church and Venezuela
prayer
and a song for peace
and
how much more to say except
a war without
our Congress calling it
and certainly without invasion
first
so we’ll need to be praying
all around
in
mourning for the losses
frankly
against the greed
and
vanity involved
with something about more terms
in
office
deceptively in play
wartime culture to manipulate
while in the church we’ll pray
and serve for
cessation
by the forgiveness and repentance
of
a nation
c l couch
photo by Eduardo Juhyun Kim on Unsplash
Morrocoy, Parque Nacional Morrocoy, Falcón, Venezuela
a story’s ending
exhale then outside to play
the next one will call
c l couch
photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash
Steve at 80
goodness
a new decade
and
as the math should complement
by ten
one for me as well
later on
but yours is the accomplishment
and
or course more so
what you’ve done with time
career
house
home
the family
with your best helper make
and increase
a litany of good things
and
even more of people
come into and go on to be affected
well
by you
and I’m sorry for the pains
though there are
rewards
tangible by rooms and other
assets
and what might better go uncounted
good people
and
good times
and in your time
you’ve sponsored these
with
your own knowing of your
self
and treats to come
this day
and days of growth
as well as simple pleasures
happy
birthday
to
begin
what is this moment and
what’s next
c l couch
photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
Science Fiction Day
and
who decides
though it’s a good
day
to
note
regardless
all these worlds
crafted
and co-crafted
to use together
use
in peace
and shall we try new pages
remembering
the gold
and
thus inspired
c l couch
(with an illusion to Arthur C. Clarke’s opus of this the new century)
photo by Andrey Strizhkov on Unsplash
Sidewalk projection. Is this Earth?
[photographer’s caption]
Moscow, Russia
irony of happy
(1 January)
but there’s
the priest who from a sermon
said
leave one Christmas decoration out
it will drive your
neighbors
crazy
and so for those who think all
lights must come down
a happy
and
decorous new year to you
c l couch
to all
photo by Benoit Roy on Unsplash
Fake Plastic Santas
[Santa choir]
more than Camelot
(31 December)
I tend to think
at
this moment
the long moment of the final day
of
Tennyson
(yes
Tennyson)
who has the last of Camelot
fallen
surrendered by Excalibur
the end of the year
with
the last
knight on the last steed
without a castle
or
a realm
riding into what is timed as the first day
of the new year
meaning
a new age
perforce
Tennyson’s own age
perhaps
our own
modern age
in which we must live
with machines
ending relationships
empire without nobility
but
greed to drive itself
and we are left
without
romance except nostalgia
of a time
we cannot know
and
so
happy new year
and that’s
all
and isn’t all
we are driven by sensation
cast in ego and in
vanity
it’s true
but
that’s nowhere near
the all that is
since we can do better
choose better
and
that’s it
that’s all if by capacity
somewhat relative
we decide how
we will be
and could we do better than
the phenomenon of resolutions
interesting to voice
and
then inevitable to fail
by
forgetting
and who knows might be forgettable
rather than making calls
for the day
for today
for now
and we could
through better means
re-understand sensation
ego
vanity
as good and even needul things
parts
of us
and choices
too
though except in urgent moments
consider
safe
consider health
consider love
and
yes
in taking such stands
consider what we stand against
the machines of vaingloriousness
that
influence
and keep a bodyguard of lies
enforcing
working inside-out
the cause that cannot last
the hypocrisies
that
will be exposed as crimes
or simple folly
to have followed
we can do better
should
do better
consider what is small
free
to do
say
in deciding love
then go from there
into the year
c l couch
(started with Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
photo by Godz1 on Unsplash
libretto
God is a funny old thing
which I suppose
has not been said so often
and
maybe should not be said again
old
though
well
because you know
and funny because
there’s the ostrich
and the platypus
and auk
and us
and we’re funny when we’re not
tragic
such goodness and also
such corruption
and what to do with funny
old
us
not so ole
though we have tried the Earth
over ages
as an image
and are there parts of
the model we’re forgetting
the eccentric
parts
the kind
the giving when the bottom line says no
a resistance to build monuments
and let art live in
other places
other ways
that let stone breathe
and
even plastic we might build with
even to take the things with
which we poison
Earth
flora and fauna and let them speak
creative
while we go creative
first and also practical
because all
our strengths
are
strong out of
belief in ourselves
and
that’s the model
too
for God is all that’s good and also
useful
also beautiful
in all the ways we have been made and not
to judge so much as
dance
remembering the first inspirator
in
our notes
and in our steps
c l couch
photograph by Hans at Unsplash
try
the sun tries
and there’s wind to welcome
blue
to highlight evergreen
with leafless branches whose
slender ballets
look
tireless
and to hear some whispers whose
code
only known between the sky
and these parts
of Earth
try
regardless
and thank goodness
c l couch
photo by Mila Young on Unsplash
a gift
after all
maybe before
could be ribboned
doesn’t
have to be
I think we know
the gift that isn’t easy
that
goes with the giver
while somehow the giver
and the giving
go on
with the one receiving
feeling
grace
because it’s there
to think
and keep
to let it
renew
and I think we know the gift
that might come after
or before
that each one gives
and
by receiving
(with
apologies
to ravens)
there should be
an
evermore
c l couch
photograph by lesha tuman at Unsplash
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