Category Archives: by-the-book

Red

The Wolf grinned 
Sheepishly. The 
Better he trailed 
Off. Red loved her
Granny. She did
Not know what the
Wolf had done to
Her granny. He was
Not her granny, even
In disguise. He was
Wearing her glasses.
That was comical.
Red was worried 
But she had to laugh
The Wolf did not
Have a sense of
Humor. Red thought
About all the times
She and her granny
Joked and laughed.
Red said You look
Ridiculous to the
Wolf. He grinned
Or was that his way
Of wincing. All the
Better, he repeated
Red missed her
Granny. The Wolf 
Shrugged. He was
Just being who he
Was, Red thought,
And she sighed

Topsy turvy

Rule of thumb, or follow the
Vernacular guidelines, in the
Patois of compliance, do as
You are told. That's a rule of
Thumb. Obey, execute, do as
You are told. Comply with, be
Observant and fulfill orders.
Adhere to whatever, although
It's not scientific or evident or
Based on evidence. It's a rule 
Of thumb, it approximates the
Rules that ought to guide us,
But is not so precise as to be
Demanding or insistent. It's a 
Rule meant to be followed on
The bias, zigzag, not a straight
Line. It's a rule of thumb which
Is not so much a rule, as a bit
Of a guideline, a suggestion to
Think on. Rule of thumb is no
Rule at all, with the thumb on
The scales, justice is turned to
Injustice, the scale unbalanced
Unhinged, the rule o'erweighed 
By the print of the thumb, rules
Crushed. The scales overturned
The rule of thumb gone astray

Thumbnail

Rule of thumb, yes, and
Does the weight of that
Thumb not bend, or yes,
Break the rules, pushing
Down on the scale so it
Moves, imperceptibly to
Injustice, losing balance
And a sense of fairness.
Scales of justice by the
Poke of a thumb weigh
In away from integrity,
Towards inequity, from
What's right to doing ill
Away from virtue toward
Corruption. That's a rule
Of thumb.

Ouriborus?

What's the word for that
That snake biting its tail
That perfect circle a self
Immolation, a destroying
Eating itself to what end
No pun there, move on to
The dictionary. What's the
Word for that symbol, an
Image hard to forget even
As the word is forgotten
Representing the forever
What's the word for that?

Conversation

You answer in English to what she
Tells you in your mother tongue, it
Is a language you know but cannot
Speak. Not now. Not anymore. Are
There regrets? Not as long as you 
And she can communicate; she is
Able to understand your answer as
You understand her. Conversation
Is easy, even if your words and hers
Are lost in translation. She speaks,
You answer in English; there is a
Pause, it is a comfortable pause.

Words

Imagine
Words so plentiful that
Cornucopia does not begin 
To describe their generous abundance
Imagine
Words running long and 
Lush. Never running out, not
Lost in the haze of memory
Imagine
Words that understand every feeling
That picture emotions and
Paint landscapes and color the sky
Imagine

A line reading

Lisa Jewell: The House We Grew Up In,
Lorelei Bird
The tear was precisely
Why she could not get
Rid of that tea towel, it
Was why she loved that
Towel. Its rend made it
Precious. It's what gave
It value, don't you see?
It wasn't destined for the
Bin, or for the rag bag. It
Was special. It's rips and
Tears that make us all so,
Special, don't you see?

Ambiguous

There is nothing ambiguous about

Your grief, the ambiguity is external.

Your grief and mine is a feeling in

Real time. Have no doubts, we are

Not bound by the appearances, the

Optics of our situation. Our loss is

Ever-present. We are not foreseeing

The grief we see, the loss we know

This is not what anticipation looks

Like, except to the outside observer.

Ambiguity and anticipation do not

Define these moments when there

Is loss and grief over that loss. I am

Losing him, moment by moment. He

Is here, that is the appearance and yes

It is true. There will be so much more

To grieve before this ambiguous grief

Is done.