The middle of the week in October
No beginning and no end
Depression exists because again
It is gray and windy, along with rain
No sunshine to warm our hearts
We endure because we have no choice
Hope is the nature of all this
It has to end; the beauty is being
Smothered by the gloom
Each season this year has had
Four seasons to deal with
Even July went from hot to cold
And then back to normal
Meanwhile, life goes on and
We have food and shelter
No natural disasters have
Fallen upon us for which we
Are thankful. A hurricane ruined
Parts of Florida and the east coast
We feel that tension even though
We are not involved or present
Today the rain came horizontally
Washed the windows on the south-
West side of the house, so everything
Was not negative. October is a great
Month with all the pumpkins and
Halloween decorations and the
Excitement of kids of all ages
Today is Columbus Day, but the
Radicals want to change it to
The indigenous people’s day
Who knows who was here if anybody
Eight hundred years ago
We are a strange people, always
Looking for something to find fault with
We tear down historic statues
And destroy landmarks with graffiti
There will be a day of reckoning and
I feel for those who are on the wrong
Side of history. In the meantime we endure
Stanski
October 13, 2022, ^
Steve Haarman 