poems

WAIT

He stares out to see, searching for his destiny,

knowing one day he will see his kindred again.

Before she went she told him to search the ocean

with his eyes, for there she will be.

A love born out of the insaneness of life and of random

chance, they had each other for awhile

and then had to painfully part.

Life’s pendulum swings forth, one chapter ending

and another being born

in which they’ll meet again, is a mystery.

Even if it’s the next life or in a different place,

nothing will break their love. Not even death,

for time is their ally, each empty hour glass bringing them closer.

Distracted he walks up the beach, caught up in his daily routine.

Something in his mind, hidden, says wait, wait…

OIL WORKER

Leathery skin from a relentless hot desert sun, hard as nails attitude –

don’t give a shit what you think. Work till I get rich or die

doing my job, black gold.

Now just like my daddy, a legend of a man he was,

created me in his image

to work the wells, day and night.

For what it’s worth, I love this job, my life, my black gold.

Cost dad his life when the wellhead blew, fifteen years ago.

Now in his memory I do my graft and put dollars in the bank.

My son will be an oil worker and he’ll remember his granddad,

never met, legacy of the oil fields. Tough work, black gold.

YOUTH TRAGEDY

Many millions strong, an army in the making

of powerful emotions and thoughts.

What is my generation to think of this?

Young in my own eyes, two generations under me

are rising above me right now.

Some make it, some don’t, some are good and do it right,

some are bad and do dark deeds.

They better do it right as soon they’ll be running

this damn country, coming into jobs

and careers – responsible ones.

Laws of averages, rise and fall,

what do we make of the crazy ones?

Stealing cars, selling drugs, mugging pensioners.

What comes around goes around

but right now many fall and some don’t make it.

Teenage suicide, hard times, cost of life.

Only so much prison some can take.

White, black, asian, all creeds.

All the same and an island of emotions,

let loose in an uncertain world.

Good ones are separated by a dividing line,

doing apprenticeships, finding jobs,

a new career. How the gap widens, of no in-betweens,

just people who live their lives and in their own worlds.