Month: December 2019

 What will the sea throw up today?
 Its behavior is not known or unknown
 Three days ago, two days ago and one day ago
 It throw huge waves, thunderously, upon the shore
 Today that same sea is calm and innocent 
 Lending to us a feeling of control
 But the subliminal knowledge that we control nothing
  
 Where is the dune that was created over the last fifteen years?
 Covered with grasses and vines with long spidery roots
 Over seven feet tall in places and twenty-five feet across
 The sea stormed its way in and took it away
 In its recovery it took all of my totems 
 It took my eight-foot square meditating deck
 And the thirty year old bench that we sat on
  
 It claimed part of another, older dune and
 Did this without a permit from 
 The Department of Environmental Quality
 The department with its man rules that
 Make things impossible for those who wanted
 To build a lovely home on the magnificent shore
 Because one endangered Lily stood in the way
  
 The sea has reclaimed the Lily and without a doubt
 Thrown it with the current to a new location to flourish 
 This is what the sea does; it has no rules, but just is
 We foolishly get in the way of nature with our novel ideas
 Build walls which finally, in time, break down
 But, oh, I remember them well and weren’t they great
 Especially when the light of the setting sun fell upon them
  
 The sea is forever changing and we are helpless
 We reverse rivers to our own detriment 
 Rivers are straightened and swamp drained
 Until the unintended consequences come to pass
 Then we spend millions and billions trying to restore
 Will we ever learn?  That is the question
 Today the answer is no, but then there is hope
  
 Stanski
 December 10, 2019 ^
  
   

 Teardrops
 Raindrops
 Rainbows
 Van Gogh
 Indigo
 Picasso
 Mistletoe
 Banjo
 Tango
 Tangle
 Laying low
 Persuading
 Evading
 Memories
 Slow go
 Cargo
 Too much
 As such
 New fad
 Too bad
 Bagpipes
 Copper pipes
 Plastic banana
 Persona non grata
 Bad fit
 Then quit
 How sad
 Step it up
 Drinking cup
 Rearrange
 Forgive 
 Forgiven
 Now glad
  
 Stanski
 December 10, 2019 ^ 

 New day
 This day
 Everything soon will start to fit
  
 This day
 No play
 Long work list will make you sick
  
 Start slow
 Then go
 Just fast enough to avoid the kick
  
 Sun day
 Fun day
 The rent is due, should start to click
  
 Slow go
 No show
 All of this and I don’t give a lick
  
 Day done
 Had fun
 Work still to do calls for the whip
  
 Final day
 No pay
 Laid to rest, bow your head and rip
  
 Stanski
 December 10, 2019 ^
   

 The big comeback
 Almost lost and now on the verge of victory
 And then only to be denied because somehow
 The other players needed victory more than we
  
 We almost made it
 We almost made a thing of it
 Where it would take us fascinates us more in fantasy
 Than it would in the world of reality
  
 When we don’t have it we can extrapolate outcomes
 To levels almost beyond belief
 We can become critics of those who won
 And who seemingly do nothing with the benefits they received with victory
  
 The actual doing 
 In the jungle of obstacles and probabilities
 Is daunting and beyond the scope of imaginary projections
 We want the losers to keep dreaming
  
 The winners to keep working through new problems and situations
 Winners can begin dreaming and losers can try problem solving
 We mix the good with the bad
 The haves with the have nots
  
 The bitter with the sweet and
 Somewhere in this process come up 
 With either an overall good outcome
 Or a blandness which fits all, but makes no one happy
  
 We have room for all but reward the winners
 Encourage the losers
 Recruit new players and slowly advance
 The process is exciting; the dreaming essential
  
 Confrontation with reality is a must
 Together we grow and perfection is still sought
 We give allowance for error and make preparation for failure
 Mountains await us, just because we can
  
 Stanski
 December 10, 2019 ^
  
   

 We look and we see
 And what do we see?
 We see flags, posters, banners, buttons, and shirts,
 Each proclaiming something about us
  
 Each is a little layer of identity
 A feeling of belonging
 A thread of security
 Which keeps us from falling apart
  
 And becoming isolated
 As we try to sort out just where we’re going
 In this topsy-turvy world of ours
 We have our scars, styles, shoes and they become our badges
  
 Just a little more layering and what we need to comfort us
 The iPads, droids, and other technological gizmos
 Give us an upper hand for a while
 But we know the empty feeling will soon be returning
  
 We look for direction
 But where are the leaders
 And is there any hope in this dark world of insanity?
 Who do we trust and who can we follow?
  
 Who will teach us to lead?
 We begin to think and analyze
 And know that we have to begin to grow
 We have to know more than the last thing we read
  
 Whatever the season, this is the time of growth
 False gods say the end is at hand
 While all around us new growth is exposed
 We look to our God for purpose
  
 With our acceptance of this
 We feel the presence and are uplifted as we move forward
 The novelties lose their importance
 And our gratitude for life increases
  
 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^
  
   

 The road is hard
 It is cold
 You must pound on
 If you are to succeed
 Turning back
 With no effort
 Would corrupt you
 Forever
  
 Why move on
 One may ask
 What are the percentages?
 And for whom do you move?
 For gain is the answer
 Personal and general
 There is no advancement
 Without movement
  
 Advancement is necessary
 When there is growth
 Knowledge is waiting
 To be grasped; necessary
 If chaos is to be avoided  
 Will chance be supreme?
 Do we want to exist in
 A confused unorganized state?
  
 No; so we take the steps
 Proceed forward until
 We reach the mass or mess
 Begin the sorting
 This is fundamental
 If civilization is to exist
 Input is equally allowed
 Leadership will vary
  
 It is survival we wish
 With fair terms for everyone
 Disagreement will prevail
 The majority will decide
 We all should remain tolerant
 Make changes when necessary
 Live by an agreed rule of law
 Or remain primitive

 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^
  
   

  
 It is oil
 And it is good
 It is coal
 And it is good
  
 Given to us
 Oh, we pay
 But given to us
 To put to good use
  
 Some equate to 
 Dirty air
 Not I
 Air can be cleaned
 Call it technology
  
 And at the same time
 We improve human condition
 Extend life span
 Electricity
 Fuel
 Medicine
 Clothing
 Anything plastic
 Which is almost everything
  
 Where is the hemp
 What would that do?
 Why not the coal
 What does that do?
 Why not the oil
 What does that do?
  
 Who are these people?
 We still have CO2
 We exhale this
 Every time we breath
 Yesterday the waves were huge 
 Today the lake is calm
 The birds are still flying
  
 Termites exhale, too
 What can we do?
 DDT is gone
 What can we do?
 Malaria increases
 Nearly three million
 Die each year
 What can we do?
  
 Pass out the nets
 What are they made of?
 Is it green? 
  
 Where is the wind?
 It’s getting colder
 Where is the sun?
 It’s getting colder
  
 See, its working
 The law of
 Unintended consequences
  
 One pack of renewable needles
 And one sack of wool
 Going to make a sweater
 Hope it isn’t scratchy
  
 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^ 

  
 Proud gardeners have a passion for the Irises
 They are beautiful flowers
 People in general love them
 Some are endangered and protected by law
 Many are plentiful and you find them everywhere
 A special interest is what it takes 
 To keep them all straight

 I knew a man and wife who had over
 Fifty different species of Iris
 They took care of them for years
 Before letting it all go 
 It was just too much work and
 They were getting up in years
 As I look back I can relate
  
 Irises come in many colors and names
 New varieties are developed from time to time
 People will travel to be first in line
 Observers will think that they’re insane
 Playing one-up with competitors
 Is all a part of an Iris lover's game
 Whenever they have an advantage
 It will be flaunted with no shame
  
 I would never name a child Iris
 I know people named Iris, 
 They seem very nice
 But that’s beside the point
 One time a person named Iris gave me a book-bag
 It was very plain with no flowers on it 
 I was thankful for that
  
 Once I tried to develop a board game involving small Irises
 It became very complicated
 After a while everything started to merge
 I lost interest, but
 I still think it’s a good idea 
  
 The deer leave the irises alone for the most part
 I have a few flower books for sale
 But no one has shown much interest
 There is always tomorrow
 Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are
 I think her first name was Iris
 She loved to garden, but didn't use books
 One thing I love is interesting stories
 This one is a real winner

 Stanski
 December 9, 2019 ^
  
 

 Squash is a great vegetable
 Often overlooked except
 During the hillidays
 I mean holidays
 For a minute there
 I must of thought 
 That I was living in Kentucky
  
 Good folks there, though
 And meant nothing derogatory
 They have great basketball
 And you can’t forget mint juleps 
 The Derby and My Old Kentucky Home
 Their whiskey is known around the world
 Their coalmines are well documented 
  
 About the squash
 It is important to bake it long enough
 You want it to fall apart with a fork
 No need to ruin it with brown sugar
 It stands well on its own
 It can be a whole meal and is healthy
 Provides many vitamins and nutrients 
  
 I like it as a side dish to pork ribs
 A rib, some squash and a little fruit sauce
 What more could a person want
 Maybe a toss salad and a glass of white wine
 Getting back to the title of this musing
 I woke up just in time to put the squash into the oven
 Nothing important to your life, but thought you would like to know
  
 Stanski
 December 8, 2019 ^ 

 Here is what I think
 I said to my sister,
 When she asked what I thought about
 Keeping a running record of family maladies
 “Everyone’s final chapter ends in death”
 The rundown is not necessarily important
 To everyone else
  
 Some don’t know the others
 And some don’t care
 Some have trouble keeping up with themselves
 Others don’t like their private concerns known
 They may detest prying
 However well-meaning and innocent
  
 The journey of life is the important thing
 The dignity of each traveler cannot be dismissed
 To me life is about living
 I do what I do and I have my reasons
 My redemption is my own
  
 We must all live for ourselves
 My care for others is my choice
 Keeping this private is part of my dignity
 And when I die, goodbye
  
 I think of our aunt Clemmie
 And how she died of ALS
 But I don’t dwell
 What is, is and cures will come
  
 In the meantime
 If you’re making a list
 Put me down for
 An ingrown toenail
 A little earwax
 A mild hemorrhoid
 And morning breath
  
 Stanski
 December 8, 2019 ^