Sandy is a muted calico ―
tan fur above her eyes and gray
below, flank a white nose.
She has an “I need you” look.
When she purrs to wake me,
I have to get up. She goes out.
I make coffee. Then she returns
to lead me to the bathroom.
During my shower she stares
through the glass door and
meows at the [...]

His shirt says “Al.”
He sips beer quietly ‘til
two young women sit beside him.
They return his smile,
then greet two men.
The couples chatter.
Al counts bubbles.
Finally one woman says
‘’I’ll see you there at eight…”
Her three companions leave.
Al makes an offer.
She nods. They order.
His hands make circles and squares.
She laughs nervously,
touches his arm.
Food arrives for her, beer for him.
She [...]

The art of guiding government was
everyone’s job in our formative years.
Today most citizens outsource it.
Some lump it with religion as a subject
not to be broached in polite society.
That’s too bad. If we talked about official
actions we might be familiar with more than
a few topics of personal interest. Political
polarization results from extremists pulling
the parties apart while [...]

A baby thinks about now,
pre-schoolers understand tomorrow,
by kindergarten the weekend comes into view.
Summer and next year are clear to adolescents,
but adults see occasions rather than seasons:
Mary will go to college, in fifteen years.
Middle age sharpens this focus ―
we left after Mary’s graduation,
I’ll go as soon as I get my new teeth.
As we age, tracking [...]

When I was growing up no one laughed
at Detroit. The arsenal of democracy ranked
fourth or fifth among American cities.
Proud to be a major target, we learned
to identify every airplane in the sky
so we could spot the enemy before he attacked.
My home town built tanks, trucks, and planes
from coat hangers, flattened cans, toothpaste tubes,
and tinfoil peeled [...]

Bush avoids our judicial system at Gitmo,
undermines the justice department, then
wonders why Putin rejects his criticism
of Russia derailing democratic reforms.
He can’t understand why Putin objects to
our putting missiles on his border even after
assuring him they’re purely defensive ― part
of a system that doesn’t work and isn’t needed.
He’s mystified that no one in Europe responds
favorably to [...]