Deep inside ourselves  
By Charles Portolano – Fountain Hills, AZ – 
cportolano@hotmail.com

Deep in the sea, 
oh, deep in the sea 
where darkness rules 
the warming waters are  
percolating causing great grief, 
changing migration patterns, 
killing our coral reefs. 

High in the Alps, the Andres, 
high in the Himalayas,  
and on both of the Poles  
the warming snow  
flows down their crying faces
of the once frozen ice, now 
escaping into the warming seas. 

Rising sea levels, 
oh, rising sea levels 
now leaves so many homeless 
as she takes back her land, 
where we all came from 
in the beginning of our existence 
with our first breath of oxygen. 

Breathing in deep is a struggle, 
hurts each breath taken 
for the young, the old, the sick, 
all feel the burn in the back 
of their always sore throats, 
the endless coughing, just trying 
to catch their next breath. 

Deep in the back of our minds 
where we keep secrets, 
we know the end will be coming 
for our refusing to choose  
a new way to live sharing  
fairly all the resources Mother 
has to give to all of her children…  

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Varicose-vein, Toothache, the Travel

 My young-blood used to drive me to dare to do
Something more than my body can take:
Lift heavy things even he barely does,
Mow the steep hill in the back of my house,
Indulging in the pleasure of ceasing the wild things,
Ignoring the groans of the blood vessels in the legs.
As years go by the body rebels.
The vessels have enlarged, bulged in silent cry,
I ignore the brief, sharp pains in the leg.
The broken valves, blood pools in the low,
The legs swell, pregnant with a trouble.
Doc suggests I have a surgery to remove
The ailing veins, before getting worse,
But he can do it after nearly two months,
Meanwhile, the molar starts aching,
Wave of painful years of past
Drowns my head beneath the sea blue.
Antibiotic taken lessens the pain,
But the core is still there.
The dentist will remove it after two months–
One of the inconveniences this pandemic brings.
He wants me to join him in traveling north.
Reluctantly I agree, glimpsing
The blot of a bird in the pale sky.

*

I’m going on a road trip for two weeks.
With my god’s help, everything will be fine. ♫ : )

Stay well, everyone.

Byung A.

 

Mending a Near-broken Relationship

requires the cool mind of an artist,
keen eyes of a surgeon,
rightness of a judge.
If this sounds overwhelming,
just pretend to be one.

*

Who has not had a near-broken relationship in their lifetime, whether it is
a friendship or love-relationship? I have had more than once.
I would fix one that I want to keep. Luckily I have a natural knack for it.
I thank my god for that.

©Byung A. Fallgren

 

Ikebana Art

is the art of flower arranging. Through contemplation, creativity and discipline, like Ikebana offers the opportunity for observing deeply connecting with our natural world: cultivating the understanding and appreciation of
the natural growth of the plants and flowers and love of nature in all its phase.
The long history of Ikebana can be traced back to the 6^th century when Buddhism was introduced into Japan from China and Korea. Monks arranged flowers for alters to honor Buddha. Many schools evolved over the centuries. Currently it is taught and practiced in the worldwide community. –Norma Bradley, artist. (normabradley@gmail.com.)

   

**

Arranged Flowers 

We bloom once
bloom again
in silent songs
only you can hear.

©Byung A. Fallgren

 

 

 

When the Quarantine Syndrome Sneaks on You

Your eyes navigate the gray sea of Internet,
Skimming, yet nothing enters in your head,

As your mind drifts back and forth, past and now,
Trivial matters exaggerate, turbid, fester,

Your wife screams, you go berserk.
You are not alone. Take your family for a walk,

Wave to the passersby, smile or say hello.

© Byung A. Fallgren

Photo by Joe Murphy, Linda Holste, (joseph.f.murphy@vanderbilt.edu)
Sandhill Crane.

By now, most of people have adapted to the situations the pandemic
has brought, we like to think so. But truth is there are still many people, especially
younger people, are suffering from so called quarantine-syndrome. I’ve seen
some couples go berserk, talking about divorcing, etc.
Older people seemed to adjust to the time better, despite the vulnerability to
the virus–the benefit of aging. Yet, truth is I begin to feel I’ve had enough of this.
Ugh. Can’t wait…till next year…for the vaccine… But we have to do our best to
stay lucid, defeat the pandemic, and keep our home healthy.

 

My True Home

My pretty ex-wife
wants me back
but my home
is where my kid
lives with his/her loving mom.

*

My thoughts flow, often in fragments,
if I don’t stop it, it goes on nonstop. Above poem
is caught before flitting by. In writing poem you can use
any POV (she, he, it, they, I), disregarding your gender.
I don’t post my best poems. Nor do I post
the worst ones. I do whatever I feel like to.
I limit the time of getting on line so that I can do
other things: gardening, walking, reading, writing,
house chore, etc.

©Byung A. Fallgren

Forest Water Color
by Andrea Ferrari (aferrari@stmariy.edu.ar)

Time-lapsed clouds
roll like pigment on watered paper
blackgreywhite
dampening green, greening light.

Lichen eyes spread
their watch further, turn owls, merge
and defuse.

You tread the dark soil in rain
unafraid of thunder in the distance
going in
going into
a jungle of water
dissolving the edges of leaves
and trees
and you

sudden watercolor of the soul

Returning to the Road Failed Before

Young man’s whim dared to cross the road
with the deep chasm and muddy hill,
his jalopy sputtered, exhausted.
He turned to go back.

Decades later, having reached the top
of the hill of his reluctant choice yet
turned out just right, he looked back at

the rough road he once failed to cross.
The shinny pickup truck veered smoothly
the chasm and climbed the muddy hill, and
out to the open prairie so vast that the horizons
in all direction meet the cerulean blue sky.
He continues on the dirt road that cut through

the sagebrush prairie and snakes to the horizon,
arrives at the junction of two lonely roads
with no sign. He takes the road more traveled.
Miles later, he sees an old ranch house ahead. He
swings round to the other road overlooked earlier
leads to the highway that takes him home.

©Byung A. Fallgren