harbor

Byjucasso

too extreme the feelings keen in the long wind of my genes, I
cannot stay in the positive pole,
ever drifting through the downward spiral-a staircase to escape
obedience, to a God Eagle totem
taking me under His wing, to
punish rebuke to my chagrin-I need
lucrative employment of all the missiles bibles to teach the beauty is
hope not cruelty in the impoverished
hearts and minds of all who suffer at one time or another-I offer
peace, a piece of pie, pie in the sky when we die, the happy hunting
grounds, the
wilder-beast and the buffalo, the elk deer moose, and I the golden
goose partake being parched with a thirst-
water H2O the Universal Solvent,
hydrates the driest eye, replenishes the tears I cry, chooses to live
or die, in a fixation forever awed by
the power of an ocean cooling the coastline blowing kisses to the
fishes with wind on a mission to call the gull and the dove land in
the sand of a most remote love, anchor the rancor of boats in your
harbor-most anointed quest, regard life so hard to have but few
regrets, and the sun isn’t done
in skies as blue as it gets.

tilapia

Byjucasso

when we were young we were older than time
coming from the other side.
when we were born the stage was set-with stars
moon sun oceans rivers lakes streams.
animals in their majesty depend on the kindness
of nature.
love ephemeral creative eccentric thoroughly
kinetic-more committed than ever grateful
for every day to give and to receive a genuine
moment shared with those special someones
who forgive my worst encourage the best,
and laugh with tears in eyes it’s just so funny!
the cats Molly and Cisco speak and understand
a good deal of English-Grandma my mother is
visiting-I explained to m & c they’ll be having
supper in the computer room tonight. they
understood perfectly and sat down on the
futon looking like chickens do-I presented
them with their 2 plates of their fave tilapia
they seemed interested so I left the room and
joined mom in the kitchen-she had served up
mushrooms & peas, string beans, sesame
noodles and before mom could get a shrimp
with cocktail sauce in her mouth Molly had
jumped up on the table trying to swat mom’s
shrimp out of her hand to the floor. Mom is
not really an animal person so I had to tell
her don’t yell at Molly mom-cat scratches
can be terribly painful! Then in a high pitched
voice mom was saying get down sweetheart-
get down baby-I interceded and gruffly said
get down! actually we didn’t laugh over
this story-I don’t even know why I’m
telling it?

the prologue:

Byjucasso

you can see the mountains and the moon,
through clouds the vision
sounds the senses to a tune,
yet for haste there would be no stone
left unturned, take a chance with
me and I will see to it you won’t
get burned.
having said the length of time to tell
thoughts wishes dreams-love the
answer to it all-what does it all mean?
chasing rainbows into past
prophets fallen angels, guided by
sophists sophisticates and suffrage,
raging on eating my ruff-age.

I asked God for a penny-He gave me
my mother-a Goddess from Heaven
in beauty and manner she lifts me
out of chaos and mends my
embattled bruised ego-
with wit whimsy politic mom runs
her ship easily polite with no thought
for grief, by the power invested in me
I now pronounce us mother and daughter.
She is my power of example.
I follow with baby steps
into her footsteps.

Dad suffers dementia-business man
entrepreneur always provided for
his family-he is comfortable at home
with mom. He taught me how to tie my
shoelaces when I was 5. Dad steadied the back wheels of my new bike
running with me down Larchwood Road teaching me how to ride. He
kicked the football to the top of the tulip trees.
He took me to my first Yankee game.
Mom and Dad introduced my sister and I
to the theater-Broadway and all
the New York restaurants-we traveled to Cuba
when I was 5, Cuernavaca when I
was 7-we had 3 consecutive boats-
stinkpots-Long Island Sound was
our playground. Dad would always
sing to us on the car trips back to
Westchester from The City-did
well for a man who couldn’t carry
a tune.

Rani my sister – I was 2 -I was peddling my scooter-the door
to the cellar was left open-I was barreling down the steps- Rani-4 1/2
grabbed hold of the back wheels
screaming “daddy daddy daddy”!!!
dad came running-Rani saved my
life.
Years later-Rye Playland-in a ride
called The teacup-I was 7, Rani
was 9 1/2, the ride went berserk-
up and down ferociously-my sister
was about to fly out of the teacup-
I sunk to the floor grabbed her
legs kept saying “get down get down”!!
mom was on the ground screaming to the carnie “stop
this thing”! and as you may have guessed, he did.
So Rani and I have a special bond,
because we’re sisters, because
we walked away.

Family and friends have enabled me
to keep sane in these uncertain
times-I am grateful for their
love and support. I dedicate
“paintings and poems” to them.