In the early morning
the view is clear;
we can see for miles.
As day emerges,
clouds obscure our vision,
our perspective decreases.
Clarity before obscurity.
Peace before busyness.
One to hold the other at bay.
poem- ominous omnipotence November 24, 2016
The clouds sink
obscuring hills with billows:
silver, grey, charcoal, black.
Heavy clouds in cold air
ready to coat the highway with danger.
We gaze out our windows
wondering whether we’ll get home before
the first storm of this winter.
poem-wings November 23, 2016
Creeping along, devouring everything in sight,
unsatisfied,
wrapped up in strings of your own making
wound up in yourself
chrysalis
waiting for wings.
Patience is a virtue.
You break free, stretch,
the new you quivers with discovery.
You fly, fill life with sweetness,
bring joy to those who watch you
waltz with the wind
until
you fall life-less.
The core of you crumbles,
but the breeze captures the wings left behind
and carries them,
curling and flipping
to the sky.
poem- puppy power November 22, 2016
You bounce
You lunge
You beg
You bark
You insist we pay attention to me, me, me!
Just like a kid with ADHD*
.
.
.
*Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder. ADHD makes it challenging for kids to sit still; they notice everything going on around them and so are constantly distracted. Focus becomes a huge issue. We have to use many strategies to help these kids function in school, like wobble stools (round bottom stools so they move and help fidgeters- personally I loved these at university) and private, distraction free spaces, and an aid who reminds them to work… My puppy, who is alone during the day in his kennel and therefore desperate for games when we’re home in the evening, behaves the same way!
poem- free November 21, 2016
Blocked by memory
Limited by opportunity
Afraid of mobility
Paralyzed by stupidity?
Freedom to choose badly
Freedom to bully
Freedom is a power to manipulate evilly
Two and two is four
prove freedom is slavery.
poem- song November 17, 2016
Around and around you go
bursting out of the ether
leaping from between my lips.
I fight to contain you
You fight for your freedom
with musical slips.
.
.
.
I am soloing a number in our local production of Mary Poppins, so the tune has filled my brain and bursts out of me at unexpected moments. I think it’s starting to alarm people, though I try to do it only in empty rooms and halls! 
Curtain rises* a week from today! (Eeek!)
*(Well, it would if our curtain could actually do that).
poem-bricks November 16, 2016
Head
hits
brick
wall.
Head
hits
brick
wall.
Head
hits
brick
wall.
Head
hits
brick
wall.
Brick
wall
impacts
head.
poem- exasperation November 15, 2016
Your desperation
leads me to exasperation
How many times do I tell you?
How many times did I tell you?
How many times will I tell you?
Too many.
Once more.
If you do it when you’re asked
Begin when assigned the task
You will not be desperate
and I will not exasperate.
poem- pocketful November 14, 2016
Old blazer.
I reach into the pocket:
A piece of plastic wrapper and a hole.
While pristine on the outside,
Both sides within are eaten through.
Instantly,
the ghost of an old dog is in the room with me,
the metronome of his tail slowly waving
while he looks away
to hide the twinkle in his eye.
Shawn L. Bird 