The Old Frog (2009)

(For Grandpa Frank, aka The Chintz, on his Birthday)














There once was a crusty old frog
Who sat in a pond on a log,
As plump as a blimp,
With a leg and a limp,
And cackled all day in the fog.

Now this fog was his own special art,
And its secret he wouldn’t impart;
He could spew it at will,
And its vapours could kill,
And it came with the name of a fart.

He would sit on his log through the day
And heckle the tadpoles at play,
Then at noon he would cheer
For his afternoon beer,
Which his gut knew was not far away.

When finished and filled with his fuel
He farts for his joy in the pool,
And cackles with glee
At a puddle of pee
And a poop that sinks down like a jewel.

One day he was dropping a load
When along came a poisonous toad,
She picked up a stick
And said, “run you old prick!”
As she thrashed him for every fart owed!

Well, that crusty old frog gave a squeal,
But he and the toad cut a deal;
Now they’re both on the log
In that vaporous bog,
Making farts thick enough to congeal!

You and I (2010)

The brimming sky adores the land,
     The blooming land the sky,
Whose rains caress the happy land
     Which flowers with a sigh.

The rivers that collect the rain
     Seek out the lovely sea,
To meld into it once again
     And gurgle happily.

The ocean wraps the world around,
     Its waters join the air,
Which rains its love upon the ground
     That lays its bosom bare.

The world is moved with love and bliss,
     The earth and sea and sky;
They seek each other’s happy kiss,
     Why not you and I?

Nothing alone can be complete,
     And love alone must die!
So why not live and love, my sweet?
     Why not you and I?

To a Certain Mr. Woods (2010)

Yes you can show your perfect smile
And bleach your perfect teeth;
But Tiger, though you flaunt your style
You cannot bleach what’s underneath!

To S. (2006)

I love you for your form and perfect grace,
Your measured pace, your style, each balanced part,
The way you charm us to our proper place
'Mid thoughts profound: you win this poet's heart.
As numbered as the men who loved you were,
Who held you long, were faithful more or less,
Who shaped you in their likeness, this I'm sure
And by the poems which lay ahead profess:
Since beauty is expressed in wide array,
The ironies of life, the truths that tell,
If like the rest your faith I should betray,
In this unlike: they never loved so well.
Forget the rival forms I may employ;
Your claim is first, dear Sonnet, to my joy.

Lake Superior, 2006 (2006)

Hail cheerful floret, growing mid the stones
Of Superior's shores, beneath the arch
Of autumn's ominous vesture and its groans –
A tempest onslaught and relentless march.

Such tender petals clinging by a breath,
Their yellow joy against the sullen rock,
So poised as though a moment and their death
Will, pouncing, tear them from your slender stalk.

And yet I sense some hidden strength remains
And perseveres in each defiant bloom,
Which could not be dismayed though all the rains
Of autumn's malice prophesy their doom.

For why should beauty fear the mortal claw
Of any nature?  Bloom on floret bold!
Though ages pass, as this one, dead and cold,
Such beauty is its own eternal law.

Without Too Many Words (2009)

Without too many words, my love,
Please tell me why we must be two,
When loneliness has known me well
And emptiness has been with you.

Without too many words, my love,
Please tell me why you turn away
When none are waiting where you go
And I stand here and hope you stay.

Without too many words, my love,
Please tell me why I’m standing here
When lovely girls pass all around
And year is piling up on year.

Without too many words, my love
Please tell me why you wish to go,
When life and youth will pass you by
And passion you will never know.

Without too many words, my love,
Please tell me why we must be two,
When all you need is in my eyes
And all I want I see in you.

To the Olympians (2010)

Bright stars!  Shine forth in all your excellence!
Feel deeply the moment and guard the memory,
Which moves a billion strangers with immense
Emotion, so proud that humans thus can be.
We look at you and see the hardships borne,
The injuries, the break and bitter fall;
And yet, all bounds and barriers are out-worn
And now you stand in triumph at it all.
Prometheans!  Take the gods’ eternal fire!
Push on against the limits of our race,
And prove yourselves, and all of us inspire.
Such greatness forgetful time cannot erase,
For the child who sees you raise the flame today
Tomorrow will carry it further on its way.