Striped

Zebras and tigers and lemurs’ long tails
Have stripes both distinctive and cool,
As well as some convicts in old-fashioned jails
Who wear black and white stripes as a rule.

The American flag and a barbershop pole
Both have candy-candy stripes white and red,
While some p.j.’s and blankets and sheets have the goal
To add stripes that will jazz up your bed.

Lots of clothing is striped – shirts and sweaters and socks
In all colors, both vibrant and plain,
For in nature or otherwise, stripiness rocks –
Sporting some, much attention you’ll gain.

Acorn Plops

An acorn plopped down from a tree
And hit the deck right next to me.
It joined some others waiting for
A stronger breeze to drop some more.

It almost bounced upon my head;
I'm glad it found the porch instead
For it came down with so much force 
I'd have a bump, but it changed course.

The squirrels must be set to dash
And round these up for winter's stash.
I sit outside, relax and wait
As acorn plops reverberate.

Extra-Curricular

Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics,
Swimming, piano and ballet,
Music, baseball, fencing,
An activity a day.

Such a far cry from my youth - 
If mem'ry is my guide,
When school was done, we had a snack
And met our friends outside.

On skates or bikes we got around;
With jump ropes, balls or chalk,
We entertained ourselves with no one
Watching like a hawk.

That freedom now does not exist
In suburbs or the city
And looking back, I have to say
It really is a pity.

The Hearings

I believed Anita Hill;
So did all my friends.
History repeats itself;
We know how it ends.

Watching makes my stomach turn
For loyalists won’t budge
And thus the Court will have on board
Another suspect judge.

It really isn’t a surprise
When those in our regime
Distort the truth with consequences,
In this case, Supreme.

Dark

We woke in darkness, not because
The dawn had not arrived
But rather due to power, 
Of which we had been deprived.

An underground transformer,
We were told, at our hotel,
Went on the fritz and when it
Could be fixed, they couldn’t tell.

Our flight was in the morning, so
We packed and dressed to leave,
A challenge in a pitch-black room,
Which you could well believe.

We skipped the shower and no make-up
I could thus apply,
And so I looked as bad
As I could look if I did try.

Although, within the scheme of things
That can go wrong each day,
This glitch, while quite annoying’s
Hardly reason to inveigh.

Shared Memories

We all remember some events,
Although in different ways,
For there's a prism that distorts
When in the past we gaze.

My bros and I can reminisce
And laugh without reprieve, 
Yet recollections vary
From the truth we each believe.

There is no way to prove who's right -
We all are, in our minds -
But memories we share still form
The tie that always binds.

Old Lyrics

When lyrics that you haven't heard
For maybe forty years
Come pouring out from deep inside 
There might just be some tears.

For hearing Graham Nash last night,
Nostalgia reigned supreme
And I was back in college
(Like we all were, it did seem).

I mouthed the words to "Bus Stop,"
But when "Our House " came around, 
I sang along, as asked to,
With a joy that did abound.

Like filings, we, the audience,
Were drawn into the pull
Of Nash, the band and venue,*
Where the sound was rich and full.

There's magic to be made, for sure,
When past and present meld
And release some secrets we forgot
That we had tightly held.

*Chautauqua Auditorium - Boulder, Colorado
(Thanks, Burt, for the tickets!)