a few things I’d rather have written about today (and then heard further about the shooting)
Tributaries
Today is
Mom’s birthday
She’s been gone
Since ‘83
Gee
Now fifty years ago
Come 13 June
There is gravestone
With a flower
Though we had planned
A rabbit
And they go it
Wrong
So many things went wrong
Back then
And not to say
Things are so smooth now
There’s legacy
Though certainly
We’re on our own
And up to us
And on us
All our choices
By life
She lived too brief a life
I had wishes
For gifts and such
Hopes for relating
Never realized
Dreams
Dissolved
Everything went numb
And dark
For a while
And some of that remains
Even fifty years
Later
When it’s late
In the time
Of all of us
The children
While it’s also blessed early
For the new ones
To carry on
Inside generations
One by one
And all together
One, two, three, four
Black, white, green, red
One by one
And all together
Now
The Today Show
Today
Is a better day
Because I washed something
You don’t know what it means
If you’re depressed
And then
Improve one thing
One small thing
Unless
You are depressed
And maybe this works for you
As well
I hope so
Not to scrub
Obsessively
Toward bleeding in
(bleeding out
or in)
Somewhere
I mean washing
Almost without thought
Cleaning it
For safer
More hygienic use
Again
So ordinary
Now so extraordinary
Realized
And realized
There’s
Some sort of spiritual
Match in this
The extraordinary
In the ordinary
I can’t remember
Is it us
Made by God
This way
To live that way
Is it our purpose
Or the purpose of the universe
Made of small things
That become huge
In planet-making
In eruptions
Upon every rounded surface
At some time
I don’t know
Somehow the small is large
While remaining small
And I cleaned
Something small
And it has largened
My awareness
Just enough
To let in something better
And I could give it
A name
But for now
Will simply live with it
Let it live with me
(please let it live with me
a plea)
Nameless
And wondrous
For a while
lento
the ashes are gone
most likely
(we’re supposed
to let them fall off
naturally)
sometimes the skin
is broken
where they were
upon our foreheads
anyway
we’re in Lent now
the long season
named for the lengthening
of days
it is the Italian word
that also comes to mind
lento
meaning slow
play the music here
with ease
taking your time
while attending to
the baton
ahead of everything
the instruments
and guiding
interpretation
the Buddhists say
go slowly
they’re on to something
especially
for these days
in which the days grow
gradually longer
in assurance of spring
the green season
on its way
and we hope it will arrive
with nutrients enough
in soil
and rain enough
from above
and our good choices what
to plant
so that at long last
there might be abundance
though we’ll need the right amounts
of rain and sun
from above
a spiritual collaboration
we might believe
and hope for
even plan for
in these lengthening
of days
we make time now
to file away
what we know
and don’t know yet
eat less now
think more
lay a new foundation
for prayer
more solid convictions
and intentions
on which the frenzy
soon enough
will build
time now
maybe for dreams as well
to have them
talk about them
with the Lord
and with each other
on the plane of Earth
C L Couch
Photo by Praveen kumar Mathivanan on Unsplash
crazed
(thought and response)
shooting at
the Kansas City Superbowl
parade
and why?
only notoriety
would seem to be
the answer
I’ll shoot at anyone
and then
be famous
no one knows my name
and I’ll be put away at best
and
I’ll be famous
in what’s left of my mind
having let my spirit go
already
Kansas City
Kansas City
here I come
they got some crazy
so they should be ready
for me
c l couch
Beloved DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan Killed in Kansas City Parade Shooting
32 minutes ago (11:08 a.m.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/beloved-dj-lisa-lopez-galvan-killed-in-kansas-city-parade-shooting/ar-BB1ikt7R
“Kansas City” is a song by Wilbert Harrison
Photo by Dale Nibbe on Unsplash
Wandering around old abandoned buildings in downtown Kansas City.
Kansas City, United States
long season
(means lengthen)
day of ash
season of thought
also season of service
and of
sacrifice
though all seasons behoove
today
ash on foreheads
ash made
from last year’s palms
and might look like a cross
for a while
then those who say
sorry
you have dirt
on your face
I thought you’d want
to know
c l couch
photo by Randy Laybourne on Unsplash
Nearly
So we come before you
And where is
Before you
We could turn around
And still we are
Before you
Like the breastplate
Of Saint Patrick
You are
In every direction
And inside
If we allow
The paradox of making
Should we owe
Everything
And yet make up our minds
And you
As God
Await
Our own discretion
Free will
We say
An easy name for doctrine
Better doctrine
Both
Explains and serve
Reality
And this is easy
You are God
And you are near
C L Couch
Photo by Steve Lieman on Unsplash
Two intrepid riders jump in the lift bucket for a ride to the top of the Union Congregational Church Steeple to remove the weather vane and directional so that repairs can be made. Hazmat suits needed due to danger of white faced hornet nest inside the top of the steeple.
Groton, MA, USA
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
(from the Breastplate of Saint Patrick)
The Sea of Galilee
(that also goes by other names)
I’ve heard it preached:
a storm on Galilee
that must be something else
to see,
to hear,
to feel,
to smell,
to taste.
To wonder about
disciples
living fear
about the squall,
waking Jesus
for salvation,
Don’t you care?
Yes,
I care
that you are saved
(to paraphrase).
And then
Christ
commands the storm
on the water,
in the sky,
maybe at the shore
to be quiet.
And it’s quiet
over Galilee.
C L Couch
the preacher preached this morning about this sea, though anything I say above is of my own accord, especially anything doctrinally incorrect
Photo by Sylvain Brison on Unsplash
Sea of Galilee
The Dragon Year
Would you like
To make friends with a dragon?
Flying with it
Perched somehow
Between its wings?
The thing is
Well,
The thing is
It’s a dragon
It’s big
It’s long
It has scales
It’s powerful
With wings
And claws
And when it chooses
Exhaling fire
An aircraft carrier
In the ocean
Between islands
Might let
The dragon land
While sailors worry about
This temporary
Guest
And those in planes
Might worry,
Too,
About what’s flying
Next to them
That waves with wings
While the sun
Blinks off its armor
And its talons
But mostly
It is a matter of
What’s really inside
The dragon
As in
What are its intentions?
What is it plan?
Dragons are powerful
But it’s the good
Or bad
We might have
To know
Before deciding
How close
And is it possible
To be a friend with it
Maybe if it’s lying down,
You could move
Closer to its head
To talk
Maybe to have
Its name
And give it yours
And ask,
Well,
What are its plans?
Maybe it’s here
For a year on Earth
Before
Going on to other worlds
Maybe some
That are replete with flying serpents
Maybe one world that is
Its first home
Maybe
While it’s here
It will
Teach us about power
That it is neither
Good
Nor
Bad
But we must make it so
We must decide
And it will not make us choose
But sort of
Sit and stand
And fly, of course,
To show that power
Is immense
Sometimes
And sometimes
It will be there
Sitting
Standing
Flying
Ready for us
To be good
Or bad
With it
So that
Enormous questions
For the answers
Might be ours
As in
What are our intentions?
What are our plans?
And so we have this dragon
To consider
Maybe
Maybe to ride upon
As well
If we can negotiate
The wonder
And also,
Well,
To think about the dragons
We have made:
Our larger things
And all
That we can do
With these
While we have this special year
With our magic,
Divine
Visitor
That might protect
Even defend us
Should we learn the language
And the manner
In dealing with dragons
Like this dragons
Or the dragons
We must own
Now and
Once it’s left us for
Another year
And more,
That is,
Eleven more
During which with
All the more enormous
Creatures
Of our own
We’ll be creaturing
C L Couch
Photo by Michael Buillerey on Unsplash
Binondo, Manila, Philippines
day without asking
day without asking
unsaid what is borne by hours
twenty-foured season
C L Couch
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
Westmarch
sometimes I wish
I were a
well-to-do hobbit
except for
the living
in the ground
even a comfort-home
in there
would aggravate
most likely
claustrophobia
as being carried by
an eagle
would invoke
the other
unreasoned fear I have
but still
to have a day
to write a book
of my adventures
having had
adventures
first
and to have tea
close at hand
with cakes
and at a table
by the window
with my pens
(all right
computer)
and paper
at my side
and on which
I write
(well
type)
and maybe to have
friends
who come to call
for friendly reasons
only
I hear their stories
while
I also think
on dragons
Dwarves
and Elves
and wistfully
believe
I should be somewhere else
with them
c l couch
photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash
look out now
merest blue
it seems
with
a guess
more than a hint
of more light
behind
what do we call it
pre-pre dawn
that
spell-check
would challenge
when we
write about this
later
expect it
o be cold
and so allowably
do
what we do
a time
to pull around
more clothing
from the bed
or closet
on the chair
(maybe
the floor)
to find some extra
socks
(maybe on
the floor)
drink water
also look for something
warm
that could be from
another body
or if alone
from coffee
or if not
from both
nice morning
well
a morning
like a morning
should we not stop
by
the fence
somewhere
to look around
without our eyes
to get it
this happened
yesterday
and
it’s extraordinary
‘morning
everyone
look around
c l couch
photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
(update on the computer shutdown from a few days ago)
my computer is not working right, though it’s okay in bouts (me, too); a friend suggested I use a table fan to deal with overheating (maybe for both of us), and she’s right—the measure seems to work for now though it’s probably an unrealistic arrangement for durance
clcouch123 
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