Destiny

Monarch butterfly
Spreads her wings
Into the wind
Lifts off to fly
Northward

Buffeted by wind
Blown off course
Still flies, corrects
Toward the North
Again

Huddles from the rain 
Overnight
Sheltered but wet
And bedraggled 
And cold

In the morning sun
Spreads wings to dry
Lifts off again
Over dusty 
Hot lands

Comes to fertile fields
Green plants, milkweed
She lands and waits
Male arrives
They mate

She finds the milkweed
And lays her eggs
Then, fulfilled
Flies weakly
​And dies.

3 Quatrains

It must feel wonderful
To fly in the sky
Wild and free
Soaring on high.

Birds are just doing their thing,
But I can't help but think
They must feel joy
When they fly and sing.

I too, would fly,
Soar high in the sky, 
A bird on the wing,
With a song to sing.


Dreams

I used to dream that I could fly.
I would run and run until I
Was lifted into the sky.

I used to dream of a wave
That would sweep me away,
And I was not afraid.

I don't dream anymore.
I've become a bore,
Feet held fast to the floor.


Fledgling to its Mother

When I leave the nest, which way is the best,
North, South, East or West?
How do I know which way I should go?
Can't I follow you, go where you go too?

No my fledgling no, trust the wind and go.
Follow the wind, follow. Follow the wind, follow.

​Such a long way, how will I know the day
I have found the place where I should stay?
Will there be a sign that says this place is mine?
Will there be osprey on that Southern Bay?

Follow the sun's ray, it will show you the way.
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow.

When I fly back to this nest I love the best,
Can I live with you, stay on this nest too?
I don't want to leave home and be on my own.
I want to stay here, oh, my Mother Dear.

Trust the osprey way, fly up and down the Bay,
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow.

Fly around and one day, you'll find another osprey.
You'll build your own nest, the place you'll love the best,
You'll raise fine chicks and learn all their tricks.
Then one fine Fall day, you'll again be on your way,

Trust the osprey way, trust the sun's ray,
Trust the wind and go, follow the wind, follow.

​

Nirvana

Discontent is fertile soil for anger and hostility.
On the other hand, content spawns affability and love.
To counter the former,
And to foster the latter,
Stop willing and wanting,
Breathe slowly and deeply,
And nirvana is yours!
Or so Buddha would argue.

Let Be

Let winds blow
And leaves flutter.

Let streams flow
And waves lap.

Let swamps be
And frogs croak.

Let forests grow
And animals live.

Let children play
And birds sing.

Let thinkers think
And doers do.

Let the living live
And the dying die.

Let be what is
And is meant to be!

Gnothi Se

We are not that or this
But that we are also
Something far more.

It's only beyond first glance
And only beneath the skin
That each in all life's subtleties
May be found and grasped in full.

The Greeks said Gnothi se,
Today it's know thyself.
'Twas too challenging then,
'Tis too troublesome now!

Choice and Chance

Life is birth, death, and all betwixt.
Birth and death are fixed realities,
It is the span between that counts,
Here choice and change in interplay
Determine our decisions, shape our lives,
Here sheep and goats go separate ways.

Chance circumstances of life compel,
But choice is still for us to make.
There are those who passively allow events
To prevail with but a hapless shrug,
And those who challenge forceful chance,
Make their choice and forge their way.

Those inclined to yield to chance
Are "what happens to them."
Those who seize fate by the forelock
Are "their own happening."

​-JM

Píccola says: I will shelter in place as long as I can be with my two humans and can do the biscuit dance. 

Would you like to read a book?
Go to the shelf and take a look.
You can read a tale of woe,
You could find a place to go.
You can learn to cook a meal,
Or go swimming with a seal.

I do not want to cook a meal
I do not want to be a seal. 
I just want to sit right here
With my earbuds in my ear.

It would be more fun, just look,
If you sat and read a book.
You can listen and laugh
At the tall  Whistling Giraffe.
Or you might  cry and cry
For Old Yeller who up and died.

I do not want to laugh,
I do not want to cry.
Nothing about a giraffe,
Not about a dog that died.

I could read a book to you,
I’ll make it fun and scary too,
Or I’ll read it fast then slow,
I’ll make it so crazy you’ll see
How much fun reading can be.
 
Okay, okay, just read to me,
But I’ll be bored, you will see.
Wait, this book looks like fun,
It tells all about the sun.
 
Then , my child, come right here,
And bring your rabbit dear,
You can both sit in my lap
 Listen to me read before  your nap.
First you must put down your phone,
If you want to hear me drone.
 
Oh, Mommy I love this book,
On reading, I think I’m hooked.
Tomorrow I will read to you
My  story-- or maybe two.
 

Time for bed now, time to sleep,
I do not want to hear a peep.
 
Brush your teeth and go to bed,
Turn out the light, lay down your head.
 
You forgot to read to me!
You have to read a good story.
 
Here’s your reader from your school,
Ten minutes a day is the rule.
 
No, Daddy, you read to me!
To read to me is your duty.
 
Well, okay, just one story,
One little book, now let us see…
 
Here is How to Be a Good Sport:
This book is easy and it’s short.
 
No, I want Green Eggs and Ham,
The one about the boy named Sam.
 
I like that book so much, you see,
It is my favorite story.
 
No, no, please, not that one!
We’ve read it so much, now I’m done!
 
Yes, because I like it so,
Now come on, try it, have a go.
 
You can read it fast or slow,
I’ll like it either way, you know.
 
Read it with a funny voice,
Or read it loud, it is your choice.
 
Read it to me now, I plead,
Get out Green Eggs and start to read.
 
Listen to me now, my child,
I’ll read about the things so wild,
 
Goodnight Moon, I’ll even read,
That is a sacrifice, indeed.
 
Knufflebunny, Little Bear,
Perhaps The Tortoise and the Hare.
 
No, Green Eggs and Ham is all
I want, so do not stall.
 
No, I will not read that book,
Now you must let me off the hook.
 
I will read it by myself,
Just go and get if off the shelf.
 
Yes, now you can read, it’s true,
I do not have to read to you.
 
Every night I’ll let you sit
And read your own story a bit.
 
While I sit and watch TV
And sip upon a nice iced tea.
 
No, you must still read to me,
I like to listen too, you see.
 
If Green Eggs is not your choice,
Then I will find another voice.
 
To the library I’ll go
To find a book you’ll love, I know.
 
Do you like to read by chance
About the Captain Underpants?
 
We could read a Goosebumps book;
They’re full of terror, gore and gook!
 
No, I don’t like any of those
That you have just proposed.
 
I will tell you, child of mind,
I’ll go to the attic to find
 
My box of books I loved back when
I was a child of six to ten.
 
Full of stories I liked the best,
Of dragons and brave knights on a quest.
 
Of the spider who did spin
A web so her pig friend could win.
 
Stone Fox who gave up the race
So Will and his dog could win first place,
 
Children who lived all alone
In a caboose they called home,
 
Robin Hood, who was so brave
But also somewhat of a knave.
 
Now that’s a good idea, Dad.
Find a book that makes us glad.
 
Choose one that we both enjoy,
Maybe about a dog and a boy?
 
But now please turn out the light,
I think I’ll forego the book tonight.