Old Heart - 18 x 24 oil on canvas
 
My old heart cries for youth,
for young romance and an eternal future.
My old heart cries for you
with a growing ache and no hope for cure.
 
I fatigue with loneliness
and bittersweet memories.
I confound myself with foolish
old heart idiosyncrasies.
 
You are gone.  I am lost.
There’s no more I can do.
My old heart beats on
reluctantly without you.
​

Autumn Air – oil on canvas
 
The autumn air, borne of a blue sky torn with clouds,
carries colors of yellow, red, and brown.
The autumn ground moves as nature blows these shed colors to-and-fro
as if rabbits chased by a howling hound.
My autumn thoughts drift in the warmth to be dispersed
by the relentlessness of time and fate.
Whisper to me, nymphs of song. Gift me with your wisdom.
I have naught to do but dream and wait.
​

Leafy Sky –  18 x 24  oil on canvas
 
It’s an auspicious day for the tree leaves:
Walnut, elm, and oak.
“To what yard are you heading?
Beware all piles that smoke!”
 
Bare branches scratch the sky ‘til raw.
Maple, plum, and birch
all spin in autumn air
during their random search.
 
The calm of evening finally comes.
Hickories and willows.
All find their final resting spots,
and serve animals as pillows.
 
Leaflets of locusts fill small cracks.
Sycamores, large spaces.
Poplar leaves shine bright yellow,
and all – the snow erases.

Night Runner – 16 x 20 oil on canvas
 
Through the night I run.
Haunted by memories feeding anxieties.
Through the darkness I pound my feet
fleeing ghosts of demonic varieties.
 
Faster, faster I must run,
stumbling, then forcing recovery.
My heart tears vessels with its bursting beats.
Through woods and brambles, I fight discovery.

Mosquito – 12 x 24  oil on canvas
  
The mosquito, with stubbornness,
ignored the supernova.
Its enormity, too incomprehensible.
Its rage, too threatening.

And the supernova,
with natural unawareness,
had little choice but to incinerate;
obliterate,
the ignorant speck.

The Stone Pullers – 24 x 18 oil on canvas
 
Why are these people pulling a heavy stone through the hot desert?  Does it have value to them?  Are the ravens scolding them for their theft?
 
Or are they pulling the heavy stone as a form of punishment?  Is it a product of a mutual transgression on their part, and are the ravens cawing scorn at them as they labor?
​

This painting is entitled: 'The mass of men...', which might seem strange considering there is only one man in it. The title is the beginning of a comment by Henry David Thoreau: "The mass of men lead[s] lives of quiet desperation."
 
The mass of men…           24 x 36 oil on canvas
        
While the darkness creeps up behind me I, alone and lonely, search for a few words, a small piece of salvation, that might be hidden in my mailbox.  Empty again.  Has my road been forgotten?  My house thought to be vacant?

White Feather – 16 x 20 oil on canvas
 
From out of the blue, you fall into hand,
a message of scorn and self-righteous demand.
Oblivious to need and men’s states of affair,
your delivering birds distribute nightmare.
 
They fly down the street with a bustling aim
to hand out their quills and thus unload their shame.
And after delivering each stabbing decree,
they find a sweet shop for crumpets and tea.
​

The New Arrivals – 24 x 12 oil on canvas
 A couple witnesses the arrival of two people into the underworld.  They arrive via Charon’s boat as he navigates it along the river Styx, which carries people from the living world into Hades.

What’d You Say? – 16x20 oil on canvas
 
Come over here!
What’d you say?
No one talks to me that way!
 
Don’t smirk at me.
You’d best realize.
You can’t escape these blue eyes!

​Endless Day – 48 x 36 acrylic and oil on canvas
 
When walking on a beautiful warm day, I often ponder that there are many things we experience today that have not changed from ancient times: beautiful skies, trees, boats on the water, a warm sun in the sky, etc. Our ancestors experienced many of the blissful feelings we enjoy today.  As we walk, we can be forgiven for imagining the day will never end, just as the ancient Greeks might have imagined over 2600 years ago, but it does and the following days also keep spinning by like gusts of breeze through the dust.  These thoughts inspired this painting.  The immortal Greek gods in the sky languidly look down from their casual repasts and enjoy the eternal beauty without having to come to terms with the day’s ephemeral essence.  Nevertheless, beauty survives, and the briefness of our strolls sometimes makes them all the more cherished.

Through the Fence – 16 x 20 oil on canvas
 
You’ve found privacy and “independence” behind your wooden fence.
You manage a perfect garden and a stoic commonsense,
but when hidden from the world and its scary social stress        
your solitude is but boredom and painful loneliness.
When your pond has dried in the sun and your flowers all have withered, 
peek outside your aging fence from where sad hours have slithered.
Unlock your gate and open wide its frame of creaky hinges
and find that you just might enjoy humanity’s wild fringes.
​

Lastnight, Midnight – 20 x 16 oil on canvas
 
Lastnight, midnight, I tangled my hair
in the fires of the atmosphere.
 
I was hurled by currents that blistered my face,
and then—whipped free, towards the cold blackened space.
 
In shock, I was throbbing in shivering fate.
Yet, I rotated my mind back towards the hate.
 
But, the whole world of homes, (All the people were singing),
was brilliant with color, (in the sounds of bell ringing).
 
Why did this happen, I being torn from the scenes?
They were entwined with their living, and I – tangled in dreams.
 

Today, Midday – 20 x 16 oil on canvas
 
Today, midday, I tangled my mind
in thoughts of despair that drove me half blind.
 
I was hurled by currents that wrinkled my face,
and then—whipped free towards an infinite space.
 
In shock, I was rendered dumfounded and still.
Yet, I rotated myself with strong effort and will.
 
But, the whole world of hope, (All the people were singing),
was brilliant with smiles, (in the sounds of bell ringing).
 
Why did this happen, I being torn from my home? 
They were embraced with love giving, and I  -- sleeping alone.
​

Black Moon Sunrise – 24 x 18 oil on canvas
 
Black moon, charred by the sun,
whisper your secret tale.
Defy the fire and rise above me
so we may each prevail.
 
My eyes, seared by the flames,
search for reprieve from light,
but your dark face casts cool upon me
and promises rest tonight.
 

Full Moon Nightfall – 24 x 18 oil on canvas
 
Full moon, lighting the night,
thank-you for your bright glow.
Burn through the night and own the dark sky.
Cast long my moon shadow.
 
My face, brushed by the clouds,
turns towards your guiding way.
Rise high and burst through your blankets.
Be proud of your display.
​

Night Approaches – 20 x 24 oil on canvas
 
How fleeting the colors of the sky and the birds that grace its breezes.
How brief the warmth of the sun and the flower whose bright hue pleases.
Goodbye to handsome men on horseback and ladies riding in fancy coaches.
These farewells must be said every day, alas because a dark night approaches.
​

Red at Night – 20 X 24 oil on canvas
 
Red at night, a sailor’s delight.
Red in morning, a sailor’s warning. 
Let’s sleep well tonight fore the sky has graced us.
Woe! Yesterday, fore the storm had chased us.
 
We’ll keep the sails taught and the stern behind us,
before dark clouds can form and find us.
Bow toward our goal, men renew your strength,
because we are bound to endure, and conquer at length.
​​

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