don't fall

pursuing happiness

it's right there
in one of the most well-known
sentences ever crafted
in the English language,
'the pursuit of happiness.'
we certainly spend
a great deal of
time and energy,
not to mention money,
in this endeavor,
but does the pursuit
itself insure
that we will never be
truly happy?
pursuit requires
a set of parameters
'i will be happy once i --
--find love
--have a child
--get a promotion
--own a luxury car
--fly to Aruba
--retire'
(fill in the blank here with
your own set of terms
for acquiring that elusive
state of being.)
trouble with this is,
once that particular
object of our desire is attained,
we find that nothing
of substance
has changed in our lives,
in our true selves,
in the being that dwells within,
which sets us off
in pursuit
of the next thing
we decide
will make us happy,

not unlike a puppy

chasing its tail

in an endless circle.
perhaps if we called off
pursuit, and just started
being happy.
made the decision to
face each day with
a sense of adventure.
seize the moments
that contain those golden
bits of nothingness,
a cloudless blue sky,
the first flower in spring,
a summer sunrise,
that long awaited kiss,
and find in these
happiness in the
here and now,
no pursuit required.

spring rain

raindrops
are doing a tap dance
on the tin roof
and the tune
they are dancing
to is a warm
awakening one
that is delighting
the daffodils
and turning the
grass green
so even on a
gloomy gray day
without a spec of
sunshine
your heart beats
to a stronger
rhythm
keeping time
with the
spring rain

forbidden fruit

there were three of them.
soft, quick,

tasting like apples.

not one or two,
but three,
as if he
were lingering
between desire
and knowing better.
three stolen kisses
that left her
wanting more.

hand of God

katie handed me her iphone.
there was a photo of clouds
on the screen and she said,
"now tell me what you see,
i'm not going to say what
i think it looks like,
but you just tell me what you see."
"well," i said immediately,
"it is a great big hand
flippin' the bird."
"WHAT?!?" she said,
"NO!  it's an angel."
"an angel?" i answered.
"where do you see an angel?
that is a big hand giving the
one finger salute, plain as day."
"oh," she said, "i didn't see that before.
but, look, it's right here.
see the head, and here are the wings."
"ok," i said.  "so it's a big hand
giving the finger to an angel.
ya suppose it's the hand of God?"

benefits of the imaginary friend

my imaginary friend doesn't take up space
or leave his things laying about

he rarely talks back and never
tells me what i should and shouldn't do

my dog doesn't jump on my imaginary friend's lap
or chew up his nice new shoes

when my imaginary friend visits
the toilet seat is always where i left it

i never have to go somewhere i'd rather not be
just to make my imaginary friend happy

my imaginary friend never hangs about
when i'd prefer solitude

he's never too busy for a visit
when i need a friend close by

my imaginary friend has a lot going for him
only problem is, i keep imagining he is you

just speak french to me

you say you don't know
how to crack the code.
you don't have the combination
that unlocks the vault.
you don't know the number,
or how to place the call.
you haven't got the key,
that turns in the lock
or the secret password
that cancels the alarm.
it's really quite simple.
like gomez and morticia,
cara mia
just speak french to me.