Subtle nuances of beauty

When and why did we stop 

Adding these charming decorative touches 

To the buildings we created? 

Could it be laziness, or expediency? 

Or simply that our cities grew so big 

That it became more important 

To be bold and striking from afar 

Than to be delicately pleasing from the street? 

And we — what subtle nuances 

 Have we sacrificed in order to be seen 

By broader audiences? 

When did loud and bold 

 Become more popular than gentle, and kind?

Confronting the stranger

When confronted with a being 

Whose perspective and appearance 

Is completely different from your own, 

How do you respond? 

Are you curious? Are you shy? 

Do you hide behind the things that keep you safe,

 Or do you scamper away in fear? 

However you respond, it’s always a good idea 

To keep the things you have in common 

Clearly visible between you…

On the edge

There may be times 

When someone you love 

And long to protect 

Comes very close to the edge, 

Seemingly determined to self-destruct 

And defying all offers of help. 

Advice, panic, and frantic admonitions 

 Are not what’s needed here, 

But rather openness, calm support,

 And a willingness to listen 

Can help to pull them back from the brink.

Illusion of innocence

Those of us who grew up 

Trying to remain undetected and invisible 

For the sake of self-protection 

 Might assume this guy is hiding in the flowers, 

But instead, like some of the bullies 

We might have been avoiding, 

He has assumed a place of honor, 

Surrounded by his favorite delicacies, 

And is chomping away at his treats 

And refusing to share 

While all the while retaining the illusion 

Of innocence and victimhood…

A unity of diversity

The new day dawns, 

A study in perfection: 

All things balanced — 

Light and dark, color and shape, 

Delicate and bold… 

How blessed are we, 

To live in such a world! 

And when will we come to understand 

How often the blending of opposites, 

A unity of diversity, 

Can bring results more pleasing 

To the heart, brain, and eye 

Than uniformity?

A foggy day

Rising after a sleepless night, 

I find the world fogged in, 

As if the weather echoes 

My own mental state. 

Some part of me longs to venture out 

And park myself in my neighbor’s chair 

To doze amid the green,

 But alas, I’m meant to spend my day in a car, 

Riding through a sunny, fog-free world. 

Perhaps it will clear the cobwebs from my brain.

A fortieth anniversary offering

A humble offering of gratitude 

For forty years, today, of married bliss.