Put On A Mask

Do you want to be

A superhero?

Put on a mask.

Now that you have 

Poked into

The hornet nest of nature

Just please

Put on a mask.

You can not see the virus

The virus need not see you

But in the sea of people

Coughes and sneezes

And heart attacks

To last

Put on a mask.

A strand of DNA

That fells titans

Of lies and disguise

To ask

Put on that damn mask. 

A Flower Unfurling

Tiny limbs 

That clutched my finger once 

The recent past 

Revisited in photos and videos 

To see you have grown 

To munch on a baby carrot 

And to already share jokes 

Inside jokes. 

 

My wonder wagon 

Who helps me look at the world 

Afresh. 

 

Giddy and adamant and wailing 

High fiving, swiping and 

Finding new tricks on the phone 

May you lead the way. 

 

The glue that will 

Keep the family together 

No matter what 

My topsyturvy 

Niece.

Much Too Much

Dry leaves 

Scavenged for fuel 

Tiny tracks to mud roads 

That wind down 

To engulf the village 

Into kerosene lamp dark 

That burts open into 

A rod red morning. 

 

Starry nights 

Time zones away from 

Big city lights 

That are a poor substitute. 

 

Hyperlinks that replace thoughts 

Stares that unblinkingly avoid 

The passersby 

The person next door 

And the coffee table mate 

Sitting across the table. 

 

When much is enough 

And much is too much 

Close your eyes and take a deep breath 

Of centering.

 

The Roadside Twang

Will you 

For just once 

Give a glance 

And a coin 

To the Roadside twang? 

 

To give is to rejuvenate. 

 

Happiness is in giving 

With a little effort 

You might even 

Become happy. 

 

The music and the singing 

Is but bonus 

Roadside singing 

Is a stage all its own. 

 

The wisdom of small giving 

Is within your reach 

For it is a road 

Open to the public.