O the constant recitation of sonnets,
The endless Mozart sonatas,
The cavernous museums,
Art, art, art.
Art of all shapes and forms to consume,
Digest,
Regurgitate.
The long lessons,
The querulous questions,
The awful answers,
The proud and ponderous books
Piled high before me,
An Everest of learning,
Of knowing,
Of transcending.
All the advantages
Were mine,
When all I really wanted to do
Was pull the tail of the old tabby
And make him screech.
~ Russ Allison Loar
© All Rights Reserved
Bedtime
Josh who is growing older says,
“Good night Dad,”
And I say,
“Hittin’ the hay?”
And Josh who is growing older says,
“Guess so,”
And I say,
“Sweet dreams buddy,”
And Josh who is growing older says,
“See you in the morning,”
And I say,
“Not if I see you first!”
And Josh who is already quite the young man indeed says,
“Yeah, right dad.”
~ Russ Allison Loar
© All Rights Reserved
Cold Water
It’s been nearly forty years
Since my grandfather died,
A father to my troubled heart,
Though I have yet to learn all his lessons.
We would walk and talk
And he filled me full of ideas,
Ideas I was nowhere near ready to use,
Knowing, when I was ready,
He’d be gone.
One morning he taught me how to wake up,
To wash my face with cold water
The very first thing,
To wash away sleep and clear the mind.
I was young and woke up hard,
Too hard for the shock,
Especially when the weather was cold,
Too fragile.
Now, the cold water wakes and refreshes me,
Washes away sleep and clears my mind.
Now, with every drop of water upon my face,
My grandfather, with me, still.
~ Russ Allison Loar
© All Rights Reserved
Coming Home
Early one evening
After another long day,
I could not turn down the street where I live,
Where my life deposits itself,
Where I always do what must be done,
Work or play,
Every day.
I drove right past without hesitation,
Past the street,
Past the gray blanket of familiarity.
I took the long way around,
Pondering the pathways of my life,
Watching the sky turn dark,
The porch lights blinking on.
Having nowhere else to go,
I came home.
~ Russ Allison Loar
© All Rights Reserved
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)