O Say Can You See, By The Dawn's Early Light

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner, O long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,

A home and a country, should leave us no more?

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Happy Independence Day!!!

The Compassionate

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They Went In

Lili Waiting

Walking downtown

Wooden soldiers

Reminded her

Urged her

To stop

Semper Fi, they promised

Ignoring other suitors

Like a modern Penelope

An old song

Reminded her

Of his true love

Cornucopia

Give Thanks

Give Thanks for your life

Give Thanks for your family

Give Thanks for your friends

Give Thanks for being here

Give Thanks for the food on your table

Give Thanks

The Gondolier

Another day almost finished

Specs of gold on the vastness of the canal

Reflections of the setting sun under Rialto's arch

A hard day's work

Moving 1400 pounds of romance

Along Grande's turns

Thinking about my own sunshine will get me through

O Sole Mio

Working my oar

20 passages a day

Speeding 36 feet of shiny black wood carrying

Pairs of lovers along this watery highway

Their romance will pay our dowry

Water ripples against ancient walls

Where Once Through Taylors' Halls

Where once through Taylors' halls

The sound of mighty weavers

Filled the air with Southern snow

Empty spaces now prevail

A wandering soul

A harbinger of better times

Exploring opportunities

To bring these vaults to life again

Gleaming floors lie in waiting

For new creators

To transform the past

Capturing the present

Liberty And Justice For All

Catching the gleam of early rays

This symbol

Reminds a nation

How dearly contested to establish

And dearly contested to hold together

It was and is

One nation, still united?

Liberty

For all, or one-sided?

the Flag

Makes proud and reminds

About our pledge

To justice...

Sunday Morning Anticipation

Sunday Morning Anticipation

Early Sunday morning

Everyone still in church

Tables cleaned, waiting

for patrons to come

Anticipation of clinking

cutlery, and cheerful

conversations

Everything is ready

for savory dishes, glasses of wine

But not yet

All is quiet still

Soon they'll be here

When There Is No Color Anymore

When There Is No Color Anymore

When there is no color anymore

When ancestry is forgotten

When we're all covered in the same brown mud

When we color the earth with the same red blood

When we cry together, holding each other's arms

When we stand together, shielding each other from harm

When we think about our homes; how different they might be

And still, we all know what in our minds we see

When we fight together in a faraway war

Who then, dares to speak, who wasn't here,

About how different we are

About all those things we shouldn't share

Who then, doesn't want to see

That fighting together made us blind

For any race, but humankind

And the only place we want to be

Is at home,

At rest,

In peace

Socrates' Shadow

Socrates' Shadow

Pleated squares of light

Subtle patterns, colors softened,

forms implied

Photons caught on emulsive,

transformed into digits

Do we see what we see?

My camera, my cave

We, The People

We, The People

Have selected you,

541 wise women and men

Do you remember us?

You can't hide behind the bushes

Freedom is watching you

Pastel Railroad

Pastel Railroad

Abandoned, discarded

Broken, chipped, and flaking

No more trips,

No more passengers

The voices of laughing children can be imagined

Men with mustaches, ladies in crinolines

Years of rain has washed all soot away

Bright, functional colors have changed

into soft pastels

Pleasing to the eye

Pleasing to the memory

Olympic Dream

Olympic Dream

As a young boy, he had a dream.

Television was his inspiration and biggest source of knowledge.

He started practicing.

Other kids played soccer, football, or rugby.

He practiced his game.

Other kids had multiple hobbies.

He practiced his game.

He went to college.

Other students joined Greek life and started partying.

He practiced his game.

He got a job.

His colleagues watched football and went to tailgate parties.

He practiced his game.

Finally, he was ready.

Then he realized that jousting is not an Olympic sport.

Longing

Land-bound

Looking into the distance, not seeing

Endless waves, triggering

Images of the mind

Ships, men, coasts, women

No more

Time to go home

Winter Arrived

Winter Arrived

All is still.

Waiting, confident;

Preparing for rebirth.

Lakes turned into mirrors

Black glass reflecting the old.

Trees contemplating their coming transformation,

Branches adorned with glistening diamonds;

One last party, closing the season.

Nature covered in purifying white - Kyōkatabira

Fall River

Fall River

Days are getting shorter

The sun stays low on the horizon

playing with golden leaves

Reflections

The river carries them all to the sea

Cozy Candy

Cozy Candy

The days are getting shorter

Trees are changing color, and

Sweaters are taken out of storage.

Excitement is building:

It will almost be time to light the fireplace;

Snuggle on the couch with hot drinks.

Let's go to the village and see the lights,

People window shopping, and finally

To that old candy store.

Fall Has Arrived

Fall Has Arrived

Foggy dew;

golden trees, set on fire

by the early sun.

Fall has arrived

The Engineer

The Engineer

Up the line

Down the line

Up the line

Down the line

Every night the same track

Cadence of the wheels

Monotonous through the night

Creating stories

A regulated typewriter

Peering into the darkness

The light showing the way

The world whizzing by

Trees, houses, a flash - that was a car

. . . . . . .

Never let go of the dead man’s switch

All coming to a stop

Wheels screeching, steel on steel

But no, that was a dream

Up the line

Down the line

Up the line

Down the line

. . . . . . .

It never ends

Little Friend's Safety

Little Friends' Safety

Waiting on the wing

Ready for action

Never deployed

Protecting the protector

Memories...

Memories...

Of missions accomplished

Going halfway out

Meeting halfway in

Big friends returning, limping, dying

Memories...

Never fading

Al missions now for show

Realistic but not real

To keep the memories alive