Sometimes I arise
before dawn
and in those first few moments
I am six again
alone in the endless dark
not quite afraid but
far from mommy and home.
That innocence passes
more quickly this time
with the coming of the light
the radio informs
as the coffee cooks
and I tuck that child
safely back into
his corner of my head:
shh-shh
it’s ok
go back to sleep. mjh
10/27/2005
Listen to tuck
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
North America Swelters in March Heat : Image of the Day
acquired March 1 – 31, 2012download large image (403 KB, PDF)
First they called it the year without a winter. Then springtime began to feel more like summer for most of North America. March 2012 saw thousands of daily temperature records fall in the contiguous United States (often called the “lower 48”), and the entire month was the warmest March in a temperature record that dates back to 1895
like nervous reptiles
skittering among the rocks
safe haven
but never secure
warmed from the outside
animated by a distant source
a shadow freezes and frightens us
we run for the light,
pause, bask,
before slipping into darkness mjh
Listen to bask
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
I completely agree with Eugene Robinson on this.
Republican rhetoric that damages the nation – The Washington Post by Eugene Robinson, Published: April 19
Let me be clear: I’m saying that the extreme language we hear from the far right is qualitatively different from the extreme language we hear from the far left — and far more damaging to the ties that bind us as a nation. Tut-tutting that both sides should tone it down is meaningless. For all intents and purposes, one side is the problem. …
More chilling, to me, was the way his audience of gun enthusiasts applauded in agreement as Nugent compared the Obama administration to a bunch of “coyotes in your living room” who deserve to be shot …
Violent metaphors aside, the nub of Nugent’s argument — and I use the word advisedly — was this: “If you can’t go home and get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don’t even know what you’re made of.” …
West can’t really believe this nonsense. What he’s trying to do is delegitimize the entire stream of progressive thought that has run wide and deep through American history since the nation’s founding. Disagree with his views, West insists, and you’re not just a political opponent, you’re a godless Marxist.
There is no symmetry here. The far left may hurl insults at the right but doesn’t scream “fascism” whenever a Republican proposes privatizing Medicare.
Republican rhetoric that damages the nation – The Washington Post
At Poetica Autowerks, we know
when you have miles to go
nothing gets you there
as rhythmically as a Frost.
While the Whitman leaves
little to desire,
kick the tire
of the new Emerson —
It’s transcendental!
Or maybe some lesser poet
can get you there
if you don’t care
where you go
or how slow. mjh
11/14/04
In honor of all the unknown poets out there, unlisted at poetry.org, unpublished except on the back of envelopes. Write on! The only thing worse than unread is unwritten. Happy Poetry Month to all. peace, mjh
Listen to some lesser poet
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
Just sayin’.
What about those poems
I never wrote?
Ideas unborn,
left to float
like pollen in the air.
Those unsung poems
coat my throat
and cloud my thoughts
with possibilities.
I wheeze
and sneeze
and blow my chance. mjh
2/9/2005
Listen to Choke (seconds)
My Virtual Chapbook (table of contents)
