She is nestled up against him
waiting for the whispered words
of adoration, desire.
He sighs contently, and tells her
she is cuddly.
That sounds like a teddy bear she says.
He pulls her closer, nuzzling into her neck,
but a single tear rolls down her cheek.
Two geese fly
over the lake
bringing spring
with each flap
of their wings.
Eyes forward
Seeing what he wants to see.
Ears closed to cries or criticism.
Fill out the forms
Check the boxes.
Everyone must fit somewhere,
conformity is the only rule.
Follow the tracks.
There is anticipation
in the preparation
equal to arriving
at the destination.
You know everything
at least you think you do
and constraints of adult expectations
are irritation to you.
So that older guy on social media
successfully calls you
offering freedom and attention
and you leave confidently,
but we fear your bravado
will crash into a predator
and send you cringing home
your security crushed
forever, by the wisdom gained
too late and too painfully.
They mandate learning
You must be here
You must go to this website
You must explore
And they are so unprepared
their website crashes
no one can reach it
and we just shake our heads
at the irony
of the sad reality
of their expectation we rely on this technology.
I feel you curled against my back.
I stroke your warm body.
I gaze into your soft brown eyes,
that gaze lovingly back to me.
I wonder whose ashes are in the box:
Conspiracy theories.
Painful realities ring with the alarm clock,
and my contentment turns to ashes.
Floor level is less interesting
Fewer blankets and pillows are piled into corners
for you to collapse upon.
Crumbs aren’t cleaned up by a searching tongue.
No floor level greeter welcomes me home
No floor level sniffer seeks a snack of his own
Floors stay cleaner: no foot prints at the door,
no water puddles down the hall.
Sometimes I still see you from the corner of my eye
and once again, I say good-bye.
.
.
An unconventional art hanging spot, that feels just right.
The print is by Zefi Famelis of http://www.zefiart.com. It’s called “Eyes of Love.” I’ve had it for several years, but now it’s in the living room. Here’s a closer look:
The ancient Greeks formalized education.
Men should seek the seven liberal arts.
They must know grammar,
rhetoric,
dialectics.
Then move on to
music
arithmetic,
geometry,
astronomy
and always consider the tenets of philosophy.
You must begin knowing how words connect,
how to persuade others,
how to think logically and analytically,
then explore
sound,
numbers,
shapes,
and stars.
Shawn L. Bird 