What am I? ( #4 )

You come out of the grayness of dusk
as you enter my yard.
I know not if it's you, or just a shadow
on a long, summer, June night.
Suddenly I am aware of all that is black
in a yard that I thought was mine.
A hanging basket of flowers plays
tricks with my eyes,
as I think it's you perched on a fence post.

The candle I read by becomes brighter
with the end of the day's light,
as blood thirsty tiny little mosquitoes
hunt for uncovered skin.
A few early fire flies grace my yard
and distract me from your quiet movement.
I can hardly see now, yet I think I see you
crouched down in the grass, looking at me.
The tree line is still visible and the waxing
gibbous moon will reflect in your green eyes
giving you away, any minute now.

~

It matters not

It matters not where we shall meet
in a field or forest deep.
It matters not the time of day
morning sun or nighttime gray.

Perhaps we'll meet upon a beach
mingling skin of tan and peach.
Or in a castle dungeon dark
where hungry lips do leave their mark.

We could share the best of moods
you and me; a pair of nudes.
Sliding down a fall of blue
rolling in the morning dew.

It matters not where we shall meet
in a field or forest deep.
It matters not the time of day.
Time will slow as if at bay.

Orange Moon

Driving home 'round the bend
I ran into an orange moon.
It was hanging right in front of me,
right between the tall oak trees.

It stole my breath in a second
It took my heart, right then and there.
I fell in love with you again
by the sight of this orange moon.

I headed north down Randall Road
and feared that I would loose it.
But there it was, just left of me,
that orange wafer of a moon.

It sailed so smoothly, yet shyly hid
between the trees and in the clouds.
No way for it to go unnoticed,
this larger than life orange moon.

I wondered if others thrilled over
this touchable site within the sky.
I wondered if Cosmo would mind
if I borrowed his moon tonight.

At that very moment, we connected
as I felt you viewing...
that same orange moon.

April

just when it seems so bleak
with winter's dirty streak
that clouds my restless being
to cover what I'm seeing

along comes spring with yellow and green
and all its colors in between
that save me from this wicked state,
with natures bounty on my plate.

The Saga of The Dumpty's

Seems that Henry Dumpty, son of Humpty Dumpty,
decided to follow in his father's fall.
He fell off a wall that was pretty darn tall,
only there were no king's horses or king's men,
only his horrified peers that stood by, shaking in their shells.
Not one of them would go over to help poor Henry
because he was yolking all over the place.

Premature

I am born of Spring
before my time
God had a plan for me
I will go forth and plant seeds

Red

White curtains blowing in the wind,
through an open great room window.
A lady adorned in white lace
sits on a white china twill couch.

A gentleman walks into this
picture-perfect white scene and sees
Merlot red painted on her lips.
And scarlet red painted toe nails.

To him, she is drop-dead gorgeous.
To her, he is a shinning knight.
She swings her long legs off the couch
and then slips her white spiked heels on.

Taller then the Eiffel tower
she strikes him with big hazel eyes.
He steps in close with Gumby legs
and has a thought but cannot speak.

She reaches over, grabs his tie.
Pulls him in swiftly to her lips.
Their eyes lock, she kisses him hard,
as her white lace dress turns to red.

They fall to a white shaggy rug
then roll from New York to Cali.
and back again on silver dust,
as the white roses turn to red.

When the smoke clears and settles down
She heads towards the kitchen and then
returns with two parfait dishes...
"There's always room for red Jello"

Not my poem, but awesome facts!...

ARLINGTON CEMETERY -

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the
tomb of the Unknowns and why?


21 steps: It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute which is
the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary..


2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?


21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1


3. Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.


4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
and, if not, why not?


He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.. After
his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to
the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be
between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30..


They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a
barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for
the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives
and cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way.

After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying
they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey
these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the
heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the
top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.

There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform... Guards
dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone nor
watch TV All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable
people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery .. A guard must
memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are:
President Taft,
Joe Lewis {the boxer}
Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, the most
decorated soldier of WWII of Hollywood fame.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready
for guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE
UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC ,
our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm.
On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from
the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the
assignment.
They respectfully declined the offer, 'No way, Sir!' Soaked to the
skin,marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that
guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor
that can be afforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled
continuously, 24/7, since 1930.


God Bless and keep them.

Meteor

"Yes" she answered him.
" I don't ever hang around too long.
I am a stream of meteors flashing
through the skies. If you are observant
you'll spy me as I pass by. But only
the early riser will catch my glow
and you will know it's me as I rain down
on you a storm packed with fifteen hundred
meteors that light up your desert sky.
Then and only then, when everyone else
is sound asleep, deep within their dreams,
I will captured your heart and take you in flight
across the constellation Andromeda.
It is then you will discover where I go and why.
So rest assure when I close a door, I open a galaxy."

Full Moon

The current moon is
one hundred percent full.

The current status of my brain
is one hundred percent empty!

Shame.

A challenge...

I challenge one and all to write a poem or short essay with the word "cuddle" in it.

Don't ask
: )

sotto voce

soft sounds of love
cradle beneath
a pale orange moon,

lifts eyes

whose desire curiously
opens soft pink
folds of love.

mouth searches…
an assuring touch
in the dark.

sepia shadows dance across
the dew-kissed September lawn,
hot plum wine breath inhales deeply

and then release a sudden whisper...

a confessional moment.

Closer to God

The closer you get with God,
the harder the devil knocks
on your door!

Never leave home
without the armor
of God on.

Choking on fear

I braved the waters today
and dove in head first
with no fear of drowning.

I have drowned before
many times,
choking on my fears
till they bled out.

No one ever noticed
I hid it well, still do,
as strong currents
wrap around my ankles
and drag me under.

I hold my breath
till I have no more breath
left in my lungs to hold...
I can't breath.
I gasp for air,
water fills my lungs
suffocating me...

But then I surface--
I always surface

leaving footprints
. . . at the water's edge.

Psychedelic

Today I pulled memories
out of the back of a closet.

Memories neatly preserved
on 45 RPM vinyl.

The psychedelic, mod design box
took me back to a time of innocence.
A time of a war that was ending.
A war I knew very little about.
But still I wore a POW bracelet
and prayed everyday for that soldier.

In a far away land,
the brave risked or lost their life.
In a small corner of America,
I was a girl, becoming a woman.
Trying to figure it all out.

Sheltered from the harshness
of the world,
by two loving parents.

Hell!...I didn't even know
about Woodstock till 1970,
when the album hit the stores.
And Crosby, Stills and Nash
sang of Woodstock.

The memory filled box
sings to me of a
"becoming of age" time.

Like it was yesterday,
when I was young.
The tender age of thirteen
and in love for the first time.
"Puppy Love" so they say.

Those were the days
that held me tight.
At times, chewed me up
and spit me out.

There was the Hurdy Gurdy Man
and Mrs. Robinson.
Hey Jude made a sad song better.
I walked through crimson and clover.
Had an Indian Giver for a best friend.
This magic moment made me dizzy.
I weaved a gum chain from
cinnamon gum stick wrappers.
Picked buttercups in
a field of lie that let me down.
No big surprise.

Hanky Panky was frowned upon.
But the river is wide, as
I raced off on a spinning wheel.
Someday I may get back to you
if you don't let me down.
I could have been your Heather Honey.

In the Ghetto, they don't
understand the Israelites.
Maybe in the year 2525,
persuasion will be crystal blue.
You can't always get what you want.
But just look into these eyes
to see that I adore you,
more today than yesterday.

Let me grow my hair
shoulder length or longer.
Swing through the trees
like Guitarzan.
In this world, only the strong survive.
So rock me, cause Eli's coming
and he seeks an Evil woman.

Holly Holy!

Baby, take me in your arms,
cause we're so good together.

Peace man! Groovy.
Flower Power.
Make Love, not War.

I still wonder...
How many people
can fit inside a bug?