the unforest

in the unforest everything matters
but nothing is real
at least until you look at it
in the unforest birds walk backwards
bears dance madly in gold moonshine
deer spin in circles singing of the madness
the wolf and coyote dance along
in the unforest trees grow sideways
squirrels wax poetic reciting
prose in chirps and clicks and chatters
rabbits count the hours
fish note the years
turtles take turns turning away
from the truth they hold in silence
inside the unforest bobcats moan
doubting that the day is before them
so do not wander dont stay too long
the unforest begs your admittance
but offers no entrance

the unforest (c)2015dlj

brother write me a poem

brother write me some words
or some poems to take me back
home to a place long
away but very near
write of the winds
that held my kites aloft
in their gentle hands
me a child innocent
in a vast field that
has magically shrunken
let your pen speak
of the sun and eternal
and shining days
baseball games with kids
from town never really won
or lost just ending somehow
let your ink flow to take me
to ten mile creek with water
that would freeze you even
swimming on the hottest summer
day spending it with your friends
and young loves
or back further let your words
lead me to five years old dancing
in a circle to I want to
hold your hand
I am old now and still listen
to the Beatles
but the circle I once
danced to has been
a spiral after all
still I dance
still for a moment write me
back to those places
long away but very near

dlj2015©

untitled #397

as only love
can recognize love
any beauty you see
or feel is secretly
a part of you
for only beauty
can perceive beauty

the cow lottery and I tip my hat to Shirley Jackson

cowboys quickly come
cowering and covered
in a convenient sweat

cows stand huddled
befuddled bewildered
of the strange day that is

cowboys ready their horses
and from a black hat
draw a cows name

the cows quietly stand
stiller and stiller and stiller
hoping their name wasnt picked

as the cowboys
begin the round up
the cow lottery has begun

the cow lottery(c)2015dlj

for mama

sometimes on sunday morning
I smell my mamas biscuits
cooking in the oven
the smell of a beef roast
cooking on the stove
I hear the laughter and
the sound of children
playing outside and slamming
the door as they go in and out
mama constantly chasing
us out of the kitchen
to keep the grown-ups away
trying to steal a biscuit
fresh from the oven
even from another room
I feel my mothers happiness
and to this day I still feel her love

some times I think if I turn
around fast enough
or look quickly enough
over my shoulder
I will be able to see her
cooking for her children
and the look of love
on her smiling face

for mama (c)2015dlj

today or any other day

today the clouds
all have names
though they will
not reveal them to us

today my dog speaks
in words of japanese
kemuri no zassō
I had to translate

today the smell
permeated my head
with the scents
of yesterday also
all the days to come

today my love grows stronger
day by day by day by day
it increases in my soul
till the day I become love

today or any other day(c) 2015dlj

untitled #495

I am a tragic figure
a cruel imitation of myself
slurring my words I choke
on those most precious

I step outside my door and look
at the stars above my head
shining in the sky whispering my name
and I realize my real home is the universe
the universe of infinite possibilities

dlj2015(c)