REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST
The storm came and went over a week ago
All traces have disappeared
Except for this small vestige of snow and ice
Which refuses to get the message
It now fancies itself a sculpture:
Remembrance of Things Past
Musings as I wander around Queens, New York in 2021 and 2024.
The storm came and went over a week ago
All traces have disappeared
Except for this small vestige of snow and ice
Which refuses to get the message
It now fancies itself a sculpture:
Remembrance of Things Past
Eggs lie shattered on a sidewalk
On 108th Street
Only an obstacle for pedestrians
To walk around
Seen on the floor of a gallery
An artistic statement?
BAMBOO IN QUEENS
Walking along the Long Island Railroad tracks
I spotted bamboo
Not the rolling paper
The plant
I always associated bamboo with giant pandas
But the only thing I saw moving
Was a train
BLUE HERON
We stare at each other
Trying to figure out why
Here is this blue heron with a long tube neck
From where I'm sitting I can only see its one unblinking eye
Which after awhile becomes hypnotic
Staring into that eye is
Staring into the unfathomable nature all around us
Or so I think at the moment
While I'm totally captivated I'm also a bit wary
Both of us are alone
Strangers drawn to the little pond in Maple Grove Cemetery
I drove from Forest Hills
This bird had come from where?
If only we could have a talk
I could ask a million questions
What would the bird ask?
We keep looking at each other
The blue heron with one foot over the other slowly comes closer and closer then backs off
And then returns even closer
What's going on?
All I know is we can't keep our eyes off each other
Five minutes
Ten minutes
Fifteen
We are one
I've never experienced a moment like this
How lucky am I?
Seems we are connected
Do we recognize each other from a past life?
Soulmates finally reuniting?
As I 'm pondering these questions the blue heron suddenly pokes its head into the water
And catches a small bright fish
Which it holds briefly in its beak
Before letting it slide down its neck
The spell is broken
No more eye contact
Sadly I realize all this time the blue heron wasn't thinking about me at all
Just lunch
What a beast!
As I was also getting hungry
I got up from the bench
Soon after the bird flew away
MORNING MOON
During the day the sun
Hogs all the attention
But the moon is there all the time
Not just at night
Perhaps some morning
When you are walking in the park
While it's breezy
Next to a lake
If you're lucky
You may just look up at the sky
And the moon will catch you by surprise
The cute polar bear
Standing on the lawn
With a scarf around its neck
Holding a present
Of course is not real
One day however
It might be a sad reminder
Of the great creature
Who once roamed the arctic
Before receiving
The cruel gift
Of extinction
THE SEAGULL
Does the seagull on top
Of the lamppost
In Kissena Park
Look at the humans
Walking by
And wonder:
Why are they missing the great view?