Stake out your Regolith

 

In olden times they had the trading posts,

where furs were exchanged for food and drink;

the settlers followed, working for their hosts,

new lands and vistas to make dreamers think.

The military led the way with their log forts,

settlers and pony express, then towns were born.

In a span of time that now seems fairly short,

territories got settled, then states were formed.

In modern times we chafe in crowded metropolises;

some look skyward  --  new worlds beckon with light.

Time to establish a human presence away from this

tired old Earth, declare outer space life a human right.

Though it will take us much effort and struggle to do,

history shows that humans always find “a better view.”

Conflicting Things

 

Morning coffees, brunch meetings,

church services and poetry clatches…

So many things going on all over,

and I just can’t seem to attend a one...

Because I have many other things to do,

chores and tasks and projects galore.

Tend the lawn and paint the house,

pull the weeds and clean up the backyard.

Clean indoors as well, bathroom, kitchen,

living room and then vacuum everything.

Off-kilter work hours don’t help the situation,

evening shift overlaps many weekday events.

Sleeping in is enjoyable during the week,

but missing so many things leaves my knees weak,

and my friends have to “turn the other cheek.”

Someday I’ll be retired, I think,

someday I’ll be able to do so much more!

But retirement is supposed to be restful,

not mad rushing around everywhere.

Temperance and moderation will be

more important than ever before.

Enough musing, enough writing,

correcting typos, cussing the computer.

Time to go out and run errands -

because no matter how well I plan,

I always seem to need one thing more…

make way, cat, I’m headed out that door!

Everything but the, and that too

 

The ever-present excrement

of old government scandals

is finally overshadowed

by an inspirational space mission.

Football rivalries play out again,

some made happy while others made sad.

Seasons change and weather finally cools down,

for a while at least.

Fall has dropped on us,

still hotter than hell too often;

But there is some consolation:

that next snowstorm is only a few months away!

Thoughts drift and spin like snowflakes...

Almost every person will at some point

“stab a friend in the back” or

talk about them behind their back,

not always in a complimentary way.

Yet we still keep on, because what else can we do.

Retirement promises a life of leisure,

beckons, tempts, lures with longing...

A gamble involving hopes, health, and luck.

It will be here before we know it,

and then we will mourn the passing of

our career life and youth.

Some things never seem to change.

With a mind as devious as mine,

the fingers will never be innocent.

And yet, even at an older age,

amazing, incredible things still happen.

Outdoor nudity, hiking by moonlight,

sex under the stars. Sensual gifts still lurk,

with much gratitude felt by older folks.

Still, you never know when sometime you

could be riding along on your motorcycle,

and a car comes out of nowhere and flattens you.

Anything can happen, and often does.

Gender identities can not hold back

our environmental obscenities.

But anything that makes us feel better

during our short ride on the Earth

is highly welcome nevertheless.

Humanity will drift out into space,

more complete spores carrying lore.

Scandals, drama and upheavals are

carried along – pity the poor cosmos,

exposed to dirty detritus of its offspring.

How long will it take a kitchen sink to

orbit the Sun?

Should old acquaintance be forgot

 

Another steamy summer has passed,

good riddance to the miserable heat.

Hurricane season is off to a big start,

the Eastern US takes another pummeling!

The seasons flow past, time and sand

coruscate along in winds of uncertainty.

Youth and school days dwindle in memory

to pinpoints, as that uglier end looms larger.

One has to grab good memories before they

rush past us, like they tend to do so fast.

A wedding here, a graduation there,

holiday celebrations and shared moments.

A definite focus on positive times that flicker

in the wind, to will oneself to feel good -

and it can happen, one can still feel that glow.

Age can be a Waterloo or a Hiroshima,

but it can also be triumphant, top of Everest,

raising the flag at Iwo Jima, dancing on the Moon.

I made it so far, when others did not,

fortunate enough to have this long view now.

Oh please let me have more decades, I think,

but I’m grateful for whatever I receive.

Each morning a celebration of good fortune,

grateful for launching out of bed upright,

walking under my own power, appetite

and will and hormones still functional.

Hope to see my dear family

at the end of this decade too;

Good luck, best wishes, and long life to all.