Tranquility

She never noticed
books of poetry.
Her life was busy
with empathy
for those troubled
from pains scratched
on psyches from
neglect, abuse
or sacraments to fallen Gods.

She seldom heard music
except when,
heartsick from lost love,
she wallowed in vain misery
or during her youth when
hit parades blasted from
solid state radios
in dashboards, or from
jukeboxes flashing
come hither.

She thought little of flowers
nor paused to note scents,
shades or grace on
stems of green. Her head
was busy with
important matters,
with day-to-day grinding
away on work or play.

Now alone,
she absorbs whiteness from
clouds, motion from birds,
or fragrance from flowers
with senses dulled by
age, injury or illness.
She sifts through her
moments looking for
fresh tranquility.

Freedom 

He felt he was alone.

His gaze told him, he was.

He thought he could do

anything he wanted

as long as it was unimportant.

Confession Without Absolution 

Without kneeling, without the sign of the cross 

without self-examination 

her worn keyboard becomes a confessional. 

Lithe fingers tap, tap, tap out 

secrets in lines of tasted desires

and opened dark doors. 

With a series of deletions and replacements, key by key,

bolstered by the fervor of the moment 

tales of her recent transgressions emerge. 

Like a cat leaping toward it’s victim

her index finger punches the enter key

as details of her indiscretions, come to rest on-line

as obvious as hunters’ prey in an open field.  

Cyberspace, like a priest without a collar,

accepts her admissions without the comfort of absolution 

still her guilt is released.

Walk along Ohio River

Louisville clamor on left

To the right serene 

I know this local columnist did NOT read my Xanga post but she has written about a bumper sticker she saw that, well you can read her response.

Seems she can’t figure out the connection between hunting bears with a dog and being patriotic.  I can’t either but I though some of you might like to read her response to a bumper sticker promoting hunting bears with a dog and being an American patriot!

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/may/29/ina-hughs-what-is-connection-between-patriotism/

Saw a bumper sticker yesterday that really got me laughing.  

It said something like this.  “I can do this. It’s not rocket surgery.”

Googled it and sure enough there are a number of stickers with a Rocket Surgery theme.

http://www.cafepress.com/+rocket-surgery+bumper-stickers

Do you have a favorite bumper sticker you have seen of late?  Care to share what it said?

Alstroemeria, or Inca lily, is a perennial known for its showy flowers. Also called Peruvian Lily or Parrot Lily.  

I love this flower and how it just seems to get better each year without a lot of attention other than ample water. 

Read more: 
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7782344_alstroemeria-propagation.html

He treated her 

like a princess

of a very 

small empire. 

However you do, I hope you enjoy. 

Here is a poem written with http://promisesunshine.xanga.com/

Her Cloak

by Vexations and http://promisesunshine.xanga.com/



Wear shows along each seam. 

Sitches obtained through toil 

and sewn with needles of obligation 

well-intended for those in need. 

How could her nimble fingers 

stay still and silent 

in the face of their distress? 

Toll-taking efforts 
cast with love 

nonetheless burden her shoulders 

and incite pain from long hours 

spent to ease the lives 

of those she loves. 

Woven too is her hard-earned 

impermeable shield- 
her hard-learned revelation
that she can dwell free

within her mantle.

The Gathering 

Perhaps they expect a pool

offerings of rare coffee 

from Ethiopia

Instead of 

a view of hydrangea

plus pale ale in mugs 

Conversation entails

irrelevant niceties

of trivial events

Smiles exchanged

chairs rearranged

subtlety reigns

Another chance

to touch humanity 

willfully aborted

No, that is not a redheaded woodpecker but a pileated woodpecker.

http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/details.cfm?displayhabitat=100%20Common%20Birds%20of%20Tennessee&sort=aounumber&typename=100%20Common%20Birds%20of%20Tennessee&uid=09041921020058355&commonname=Pileated%20Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker, photographed in Cades Cove (recently)  

Sorry not a very good picture, but I feel lucky to have gotten it.  My first sighting of one.  Click the link above for more info.