anything...
- ~
so...
lost...
in that...
woodland...
where those...
tall thick trees...
covered all spots...
that were hovering...
on...
me!...
~~
well...
i spied...
some open...
meadowland...
and was about to...
find my way out again...
only to make it to the end...
at the bottom of this mountain!...
~~~
but when i climbed its steepest cliff...
and came upon an overlook...
all's i could see...
was that...
trail...
i'd...
just...
took!...
~~
then i gave up...
the trek...
and stood there...
in silence...
while my thoughts...
upped and left...
they couldn't take...
all that quiet!...
~
and...
so now...
here i am...
on this land...
where i know...
that my heart...
and the soul...
hand a big...
welcome...
home!...
~~~
-
~~~
(if there came too near...
where would here be?)...
(if then penned up when's...
how could now get out?)...
~~~
- ~~
~~~
(deafen the head...
and mute it to boot...
for the quiet of silence...
got its own horns to toot!)...
~~ ~~~
-
(of all the things)...
of all the things to ever say...
alotta words came by this way...
wonder when all's said and done...
what kinda worth comes outta one?...
of all the stuff to ever make...
a buncha mistakes popped up today...
wonder when everything's said and done...
what kindsa worth will ever come outta one?...
of all the moments alive right now...
here's one to share with you somehow...
so while everything's still not said and done...
may some worth from living come outta this one!...
~~~~~~~
-
(pine cone perch)...
a pine cone perched along a branch...
from the oldest fir on a rundown ranch...
he shook his head for a peek around...
at the change of pace that raked the ground...
an orchardman and his livelihood here...
had yielded some ninety years...
to be preserved in a wooden box...
beneath a stone beyond some rocks...
chit-chat sat with folks in town...
about what would happen to the old spread now...
a will was read that left it to...
his youngest cousin twice removed...
who staked a claim in the farmed-out house...
and fixed-up what was broken down...
then set about to rework the land...
planting trees and hiring hands...
natural ties to family roots...
grew to crops that beared good fruit...
and soon the acres prospered well...
reaping the cousin produce to sell...
it wasn't long until quality...
had sold alot in quantity...
word-of-mouth among his buyers...
advertised like wild-fire...
till business boomed this cousin's name...
to a county legend of tasty fame...
appetites whet in marketing people...
drooled over bites for partnership deals...
company men... in polished shoes...
and coats and ties wearing profit views...
offered help to build his trade...
to a sweeter harvest in money made...
they drained their charm on this farming man...
from juice in jars to his face on cans...
carried-out-plans with commodity-rates...
would keep fruit in kitchens throughout the state...
well... the cousin said he'd sleep on it...
and get back to them in a little bit...
when he sent this chance in his head to bed...
fate peeled off dreams of what it said...
so he called the men to stop by next day...
for he'd let them know what he had to say...
then he took them out to the oldest tree...
pointing upward to a cluster of seed...
"my answer lies in that pine cone up there...
and what he'd see if he could look down here"...
"this rancher's heart is in those branches too!...
now better get going... got work to do!"...
~~~~~~~
-
(grocery story)...
they kept rice by the soap aisle...
bread near the meat...
fruit with the pet food...
and cheese in the sweets!...
coupons hid starving...
while carts lost their spin...
shoppers took seasick...
at bargain line bins!...
pounds suffered migraines...
quarts almost drowned...
ounces felt tired...
from gallons around!...
the deli turned purple...
its scale grew faint...
smelling salts fell upon...
clear cellophane!...
freezers used goosebumps...
to keep ice cream hard...
popsicle stick people...
stood bone chilling guard!...
prices wrecked havoc...
numbers logged on...
then card carrying bar codes...
checked out and were gone!...
~~~
( string-tone phone)...
took two cans from soup and nautical miles of string...
and figured if i strung them right i'd hear most anything...
well i snuck one on a freighter headed far across the sea...
then built a sandtent at the beach for the other can and me...
we bunkered down to listen around the turnings of each day...
first we heard these cursing words from some old sailor say...
"hey! what's this empty soup can doing on my galley's shelf?...
that second mate best shape up or i'll ship him out myself!"...
we'd only hoped our stowaway wasn't gonna walk their plank!...
(they say davy jone's old locker got some key that's kind'a rank)...
but next morning bright and early all those fears were laid to rest...
we heard the bird holler "land ahead!" from atop his crowing nest...
by this time i was wondering just how far that string would reach?...
(our big shot wave-like ball of rope shrank smaller than a peach!)...
well free yourselves these worries since this ball ran outta string!...
(tho' now we've got s'more to knot... ain't that the darndest thing!)...
~~~
-
(wide-awake sleepy-eyed)...
sleepy eyes lay wide awake...
though thoughts have gone to bed...
so midnight says it's staying up late...
and playing inside this head!...
-
(hehehe)...
~~~
-
(yepper's yep)...
they took a yep to the mountain crest...
and let him soar with airborn evers...
and when his better felt its best...
he returned an echo's yepper!...
~~~~~~~
(decoy duckland's petting zoo)...
a grassy old patch and a fast plastic buck...
merged the road together in a gimmick pick-up truck...
just beyond that longer exit near the farmer's produce stand ...
where easy access u-turn s get to meet some novelty plan!...
joining stretches of macadam pushing city limits on ...
a water bottled bridge stood pouring liquid in a pond...
then as if a surplus recap 'neath that span was overdue...
they shortly opened up a decoy duckland 's petting zoo!...
it was quickly billed a fun-filled thrill in quill-less gosling strokes ! ...
for adventuristic fingertips and even slower pokes ! ...
from a second wind in change machines to life- size vending slots...
hyped-up virtual reality schemes by money-making plots!...
with gourmet decoy duck food sold for hungry decoy ducks ...
those corny morsel portions satisfied their tries of luck ! ...
even warmer bench extravagance encased in cushioned weather...
couldn't help but bide its time shares into ruffli ng wooden feathers !...
then attractive quacker additives kept proxies close on call...
to substitute and pat for palms that won't pet ducks at all! ...
and should a bird turn hostile in some awful peck attack...
they'll offer folks full refunds with the hopes to get 'em back!...
now with that wilderness at refuge as the public stays in touch ...
there's stock to take upon this flock that doesn't miss so much!...
it'll goose down any pocketbook and waddle children too ! ...
into spending what they can at decoy duckland's petting zoo!...
~~~
(spit-end-image)...
"a shot and two brew from that barbershop man!"...
( whose rounds for the house start in hair tonic cans!...
where high brow ingredients tout alcohol brands...
to comb over scalps and hold styles at hand!)...
soon bellied-up grins at those draft knobs on tap...
saw that follicle fellow pull off his straw hat!...
well caught by surprise were his buddies' big traps...
at how quickly their beer foam gave his shaved head a cap!...
(hehehe... and jeepers ... ingest in jest please!)... :)
~~~