A big, blue hawk sat on
the roof of the cottage
next to ours and the winds
from the south off of the
blue Gulf blew her feathers
back. She flew with the wind.

The company cut loose the undocumented,
but not before the year ended and was cemented,
so the company would get the most
before telling the workers they were toast.
Milk it for what to them the workers were worth
and then toss the workers out into the dirt.
They were fired without company vexation
and now they will face cruel deportation.
Our adopted dog was treated better.
A breeder female, she created litters
and at the (human’s 54) age six
she was given a merciful fix.
Lab rescue took her and then called
and seeing her, we were enthralled.
We have come to love the girl with wavy brown hair
and she audaciously claims the most cushiony chair.
It could be said the demagogue
treats immigrants like dogs
when, in fact, he treats them worse
abandoning them to a draconian system
with a flippant, “Toss them away,” curse.

I used to judge,
“Oh, stupid old men —
they can’t even shoot straight;
they often miss the bowl.”
but, ah, ’tis fate. I can relate
now that I, too, am old.

Bob,
a simple palindrome
not Paladin,
the West to roam.
He was a gun for hire.
Bob? A sort of friar,
but not Friar Tuck.
He’s the same
coming and going
not a quagmire.
He’d like to think
he is complex,
but he is complicated
abbreviated
to a simple palindrome,
the same comin’ and goin’
no matter where
he is roamin’
— without a gun.

“It’s the difference between being in a canoe
and a rowboat. In a canoe, you look forward
as you row, but in a rowboat, you look back
as you move forward. Our way forward is
behind us. . . .”*

Yes, we need the forward-looking canoe,
to help with our need,
but the rowboat and kayak, we need, too;
Take heed, all three we need.

To look forward, the canoe will fill the need;
for the necessary look back, the rowboat will do;
When strong winds the canoe do impede,
the sleek and stable kayak will get us through.

*Chris Haw as quoted in a meditation by Richard Rohr

the vermin, the haters, the eradicators
sniffed and got the scent of banal hubris
coupled with narcissistic ignorance and
it smelled irresistible to their edacious
appetite so voracious. they had their
chance to feed the ego needs and feast
upon the opportunities, and so when the
time arrived, they cozied up, they thrived
and pulled the vulnerable prey away into
the sewer, unsheathed their poisonous
claws, bared their filthy fangs and went
to work with the new administration’s
criminal gang.

On an elementary level,
we are animals who defecate necessarily,
giving us all equality.

On an essential level,
we are a part of creation’s creativity,
giving us all equality.

On an eternal level,
we are loved and called to love, justice and mercy,
giving us all equality.

On any level,
we are called to inclusivity
in our equality.

On every level,
we are essentially, intimately holy
in our inclusive equality.

The rally drew around a hundred
right-wing, white nationalists
including a number from other
states to bolster the numbers
along with one dipsy doodle
local politician in a rural,
sparsely populated area of
western Arizona and the head-
line of the internet article
screamed alarm which is about
the equivalence in importance
of a sandlot baseball game of
twelve-year-olds to a tied
score in the ninth inning of
the seventh game of the World
Series or the threat of one
cornered mouse to a dozen
hungry crocodiles — a hundred
angry citizens in a country
of 330,149,796. It’s a whole
lot more alarmist and disheart-
ening that such an article
would even be published than
that the article would claim
newsworthy alarm from such
a paultry gathering. Is the
goal to strike fear unnecessar-
ily in the hearts of an already
anxious population to accomplish
just what — greater readership?
For shame. And you helped get
the Occupant elected. Happy now?

He asked, “Doesn’t he know
how short life is and that he
will die and in his aftermath
leave a bad taste in people’s
mouths for a while and then
nothing?” She said, “No.”
“Wouldn’t you think he would
want to leave something
memorable like warmth in
hearts and smiles on faces?”
She said, “No.” “Wouldn’t you
think he would want to leave
for posterity a legacy of love,
peace, mercy and justice?”
She said, “Dear.”

They come early
and stay late
sitting at the bar
dulling themselves to fate.

Saturdays are even longer
well into the evening
the Snowbirds linger
elbows on the bar leaning.

Not morose nor sad
they lift their glasses
to cheer and be glad.
As each hour passes

the decibels rise deafening servers
just looking for good tips
(from pinchy old-timers)
hoping not to get gypped
.

Then abruptly it will end.
To their Gulf-side cottages
they will amend
hoping home to find.

except it is now dark;
but they will find their way
though fears are stark
forgetting it all for another day

where crackles and cackles roar —
heard ever so far
through opening doors
back at the seaside bar.

They try to live the old slogan,
“While the sun shines, make hay, ”
but they wait for the other falling brogan
signaling their unavoidable fate.