A Hero in the World - Aaron Feis

Death waits in the shadows

it comes for us

from the first breath we take

patiently it hovers

in a million ways death collects

each of us

each of us meets him

Sometimes it is welcome

sometimes it is cruel

Often very unexpected

when life is at its best

death is humbling

and is the one thing we can neither

avoid or stop.

Out of the cruelty

out of the injustice of inaction

the actions of others

the mere fate unrecognized for what it is

rises those souls

who give their lives for others.

Aaron Feis

in a split second

showed his love and passion

for the lives of children.

May you rest peacefully

May your family and friends

find time to heal.

You are a true hero in a world

of chaos.

Thank you for being who you were.

barb

The Lonely Man

he walks

comfortable by his own shadow

through the world

seeking nothing his eyes don't see

loneliness

cradles his heart and fills his soul

leaving little

room for holding another

the quiet

becomes the canvas of his thoughts

comforting

the man stretches beyond the light

wonder

filling the hours of each day

adventure springs into his bones

compromise

is something so very simple

as the sun rises

until it rises once again

the footpath

knows his footfalls intimately

absorbing them

with the passion of a lover

he walks

in the shadows he covets

the lonely man

drinks from the confidence

of his existence.

barb

Stormy Weather

Stormy weather

Crawl of the mist

Shepherds the dawn

As the clouds

Of my judgment hover

Separating neither here nor there.

A love affair

Rumbling between

Lightening strikes

A comfort to my heart

Soothing to my mind

My best is caught in the storm.

Winds changing

A gentleness leaves

That power pushes aside

Feathery touches impart

A sigh sealing my lips

Storms brew within my eyes.

Regret lingers

As the umbrella lays

Beyond my fingertips

And the thunder subsides

Dark clouds move over me

For I love a thunderstorm.

Beyond my windows

Settling deep in my heart

Surrender descends

The truth slips away

In hushed tones of satisfaction

Following the mist.

barb

Hello 2018 and the Questions In My Mind

Time!

When I quit my day job which was quite by fate

of all the blocks falling into place

I stopped wearing a watch...

of course, in this day of digital craziness

most just use their cellphones

Question:  Is the watch industry suffering?

In January 2017, I joined twitter for a view

of the political scene and the opinions which are many

lets me release my frustrations

it is factual, it is speculations, it is funny

and sometimes scary

Question:  Is Rogue Potus really Bannon?

I am working on a new book

but I am not sure why I write other than it is enjoyable

writing has made me more critical

of my own self as well as the writing of others

it is an escape from life

Question:  How many characters exist in our minds?

Every day is something new, something old

there are ups that are great

and downs that make us question what we did

to be punished by some invisible movement of the world

life is inside of us and outside our door

Question:  Have we ever found peace?

Hello 2018

2017 wasn't what I would call my friend

but I count my blessings and I curb my attitude

not everything requires me to join in

with an opinion or sagely advice

Questions:  Has the internet taken over my life?

So, I will explore all of the questions that I have gathered and never explored.  Most will be merely dismissed without notice, a few might change my ways but many will make

me far more aware of the people in my orbit.

Live well - live fully - know that all things do pass with time

whether you acknowledge them, announce them or just file them away.

barb

New Years Resolution - Whatever!

Every December 31st

I think about why people celebrate

why does a man created day

another "X" on the Buff Fireman Calendar

hey...did you see "July's beefcake"

oh, I regress

but really he makes you want to do things

that don't meld with your

squeaky clean impression footprint

but

December 31st

you mark as a new beginning

a hope for something that you didn't think about

the other 355 days of the year

seriously...you are what you are

and the only thing

each morning sunrise will bring

is opportunity

for what?

Whatever....

Whatever is my favorite response

I can say it with snark

and a well placed roll of my green eyes

but then I believe that

satire is the ultimate form of getting a point across

if you can't be snarky

then let me tell you about "Mr. July Fireman"

which leads me to sexual harassment

the #MeToo of 2017

it isn't above sex because sex is fun

it is about imposition

of yourself upon someone who is afraid

to say no

"Whatever"

Whatever is the purpose of thinking

January 1st is a do-over

Do-over is retaining all your experience

all of your knowledge

and going back to the age of sixteen

and making better choices

I am a quiet feminist

it is curled up in front of the fire of my soul

I don't really think men are dumb

just that women are smarter

but again I regress

I make no lists for the new year

that I don't make every day of the year

and usually don't follow through

so I must assume

that I don't have the fortitude to stick

to my list

in 2018 whatever shall I do

a better me

Me is already the best it can be

that's been proven for as long as I have walked

this earth

I change, I take chances, I stand up for what I believe

I am passionate with a cup of satire

2018

is coming

but I am the very same tomorrow as

I am today.

Happy New Year

Celebrate that you are still here

to say "Whatever"!

barb

When It Just Doesn't Work

Swirling around

imperceptible meager whispers

honey upon pouting lips

vanish the sweetness

blindly masking chicanery

blindly with stocked disclosure

pottery of crimson wine

will dull sometimes define

obedience prompt of happiness
a selfie provided untruthful assurances
while blood turns to wine

sanguine fluid into sub-consciousness

that we have bounteous plans

which we postulate to yearn

life in transcendence

patches each fragmented promise
excuses find us straining

dreams hand drawn in the white sand

small details stacked so high

never shall we fail to grip

happiness by pin-the-tail on the moon

sunny days built thunderstorms of the night

riding along the narrow path of choice

whispering life may be good or rotting

from the inside

honey drips from the hive

bees swarm together chanting, chanting
'We only regret the chances we didn't take.'

lamentation sooths only a broken heart

when it just doesn't work

be gracious and carry on

keep looking down the road

for somewhere in the mist of this night

ourselves we shall suddenly find

it was there all along, it was waiting.

barb

Denying a truth doesn't make it no longer a truth.

If we couldn't communicate

would we struggle constantly with the truth?

I would ask the animals

at the zoo

good morning, how do you do?

Truth is what it is

the sky is blue the sun is hot

flowers blossom after a summer rain

there is no wondering if the truth

is not.

Lies come in all forms

those we whisper to the world

those we use to shield from disappointment

those that slice in pain

those whose birth becomes unfurled.

A story that is peppered

with lies bathed in fire

is remembered far into the future

it changes the moment

grows maliciously in the heart of the liar.

Complicated say we

the thinking of the single soul

measuring deliberately or on the fly

caught in honeypot

sneakily or very bold.

Denying a truth

painting it with words of opposition

pretending that you didn't hear it

swearing to the emptiness

doesn't

make it no longer the truth.

and yet

yet we continue to lie.

barb