Beneath the willow, you will find

Shelter from the storms of mind

If in the moment you will live

All of your attention to it you give.

You must see the branches drooping

See the roots as you are stooping

Feel the wind upon your face

As you step out of the race.

Just relax, you must unwind

If it is peace you are to find

Lie down and listen to the brook

Forget about what you forsook.

Feel the gro...

AUTUMN

“Howdy do, Autumn!”

“Hey, Summer. How was your shift?”

“Ah, you know. Same ol’, same ol’. Lazy days of summer. Kids at the beach. Families in the mountains. People doin’ dumb stuff all over. Sunburns. Mosquito bites. The whole gamut.” Summer asked, “How about you? Did you get lots of rest? No responsibilities for nearly three whole months.”

“Yeah. It was nice. But it...

He had been feeling off all day. Stomach problems. No diarrhea or anything. No nausea. Nothing like that. He just felt off.

His shipmates saw it too. They saw him clutching his stomach as he moved from navigation down to the galley. He cried out in pain even as he was sitting down to eat. He dropped his tray of food, then fell to the floor.

His shipmates turned him over and saw him cover...

I am made

Forever to be screaming.

Be it in horror

Or in fear or in dreaming.

My eyes opened wide

My hands bracket my face.

I am screaming forever

In all time and space.

You will see me like that

And although it might seem

That sometime I ought

To stop this awful scream.

But here on the wall

I must forever scream

As I am forever

Dreaming an awful dream.

But do not blame me

I scream with no say.

...

The rift opened, dragging me with it. And that was the end.

But perhaps I should start a little further back in time.

***

I was pretty miffed at Moses. Oh sure, he led us out of Egypt and all that. And before that, he was the instrument through which God unleashed the plagues. One for each of the gods worshipped by those pagans. Still, he did not need to lord it over us. Sheesh.

To be fa...

Gore, gore

Gore galore

Lizzy, Lizzy

Oh so dizzy.

Ax, ax

That’s a fact.

Run, run

Mom undone.

Chop, chop

Chop up Pop.

More, more

Gore galore.

Packer, Packer

Alfred Packer.

Cold, cold

Oh so cold.

End, end

Eat your friend.

Chomp, chomp

Alfred chomp.

Gore, gore

Gore galore....

“Whatcha doin’ man?”

“Answering emails.”

“Aren’t you on vacation? I mean most people don’t travel around living in hostels for work. Unless you’re a hostel critic.”

“Nah. I’m no critic. I am on vacation. And yes, it is work email to answer your next question. I’m really just a cog in the wheel. But I suppose you could call me a workaholic.”

“Whoa. I’m just the opposite. I get hives ju...

I saw your face in the clouds today

Your beautiful smile was as plain as day.

Then again I see you everywhere

Not just in the clouds hanging in the air.

A face in the crowd walking down the street

A stranger sitting down on a metro seat.

In the sea foam when I’m out on the beach

And in my dreams you’re always just out of reach.

But where I see you oh so clearly

Is in our children that I love so ...

Oh my back is sore. Hopefully, by the time I wake up tomorrow, it will be better. I wonder what happened to me? I don’t remember falling out of a tree or anything like that. Ah well. I suppose I just need to try and get comfortable and go to sleep.

Argh. It is so difficult to get comfortable. I keep turning and turning, spinning and spinning. But I just cannot find a place that works. Oh...

My legs hurt, my arms hurt

My back hurts, I fear.

What you are experiencing

Are growing pains, my dear.

But it seem like forever

That I want to sleep.

Well that is when you grow

When your sleep is real deep.

And it seems like my clothes

Do not fit anymore.

Yes, I know that your growing

Makes my pocketbook sore

I know that you say

I eat everything in sight.

_So much so that we sh...