The Question
by Danny | May 9, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
running to the
incessant tap of time
upon my shoulder
still
burning the fuel
of ambition and desire
but the meter ticks
and the inevitable question
looms like a traffic sign ahead
do I quicken the pace
or slow it down, lay back,
and take in the scenery?
The Optimist
by Danny | May 9, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the optimist
dishonest voices hover
like a poison cloud
above the noisy throng
primal brains respond
lips feel free to speak
the unspeakable
yet…
in a world painted
gun metal gray
my vision remains
awash with color
I want to live
and without a dream
I will surely die
like a believer
clutching an amulet
I cling to hope
This Brief Moment
by Danny | May 9, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the ash trees along the parkway
stand like sentinels
stark and leafless,
their veins and capillaries etched
against a gray but placid sky
the lawns are green and
wet with the memory
of recent rain
on days like this
nature seems closer at hand
its presence enveloping
it seems to swirl around my ankles
oh, it’s good to be alive
to breath this air
to walk and to run
to sing my song
off the clock
free of aspiration
free of regret
free of the acerbic
bite of irony
in this brief moment
this brief insignificant
moment that
signifies
02/16/19
Breadcrumbs
by Danny | May 9, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
words fall like
bread crumbs
to the floor
to be swept
into a pile.
order out
of chaos:
a poem
02/25/19
The Roses in Bloom
by Danny | May 9, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the
roses in bloom
as if for the first time
I notice – I mean ‘really’
notice – the roses in bloom
how was I so blind
to the breathtaking
splendor in front of me?
was it because of the
rose’s deep symbolism?
did I view it only through
the lens of the abstract?
after all, the flower
is emblematic of some
strange bedfellows indeed
love
passion,
beauty,
fragility,
power,
royalty,
war
(yes, even war.
remember the war of the roses?)
these and more attest
attest to the roses
perennial allure
‘lo how a rose…’
‘…by any other name…’
‘is a rose is a rose…’
but up and down the avenue,
winding through black iron
or white picket fences, the
prickly bushes extend their arms
in real time to share their blossomed
beauty with the world
and in that still place
in my being
I am taking it all in
these deep reds, vivid yellows
creamy whites, pale pinks
and all shades in between
a sherbet dessert for the eyes
a sweet inspiration for the soul
05/23/18
The Unwritten Poem
by Danny | May 8, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the unwritten poem
whistles and waves to get
my attention
the unwritten poem
nags and agitates with
incessant cadence
the unwritten poem
flirts and charms in
seductive whisper
the unwritten poem
bangs on the walls
demanding release
05/28/18
Music Theory
by Danny | May 8, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
my life is a B flat seventh chord
a mixolydian outlier
rejoicing in its ‘otherness’
with melody twisting through
blue notes and minor thirds,
it resists the easy resolution
it lingers in the tonal cracks
improvising as it winds
its melismas of joy and sorrow
all the while knowing that in the
end it must succumb to the gravity
of the cadence’s pull and return
to the tranquility
of the ‘one’ chord
The Gift
by Danny | May 7, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the fruitless plum is beginning to bloom
from bud to blossom, bursting with joy
each year it heralds the coming of spring
this tree – this gift from my darling boy
it chases away dark thoughts that gloom
and linger to pester and to annoy
it gives my heart a reason to sing
and that, my friend, is a beautiful thing
Sunday Run
by Danny | May 7, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
running in the late afternoon
back turned to the slanting sun
my lengthening shadow leads the way
over street, sidewalk and parkway
as a hush of evening begins its descent
down the stairsteps of the trees
Beached
by Danny | May 7, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
a horrifying tragedy
a cautionary tale
fifty pounds of plastic
in the belly of a whale
our throw-away society –
a system gone insane-
has choked the seas with
styrofoam and polyurethane
it’s a package-wrapped extinction
unleashed in massive scale
fifty pounds of plastic
in the belly of the whale
04/06/19
Evaporation
by Danny | May 7, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
dismantling the swimming pool
that I’d so lovingly assembled
a few years back.
with sledge hammer and pliers in hand
it is quick, un-meticulous work.
the sum disappears
as the parts scatter.
the whacked metal pipes
fall in disarray
I pause to wipe my brow
with back of hand…
it once embodied a wet
and beautiful dream that
splashed with a child’s
laughter and squeals
of delight
but that dream,
like the water, has
long since evaporated
under an indifferent sun
I give another whack
the canvas body sags and
collapses with a final shrug
05/31/18
Performance
by Danny | Apr 23, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the kid takes the stage as
old age stands in the wings
watching, hook in hand
he falls into a familiar time step
feet shuffling and sliding in rhythm
and opens his throat to sing…
just one more song
before the spotlight
fades
Down is the New Up
by Danny | Jan 22, 2019 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
down is the new up
up is the new down
confused?
not to worry
confusion is the new normal
chaos stands in for process
impulse elbows out reason
that arrogant snarl of exclusion?
don’t you know?
that’s the new happy face
02/20/18
The Drowning
by Danny | Jan 18, 2018 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
forced to stare directly
into the glare of the
Orwellian klieg light
waterboarded by
wave upon wave
of outrageous lies
drowning in this
flood of mendacity
I yearn for the chance
to breath once again
01-18-18
Damage Done
by Danny | Dec 30, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
damage done
the china lies in fragments
on the shop floor
damage done
the mantle shredded
and scattered to the wind
to ‘undo’ is a harder task
than ‘to do’ (or ‘not to do’)
it’s far easier to inflict the wound
than it is to staunch the flow
replacing a car, rebuilding a home
these are daunting but doable
bringing back civility?
restoring sanity?
we shall learn
12/30/17
Elvis
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
Elvis
lips snarling,
hips swiveling
bopping and shimmying
like a Mississippi catfish
Elvis leaped from the
black and white box and
into the nation’s living room
in his unassuming,
backwoods way
this poor boy
ripped to shreds
the buttoned down,
zipped up facade
of the American dream
to the jim crow – duck and cover
‘are you now or have you
ever been…?’ world
he proclaimed –
‘let’s get real , real
gone fer a change’
and… oh,
did we ever!
Muddy Moaned
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
Muddy moaned
Muddy hollered
Muddy stood proud
and from the steamy delta
of his soul, the blues
rose to shake the world
Big Joe Turner – New Year’s Eve, 1983. Club Lingerie
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
With crutches supporting his giant frame –
The inevitable ravaging of age –
In a slow but steady swing
Big Joe Turner took the stage
A hipper-than-hip Hollywood club
is a long, long way from K.C. town
Where Mr. Turner got his start
Layin’ his solid boogie down
On a stage where white kids usually droned
in skin tight jeans and tennis shoes
Big Joe, sportin’ high waist pants
Leaned in to the mic to shout the blues
Like a king on the throne, he took command
His voice – a roar from the pit of the soul
He moaned , he pleaded , he testified
As the whole joint shook, and rattled, and rolled
With wicked wink he delivered the line ’bout a
A one-eyed cat in a seafood store
As the band dug in with a fat back groove
and the crowd turned wild out on the floor
With every note he gathered strength
That rose beyond mere second wind
The decades seemed to melt away
The old man became young again
We whirled into the brand new year
On the leather of our dancin’ shoes
When Big Joe Turner took the stage,
Closed his eyes, and sang the blues
June 2, 2014
the Bad Dream
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
bad dream last night
standing at the gates of heaven
a screen said ‘welcome!’
‘please enter your password’
Rescued
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
when I’m stranded in a dark place
music comes along to rescue me
a kind of triple A for the soul
the wound unhealed
by Danny | Dec 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
still festers and throbs
draw lines in the sand
point a crooked finger
in the murky water
dormant,
awaiting illumination
09/27/17
suddenly there was Sly
by Danny | Dec 28, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
suddenly there was Sly
Sly the irrepressible
tossing tickets like confetti,
inviting the world to take a ride
on his ferris wheel of funk
Sly, the inclusive pied piper,
leading the dance line – black and white,
male and female, everyday people –
to a musical promised land
suddenly there was Sly
Sly, the alchemist of rhythm and sound
taking a bit this, a dab of that
and mixing it up into a brand new
potion of funkified joy
Sly, the egalitarian
sharing the spotlight with Freddie
and Rose, Larry and Greg
Jerry and Cynthia. hey!
everybody gets a turn
everybody is a star
suddenly there was Sly
the bottom bubbles and pops
an edgy guitar slices the time
the organ shoots skyward like a rocket
bring in the horns now and
everybody sing a simple song as
the whole Family explodes in
a musical orgy of celebration
better than dope, better than sex
suddenly there was Sly
12/28/17
the slump
by Danny | Dec 28, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the slump lingers
like a hovering cloud
over the playing field
abandoned by the gods
the golden boys of summer
have lost the magic touch
that made believers of us all
we watch, bewildered
by the long, slow
fall from grace
luck has turned against them.
pressing, second guessing,
spirits sag in the dog day heat
under oppressive skies
they gaze upward to
the steady downpour
of loss upon loss and
shake their mortal heads
09/08/17
the tap
by Danny | Dec 28, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
running to the
incessant tap of time
upon my shoulder
still burning the fuel
of ambition and desire
but the meter ticks
and the inevitable question
looms like a traffic sign ahead
do I quicken the pace
or slow it down, lay back,
and take in the scenery?
10/04/17
the outcast
by Danny | Dec 28, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
tresspass unforgiven
the pointed finger castes its shadow
the city gates slam shut
a solitary figure
walks the long and winding path
to contemplate in the wilderness
12/20/14
Equal Parts
by Danny | Jun 19, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
she was equal parts
joy and sadness
darkness and light
hope and fear
held hands in
symbiotic step
laughing eyes would beam
as her dulcet voice danced
through the air
her smiling elation
infectious to those
close to her
but suddenly, birds of sorrow
could swoop and swirl around her,
to light upon her shoulders
life’s inequaties
and cruelties
her cross to bear
05/17/17
Summer’s Calling Card
by Danny | Jun 19, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
summer’s calling card
the summer heat comes in on a breeze to
worry a tall eucalyptus, rustling her leaves
and teasing off the last vestiges of bark
the fragments twirl as they fall
in slow motion to the ground
to lie like scattered pieces of a puzzle
a peacock pokes his head around
the naked trunk before emerging
in full iridescent splendor
and with a sudden flapping leap
lands atop a black iron fence
a princely perch!
he eyeballs the hen below
but her eyes are focused on the chicks
scurrying in and out of her shadow
06/19/16
Distant Drums – song lyric
by Danny | Jun 18, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
distant drums
in a dream I walk an endless path
through a barren land
I reach out to pick a dying rose
with a trembling hand
and in the distance I hear
drums of passion, drums of peace
on and on they will never cease
drums of fire, drums of rain
distant drums beating in my brain
Shacow sweeps across an open plain
where once rolled ancient seas
I look up to watch an eagle soar
on a thermal stream
and in the distance I hear
drums of passion, drums of peace
on and on they will never cease
drums of comfort, drums of pain
distant drums beating in my brain
August, 1989
Soliloquy
by Danny | Jun 18, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
he thrived on the approving nod,
the thumbs up,
the intoxicating applause
but slowly learned that
attention is fickle
adoring eyes soon flit
upon other shiny new objects
there is always
an understudy in the wings,
a new kid in town,
an up-and-comer hungrier than you
and so he grew to relish
his own soliloquy
his own tree crashing
silently in the forest
06/14/17
Invisibility
by Danny | Apr 23, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
they call them the ‘wee’ hours,
but when enveloped in their dark cover
one breathes the severed solitude of the ‘I’
the bed creaks under my rustle and turn
a dog barks in the neighborhood,
sharp spears of sound pierce the night.
do keen ears detect an intruder?
perhaps he fears invisibility,
dreads disappearing into the inky gloom
and is announcing to the universe
a confirmation of his existence –
‘I bark therefore I am’
I fight the urge to open the window
stick out my head and
join my canine friend in primal cry
spring harvest
by Danny | Apr 23, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
spring harvest
lizards scutter sideways
along a cinder block wall
in a cloudless sky a pair
of ravens swoop and soar
I stand waste high
in a field of foxtails,
toiling in the sun
the wet winter that brought
relief to a parched land
also fostered this scruffy
yield of interlopers
I stoop to grab a fistful of stems
and – with grunt and tug – wrench
the roots from hard clay soil
insects scramble from the harsh
light and disrupted earth to hide
anew in a virgin forest of weeds
this pleasure I find in
working the yard
it must be in the genes
I pause to catch my breath
a swig from the water bottle
soothes a dry throat
a sudden scent of orange blossom
wafts through the April air
it triggers shadowed memories of
young love and stolen kisses
of lips wet with heightened desire
but … to the task at hand
I know that even as I pull
and remove a plant, some of
its stickers will fly free
to scatter and sow the seed
each one a tiny dart
determined to penetrate
and carry on the cycle
the earth will circle the sun
there will be another crop
and – with good fortune –
I will be here for the next harvest
04-05-17
A brief excursion
by Danny | Apr 23, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
a brief excursion
breezing up the 101
the familiar hills green and
sprinkled with wild mustard
scattered oaks lean like
ragged pilgrims forever
short of their destination
off the highway
out of the car I wander
down to water’s edge
to flex my toes in
sea soaked sand and
let the onshore breeze
refresh my soul
04/12/17
the wind chimes
by Danny | Apr 23, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
wind chimes tone
a random melody
in the breeze
a pepper tree’s
shadow dances on
the walkway
time whispers
in my ear its
circular message
as past and future
disappear and I
am embraced by the
naked present
04-19-17
the walking wounded
by Danny | Apr 23, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
the walking wounded
say a prayer
for the walking wounded
who tiptoe through
life’s minefield
their scars concealed
they suffer in silence,
seeking refuge in the
shadow of their own
solitude
04-21-17
Idea
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. | 0 Comments
through the opaque
a tiny glint of thought
emerges into focus
to dance in the mind’s eye
and crystallize into the
clarity of idea
Triad
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Triad. | 0 Comments
like ripe fruit on a tree
near, but out of reach
to climb the fence
and traipse through thicket
to pick them
and thoughts are like bleached bones in the sand
then suddenly the words seem to fall like rain
from the sky – a trickle, then a downpour and I’m
frantically throwing out buckets to catch them,
knowing the dry spell may soon return
the stubborn ball point pen that
refuses to leave a mark
before the ink will flow
don’t think – just write
The Coyote
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and The Coyote. | 0 Comments
the coyote emerges from the chaparral.
down the trail he sneaks on feather feet
then shoots across the roadway like an arrow.
an intruder, an interloper
invading the peopled flatlands below,
seeking opportunity in the still, moonless night.
ever watchful… senses on high alert,
but bold and audacious by nature.
roaming, listening, sniffing the air…
he prowls the suburban valley streets…
on a mission to redeem an ancient birthright.
My Mark
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and My Mark. | 0 Comments
to make my mark… to be seen and heard
was my purpose, my desire
to blaze like a meteor across the sky
so young, so full of fire
but with the years I’ve shed this edgy
need to prove that I exist
watching, listening, I now hear and see
the myriad things that I have missed
so said the actor sage
it resonates less in the heat of youth
than in the cool of age
Lament for a Garden Hose
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Lament for a Garden Hose. | 0 Comments
lies sprawled on the lawn
where it was so casually
tossed weeks ago
dropped,
abandoned
at the siren call
of a cell phone
and brittle in the sun
its once wet
and muscular vitality
but a distant memory
haphazard loops
frozen in time –
a visual reminder of a
a task not completed
a quest unfulfilled
The Echo
by Danny | Mar 31, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and The Echo. | 0 Comments
Emily, Robert, Walt, and Hank
O lustrous star, O lonesome train
Good vibrations intertwined
Words and music coalesce
To form the soundscape of my mind
Impulse
by Danny | Mar 30, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Impulsivity. | 0 Comments
up on the fence
I toe the narrow path
one foot in front of the other.
oh, I must keep moving,
eyes straight ahead, for
to stop and think is to fall.
on the edge of balance I sway
from wobble to repose
when suddenly a cool
breeze hits my face and
a spontaneous urge
overtakes me. dipping
at the knees, I set –
my body ready to spring
into joyful pirouette
Cry, Dark Cloud
by Danny | Mar 30, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Cry, Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Dark Cloud. | 0 Comments
cry, dark cloud
let your tears rain down
upon me
weep, dark sky
unfold your shroud to
cover my sorrow
sigh, deep, rhythmic sea
exhale your misty breath
against my being
to wash my soul
and comfort me
Grief
by Danny | Mar 30, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Grief. | 0 Comments
Grief
connection cut
but connection still felt
her presence is all around –
the strands of hair in an idle brush,
a smiling snapshot on the dresser top,
a note found stashed in a coat pocket
he roams from room to room
reaching out in vain, trying to
to penetrate the empty space
she left behind
the walls mock him with the
echo of his own weeping
grief has no expiration date
it does not diminish or subside, but
flows like an underground stream,
carving out new caverns of being
and flooding to the surface now and again
with a startling paroxysm of tears
but the sun rises and sets
life scrolls on
one copes,
learning to live with grief
just as one learns to tolerate
a pain in the joint or
to tune out a ringing in the ears
A Nightmare’s Soundtrack
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: A Nightmare's Soundtrack, Danny Faragher Poem, and Danny Faragher Poetry. | 0 Comments
November 9, 2016
I sit in the dark pondering as
my incredulity slowly drains
like blood from an open wound
and reality begins to settle its
heavy mantle on my being.
over and over the ‘how and the why’
of it plays like a bad drum loop,
a nightmare’s soundtrack.
the red-capped demagogue sneers
as he pisses on sacred ground
where is the land of e pluribus unum?
where is our America?
Pipelines
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Pipelines. | 0 Comments
November 13, 2016
A poem dedicated to the brave people of Standing Rock
pipelines
payloads of greed
cleaving sacred ground
heedlessly penetrating
to the muffled cries of Mother Earth
we must lay our own pipe
with a payload of solidarity
connecting across barriers
an unstoppable force of love
and conviction in our goal
we shall yet hear the
healing sigh of the planet
The Angry Exclamation Point
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and The Angry Exclamation Point. | 0 Comments
the angry exclamation point,
feeling restless and confined,
rolled it ’round in his narrow mind
and decided he could rule the joint
‘he’s big! he’s strong! he’s like a tower!’
commas, periods, all agreed
‘a sign like this is what we need!’
and so they brought mister point to power
he despised the inquisitive question mark
‘what a crooked, crooked sign!’
she’s a phony, an elitist, not our kind!’
and sneered at her wide inclusive arc
‘all question marks are hereby banned’
he declared off the bat to wild acclaim
‘now… just believe all that I proclaim
’cause mister point’s now in command!’
The Reluctant Lover
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and The Reluctant Lover. | 0 Comments
sleep –
my reluctant lover –
resisting my embraces
through the night
only to pull me back
into her arms
in the harsh
morning light
The Optimist
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and The Optimist. | 0 Comments
the optimist
dishonest voices hover
like a poison cloud
above the noisy throng
primal brains respond.
lips begin to whisper
the unspeakable
yet…
in a world painted
gun metal gray
my vision remains
awash with color
I want to live
and without a dream
I will surely die
like a believer
clutching an amulet
I cling to hope
John
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and John. | 0 Comments
December 8, 1980
John,
your soul is
a beam of light
shooting across the universe
while
down here
we twist and writhe
in the straight jacket of our grief
will we?
can we ever
Imagine again?
Discarded
by Danny | Mar 29, 2017 | Categories: Poetic Side. Tags: Danny Faragher Poem, Danny Faragher Poetry, and Discarded. | 0 Comments
Discarded
a maple chair
lies abandoned
by the curbside
tilting in the rain.
Its two good legs
dig into the mud
like a wounded man
struggling to rise
It longs to be upright
it was once the backbone
of hearth and home
now it sits forgotten
discarded as trash