Zen cycling

Road winds before me
Pedaling through country side
Bike and I allied

Mischievous duo

Debris strewn about
Like tornado come to pass
Dogs playing all out

A man made disease

Corruption has spread
Like the stench of the undead
Putrid and fetid

Which is louder?

Wise may be our words
Although, at times, our actions
Come out quite absurd

Practicing Restraint

If we would embrace
A modicum of patience
Anger would efface

A Little Elbow Grease

Will requires no skill.
Hard work and dedication
Is your salvation.

Merry Christmas

Wishing lots of cheer
To you and yours this Christmas
And in the New Year

The Meaning of Christmas

Lest we all forget
The real gift is His presence
Not store bought presents

Withdrawal

Toxins in your veins
Lead to desire induced ire
Making you insane

Twilight

As shadows dissolve
Final shimmers fade from sight
So begins the night

Looking for a Lozenge

Like gargling crushed glass
Throat chafed by the cold dry air
Winter's come to bear

School of Hard Knocks

From our teachers stern
With bitter respect we learn
Enlightened in turn

Mind over Master

For erudition
Higher learning is pursued
And knowledge imbued

Final request

With one wish I’d ask
Perchance, just a little more
Life with you before...

(Epilogue to the 5 part series on the stages of grief)

Acceptance

Reality is.
And with perception aligned
Finally resigned

(5 part series on the stages of grief - stage 5)

Depression

Misery imbues,
Festering like a virus
Within the darkness

(5 part series on the stages of grief - stage 4)

Bargaining

Brash desperation.
Offering this over that
Still won’t change the fact.

(5 part series on the stages of grief - stage 3)

Anger

Jaw clenched; senses robbed
Infused with caustic venom
Ire blurs the vision

(5 part series on the stages of grief - stage 2)

Denial

Reality shunned.
Fabricating perception
Eludes emotion.

(5 part series on the stages of grief - stage 1)

Terminally ill

The news received
Waiting through hateful respite
The end now in sight

(Prologue to the 5 part series on the stages of grief.  Authors note - I am not terminally ill; this represents how I think I'd react upon learning such news, at least initially.  Of the 5 stages of grief, Anger is the one I believe I'd have the most trouble getting past.)

All in good time

Patience bears all things.
Enduring builds character,
From whence greatness springs

Holding on...

Vicariously
We dream a different life
Not our destiny

The Phoenix

Ruin begets life
From the fallen ash of fire
Grandeur stems from mire

Creative endeavors

Like a flowers bloom
Pedals of inspiration
Spread and fill the room

It takes two

Bond strengthened by time
The union of man and wife
Together for life

Welcome Jack Frost

Winds howl from the north
Like arctic icy sprinters
Rushing in winter

Sacrifices of freedom

The taciturn child
Single tear upon his cheek
War claimed dad last week

The cost of keeping up with the Joneses

Is it really worth
Living as a grasshopper
To die a pauper?

Beware your carnal passions

Like drugs, lust poisons.
The former costs you your life
The latter, your wife

Bold and breakable

Rash and quixotic
A young mans ego so brash
‘Til his dreams are dashed

Man's best friend

You say “just a pet”
But for me, when he dies, it’s
Pain I won’t forget

It’s learning not failing... stupid!

A goal unattained
Is experience from which
Knowledge can be gained

The strength of a good friendship

Easy to converse
Even after months apart
Last word is now start

Look within...

Cherish what you have
Ponder not what you yearn for
Life is so much more

Lost but not forgotten

Crumbled like dry leaves;
Pieces scattered to the wind
Broken heart won’t mend

Getting all jammed up

What a rude driver!
The damn traffic has me peeved.
Oh... whoops... that was me.

Thanksgiving...

So which one is it?
A day to show gratitude
Or eat too much food

Unrequited love

The lonely heart pines
For the one that got away.
Love did not align

Out and back in a north wind

The wind is bracing
Speed slow, but heart is racing
Return pace will hasten

The wealthy soul

Judge not ones own worth
By what you have, but rather
Gauge by what you give

The makeup of marriage

Strengthened by resolve
A bond forged in love and troth
Will not soon dissolve

The dilemma of divorce

Marriages fail with
Dilution of emotion
Lacking devotion

Defining my hobby

It’s five-seven-five
Your syllables should be true
When you write haiku

Actions have consequences

Withered like flowers
After a belated frost
A strained friendship lost

Going "all in" in life

Pushing our limits
We test our strength of mettle
Ne’er shall we settle

The crying baby

Mental state is strained
At last, infant sleeps the night
Sanity regained

The straight and narrow...

Pick your path, stay true
Live life with faith and virtue
Awards await you

Strength through perseverance

Will attains the peak!
Like excuses for can’t and won’t,
Easy makes us weak.

Tread cautiously...

A line in the sand
Once crossed cannot be uncrossed
So beware the cost

Child of adoration

Bond of adoption

Not of blood; governed by heart

Such love to impart

(National Adoption Awareness Month - #5 of 5)

Vetrans Day

Honor those who've served,
Fought to protect our nation,
Defending freedom

A loving home

Blessed are parents whom

Open their hearts to a child

Of another womb

(National Adoption Awareness Month - #4 of 5)

An enduring bond

While not of your loins

The moment you cradled her

Forever you joined

(National Adoption Awareness Month - #3 of 5)

Reared in your image

Perhaps her face bares

Traits of birth, but her spirit

Reflects your merit

(National Adoption Awareness Month - #2 of 5)

Continuing your heritage

Though her genes aren’t yours

A legacy you have raised

Giving your name praise

(National Adoption Awareness Month - #1 of 5)

Kicking the habit...

Craving cigarettes?

Your health is your loved ones wealth.

Quit with no regrets.

A sad state of media!

So much attention

Always given in the news

To crazies and fools

It’s not as big a deal as you think it is…

Quick with the drama

Pathetic with pageantry

Mired in self pity

Ideas welcome...

It's hard every day

To think of new things to write

That aren’t so darn trite.

Caution... children at play

Special sibling bond

For a moment, fun at play

Next begets melee

Beware who you elect...

The politician

While speaking words of reason

Committing treason

Get out the vote...

On left and on right

Elephants and donkeys fight

When will we unite?

Icy grip of fear...

Darkness settles in

Like midnight on empty plains

Terror holds the reigns

Canes ruinas...

Rip, tear, shred and throw

The duo makes a man scream

Dogs and magazines

A noble profession...

Ode to the teacher

Whose craft is to shape young minds

Whose skills are divine

Looking for material...

Suggest a topic

I’ll come up with a haiku

Written just for you

Ever reaching...

All strive to achieve

Each having different goals

Nobel we believe

Picture of purity...

Brother and Sister

Toddlers walking, holding hands

Innocence commands

Covet once... cut twice

Objects we control

Cannot measure our virtue

Or strengthen our soul

It's how I roll...

The style is haiku

Iambic Pentameter

You don’t need to do

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

Life is a garden

Consider well what you grow

What you reap could blow!

Luke, I am your father...

Contain your dark side

Lest it escape and divide

Forgiveness denied

Midnight companion...

Nocturnal sojourn

Waxing does brighten in turn

Waning will adjourn

Vigilance...

Watch for fortunes smile

Next visit may be a while

Beware of fates guile

Heartfelt sorrow...

Gone without warning

Gentle life taken too soon

A time for mourning

A babies smile...

Precious baby boy

Mothers bond will not allay

Steals her heart away

Autumn fields...

Ground down; stubble; brown.

Awaiting Spring to begin.

Fresh seed sewn again.

Another year...

Forty-one years now

Wisdom still beyond my reach

Difficult to breach

Rough week

Chaos rules the days

Insomnia rules the nights

Mental state decays

Harmony

Find your inner peace

Love your family and friends

Life passes too brief

Once a hound... always a hound

Sleeping dog; so sweet

Awakes as a howling freak

Damn the siren’s tweet

A cornucopia of color

Leaves changing color

Gently falling to the ground

Autumns great splendor

The burgeoning author

Daily I write prose

Some… I think are not so bad;

Others kind of sad

Your legacy

What will be your mark

What will you have left behind

Good, bad, or benign?

Par for the course

T'is woe for the Chiefs

They fought a valient game

But Colts took the fame

Changing of the guard

Gone on north winds tail

Summer past; Fall arriving

Embrace the season

What a long strange trip it's been

Life is a journey

Each step a discovery

Wonderous to see

Me and my bike

Pavement flows beneath
Legs are pumping round and round
Miles pass; peace is found

Bad dogs, bad dogs... whatcha gonna do

Vociferously

My dogs bicker in fracas

Unabashedly