Antisocial Media

Strange Day-- Cloudy, but not the usual flat-gray-blanket-cloudy; Bits-and-pieces cloudy, But just a handful of moments where the sun peaked through. One of those warm-and-cool-at-the-same-time days, A day that feels more like Wisconsin September Than California September. A crow flew behind the pines As I walked past the parking garage. No feathers were ever so black As these, so black Against the bright cloud That they could have been nothing at all. An impossible hole in the sky. I'm sure, now, as I think about it, That if it had not flown so fast I could have seen the bright points of the stars Gleaming far away behind those feathers.

Three of you squeeze into a seat for a cozy two, Cocooned by your chatter from the texting commuters (And the occasional cycling enthusiast) On your way to tonight's game. Even the backs of your heads look young, And you in the window seat are so careful To rest your arm not across the one-and-a-half shoulders As you huddle together now On your way to the game.

Here's a trick to try out The next time you have a free minute: Step One: Stand where you find yourself. Step Two: Take a good look around. Step Three: Take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Step Four: Using whatever form of locomotion you prefer (legs, wheelchair, etc.), and while remaining perfectly still (this is the tricky part), push against the world until it begins to move past you. Step Five: Stop pushing when you find yourself where you need to be. And have a care to be considerate of others.

I decided to take the plunge into National Poetry Writing Month, prompted by my friend Aidan's facebook update. So I'm already three poems behind, sadly, but I can catch up... Here's the poem I wrote on Aidan's link: Thanks for this, Aidan! I've a deep fear of poems (My own, not others') But, in every life There comes a time when we say, "Ah, eff it, why not."