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