Poems

You fall asleep while I do the dishes.
Later I fall asleep while you write a letter.
Last night you couldn't bear to sleep without me,
So I slept with you until 6 a.m. and went home.

Tonight I sleep alone and you sleep alone.
We somehow do that together.
You like to sleep late in the morning.
I fall asleep early on the couch.

There are times we are both awake,
At the same time, in the same room,
With the same idea.
Later I fall asleep while you read.

The pontoon plane crawls noisily
By carbon smudged clouds
Hiding the afternoon sun
A pleasant diversion from the
Jet planes whooshing to and from
Hawaii Las Vegas Oakland
Mesa San Diego
Loaded with Canadians
Escaping Vancouver’s high prices
The pontoon plane climbs steadily
Puttering through the sky
As if the air were some thick syrup
It brings memories of old TV shows
From the nineteen fifties with
Heroes in their noisy prop planes
Landing on lakes and rivers
To save the day from evil
Almost always contained in
Some scruffy black haired
Never to be trusted bad guy
Who would learn a lesson
Before the program ended
About right and wrong

A rhapsodist
A lyrical musician
Of conversation
On the page
In contemplation
Each nascent moment
His face infuses
Surrounding air
In anticipation
of what might be said
To stranger friend or foe
About any and all things
Suddenly brought to life
In words and gesture

She carried her days
In shrouds of disappointment
Salvation out of reach from
A past too distant for thought
Buried with those who loved her
With those who despised her
With those indifferent to her
In long ago times now lost
When each hour came and went
In rounds of days and nights
Cafes and restaurants
Performances and plays
Conversations as if they
Signified something

for a moment
the sun reappears
like an old friend
to warm our faces
with its company;
then it goes back
to California
where it lives
the rest of the year