rolling mists of time,
past and future obscured;
me in the mirror?
Childhood last century,
looking ahead towards the next;
My feet are time travelers.
Best things come in threes;
Even good relationships?
Wow, those sure went fast.
Superstition means
little compared to the truth;
always check your realities.
The one everyone can't wait to get through,
from Julesberg, CO, to Omaha, Nebraska.
Long, long slogs to gas or bathroom stops,
rest areas that vary but are all welcome.
Colorado has the colorful mountains,
Iowa the rolling green hills.
In between is one very long stretch of road,
used by thousands every day in transit.
Being a throughput state is useful,
giving a purpose to supposed nothingness.
Wider highways and deeper river-ways can
augment busy rail corridors east or west.
Every state has some advantage;
Nebraska's is as a gentle ramp to the west,
or flat corridor the other way back.
Even a thru-way is an honorable entity.
Nebraskans can hold themselves in high esteem,
as cattle ranchers, farmers, railroad workers and
yes, people that oversee the great migration of people,
both ways, past and through any semblance of delays.
North Platte, Kearney, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha. . .
the five great signposts throughout a flat immensity.
One drives through these areas determined and exits proud.
They do maintain their rest areas well, thank goodness!
See you on the other side.
So much shrill polarization emanates
from my most frequently watched screens.
Soon have to shut them off, find distractions.
Must be something else besides angry screeds.
What a pleasure, then, to visit the local observatory;
have a lecture take one back in time to a genius
mathematician forging new paths of understanding.
Our cosmos was not just some painted sky,
but far more vast and interesting.
Johannes Kepler not only advanced astronomy,
he wrote perhaps the very first science fiction novel.
The lecture and discussion moved back and forth over time,
taking the audience out of humdrum quotidian antagonisms,
touching instead on stellar measurements and laws of motion.
What a delight to discover these astronomical treasures;
to know that some minds are not slinging political sewage,
rather reaching out far distances to advance human comprehensions.
Gratifying to go to a facility spreading knowledge, not manure.
It will be so good to have the 2026 election over,
and resume full-time pleasant gazing at some stars.
Back during the time of the 9/11 attacks I lived
in the front room of a friend – working two jobs.
Experiencing events over and over on CNN.
Anxiety and alarms were everywhere!
I dreamed of jets crashing during fitful sleep.
A new federal department was created,
and the last of our innocence was lost.
Now we had to go through security cordons
everywhere – security became the new sexy.
But I survived, kept on, maintained.
We moved and he bought a house. . .
Eventually I bought a little house on my own,
started gardens and shrubs, perennials.
Babies I nursed through many seasons.
Watched them all grow and bloom and fade,
trimmed back Spireas, dug and replanted Cannas.
Hibiscus were culled and encouraged, Cosmos
seeded and then helped along, year after year after year.
Raspberries and Aronia planted and then harvested
with much satisfaction, despite all of the mosquitoes.
Our national leadership started several wars,
some finally withering away due to
faltering political fertilization.
New leaders began new wars.
It seems like everything keeps going downhill,
and there are no easy answers for turning it around.
Friendships, too, got seeded and nurtured over time.
Now some are like tall trees, withstanding storms.
Others get neglected, and wither away.
Some of those are missed, but
one gardener only has so much energy to go around.
Now here 25 years after the Twin Towers attacks,
some still stand here and regard the tragedies;
missing those that were lost, mourning their loss
from a misty distance of time, always wondering
how we could do things better the next time around.
They brave the night and cold,
rain and wind and snow unfold.
Risking life and limb, or at least
an angry Bull here and there,
they grab on, lever up into a
IM, grainer pocket, or even a gondola.
Catching out for far destinations,
route mapped out on their phones,
they hunker down, but lift a camera
so that the rest of us can watch too.
Once thought a dying breed,
their numbers swell with younger hoboes.
These have no trouble at all navigating
and documenting their every move online.
Surely the railroad workers and managers
are noticing this – they can also access Youtube.
But somehow, despite it all, the riders persist.
They describe issues like food and water and sleep,
all scarce when waiting in the brush for an outbound.
Much advance planning makes their rides smoother.
For me it would be far simpler to just buy
an Amtrak ticket.
But where is the romance in that?
Safe travels, everyone.
The Amos collective does a lot of good,
as a community organization should.
Many churches' congregations join together,
address community problems, mainly secular.
Disparate ideologies can find common ground
on social justice, and make improvements all around
our local area, upon issues that need attention –
capitalism needs safety nets for our protection.
We can set aside our minor differences,
unite to work out municipal difficulties.
There is great strength in large numbers,
whether or not all are active members.
Just imperfect humans extending care and love,
whether or not there's any thundering god above.
And why not, it's as good a subject to write on as any. Here goes...
A wave from the past
Not sure if you've colonized the Inner System yet,
or solved the environmental crises that we created.
Maybe your every need is tended by humanoid robots;
Perhaps you've even reached a Kardashev type I civilization.
Here in 2026 we are stuck in two long running conflicts,
And no one seems to be able to put a stop to them.
Even if we know that war is not the answer,
human beings continue to be cruel to each other.
It will always matter how people
treat each other – hopefully with
respect and decency.
People should always help each other,
no matter what. People will always be
the most important resource.
Freedom of the individual matters,
will always matter, despite the
crazed state of the world in 2026.
Do not judge us too harshly,
simple foolish semi-sentients that we are.
Would be wonderful to see the firsthand views
of the outer planets – enjoy them for me, too!
Fare thee well in 2276 and beyond.
rolling mists of time, past and future obscured; me in the mirror? Childhood last century, looking ahead towards the next; My feet ...
