Superstition sunrise bleeds
between the jagged rocks,
the road rolls on into the desert.
Walking the hilltop, cactus and thorns adorn
wooden crosses and markers,
‘Killed by indians’, ‘gunshot’,
‘unknown’, ‘hung
by mistake.’
Into the town and along the main street,
wind whips the sand, blasting
tired paint, leather faces, and faded signs.
Dusters billow and flap, revealing
weathered holsters, well oiled six-guns.
A shot rings out.
Buy a postcard of the town too tough to die.
#185
Doves croon in the courtyard.
Desert blue pales to the horizon.
Palms, all smooth and shaggy;
all graceful and gawky,
sentinel the sky in silhouette.
Cacti bristle from sand and gravel.
Paddle and rod and barrel.
Green and red and yellow.
Quill and needle and barb.
Plump paddles, prickly pear pile-up.
Firestick tumble – fire crackers suspended in mid explosion.
Massive, ruinous saguaro – viejo – venerable one.
Arizona.
#184
Red velvet cupcakes,
heated pool, and happy hour.
Poetry in life.
#183
Yo soy learning Espanol muy bien
well, maybe not muy…
but esta much fun.
Y amo languages.
‘carpe diem’, ‘ glee va’, ‘joie de vive’,
and ‘hasta la vista baby’.
#182
Sunshine in my eyes
winter just a memory
a lifetime away.
#181
stoic saguaro
barrels crowned with gold and rust
hazy azaleas
#180
Travelling can be like slipping into a parallel universe.
Some things essentially the same,
others so very different; an unexplored
fork in your spacial timeline.
#179
Pack the toothbrush, paste, and floss
Pack the tablet (it takes less space)
and all the things you grab and toss
into the rucksack just in case.
What’s the weather like? Do I
need sweaters or a bathing suit?
Sandals, dress shoes, hikers, slippers,
maybe even rubber boots?
How many pairs of pants and shirts?
(Short sleeve, long sleeve, no sleeve, tanks.)
Shorts or slacks, jeans or skirts?
Good grief my mind has just gone blank.
At some point you just have to stop,
assume you’ve got all you should bring
you zip the zip – slap on the lock,
and leave behind that one small thing.
#178
It’s addictive.
Using your powers of observation,
not to find fault, or problems, or
reasons why something won’t work,
but to find success.
To find success,
not just in your own life,
but in the lives of those around you,
and then to speak up and tell them.
Tell them that you see the things they do,
admire their talent and passion, appreciate
their kindness and compassion.
It’s addictive I tell you.
It makes people smile, it liberates you
from thinking everything needs to revolve
around yourself.
It’s contagious too.
Observe – appreciate – then actually say something nice.
Get hooked.
#177
Teenager buys record
pulls on big headphones to listen to music
so parents won’t complain about the noise.
Glue a penny to the tone arm to combat scratch damage.
Twenty-something – popping 8-Tracks
into the car stereo, (use a guitar pick
to shim it when it gets loose). The inevitable
CLUNK in the middle of your favourite song.
Time rocks on and the cassettes,
never in their cases, slither across the car floor.
“Pass me a Bic pen, the tape’s too loose.”
You’ve just about replaced your whole music library when…
Compact Disc – Stick it in a portable CD player and
plug in your earbuds. Jewel case splinters, ‘liner notes’
you need a magnifying glass to read, and one thumb
print and the music stops.
MP3 – compress that music so you can fit thousands of songs
on a postage stamp. Quantity over quality?
Perfect for pod-people, but at least the cost
of CDs goes down.
Flashback. Back to headphones. Back to vinyl. Is this the end?
Am I back in time listening to records again. Why
didn’t I keep those records…
Pono? What’s Pono?
Here we go again.
How many times do I have to buy the White Album?
#176
Linda Studley 