the bigger picture

i remember when
i was younger
thinking about
the bigger picture
of my life
what was i going to be
when I grew up
now that i am older
i have come to see
that life isn't
so much about
getting somewhere
it's more about
going there
the journey
of moving
through time
day by day
there isn't really 
a bigger picture
just an endless
number of
snapshots
trying to keep
the moment
in focus

flash fire

you set me on fire
with kisses so passionate
fahrenheit doesn't have
a degree hot enough
to compare
that fire burned so brightly
no way could it last
destined to end up
a pile of ash
but while it blazed
what else could we do
except to watch it burn
it made such a lovely flame

morning mast

my new pet

i felt the need for a companion
so decided i'd get a new pet
cats can turn on you
without provocation
dogs are too needy
rats - well, they're rats
and there's a reason
why they get such a bad rap
my new pet is
an amoeba
it's a really swell pet
it doesn't eat much
or take up a lot of space
it doesn't bark or yowl
no poop to scoop
or vet bills either
and on top of all this
it can split itself
right in two
so i figure
in a week or so
i'll put up an ad
on ebay
and get rich
selling amoebas
to all those
folks out there
looking for the latest
in low-maintenance pets

the cure

reality
so often
interferes
with romance
kisses in the dark
tender touching
in the moonlight
all well and good
until the morning
reveals
a pile of
crumpled clothes
stacked in the corner
and week-old pizza box
on the chair
yes, if you're
searching for
the sure-fire cure
for a romantic
notion
a healthy dose
of reality
is just what the
doctor prescribes

different

things used to be different
now they're the same
he said, "you mean
that things are still different?"
no, no
not at all
nothing can remain different
for very long
what was unique yesterday
is ordinary today
it takes a lot of changing
to stay different
it's not something
that can be
left untended

love like the moon

my love
like the moon
is fading
a mere shadow
of what he was once
a slip of a thin fingernail
less here with me
than not
living in secrecy
growing more distant
by the day
waning away

early spring

even with
raggedy
patches of white
left scattered
in places
under hedges
and beneath the trees
there is a hint
of early spring
about
as the clouds
release their
load
in the form of
rain
not sleet or snow
bring it on
i say
chase the cold
and heartless
winter away
are the daffodils
blooming yet?