tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12203254870611992032024-03-12T20:11:49.250-07:00Chasing Dandelion FluffPoetry, writing and whatever else may come to mind. You just never know.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-9732209352905470652023-11-22T04:39:00.000-08:002023-12-21T10:49:21.170-08:00Contained<div style="font-family: Menlo, Monaco, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div><span style="background-color: white;">because I am contained,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">for the moment,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">at the intersection</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">of cinder block walls</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and LED lights,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">I push my vision</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">into the middle distance</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">where lack of focus</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">allows me to see</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">puddles and sunshine</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">competing for dominance</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">in a November world.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">I replace the electric hums</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">of this inside world</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">with fooling winds,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">which come in slowly</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">but still sting with cold.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">my dry, warm, feet</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">feel the shifting</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">layers of sodden leaves</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and I slip</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and find myself</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">with pencil in hand,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and coffee that has cooled</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and time</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">has passed.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">again.</span></div></div>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-57713449592821733942023-11-17T05:21:00.000-08:002023-11-17T05:21:02.136-08:00Reduce, Reuse, Recycle<div style="font-family: Menlo, Monaco, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre;"><div><span style="background-color: white;">waiting on the rain,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">dreaming that it shall begin</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">as a mist</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">sent to muddy my thoughts</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">before strengthening slightly</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">to a drizzle,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">just enough to wet my hair</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and alter the hue </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">of my shirt from ocean </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">to peacock,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">cold enough</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">to have my breath</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">form</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">before my eyes</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">and shiver my bones,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">releasing</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">the aches of years</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">before I trundle</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">back to warmth and light,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">renewed.</span></div></div>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-25757094492422546572023-11-16T06:11:00.000-08:002023-11-16T06:12:15.240-08:00 (If you could be any Animal) The First thing I can remember writing was about squirrels<p><br /></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">We shared the trees.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Climbing,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />always to greater hights,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and I would watch<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and wish<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I could make those<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />graceful<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />(sometimes graceless)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />leaps<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />from tree to tree,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />traversing the canopy,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />this boundry between<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />earth and space.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Always a child<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />with one foot<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />not firmly<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />planted.</p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-51840553671957005992023-11-14T11:25:00.000-08:002023-11-14T11:27:20.465-08:00Gravity<div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">Catching a toe<br /></span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">on uneven pavement,<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">I stumble.<br /></span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">And this small event<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">recalibrates my gyroscope,<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">changing my focus<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">from what is ahead<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">to what is up.<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">So I greet the maple leaves<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">which rush down to offer<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">their comfort,<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">then stand again,<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">sore but grateful<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">to be reminded<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">that gravity<br /></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #2a2e2e; font-size: 15px;">is here for all of us.</span></div>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-12875024087119432252022-11-04T07:09:00.011-07:002022-11-04T07:09:51.985-07:00in the morning<p> <span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">"And, but, and or get you pretty far!"</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span>-- Conjunction Junction</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">and there is the Sun,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />mellow this morning<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />as if wondering<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />if this world<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />is worth shining on.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />but, seeing the dew,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />playing in the fallen<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />maple leaves<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />she rises for a peek<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and refracts,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />slow-<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />ing<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />ever<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />so<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />slight-<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />ly<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />as she passes through<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />the droplets,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />exciting some electrons<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />who are happy to see her<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />or maybe<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />have been awakened too soon<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and dread leaving the comfort<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />of home.</p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-57662655524419285542022-10-14T09:43:00.007-07:002022-10-14T09:43:52.782-07:00 puddle break<p><br /></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">"funny but it seems I always wind up here with you"<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />--The Carpenters</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">burnt orange<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and sienna<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />take me places<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />where words fail<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />as leaves fall,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />where I pray for rain<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />to gather<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />in puddles<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />suitable for stomping,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and gray skies<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />to dampen me,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />until I wind up here,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />chilled<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and wet<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />with eyes open.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and ready</p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-80457213353536862162022-04-22T06:29:00.005-07:002022-04-22T06:29:48.299-07:00Speaking Fluent Mushroom<p> <span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“There is also another option – they are saying nothing.” --Andrew Adamatzky on Mushroom Communication</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">we like to see parallels.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />human connections<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />between living things.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">electrical impulses<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />in the mycelium<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />become words<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and sentences.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">sending warnings.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />expanding access to food<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and water.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">but no word<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />on messages being sent<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />designed only<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />to hurt<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and hate.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">so the parallel<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />falls apart</p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-84573118429078064042022-04-20T05:22:00.002-07:002022-04-20T05:22:19.586-07:00Does This Time-Frame Suit Me<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">breaking time,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">again,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">pumping seconds</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">until they burst</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">leaving shard like</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">milliseconds</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">on the ground.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">double-step</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">around the mess</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(never step on a shard of time)</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">content to </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">let someone else </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(you may meet yourself)</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">repair</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">the damage.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">but sunlight</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">refracts</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">through the pieces</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">kaleidoscoping</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">my vision</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">guiding me back</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(maybe not back)</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(maybe not forward)</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">stuck</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">again.</span></p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-31255903020905463042022-04-15T11:02:00.006-07:002022-04-15T11:02:50.865-07:00It's a paper airplane kind of day<p> I<span style="caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">t's a paper airplane kind of day.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">The words won't stick<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />so I fold them<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and sail them,</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">across the room at first,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />then up the stairs<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />and out the door<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />into forgotten sunshine</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">(my mind is still<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />cloudy and gray)</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">until this minor wonder of aviation<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />comes to rest<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />in what remains of the rain,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />taking on too much water to fly,</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(42, 46, 46); color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">but now<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />my spirit<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />can take flight.</p>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-88168877144414981212017-04-05T05:27:00.001-07:002017-04-05T05:27:44.350-07:00Hydrogen<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at a distance at a distance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">uncomprehendable of six city blocks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in this silly is a person</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">human mind, so decidedly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lies different</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">another sun from me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">made of I cannot hope</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the same stuff to understand</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as me them</span>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-69890668186503175422016-03-24T05:20:00.000-07:002016-03-24T05:20:13.951-07:00Don't Doubt the Science<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Photons give</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">bound electrons</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">energy to jump</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">(and dance)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">and lower resistance</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">allowing this switch</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">to switch</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">and so the streetlamp</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">clicks off</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">announcing the coming</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">of morning</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">no matter how gray</span>Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-91600209028752121552015-04-22T04:27:00.000-07:002015-04-22T04:27:12.062-07:00of SpringI send fleeting, desperate thoughts<br />
out through my morning window,<br />
hoping to connect<br />
with something beyond this cup of coffee<br />
which warms my fingers,<br />
but they cannot compete<br />
against the hush of tires<br />
on wet pavement<br />
and instead<br />
die<br />
slowly,<br />
hidden deep<br />
in the beautiful<br />
emergent<br />
green<br />
of Spring.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-78902900281141428112014-04-29T04:51:00.003-07:002014-04-29T04:51:28.029-07:00What I think in the moment between breaths<br />
<br />
I have spent my life<br />
cataloguing<br />
the hues in a gray sky<br />
and the diameter of raindrops<br />
as they fall.<br />
I have stood, arms outstretched,<br />
measuring the time it takes<br />
to achieve maximum saturation.<br />
I have used calipers<br />
to measure the wrinkles<br />
on my toes caused by standing<br />
in puddles for days.<br />
And I have wondered,<br />
if each drop could carry<br />
a small bit of me,<br />
how long would it take<br />
for a Spring shower<br />
to carry me<br />
to Summer.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-78615840767622170312014-04-28T07:37:00.002-07:002014-04-28T07:37:35.672-07:00What is this settled you speak of?Sunshine runs barefoot<br />
through my back yard,<br />
dancing through the too long grass.<br />
Bliss encapsulated<br />
in the glass jar of a moment.<br />
Though moments pass<br />
and children age<br />
life, seen from a distance,<br />
moves like the Earth<br />
through the cosmos--<br />
always in a different spot<br />
but, somehow, seen<br />
as the same.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-28850657578153792682014-04-23T04:34:00.000-07:002014-04-23T04:34:19.185-07:00The super secret location of happiness<br />
<br />
The morning Sun is playing with illusions.<br />
Dappling my wall<br />
with louvered windows,<br />
disjointed as they fall<br />
across my desk before breaking<br />
onto the wall.<br />
<br />
As a child<br />
I would seek these projections,<br />
angled and shifted,<br />
on the floor<br />
and lie down in their warmth<br />
hoping to fall through<br />
to a land<br />
of light and happiness.<br />
<br />
Today<br />
I find myself wondering<br />
if all it took was time<br />
to make it to the other side.<br />
So I wave to the little boy<br />
to let him know<br />
we're here.<br />
We made it.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-21854772709973326802014-04-21T04:56:00.000-07:002014-04-21T04:56:15.303-07:00The seven year old workout<br />
Ignoring this idea<br />
that I am an adult,<br />
I obey my daughter's command<br />
and follow:<br />
Up the stairs,<br />
hand over hand across the bars,<br />
then up the rock wall<br />
to the platform<br />
where we slide back down<br />
while static electricity<br />
builds and releases.<br />
Before I can comment,<br />
we are off again,<br />
repeating variations<br />
on the pattern<br />
until we collapse<br />
on the ground,<br />
face up,<br />
taking in the simple wonder<br />
of a cloudless spring sky.<br />
And Time,<br />
radiating like energy from a child,<br />
stops<br />
and allows me to gape in wonder<br />
at her magnificence<br />
before winding her arms<br />
and starting again.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-54671782813392889532014-04-12T14:28:00.000-07:002014-04-12T14:28:04.278-07:00The stories come out on wet city streets<br />
I imagine<br />
that red brick<br />
absorbs memories<br />
which cause it to darken<br />
with age.<br />
Porous outer layers<br />
stripped of their potash<br />
provide shelter<br />
for the secrets and fears<br />
of the ages<br />
until rain,<br />
kicked up by<br />
those moving too fast<br />
to listen<br />
splashes against the grain<br />
and the brick<br />
sighs out a<br />
long forgotten story.<br />
If only<br />
you will listen.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-85245226284401132202014-04-09T07:03:00.003-07:002014-04-09T07:03:54.032-07:00Mastic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2u29O2P6B20/U0VS_RKOLkI/AAAAAAAAAY8/kzmy-9q0_oU/s1600/Waterlogue-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2u29O2P6B20/U0VS_RKOLkI/AAAAAAAAAY8/kzmy-9q0_oU/s1600/Waterlogue-1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I am seeking shelter from time.<br />
Crayon drawings, pinned to my wall<br />
have cracked the seal<br />
and the yesterdays begin<br />
to bubble through.<br />
I open my umbrella,<br />
trying to deflect the flow<br />
but it quickly pools<br />
around my feet<br />
and I find myself<br />
tumbling through<br />
half-remembered days.<br />
I swim hard, against the current,<br />
searching, it seems for<br />
some unknowable moment<br />
until fatigue sets in<br />
and exhausted and defeated<br />
I tumble back through.<br />
I refresh the mastic<br />
on the back of the drawing<br />
and cover the hole<br />
but carefully leave<br />
a corner upturned<br />
so one day, when I'm stronger,<br />
I can swim again.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-23306514686276076342014-04-05T08:28:00.000-07:002014-04-05T08:31:06.226-07:00Why I've given up on Focus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y8hHM8fwDhI/U0AhqZOSU_I/AAAAAAAAAYo/Gjd0ItRcTQQ/s1600/20140402_225546704_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y8hHM8fwDhI/U0AhqZOSU_I/AAAAAAAAAYo/Gjd0ItRcTQQ/s1600/20140402_225546704_iOS.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Seven year old feet<br />
have not yet learned<br />
to travel in straight<br />
lines,<br />
so a simple trip<br />
from a --> b<br />
finds us at a1 (<br />
a beautiful mosaic<br />
made from what others<br />
have thrown away)<br />
and a2 (a family of ducks<br />
swimming down the Delaware run)<br />
to b1 (yes, we passed by b)<br />
(the 1891 cornerstone<br />
on University Hall)<br />
and I wonder how long<br />
have I let these blinders<br />
build up around my eyes<br />
that I've missed all<br />
that is around me.<br />
<br />
I blame all of those adults<br />
who kept telling me to focus.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-5770939643298863212014-04-04T04:50:00.002-07:002014-04-04T04:50:56.508-07:00Since the rain is falling<br />
<br />
The world is smaller when it rains.<br />
The sky, capped and sealed by gray<br />
closes in, shortening your vision,<br />
blurring your focus, making it seem<br />
as though this rain is all there is.<br />
<br />
Yet, it seems each crystal drop of rain<br />
carries secret color.<br />
<br />
And I imagine<br />
a small crew of painters, departing<br />
each drop as it lands,<br />
dressed in brilliantly colored overalls<br />
which match the color they will spread.<br />
<br />
Thousands of painters ply green to the grass<br />
and titanium white to the snowdrops.<br />
Small accents of lavender are dotted<br />
on the emerging hyacinth.<br />
<br />
They come in waves,<br />
so small<br />
and moving so fast<br />
that you cannot even see their work<br />
until the Sun returns<br />
and you stand slack jawed<br />
and wide eyed<br />
and wonder<br />
when did Spring arrive.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-16632533780102332362014-04-01T04:27:00.000-07:002014-04-01T04:27:16.452-07:00Forecast<br />
The Earth rolls<br />
and light peeks<br />
over the horizon,<br />
sending a signal<br />
to all creatures of light<br />
that this day<br />
will begin<br />
with showers of amber<br />
and shadows of amethyst<br />
to be slowly replaced<br />
with clear cerulean blues,<br />
the type of sky<br />
under which<br />
possibilities<br />
sprout<br />
like embryonic roots<br />
and humans undergo<br />
their own<br />
Photomorphogenesis,<br />
becoming<br />
people<br />
once again.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-13794865743958642702014-03-31T05:04:00.000-07:002014-03-31T05:04:22.958-07:00Leave 'em in Stitches<br />
If you look too closely<br />
at life<br />
you begin to see the seams,<br />
the stitches which bind us together,<br />
are not made of a single kind of thread<br />
but are layer<br />
upon layer<br />
of differing threads,<br />
each stitched by a different hand<br />
as we each noticed<br />
what was worth<br />
saving.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-16983420514644714342014-03-24T05:59:00.000-07:002014-03-24T05:59:26.611-07:00Periwinkle in our shoesWe mistake this beauty<br />
as a backdrop,<br />
a static scene<br />
against which we play<br />
out our small tales,<br />
believing our foibles<br />
are somehow grander<br />
than grandeur<br />
until some place<br />
shocks the system,<br />
forcing the eyes to open<br />
themselves to the majesty<br />
of an oak<br />
twice our wingspan<br />
which captures our life<br />
in one of its branches.<br />
So we stand,<br />
oak bark against our cheek<br />
and periwinkle in our shoes.Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-34510757709404873522014-03-20T05:32:00.002-07:002014-03-20T05:39:11.431-07:00One Day, in the Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0jv9-uJMjQM/Uyrfu2Rq2PI/AAAAAAAAAYM/G2aCOoczIj0/s3200/Waterlogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0jv9-uJMjQM/Uyrfu2Rq2PI/AAAAAAAAAYM/G2aCOoczIj0/s3200/Waterlogue.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I imagine the woodpecker<br />
to be tapping out a message,<br />
which carries over time<br />
and distance<br />
to where Spring's love<br />
lies buried,<br />
captured<br />
by Winter's bitterness<br />
and distance<br />
until<br />
the woodpecker's rhythm<br />
is joined by the blatting<br />
of the cackling goose<br />
and the calls<br />
of small children<br />
searching for first blooms.<br />
So Spring stretches her arms<br />
and runs a finger<br />
down the back of Winter's neck<br />
and he melts.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1220325487061199203.post-76516661972847292782014-02-18T10:34:00.002-08:002014-02-18T10:34:59.274-08:0028 Books you should read . . .I don't normally do this but <a href="http://www.themillions.com/2014/02/28-books-you-should-read-if-you-want-to.html">this link</a> was too good not to share.<br />
<br />
EnjoyJerry Walravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007290726788535744noreply@blogger.com0