Monday, July 31, 2017

Summer on the Water

With various concerns and problems swirling about,
it was so refreshing to discover:
There is still fun to be had
boating and swimming in the ol Des Moines river.

When I got that call from a couple of friends,
and set a time to meet at the marina,
Joyful moments were passed in preparations.
Soon we gathered on a dock at a party arena.

We put the boat in the water, and set out
upstream – when the engine had an issue
with going at high throttle – it conked out.
Then it was time to hunt for a critical part.

But a good while later we accomplished that,
and set out once again down the river – to
swim and sun and take turns water ski-ing.
I was content to ride and snap a lot of photos.

No political world problem seemed close,
no braying politician got under my skin.
It was time to revel in the waters and play,
a rare chance to shed inhibitions in the calm river.

Hopefully I'll make it out again real soon,
with no motor problems to make us swoon.
Looking forward to more occurrences of fun;

enjoy the rest of the summer, everyone.


Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Not an end-stopped party

There may have been a few poets there,
at the pros social – many were in fine form,
but not quite in rhyme - or even in synch...
Just flowing around well-appointed rooms
all loose and jumbled,
like the words in some e.e. Cummings write.

The pros party did not feature any readings,
just disjointed mumblings and random utterings.
Still it was fun enough, with familiar faces aplenty.
No one talked in Iambic Pentameter, thank goodness.

No villanelles or pantoums or sestets,
just twosomes, threesomes, and one foursome;
Sipping libations and making casual chit-chat.
Still, I've been bored worse in better company...

Another evening passed with time spent
chatting about little oddments and how
are things going and yes, we miss him so much.
Someday we will all be gone, and another group
will be in our place, making the same idle comments
about our now-buried corpses.

Our way of living in the moment,
pros-aic in a non-poetic way.
Sure, “this too shall pass”
but there is nothing we can do about that,
so we may as well enjoy ourselves.

(Pros is a social gathering that meets several times a year in Des Moines, Iowa.)


Sunday, July 23, 2017

Once there was a river

Once there was a river of nightlife,
gleeful youth and older alike
celebrated in their preferred ways.
Some drank, danced and laughed;
others had joyful trysts with strangers,
many made new long-term friends.

This ribbon of concrete along our
river that bisected town east and west,
became
a meeting place for folk from all over
central Iowa who wanted to play around.

The party is over, the jubilation ended.
Concrete barriers and signs hammer home
the message: No more fun allowed here.
Weeds grow through cracks in the concrete ribbon,
joyful memories dissipate under relentless pressure.

Life goes on, nevertheless.



Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Streaming Haiku

peaceful stream gurgles
surrounds exposed limbs in light
dragonfly sets down

limb exposes self above
underneath water surrounds
dragonfly hovers

sets down on brown limb
perches above froth maelstrom
river or kingdom


Trailblazer,
cutting forward seeking what?
mollusk crawls onward!




Frog serenade

Monday, July 17, 2017

It is Monday in America

Keystone cops shoot unarmed housewife in pajamas;
Toddlers are swept away, seen live from an onlookers phone.
A certain celebrity inmate is up for parole again;
Presidential approval fell down to 36 percent.

Just another Monday in an insanely violent society.
If America was a bomb, it would be a continuous
eruption of craziness – nonstop cruelty and murder.
How did we get this way – from virgin lands to
such Roman Empire excess?

Speculation...

It was not easy – took a lot of doing.
European settlers had to wrest the land
from native control by any means needed.
Then Law and Order had to be established:
All of those gangsters did not make things easy.

Reality...

Economic upheavals and leadership scandals
continue to rile and roil the national landscape.
All the noise and confusion makes one wonder
if anything is permanent, or safe, or reliable anymore.

What I tell myself...

Just keep going to work,
and keep your head down;
avoid the frequent lead showers
coming from every direction.
Good luck out there...

Some of us will make it to
tomorrow – there is always that.


 - end

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Wandering Together

Ten years passes like an ephemeral bolt,
cordiality should push formality aside.
If I lost him it would be a painful jolt,
we have enjoyed this long-lasting ride.

Unexpected start in another place and time,
he dropped into my world like some gift
unexpected, growing ever more sublime.
Outside stresses kept threatening a rift.

Familiarity wreaks the usual contempt,
other temptations and delights distract;
no blame for any outside affair attempt,
If only I can keep our friendship intact.

Every relationship evolves and changes,
cherish those experiential loving ranges.



     - end


Thursday, July 13, 2017

Oldies but goodies

Still for sale ..

Future Property – Michael Wilson

Experimental Tales – Dycen Alexander

The Osmotics – Dycen Alexander
https://www.amazon.com/Osmotics-Dycen-Alexander/dp/1495486575

New Venture – Dycen Alexander

Epic Prime Collection – Dycen Alexander

Crime Spree – poetry - Mike Wilson

A Strange Enterprise collection of speculations

Shadow Intersection - poetry

29 Stories – Kindle Edition – collection of short fiction:


Thanks for taking a look.

- end

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Enemies of Civilization

While the top brass converse,
hidden elements creep forward.
Best plans will be set in reverse,
intricate plots emerge outward.

Gunpowder and metal bits packed
into a tight space, touched by a fuse.
Innocent bystanders soon get attacked
by a murderer - scattered and confused.

The cost is not only immediate,
lives taken and ruined forever after.
Society will bear a price predominate,
suspicion replacing ease and laughter.

Terrorist fanatics exact constant punishment

on our free society – unnecessary harassment!

- end


How hot is it???

heat comes in clouds of wetness,
envelopes me in fatigue and weakness.

Heat would be worse if I had to wear
makeup and a dress, all wrinkled and runny.

Working in high humidity feels like
swimming through cement with a backpack.

Feels so hot the sweat evaporates off my skin,
my shirt gets soaked then heats dry again.

“But how hot is it?”
It is so hot if you crack an egg on the sidewalk,
It comes out already cooked and scrambled.

It is so hot that car tires are melting on the pavement,
and the freeways are jammed up with stuck cars revving.

It is so hot that people get instant skin burns going outdoors.
You can smell cooking flesh as long as your sniffer keeps working.

It is so hot that I am forced to sit indoors and dream up these
bizarre visions of how hot it really gets, within my fevered brain.

Stay cool everyone. Fall is only a few months away.


- end


Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Flash Fiction - Nothing is Free

     Waves of pleasure cascaded throughout Tim's body. Colors danced at the edge of his vision, and followed in tracery wherever he turned his head. He let out a sigh, and that set off happy reverberations throughout. Suddenly he was up and moving, around the room, outside in the yard. It dimly occurred to him that maybe he might not want others to see him like this.
But most of them are high too, on a Saturday afternoon...
He let out a guffaw. Then he moved back inside and around the house. He found an old model airplane, half-finished, and entertained himself studying it and poking around. Leafing through books and puttering around, he eventually descended from the euphoric plane and came back down to earth.
Wow, that shit is not too bad. Especially considering the price.
He fished out his 5-pack of Freforal and counted: Four left. Four smashing buzzfests. Then he could go get more – next week.
Many in the press considered the new government program to give away a free drug a poor idea. But there was enough support to try it out on a limited basis. So regular users like Tim wouldn't have to turn to the local dealer, and risk arrest, for their high. They could go to an approved pharmacy and request their free supply of “Freforal,” a synthetic opioid that gave a short but very intense high – and was free for the asking, to anyone that was 21 or over.
The thinking went that it would drive the illicit drug trade out of business. How could they compete with a free high, that was basically harmless?
Tim giggled to himself, and then called up a friend.
“Hey Ron? That shit rocks. It works.”
“How long did it last?” asked Ron, a buddy and fellow user.
“About two and a half hours, just like promised. I might try to double up, or try it mixed with some H. But hell, for the price, it really delivers, man.”
“Cool. I'm headed over to the Pharm now. We'll have to do a hit together. Later, man.”
“Later.” Tim ended the call. He cracked open a beer, and turned on the TV. Ron arrived a hour later, laughing and giggling.
“Woooa yeah, man, this shit is awesome! C'mon, man, do one with me.”
“Don't have to ask twice. Here goes nothing...” And Tim popped two tabs in his mouth, washing them down with a swig of Bud Lite.
Soon the two of them were aping TV announcers and others, laughing, rolling around. For a couple of hours, they had a great time. Then the high receded.
“What the hell. We can always get more, right? They are free,” said Tim.
Ron looked at him with bloodshot eyes, considering.
“Yeah. You know, we might even get a buddy to go get more for us. Are you up for it?”

“Always, man. Always. Here goes...” And Tim popped the last tab into his mouth, and downed it with another swig of beer. Ron did the same with his last.
“Wooowee that is sweet,” said Ron. Even as he said it, he noticed that it was not quite as sweet as when he downed two at once. And they would have to get more somehow.
“Yeah, real fine. I say after this, we call it a night and figure out another supply tomorrow. Sound cool?”
“Cool by me, man,” replied Ron. They watched some TV, and relaxed, mostly silent. By the second hour, they were dozing off.

The news reporters went on overdrive:
“New program deemed an expensive failure.”
“Free opiate test run found to increase demand.”
“What was supposed to be a cure turned out a bigger problem than ever!”
After a month, the US FDA and DEA threw in the towel. A spokesperson explained,
“We had no way of knowing how effective this program would be until we live-tested it. Obviously things are not working out as planned. We express the deepest regret for the way things have turned out...”

Tim and Ron managed to get a buddy to hand over some extras the next day. After that, it began to cost them. Some people did not need the high, but they did need the extra income. And others who would have never tried anything, tried Freforal out of curiosity. The Heroin dealers noticed that business dropped off for awhile, and then increased. Demand went higher than ever.
Emergency rooms began to see a spike in overdose victims. Tim found himself there, looking up at a distant ceiling after being brought back.
“Hey, kid? You awake? Good. Eyes look better. Can you hear me?”
Tim grunted out a yes.
“Excellent. You can be out of here soon. Just a little word of advice,” said the PA.
“Wha – whats that?” replied Tim.

“Nothing good in life is free. Remember that.”

“All right,” grunted Tim. A while later, he stumbled out of the hospital, and set off to find a Metro station. But he was back in the ER within a week.

The End


Climate of Unconcern

Climate change does not matter
We gotta make our wallets fatter.
So what if we pollute the seas,
Business gods we must appease.
Putrid filth become our rivers,
but CEO demands make us quiver.

Even though our country becomes an outcast,
next quarters profits are what gives the blast.
Let us breathe mercury-laden smoggy air,
profits in our pockets means we don't care.
Life expectancy will drop real fast,
sure hope the boardroom air filters last.

So drop out of all those international agreements,
good old boys will negotiate other arrangements.
They always have our best interests at heart,
Our wealthy owners and masters are smart.
They have all of the answers,
no matter Who gets cancer.


     - end

Sunday, July 02, 2017

Fourth Furies

Once again it is time for the annual noise parade.
Pops, bangs, thumps...and BOOMs! Are heard
all over the city. Join in the fun – celebrate the
fourth of July with wild abandon.

But be safe and careful about it.
Could lose a finger, part of a hand,
or even an eye. These things can
damage human flesh, even yours.

It is a festive time of year,
everyone wants to have some fun.
Light and aim those things with care.
You want to greet the Fifth intact,
avoid emergency room lights harsh glare.


Happy Independence Day Everyone.


Avoid Nuclear War

  Ever since I’ve been alive, all I’ve known is the nuclear sword poised, hanging over us all, ready at any moment to fall and send u...