Life On A B-I7

Sunday October 17 (Poetry Challenge Day 13)

Happy Birthday daughter.
Of all the things that could be said.
Of all the things that bring me pride.
You are at the very top of my list.

Not a day goes by
that I don’t think of you.
Perhaps you find that hard to believe,
I understand… still it is true.

If I could give you anything in the world
I surly would (besides my love of course).
But for now, this simple poem
will have to do.

And if there were any doubt in your mind
to whom I am referring,
it is to all of you.
Three times blessed have I been.

Saturday October 16 (Poetry Challenge Day 12)

Poetry is in my blood.
I remember when I was in High School.
I got a job as a painter in a shipyard.
We were converting a WWII era Landing Ship Transport into a cannery.

The foreman sent me below deck
to paint a shower room.
He forgot to send me down with an exhaust fan.
Marine paint is bad stuff.

By noon, my buddy and I
were writing poetry on the walls with our paint brushes.
It was a contest of sorts.
We took turns composing lines.

When the foreman came down to get us,
he was surprised…

…we got the afternoon off.

Note: The point about poetry being in my blood could be a slight exaggeration… but at least it was that day for a period of several hours, accompanied by a splitting headache after coming back up on deck…

Friday October 15 (Poetry Challenge Day 11)

I couldn’t cut code without coffee.
Now I can’t write poetry without coffee.

Coffee, the drug of choice
for intellectuals…

And those of us that aspire to be
a bit beyond ordinary.

Thursday October 14 (Poetry Challenge Day 10)

My greatest joy might be
reading my poems to you in bed.

You have an amazing tolerance for drivel,
for that I thank you.

But that begs the question
why do I enjoy this so much?

I think it’s about showing
another person who you are.

There is something extremely
intimate in that.

It’s OK if you don’t like these poems,
listening is enough for me.

Wedensday October 13 (Poetry Challenge Day 9)

My greatest fear is that
I will run out of things to say.
Perhaps I have less than 365
thoughts in my head.

I think the key to poetry
might be mindfulness.
Or, if not that,
simply the ability to empty your head.

Which, by the way,
does give me a significant advantage.

Tuesday October 12 (Poetry Challenge Day 8)

I know a guy that dropped a pumpkin
from the top of an FAA Control Tower.
He traded his pumpkin tossing skills in
to become a commercial airline pilot.

I know a guy that was the first to ski
a snow covered volcano
in the Aleutian Islands.
He never got credit for it.

I know a woman
with exceptional English Language skills.
She spends her time correcting my grammar.
I love her for it.

You see, we are all famous in some way.
We just need to look closely.

Monday October 11 (Poetry Challenge Day 7)

I know some of you may be thinking
is this poetry?

If you are one of the twenty-five reading this
let me assure you… I have no idea.

If I knew what poetry was I would never
attempt to write a poem every day.

It could be said that poetry is in the eye
(or rather the ear) of the beholder.

It might also be said there has to be
some intrinsic meaning.

These are just the answers
I have come up with.

Perhaps we can discover
the answer together.

Remind me to revisit this question
with you a year from now…

Sunday October 10 (Poetry Challenge Day 6)

It’s one thing to wake up
every morning beside you,
quite another to find you
not there.

Without you there I am oddly free,
but the price is extraordinary,
for I find myself incomplete.
Not in a bad way

Having you there
makes me better,
more free,
because of your love.

Saturday October 9 (Poetry Challenge Day 5)

Perhaps all this poetry nonsense
stems from my childhood.

To get me out of the house
my parents enrolled me in a
summer writing program.

I remember our class titled
our composite summer work,
‘The Oncely Alligator.’

If only I could be so creative
as an adult.

Friday October 8 (Poetry Challenge Day 4)

What does a cat think?
I wish I knew.

When I look into his eyes
I believe he is trying to say something.

But alas, I can’t draw any conclusion
other than simple recognition.

I think he loves me in his own way.
I certainly love him.

A love that for the most part
seems to be one-sided.

But in a way,
that’s what makes it special.

Thursday October 7 (Poetry Challenge Day 3)

I forgot to water the plants - again.
One of them seems to have forgiven me
the other has given up on me.

So much like life.

The trick is to surround yourself
with people (and plants)
that don’t easily give up on you.

Wednesday October 6 (Poetry Challenge Day 2)

Four hundred seventy five miles.
That’s a long day.
I can’t remember spending so much time
in desolation.

Eastern Oregon is amazing.
Never ending badlands it seems.
It reminds me of West Texas.

Only more remote,
and more isolated.

Tuesday October 5 (Poetry Challenge Day 1)

I’ve been thinking about writing
a poem a day.

Who would read such nonsense?
Ah, but that is the point,

I do it for myself and no one else.
That may not be exactly true…

I also do it for the twenty-five or so readers
that might stumble onto this.