We All Have Cancer (NaPoMo 30/30)

We All Have Cancer

I have cancer. My brother has cancer. We all have cancer...
We are all terminal--but for some of us, that reality looms more ominously

What would you do if you knew that this day would be your last?
I am not talking about some vague "within 3 months" window. I mean TO-DAY

• Would you start writing a book? The Great American Novel?
• Would you smoke pot for the first time, because, why not?
• Start a fight? Settle a score? 
• Train for that marathon you've been wanting to run?
• Would you look at an old photo album and recall glory days gone by?
• Call up an old friend and renew old ties? 
• Make some tea?

Hmmmm.....

• Would you review and catalog your memories in a desperate highlight reel?
• Would you gather and distribute your treasures in an attempt to be remembered?
• Would the tone of your last poem be wistful? Hopeful? Fearful? Resigned? All of the above?
• If you wouldn't start reading a new book or sit in a multiplex on your last day, why not?
• Would you rush to the office to finish up all those projects? Or maybe just one project?

Here's an idea: Grab a seat near the fountain at the Sunset Plaza Mall and just watch and listen as people scurry by, eventually slumping over and sliding into the water, the water... 

• On second thought
• Noooo....

Such things as we know we would not do on our last day--why do we do them at all? Have we so many days to spare that we can afford to waste a few? How do we know this?

Let's grab a bottle of wine and a blanket, right now, and maybe a candle, and a couple of our finest glasses. We'll go to Gravelly Point and watch the planes take off and land, as they always do.

Until the sun sinks behind the horizon, as it always does.

And we shall have, for at least that brief moment, truly lived!

A Haiku about Getting out of Bed (NaPoMo 28/30)

Remember, the Haiku is a very formal writing structure.

• There must be 5 syllables in the first and third lines, and seven in the second. 
• There should be a reference to nature or the seasons, and 
• There should be some form of juxtaposition.

Nailed it! 

via RW & The Poke

What do I know about love? (NaPoMo 27/30)

What Do I Know About Love?

What do I know about love?

     And how do I know what I think I know?

===

I learned from my parents

     that there is no love like a mother's love

I learned from my hormone-addled teen-aged mind

     that sex is powerful--but sex and love are not the same

I learned from the misery of my many failed attempts

     that unlike respect, love is given and cannot be earned

I learned from one who loved me unconditionally

     that hearts are not toys

I learned from one who got away

     that to be loved in return would be the greatest thing

===

I learned from one who satisfied all of my criteria  

    that love begins in the heart, not the head, 

in that order: heart, head, and hands--values first

    or it will not last

===

I learned from being alone in the desert that I am OK.

     I will always be at least OK but I am happier in love's oasis

I learned from one who discovered me on the desert's edge and nurtured me

     that love can heal a broken heart, restore faith, and instill harmony

===

If our outward appearances reflected the true quality of our character 

     my love sensei would be Miss Universe and none fairer than she

shining brighter than love's purest light

    and I would appear as a Big Fat Stupid Loser, hiding in the corner

But basking in my love's healing rays I am not a broken or irredeemable person

    rather, perhaps, just someone who 

still has a lot to learn 

     about love

Iron Butt Association

Looking good!  

My I.B.A. buddy Ed gifted me his spare license plate frame. Meanwhile, the other member of our fearless 3-some, Fix, chided me for still not getting my paperwork turned in!

The man has a point....
Meanwhile, here are links to the backstory on our 1,000 mile ride in under 24 hours to

• raise money for Y-Me, 
• raise awareness of Wounded Warriors, 
• commemorate fallen comrades, 
• visit Green Knights, HOGs, and Y-Me counselors near Fortress Bragg, and 
• earn admission to the Iron Butt Association! 

Launch: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/06/1k-for-1k-in-one-day.html

Review: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/10/iron-butt-ride-in-review.html

Love is Inverted Fear (NaPoMo 26/30)

Hearts and Fangs

I see Love in the shape of a Heart

the manifestation of caring

and Fear looking like Fangs

shining from snarling mouth

Love and Fear

Tenderness and Survival

Peace and Panic

Yin & Yang

Eternal tension between equal opposites 

swirling in harmonious balance

one without the other meaningless

both required in equal measure

Love or Fear?
Love and Fear.

Everything is either Love
or a plea for Love

How wonderful life is with you in my world (NaPoMo 25/30)

"Your Song"

by Sir Elton John

It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

50 Reasons Not To Date A Poet | Betty Generic (NaPoMo 24/30)

A post from poet Betty Generic dated June 2013 came to my attention recently when poet Suzi Q shared it via Facebook, and I just had to rebroadcast it here on PhilosFX during #NaPoMo

50 Reasons Not To Date A Poet

by Betty Generic

Selected excerpts

4. They have deep conversations with animals, clouds, and Grecian Urns.

5. Excessive use of  “Poetry Hands.”

26. It takes a least a week to a year for them to form their opinion about something, and that opinion is subject to change.

40. They crave plot twists.


All 50 reasons are HERE. Do you have any favorites today? Share in comments!

Please take a moment and support a budding poet by visiting Betty's Word Press blog, In addition to this post, I also enjoyed her "Bedroom window" haiku series. Her "About" page is particularly intriguing....

Go! Listen, Speak, and Celebrate the spoken word!