If I Go to See a Concert

If I go to see a concert,

I want music that I like,

So what I expect to hear 

From a performer with a mic

Is a new or old song, maybe with

Some background to be shared

On the way the lyrics came about, 

In case somebody cared.

What I don’t want to experience

Is politics on stage,

Despite the fact the audience

Might want to so engage.  

A show with an agenda

Should be advertised that way,

So ticket buyers are prepared 

For what the stars will say.

Though some venues might be fitting

For performers speaking out,

At a music concert, that’s not what

The evening is about.

A Pessimistic Poem

A pilot attacked;

People pushed onto tracks.

A Central Park murder

And ICE men attacks.

 

Mistreatment of animals;

Internet scams.

Collapsing of bridges

And traffic-caused jams.

 

Polar ice melting

And water-drained lakes.

Deaths from narcotics,

Tornados and quakes.

 

Voting laws challenged

And prices that rise.

Wars being fought

For a leader who lies.

 

Turn on the news

And you’ll wish you had not.

Hope fizzles out

But it’s all that we’ve got.

 

Soon we’ll be facing

The reign of A.I.

Yet still, I write poems,

Though I’m wondering why.

In Paris Parks 1954

Today, for thirteen minutes,

It was 1954

And I found myself in Paris,

Mesmerized and wanting more.

 

Watching people, mostly children,

Interacting in a park

Was a pleasure to observe,

Thanks to a film by Shirley Clarke.

 

From the clothing (nothing denim!)

To the rides and carousel,

Life was captured in such detail,

By the faces you could tell

 

That the park was someplace special

Since an ordinary day

Brought so much to each expression

That each person did display.

 

A puppet show, my favorite part,

Caught joy and fear and glee,

The reactions of the children

Such a privilege to see.

 

I could have been among them

Had I been a child in France,

But today I was transported;

MOMA* let me have my chance.

 

*Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Peripheral

I feel like I’m peripheral

In everybody’s life

Except, of course, my husband’s,

With my closeness as his wife.

 

I suppose that’s how it should be

Once the kids have up and flown

From the nest that you created,

With your grandkids almost grown.

 

Siblings also have their families,

As do all my dearest friends.

Where I once felt integral to some,

My mind now comprehends

 

That I’m stuck here on the outside

And my entry’s been denied.

Still, for now, I’m front and center

When my husband’s by my side.

Memorizing a Poem

In school, we sometimes were assigned

To memorize some verse

And so, at home, in front of parents,

We would, thus, rehearse.

 

We then presented what we’d learned

In class or on a stage,

Without the benefit of notes

Or glancing at a page.

 

Amazingly, when thinking back

On rhymes that we had nailed,

We find them still intact; our teacher’s

Mandate has prevailed.

 

Though teaching’s changed in many ways,

For better or for worse,

It’s satisfying somehow

To recite a once-learned verse.

To Sit in a Recliner (to the tune of "Carolina in the Morning" as sung by Al Jolson)

Nothing can be finer

Than to sit in a recliner

When you’re reading.

Though this may be minor,

Not each furniture designer

Thinks you’re needing

 

Comfort for your tootsies

When you stretch your feet.

Horizontal footsies

Make relaxing complete.

 

Ottomans will let ‘ya

Put your feet up, too, I betcha,

When you’re streaming.

Don’t let nothing sweat ‘ya,

For an ottoman will get ‘ya

Close to beaming.

 

You don’t need an empire,

Just a living room space

To get unwound within your own place.

Nothing’s really finer

Than a foot rest or recliner

To start dreaming.

Pillow Picks

People have their preferences

For pillows, so much so

That many take their own along

When traveling they go.

 

Synthetic ones are all the rage

Or those with memory foam,

But I will always sleep with

Down-filled pillows in my home.

 

Ads proclaim it matters if

You sleep upon your side

Or on your back to help you,

When you’re shopping, to decide.

 

Hotel rooms often have a choice

Of pillows on the bed,

So you can pick from soft or firm

On which to lay your head.

 

No matter which type you prefer,

The costly or the cheap,

The pillow that you love won’t

Guarantee a good night’s sleep.