Smack in the middle
Of the road was a hawk.
Once the brakes were applied,
We just sat there to gawk.
It was standing astride
A dead squirrel, a meal
Which I guess to a hawk
Has a certain appeal.
Perhaps what it planned
Was to dig in and start,
But a bird of prey’s certainly
Cunning and smart.
So on seeing our car,
Talons did what they must
And that hawk flew away,
Leaving us in the dust.
We drove on to the store
To stock up on some food,
Glad that roadkill was not
On our list to include.
In people’s front yards
(That is, if they’re allowed),
They can have a display
Which will make them feel proud.
Some have flowers and banners
Or bushes and hedges
Or humorous statues
Lined up on the edges.
A spinner or whirligig
Might add some fun
Or a sculpture or wind sock
When not overdone.
Now, my personal taste
May be different from yours,
But some people have yards
No one ever ignores
For they’re filled with such tchotchkes
They make my head swim;
Yet although my opinion
Of this might be dim
To those owners, such plenty
Brings joy and such pride
It’s a wonder they ever
Come in from outside.
I can walk to some museums
From my home
and often do,
But when
MOMA* is the one I want,
It’s 3 stops
on the Q.
The Q train’s
fast and cuts across
From east side
to the west
And mostly
it works well enough
For all to be
impressed.
I had a
lovely visit
Seeing art
both old and new,
With my day
made so much easier –
Just 3 stops
on the Q!
*Museum of
Modern Art
Yesterday, we sat and watched
A sitcom on
TV
From early
in the 70’s,
But what was
strange to me
Was hearing
Archie Bunker’s rants
About the
U.S.A.
And things
that he was saying
Echoed words
I hear today.
He argued
with his son-in-law
About the government,
Defending
Richard Nixon
To his
daughter’s discontent.
That show
reflects some current themes
But somehow
in the past,
It made us
laugh; those same thoughts
Uttered now
leave us aghast.
The smiling bride, the handsome groom –
A happy
couple, you’d assume –
Arranged before
a camera’s click,
A moment
captured, swift and slick.
The tension
not apparent there –
Instead, a
calm and lovely pair,
Which no
observer would suspect
Was, from
the stresses, close to wrecked.
Beneath
their unsuspecting gaze,
Their married
life, in every phase,
Awaits the
pleasures and the pain
That newlyweds
can’t ascertain.
Within its
frame, on shelf or wall,
(Unless
removed with break-up’s call)
The handsome
groom and smiling bride
Stare at the
future, side by side.
Seen on my walk – a delivery truck
Was being
unloaded. One box
Was plunked
on the ground; some may be out of luck
For its eggs
might have suffered some shocks.
Another
block on, there was parked on the street,
With a
fender that suffered a wham!
A new pick-up
truck named, just to make it complete,
In big
letters, you guessed it – a RAM!
Saw three
pickleball games and a guy with green hair –
Just a
typical 6 a.m. sight.
In the city,
no matter the time, you’ll be where
Something’s
sure to surprise or delight.
My aunt complained
at “cocktail hour,”
All they
served was juice,
The definition
of this drink,
Sans alcohol,
too loose.
She’s in
assisted living now,
At almost 98;
With many
neighbors wheelchair-bound,
She simply
can’t relate.
Her balance
is an issue, though,
And even
with her phone,
It’s clear
that, though she disagrees,
She shouldn’t
be alone.
I can’t
imagine being told
That others
can decide
That where
you’ve lived no longer is
The place
where you’ll reside.
It may be
necessary; still,
Though safety’s
a concern,
The loss of
one’s autonomy
Is something I would spurn.
