
of the vibrancy you have given my purpose.
And we walked, because that's what we did.

Sunshine or rain, our footsteps never faltered.
Snow and sand, our trek was not deterred.
In sickness and in health, as you always said

not promises we had exchanged before God,
but a life commitment we shared in what
our love espoused. You were my sun and moon,

you walk our heaven amongst the stars
we counted in futility, but as endless
as this love remains. A lifeline

that joins our hearts still; a tether
that keeps your being alive within me,
an attachment that illness could not dampen,

and the darkness of death cannot shadow.
So we meet often in my dreams knowing that
your influences and direction serve me still.

In our last moments in life, your beauty,
hidden within the emaciated form you had taken,
your brilliant auburn fire had become

sparsely patched and faded, your eyes were
dim flickers of the enlightening flame
that warmed my heart and soul, but still glowed

for the sight of me. Your voice lay silent,
words of love only played on the periphery
of your vacant stare. Your lips, dried and cracked,

pursed and puckered from your disease still
desired to feel the touch of my own bringing you
the sensation you always awaited. It brought it out.

Your smile. Faint, but apparent, you knew.
Beauty. It lived in you even when death struggled
to wrestle it from my firm grip. I held on.

And I continue to hold onto the meaning
of what we shared. The love. The attachment.
The part of you that never died. The last lasting gift.

From me to you.

I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

A human tether
linking two souls
with their very touch.

Tactile embrace
in an intermingling of fingers
holding our hearts in each others hands.

The warm moistness
transfers the heat between
and becomes self sustaining.

Always at your fingertips
I await to manipulate life's difficulties
in the wave of my fidgety digits.

Never lost in the crowd
saying out loud what a whisper
could just as well convey easily.

For in the reach for your love
I have found something to hold to keep you.
Take my hand, and you will have my heart.

HOLD ME TIGHT

Hold me tight
so I can feel you breathing.
The sweet in and out of life's rhythm
clutching onto the thought of my being.
In return, your presence is welcomed
and most needed in the clasp of
your arms around my shoulders.
You hold me up, keep me secure,
you offer your self as an anchor
to keep me from drifting too far out
from your safe shore. Keep me right.
Hold me tight.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Ignitions sequence started.
"T" minus 10 seconds.
You're feeling the pressures,
of a conflicted muse.
"T" minus 9 seconds.
The words you use
find you grasping for the
right ones, falling just short
of your objective.
"T" minus 8 seconds and counting.
Your payload is secure,
a seven month journey
into the cosmos of collective thought,
fueled by passions: yours and your "crew",
"T" minus 7 seconds,
and a steady flow of inspiration
from loves lost and found
feet on the ground but ready to
blast off for poems unknown.
"T" minus 6, 5, 4 seconds.
The countdown continues,
bringing you closer to
your objective, 3...2,
a collection
of your thoughts and notions,
elixirs and potions to take
you to that "special place";
your own inner space to explore.
"T" minus 1, and cou...
Internal combustion.
Houston, We have a problem.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

(Time line)

Score and fifteen etched the faces,
some coming from most distant places,
just to bring the circle closed.

Youthful memories to the fore
for men and women who before
were classmates on the brink of aging.

Over time we've gotten older,
mellow now, where once were bolder,
with wisdom lacing our decisions.

Parents now, some grandkids too,
and pride in everything they do,
at this stage of life we share.

And share we did, through the ages,
faces posed on all the pages,
come to life to touch our histories.

Recognition brings a smile,
sadly thinking all the while,
"What the heck is that guy's name?"

Grouped together with familiarity,
cliques of old held high hilarity,
now accepting, all were welcomed.

And me, a bookish nebish then,
stood abreast with these old friends,
who remembered me with some affection.

Why do situations pose,
a change of manner, do you suppose
I could have been a different man?

For back in High School where life bloomed,
blossoms of beauty in every room,
the directions chosen were our own.

Some, the choices were not theirs,
and death had sadly nested there
to take old comrades from this earth.

Surely in spirit they raised a glass,
to celebrate this reunited mass,
the storied Class of Seventy-Four.

I regret to say, through faults of mine,
I met old classmates for the first time,
thirty-five years past the bar.

The smiles and hugs will surely linger,
and I can count on just one finger
the seconds I'll hesitate when forty calls.

Long live Lackawanna High School Class of 1974!

I’LL KEEP YOU SATISFIED

(If Only …)

I ply you with the romance game,
a game I love to play,
and something that appeals to you
in every single way.

I smatter you with phone calls
just to hear your sound,
and whisper nothings in your ear
where words of love abound.

I send you cards and letters there
quoting words professed,
poetic nuance Hallmark style,
I care to send the very best.

I have flowers delivered to your house,
roses by the score,
floral fragrance fills your senses,
always wanting more.

I give you gifts without a cause
baubles by the bag,
anything to give you pause,
you’ll know without a tag.

I offer all the things I can,
my love remains devout,
I’ll try and keep you satisfied,
if only the Viagra holds out.

DEAR PRUDENCE

(If Only I Could Find the Words)

If only I could find the words
that would make the difference in your world
and keep you from running to hide
every time you feel it crashing down around you.

Your beauty is an illusion to you
for even in the eyes of the beholder, you will
see what you want to see
and disregard the thoughts of others.

The outward manifestation of that vision
has made people stand up and take notice,
only to have you sit down and blend into the woodwork,
seeking a refuge in clear coated oak.

If only you would know
that all the thoughts that you think
would be deemed as wisdom,
if only you’d share them more.

Your voice is a symphony,
an aria for my ears and a score
to hum throughout my day,
if only you would set it free.

The tenderness and compassion
that resides deep within you,
suffocates on the precepts of indecision,
with no resuscitation possible.

And if only I could find the words,
I would tell you that you are loved
for who you are, as you are, and
for as long as you remain, dear Prudence.

IT’S ONLY LOVE

(If Only Love Were Enough)

If only love were enough,
it would be all that we’d need
and because it would stoke our greed
we’d want all we could get.
If only love were enough.
It would be all consuming
and drive all that we do,
making all that we do more special,
if only love were enough.
All the evil in the world
would be forced to retire,
and all sadness expire,
if only love were enough.
Loneliness would be an abstract,
separation would be joined
and peace would be possible.
If only love were enough.
But without someone
with which to share it,
love will never be enough.
It's only love.

TIP OF MY TONGUE

A man of words
the silver tongued devil
spellbinder with reminders
of all the things needed to say;
all the thing they want to hear.
A twist of the truth to
satisfy the curious, and
your conscience is furious
that you'd stoop to such lows.
A snake oil salesman with
a special on slick, take your pick
of which fork in the road you choose,
Monty, what's behind door number two?
The lies flow downstream, taking
you deep into your deviancy,
and keeping you stuck in your station.
Another slippery diversion brought to you
by the darkest reaches of your soul.

YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY

Neither a lender,
nor a borrower be.
Such is the rule that's fair
to keep friends friends,
and keep them from
vanishing into thin air.
A matter of trust gone awry,
suddenly too sly, they
avoid detection. On
closer inspection you
should have feigned broke
and it's a running joke
that he's already defaulted
on the loan, no shock, it
was a forgone conclusion when
the cash left your pocket.
And now his illusion is a
broad disappearance, do you
cut your losses, for a strict
adherence to the rule as so stated.
Neither a lender, or a borrower be,
the money slipped through my fingers,
when you failed to repay me.
Fool me once, shame on you...

SAY THE MAGIC WORDS

A poetic word magician
performing feats of fiction.
amazing micro poetry,
prose prestidigitation,
pulling rare bits from a hat,
trick and gags, and all of that.
Alliterative illusions here,
making limericks disappear.
Literary magic, that's my deal,
I'll be here all week, try the veal.

SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW

(Maybe I Should Have Left Her The Key?)

All my toiletries strewn about,
my deodorant in the "soup",
Roll of tissues all unfurled.

My towel bar was ripped right out,
my shower curtain torn,
my hamper upturned with my undies asunder.

My nosy old neighbor not minding her own
was the reason authorities came to my home,
A frantic call for extradition and bail.

You didn't speak to me for weeks,
even though your passage is assured.
Next time check the welcome mat, avoiding time in jail.

YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY

(Maybe I Shouldn’t Wear My Heart on my Sleeve)

Just a hopeless romantic;
a fool with a heart,
going through life
with this need to be loved.
A minstrel of love songs,
a purveyor of mirth,
a reason to rhyme,
waxing poetic and often ,
hoping to soften the blows
of a misguided emotion,
lost in devotion to one so fair.
In my eyes, a vision,
a purposeful wanting,
desires unfolding,
in scope and breadth.
The vacancy sign
worn like a badge
high on my shoulder,
an advertisement.
A prurient “want” ad
reading as such:
“Hopeless romantic,
a fool with a heart,
looking for same.
No need to reply,
I’ll know by your sign.
Worn on your sleeve,
the same as mine”

I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU

(Maybe I Shouldn't Have Bought These X-Ray Glasses)

There it is.
In back of the
Superman comic book
I revered as a boy.

Next to the prize catalog.
Under the advice about
handling bullies on the beach.
Joe Wieder you steered me wrong.

Arriving in a manila envelope,
shrouded in secrecy, a sworn oath
to myself that neither my mother nor brothers
would ever know of my hidden "powers",

a fantastic ability to see through clothes.
I never wore them in the house
just in case my mother or sisters
might cross paths with my enhanced vision

and I end up in therapy for the rest of
my natural life. Countless hours standing
at the back fence staring down
the neighbor's daughter as we both

wrestled with pre-pubescence
(all the while, dreaming of wrestling with her).
An afternoon shot and not a stitch of fabric
had left her developing form.

I was no longer hot and bothered.
Damn, I wasn't even warm.
Out a couple buck plus postage.
I should have seen that coming,

but my x-ray eyes failed me.
Joe Wieder, what's your spiel again?

MEAN MR. MUSTARD

I ruled the world, you see,
and then the world ruled me,

a singing jester, a bloody fool,
one of those lads from Liverpool.

We came to America, land of the free,
but as our music grew, it stifled me.

My choice of partners made a stir,
and the world had come to ravage her.

But we made a home and found our place,
without all that screaming in our face,

to settle into a life of seclusion,
and perpetrated this fantastic illusion.

So a glad house husband I became
while Yoko worked to make her name,

and I, a Beatle, husband, dad,
was happy in the life I had.

But music, still my love and passion,
had lured me in a rhythmic fashion,

to feed this "Double Fantasy"
and brought the world right back to me.

But, a yellow-bellied bastard made his name
by stealing someone else's fame.

Mark my words David, he was a mean Chap, man,
couching there with a steady hand,

I sang that, "Happiness Is a Warm Gun"
"Mr. Lennon?" bang-bang, shoot, shoot. I was bloody done.

I'VE JUST SEEN A FACE

A new development,
a medium quite unseen,
it's called photography
and Pablo, you're my very first
subject. To capture you on film
will be a coup for me and my art form.
Sit right there and I'll get some
light readings in. Ha ha, no Pablo,
I'm not doing a little light reading,
I have to see what exposure I need to use.
There, now hold that pose and smile.
No? OK say cheese. It will appear
that you are smiling. Pablo, it doesn't
matter what kind of chee...Gouda? Yes,
Gouda is gooda, eh... good. Yes,
Camembert is good too. Look, just turn your
lips up on the ends. There, that's it.
*FLASH* You blinked and it's blurry.
I'll take another, just sit still.
*FLASH* You moved again. One more.
*FLASH* Well, there's a face there...
sort of. There's an eye. Over here,
part of your smile. Next to that, there's
an ear. And there's an ear. And an ear over there?
Wait a minute! VINCENT, can you please
sit down and wait your turn?
And take that ear with you!