Drinking with friends of 

yore until waking to find 

they were gone for good 

Drowsy as the rain 

streams across the window pane

and lulls me to sleep

Your path requires 

some swerves and bumps to jar you

back to consciousness 

 Return to daily 

life and while it looks the same

you have changed and grown 

The ragged street souls

once had childhood dreams like you

until their steep falls

Laid up and lonely 

alone with thoughts that creep and

curl around the soul 

 They are so friendly

 until they lose and then the 

claws emerge and glint 

A litmus test for

living: greet a stranger with

open arms and love

New surroundings in

which to spread your wings and soar

are sometimes needed 

Call it kismet, chance, 

fate, or divine force, just let 

it guide us to peace

Telegraph your thoughts 

to me so I can decode 

your inner turmoil 

When nothing makes sense

anymore just put on your 

favorite record 

Dirty dishes pile

up like encroaching worries 

about your next meal 

Your caviar will 

taste of ashes and Prada 

 soon turn to sackcloth

A wild wind blowing 

down my street carries the sweet

scent of distant lands 

A crooked path is

still a road worth following 

to its final end. 

You try to touch the

stars hoping to learn secrets 

but cannot bridge space 

Better minds than mine 

pave the way to a clearer 

knowledge of myself 

The sound of Monk's hands 

striking keys so long ago 

now drifts across me

Another ghost has

entered my room, already

filled, overflowing 

Suits moulder away

in the closet awaiting 

their day to swagger 

Let love guide you through

life and while there will be pain

light will outweigh it

The booming thunder

shook the house to remind us

of nature's power 

The soothing hum of 

summer insects will soon give

way to howling winds  

Alliteration 

can be amazing in small

amounts (don't amass). 

My dog keeps me on

a tight leash when it comes to

his own schedule 

I pass his house, once 

stately now a husk, burned out 

and brittle I weep

She danced through the night

in a hand-me-down dress and 

stolen jewelry 

I walked a road in

a shimmering heat that stilled

the entire world 

Hit refresh once then 

again and again like a

gambler at the slots