August 2021
About Poemography
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of my Poem-A-Day Project, I am reprising my daily poetry challenge in 2021.
Every day this year—from January 1st until the 31st of December—I will create a new poem inspired by whatever moves me at the moment I sit down to compose that day's poem, publishing them here with subscription-free access for all.
Every Tuesday throughout the year, I will write and publish one bonus poem that will be available exclusively to my Patrons on Patreon.
In 2022, I will publish a book of my complete poems, spanning more than 40 years of poetry writing. The complete collection of poems will be published in a limited edition hardbound book available for purchase. As an added feature, I'm considering releasing some of the poems in this collection as spoken word recordings by a variety of special guest readers. Enjoy the year!
31AUG21
Overheard in Rotterdam
The clean American family
Having breakfast at a
Rotterdam diner; the
Husband, a man
Around my age
Who looked a lot like
Yotam Ottolenghi wore
Dark blue Levi's 501s and a
Crisp powder blue dress shirt;
He looked up momentarily
From his telephone,
Smiled and said to
His wife and son:
He’s from Virginia
And loves the mountains;
They went to buy a Persian rug
29AUG21
Pomegranate Trees
We used to picnic in los Viveros;
Spread our blankets out on a small
Hilly mound in the shade of pine trees
Where we would take refuge from the sun
We ate sandwiches on long crusty bread
And passed the long hot afternoons
Talking, reading and watching our
Children playing with the dogs
There was no clamor or urgent
Need to get on our way; we were
Confined only by the necessities of the
Moment and took pleasure in the calmness;
And once awakened from my brief siesta, I
Would stand up and stretch my legs and
Walk over to admire the Pomegranate
Trees and the wonder of their being
30AUG21
Frescor
I love the days at summer's end;
Cool and overcast preparing to
Welcome the autumn; the night
Grows shorter and colors burst
Leaves ready themselves to fall
From their branches, light misty
Rain kisses the luminous green
Duckweed floating on the canal
So many ways to describe the
Wind and the infinite manners
It blows and gusts and drifts in
Clean coolness of autumnal air
And with the approaching new
Season comes the mellowing of
Temperaments and the easing of
The intensity summer provoked
28AUG21
The Unknown Journey
1,532 miles separate
Krasiliv and Cherbourg;
I've always wondered how
You made this journey with your
Wife and small children in tow;
Did you travel on foot or
By train or horse and
Carriage to France?
And where did you
Eat and how did you
Pass those long summer
Days and nights until you finally
Arrived at the port of Cherbourg
Where the RMS Aquitania
Took you and your family
To Ellis Island, America
27AUG21
Things I Should Keep to Myself
The hat and scarf have to go;
While you think they add
Character, they make
You look joyless;
Who tells you
To smile with your
Mouth closed? You look
Like a doleful long-faced horse;
Your nose ring is absolutely the
Most disagreeable thing
Adorning your face;
Are you a cow?
Bending your
Knee to the side in
Photos has been out of
Style for decades; please stop it
26AUG21
The Calm That is the Storm
My mind is like
The eye of a
Hurricane;
It is at
Once
Peaceful
And at ease
With the storm
That surrounds
It; but at the
Same time
It is fully
Aware
Of all the
Ruin looming
In its aftermath
25AUG21
Toast
In the late 1980s
I found myself living
In Granada, Spain, one
Of the most delightful places
I have ever lived; I'd pass the
Days wandering around
The city, making new
Friends who I still
Consider friends
To this very day; and
Of all the memories that
Were made during those two
Short years, it was thick toast
With butter, strawberry jam
And sliced cheese that I
Remember so vividly
24AUG21
Gradually
Picking up the pieces
Is a splendid metaphor
For the gradual changes
Life seems to be enduring
I can feel the thrust of an
Oddly shifting flow that
Carries me from here
To there and back
But I never seem
To actually arrive at
My destination, only to
Unpredictable ports of call
Arrivals and departures;
Endless journeys that,
Time and time again,
Take me nowhere
23AUG21
Wonderment
Even after all these years
I'm still in awe of life;
Mesmerized by the
Beauty of trees
The poetry of
The sun setting on
The horizon and the
Glory of the sea and sky
And through the struggles
There are always the
Subtle reminders of
Those close by;
Those who are
No longer present
But whose loving eternal
Presence watches over me
21AUG21
The Muse
It's bound to happen
Somewhere, someday,
Someone will ask me, so,
Who is the Rosa in the song?
It won't be an easy question
To answer and while I've
Mulled it over, the only
Conclusion I've come
To is to simply make
Something up that will
Satisfy inquisitive minds
While the truth remains safely
Guarded in the depths of my
Soul; the muse whose light
Illuminated the darkness
And captured my fancy
22AUG21
A Diminishing Sense of Reality
It's not just the forgetfulness
Or the nagging aches and
Pains, but the diminishing
Sense of reality that looms
It has begun to slowly creep
Into the crevices of my being
Serving as a constant reminder
Of life's predetermined fragility
And while it appears that I am
Fully aware of all the changes
I am experiencing, it doesn't
Alleviate the anguish and fear
I'll go back to bed now with a
Better understanding of what it
Is I truly most desire; and I will
Dream about all that's to come
20AUG21
Uri Kashter
I've told the story a hundred times about
The Israeli family I met while staying at
A small hotel in Capileira, the highest
Inhabited village in la Alpujarra
They had come to see their son,
Who had been living in the nearby
Town of Orgiva, selling freshly-baked
Challah alongside other new-age travelers
Uri arrived that afternoon and we shared a
Beautiful Shabbos dinner followed by
An evening filled with storytelling,
Singing and merrymaking
A few years later I returned
To Orgiva and found Uri living in
A small stone house on the Guadalfeo
River; we sat together beneath a beautiful tree
19AUG21
A Slight Easing of Temperament
There are so many consequences
Of aging; the slight easing of
Temperament and the slow
And subtle mellowing
Of character that, as
It's happening, begins to
Create a nuance in the way
The world is observed and life is
Lived; joy turns to melancholy but
The remnants of joyousness
Lingers in the hallowed
Recesses of my mind
In the end, there will
Only be the sea and my
Beloved; together we'll walk
Along the sandy beaches of eternity
18AUG21
The Con Artist
Behind the Cheshire Cat grin
Lies a soulless fraud; a man
Of a thousand faces who
Was only ever in it to
See how long and far
A single lie could be coldly
Perpetuated at the expense of
Naïve and unsuspecting people
How mindless was I to let myself
Be hoodwinked, bamboozled
And made a pawn in such a
Deliberately deceitful scam
While I am convinced you
Are simply a ruthless con artist,
I have often wondered whether
Perhaps you might just be insane
17AUG21
The Future
The youth in this city are repulsive
Not one redeeming quality
Second generation of
Immigrant sons
They've never
Assimilated into the
Society that gave their
Parents and grandparents a home;
True, they are discriminated against
True, they are marginalized
True, they are hoodlums
True, they are lowly
Yet, they are the
Future; they are what
Is to become of this country
A lost and sadly soulless generation
16AUG21
Lifeline
There isn't much keeping
Me tethered these days
No lifeline holding
Things together
Not much in
The way of refuge;
A place where my idle
Thoughts can calmly steep
And the loneliness tugs on
My awareness of how
Things would be if
They would be
But that would
Be too much to ask;
I'm swimming against the
Tide of an unforgiving stream
15AUG21
Drowning
I've been having a recurring dream
Where I'm swimming in a pool with
People I know; friends, family, kids,
Those I love who are closest to me
In every dream I go off to swim on
My own, swimming away from all
That is familiar, safe and nurturing;
All the usual metaphors join forces
And there always comes a moment
In these dreams when I take a deep
Breath and surface dive to the very
Bottom of the pool nearest the drain
As I begin to swim to the surface, I
Am overcome with the fear I might
Drown, aware that the possibility is
Real while knowing it is improbable
14AUG21
Cobblestone Streets
I keep having these daydreams
About walking down cobblestone
Streets in some Mediterranean country;
But no sooner as I take delight in the vision
It is as quickly quelled by the stark reminder
That those pleasant meanders will be
Accompanied only by the longing
For those who are far away;
Which begs the question of
Whether being alone outweighs
The unhappiness and pain of staying
Where I am unwanted and no longer needed;
While cobblestone streets beckon me to come,
To lose my inhibitions and consign my
Sadness to the melancholy sea air,
I will remain where my heart is
13AUG21
Darla's Very Good Point
I have some very smart friends
But more often than not, what
We learn in life comes from a
Result of trials and tribulations
Scrolling through social media
Posts this morning, I came upon
A very good point Darla made
That sadly struck close to home
It made me reflect upon how so
Many things in our lives we all
Share in common; that our very
Existence is so often intertwined
But behind the memes and truths
Lies the poignant reminder that it
Is our relationships which have the
Potential to make us soar or drown
12AUG21
Let Them Eat Cake
Let them take Kandahar
Let them take Kabul; let
Them kill their brothers
In the name of religion
Let them refuse the jab
Let them endanger the
Masses and allow the
Virus to continue killing
Let them carry on with
Their agenda of hate
And hounding those
With different voices
Let indifference and
Ignorance feed those
Who would impart
Wisdom upon a stone
11AUG21
Ode to a Young Poet
It's delightfully pleasing
To see a young person
Embracing the waning
Craft of writing poems
Equally as pleasing was
To make this discovery on
The very night I dreamed
About Jodi, your mother's
Childhood friend who, for
The first time ever, appeared
To me in a dream wearing a
Powder blue dress, walking
With me down Devon Avenue
When, to my surprise, she took
My hand in hers, looked at me
And smiled as we walked along
10AUG21
I Am Stillness
My ability to sit and remain still
Has been slowly increasing as
I age; the ants in my pants
Have waned over time
And more than simply
Being calm and collected
I am content with my stillness
And relish in the quiet composure
I often find myself lost in daydreams
Contemplating this and that
Wondering how my life
Might have turned out
But I soon realize this
Is how it turned out and I
Quickly return to the stillness;
To the sanctuary of being lost in time
09AUG21
Balfour Street
I was sitting enjoying
My morning coffee at
Café Lucia on Balfour
Street; as the waitress
Set down the plate of
Fried eggs in front of
Me, I saw you just as
You stepped into the
Crosswalk; I called
Out to you and you
Turned to me with a
Look of utter surprise
We had never met in
Person, but it seemed
Our destinies aligned
That magical morning
08AUG21
Unrecognizable
I don't seem to recognize my arms anymore
I look at them stretched out holding a mirror
Whose reflection reveals a face I can hardly
Discern though it stirs up faint recollections
I'm not the man I used to be; happy and full
Of life and love and desire living a content,
Uncomplicated existence in a place where
Loving kindness subdued my troubled mind
No, all of that has changed and changed
Forever; soot blots out the sun and heavy
Rain falls from ominous clouds and what
Once flourished now chokes on toxic funk
I am becoming invisible and there seems
To be very little I can do to change that;
Light passes through my translucent body
As the sound of my voice fades into silence
07AUG21
The Same Limbo
One can only withdraw so far
Before the precipice catches
Up with us; and it alway
Does and always will
Eventually, life pushes
Us off the cliff and into the
Valley of the unknown or into
The depths of uncharted waters
And while our body is in free fall
Our minds ponder where the
Ensuing journey might lead
If it leads anywhere at all
Awakened by the glint of
Cobalt skies, I was finally able
To perceive that my journey began
And ended in exactly the same limbo
06AUG21
Beth & Tina
I wanted to write to tell you
That our biological father had
Died, but I didn't know how to
Communicate the doleful news
I've been looking for the two of
You for 19 years with very few
Clues; not a day has gone by
That I haven't thought of you
I've imagined you homeless
Living in poverty, ill and alone;
Or married to a wonderful man
And living in the western suburbs
I've dreamed about the day when
The universe finally aligns and
Reunites us three; stars in a
Galaxy of infinite matter
05AUG21
Decibels
I'm growing incapable of
Coping with noise; perhaps
Another foible of aging that is
Creeping slowly into my reality
My ears are constantly tormented
By the sound of my screaming
Children and DIY neighbors
Banging and drilling
There is always a
Hum, a buzz or clatter;
Builders across the street and
Cable layers digging up pavement
Oddly enough, my only reprieve is
Music; savior of my sanity, the
Buffer between silence and
Life's merciless resonance
04AUG21
101 Things
I've been contemplating my
Final journey and have come
To the conclusion that it will be a
Voyage of wondrous enlightenment
I've been slowly ridding myself of
My possessions, purging all the
Useless sentimental mementos
I've collected along the way
But I'll keep 101 things in the
Safety of a fine steamer trunk like
The shiny black one my grandfather
Gave me that I took to Spain in 1987
Books, devices, clothing and sundries;
The bare essentials of everyday life
Nothing to encumber the lightness
Or unassuming nature of my trek
03AUG21
A Long Life (For My Father)
It's been a long life lived well;
One that has endured challenges,
Hardships and more emotion than you
Have ever outwardly revealed to anyone
You were the hard-working breadwinner
I'd wait up for late at night hoping you
Would divert your after-work chats
At Casey's and just come home
And when you did, we'd talk for
Hours (even on school nights); talk
About B-movie stars, westerns and the
Chicago Cubs; moments I'll always cherish
Today has arrived and you've come all this
Way; a happy life, 89 years a weathered
Survivor; our rock, our constant, a father,
Friend, champion always there for us
02AUG21
I Vacuum A Lot
It seems that I vacuum a lot;
At least more than most people
Perhaps it's the satisfaction derived
In observing the task's immediate result
After years of waiting patiently, I was
Finally able to afford my first Dyson;
A beautifully designed piece of
Technological brilliance
Its form and function are
Complemented by robust suction,
Filters and practical accessories, thus
Creating a delightful cleaning experience
Vacuuming has always been my favorite
Household chore; I remember riding
Atop my grandmother's Hoover as
She drove me around the house
01AUG21
A Year of Emma
It was a splendid summer Saturday morning
We had been looking forward to that day
For months with anticipation and want;
All the necessary preparations made
We boarded the train in The Hague,
Changed over in Haarlem; arrived at
Alkmaar Nord at 9:46 a.m. and picked
Up at the station by the breeder soon after
I'll never forget the first time I saw you, so
Small and lovely; we spent a little time
Exchanging niceties and going over
Documents and necessary details
Dropped off at the station, we had
A little time to kill before our train
Arrived; we had some soft-serve
Ice cream and took you home