Month: September 2022

Nocturnal soulmates reunited

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The full moon was low on the horizon

Moonbeams bouncing over the bay

A big dark cloud raced across the sky

The moon lit up the edge of the cloud

A valiant but futile protest

The cloud pushed on

Mischievously blocking all the moonbeams

The waters of the bay looked up

Urging the wind to shift that cloud

The wind responded with huge gusts

Soon the tail end of the cloud glowed silver

The cloud was simply blown away

A bold smile reappeared on the face of the moon

Moonbeams flooded the bay

We give thanks the wind said the waters

As the wind blew the cloud further away

The sky made a public declaration

Establishing a no fly zone around the moon

The wind settled down

The waters on the bay went flat calm

Moonbeams joyfully bounced off the water

The cloud looked back and sulked

He only wanted to see his shadow

The wind, the waters the sky and the moon all grinned

Nocturnal soulmates reunited

They chatted endlessly swapping stories

Recalling past adventures together

They drank moonshine all night

The wind provided the loud music

A dance floor was set up on the bay

They partied hard until dawn

Lunar landing map in a time capsule

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The bathroom wall looked great

A lick of fresh paint was all it needed

Until I installed new mirrors with LED backlighting

The light shot across the wall

It was brazenly honest and totally unforgiving

Illuminating every minor imperfection on the surface

Casting infinitely long shadows

The wall resembled a NASA lunar landing map

I considered smoothing it all out

Filling in all the deep craters and scratches

Sanding down all the lumps and bumps

But that would make a huge mess

The backlights would still magnify all remaining imperfections

So I decided to tile the wall

I thought it would only take one day

I soon learned that the wall was not just bumpy

None of the corners were square

The edges were neither straight nor level

I had to make a lot more tile cuts than envisaged

After three days it is almost done

The lunar landing map is now in a time capsule

Hidden behind an array of odd shaped tiles

I wondered why I had not seen the real state of the wall before

Then I realized what was happening

You can look at something a thousand times

You can be totally convinced that you know everything about it

But you never really see anything completely

Until you are forced to look at it in a different way

Mission accomplished

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Sometimes words are not enough

He gave up talking

When she stopped listening

Holding her tightly in his arms

A strong manly bear hug

She made no attempt to escape

Melting into him

She released the grip on her imprisoned emotions

Directing her feelings to the door of freedom

At first it was a gently cry

Shedding tears with jagged breaths

Growing steadily into a sobbing wail

Interrupted by short sharp intakes of gasping breath

She became a limp rag doll

Unable to stand without his support

Her whole body shook as she cried

The wailing slowly subsided

Replaced by labored heavy breathing

Her emotional prisoners had all escaped

Strength gradually returned to her limbs

She supported her own weight again

Her arms clung tightly to him

He relaxed the strength of his bear hug slightly

Suddenly he was the captive

She would decide when it was time to untangle

Her cold tears soaked his right shoulder

She lifted her head briefly

Softly brushing the tears from his wet shirt

A ceremonial apologetic gesture

Its Ok he whispered to her

She pulled back but still gripped him tightly

Their eyes locked onto each other

Peering into her soul

His eyes launched missiles loaded with hope

Drilling into the depths of her despair

She made no attempt to evade the onslaught

It was a direct hit

Missiles exploded on impact

Her hope tanks were fully replenished

She acknowledged receipt

With a slow blink

Mission accomplished

Do not wait forever

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John had always wanted to write a book

He thought about romantic fiction

There were too many of those around

Same for all those juicy crime thrillers

After so many false starts

He decided to tell his own life story

Not just a conventional autobiography

It had to have some meaningful life lesson

He reflected back on his own childhood

How hard it had been at school

He was not a particularly gifted scholar or athlete

Bullying haunted him almost daily

Somehow he managed to scrape into college

He he never really fitted in

He did not want to join the constant party crowd

The dedicated academics who never left the library were too boring

Dating was a challenge for him

He was intimidated by all the pretty girls

He dated the same plain Jane throughout college

They both knew it was a relationship of convenience

They did however get married soon after they started work

John worked hard and was a successful accountant

Then the kids started to arrive

The years seemed to fly by in a constant cycle of work and parenting

When his children eventually left home

Jane declared she was leaving him

She had finally found true love elsewhere

John was now alone and at a crossroads

John had reached the final chapter of his book

Describing how shrewd investments allowed him to retire early and become a writer

His biggest regret was wasting the first fifty years of his life

So he decided to travel and learn new things for the next fifty years

His publisher rejected the book because the first fifty years were so boring

John deleted all those chapters and expanded on the rest

His life message was do not wait forever because the end arrives fast

His book was a best seller

Two hours in a cathedral

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The alarm went off

At dark o’thirty

Time to jump out if bed

Finish packing the suitcase

Dash to the airport

Curbside checkin was fast

No lines at security

I always expect the metal detector to alarm

Checking my pockets for foil gum wrappers

Grateful I passed the terrorist screening

Peering at the flight information screen

My departure is two hours away

I could have stayed in bed longer

Bleary eyed travelers

Lining up to buy coffee

Hard to tell if anybody is smiling

Behind their sleepy gaze

The terminal ceiling is so high

A cathedral for travelers

Worshiping their gods

Between sips of boiling hot coffee

Before heading to the heavens

In a metal tube with wings

Praying for safe landings

Are you an avid DIYer

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I often wonder why some folks are afraid of DIY projects

did they try it once and have a major disaster

perhaps coming from a family with non-DIY parents

or maybe just being too shy to ask how

I grew up in a non-DIY household

my father was an engineer and could fix anything

but he regarded home as a place to rest and relax

not wanting to turn our house into a second workshop

I have tackled many projects in and around our house

learning the hard way like drilling into utilities

struggling to make inadequate tools perform

rushing into jobs without any pre-planning

over time you learn to respect your own limitations

recognizing when its best to pay for expert help

doing more research definitely makes jobs go smoother

buying good tools and quality materials is a must

I remember living next door to an avid DIYer

a twice divorced lady living alone in a big house

she took on the most incredibly complex reconstruction projects

yet her finished work was of the highest standard

how did you learn all those skills I asked

she went around construction sites and asked the workers

people love to teach willing students she explained

when you get stuck just go back and ask again

life itself is really just one big DIY project

learning good parenting skills when your cute baby child morphs into a teenage monster

fixing a broken relationship without running to Home Depot

taking on ambitious self improvement challenges is the most rewarding DIY task

enjoy the ride while it lasts

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

alternating days and nights

temperatures follow the seasons

financial markets go up and down

housing markets boom and crash

the popularity of movie stars explodes then fades away

sports teams rise to ascendancy then slip back into oblivion

a new restaurant attracts crowds 

but over time empty tables appear

political leaders are initially adored 

their ratings inevitably fall with time

babies need caring for as they develop

growing into adults who care for their own babies

then they get old and need to be cared for again

nothing is constant

atoms from dead stars make up the cells in living organisms

the cells in your body die off daily

replaced by new ones

over time the replacement cells are less reliable

ultimately leading to death

but the cycle continues

the atoms from dead plants and animals get recycled

new life begins again with atoms from dead stars

stars in the sky burn bright but eventually burn out

our ever-expanding universe will one day go dark again

it will shrink back to nothing

before another big bang creates a new expanding universe

everything follows a cycle

enjoy the ride

while it lasts

My Dad

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Photograph- me with my dad circa 1957

My dad was a kind man

Always helping others

Stopping for stranded motorists

Feeding the homeless

Giving sound advice to those in need

We went fishing together

Quiet times with little said

So good to be alongside him

Such a practical man

He taught me so many things

He was a proud Scotsman

With strong socialist beliefs

Always ready to listen to opposing views

Insisting his own children be well educated

In a neighborhood where most kids had no books in their house

He worked hard to earn a living

Putting every penny into the household 

Never spending on himself

He vowed that we would never go hungry

As he had done growing up in a poor family

He loved his grandchildren dearly

Sadly passing away when they were small

My children have no memory of the great man

Who unselfishly shaped my own life

Thank you Dad, I miss you