It's Just Water

A rainy day riding--     (soaked socks and all)
it's better on a bike;     and damn it beats
any day driving!     (But bring dry socks too).

Z Pizza

The pizza place's     trash-can proclaims:
"Mahalo".     A hand-me-down
from an out-of-business     Hawai'ian BBQ?

Spanglish

The Spanglish language,     we expect it spoken,
but more and more     you see it on signs,
like the marketa     on Middlefield:
we took it from Latin,     so ¡tómelo!
And I bought used tools     at a yarda sale. Yard?
Good gods,     Æsir of Asgard!
Was ever a word     more echt germanisch?

Punch-Buggy

Hassling the kid     over homework
turned to tears.     Oh my tween!
Out later in the car     we looped through an alley
around by Fred's     German Garage--
old VW's     by the dozen--
and patched it up     with punch-buggy.

Office Survival Tip

Parmesan packets     from break-room pizza:
hoard by the handful,     and hot pepper ones too.
Dump them all     in your desk drawer,
later to liven     a lackluster lunch.

Scholarly Pleasures

Wiktionary.DE's     Wort der Woche
ist "barbusig";     und mit Bild!

That Book!

At five her faith was firm     in fairies in the garden--
the girl who giggles     ghoulishly now,
at the wisened age     of eleven,
at that evil book,     the Bunny Suicides.

Ciao Italia

Goodbye Italy,     where a guy can eat
a two-scoop ice-cream,     no kids for excuse.

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Riddle IV

Not ripe when red,     we're sweet when swart.
A trailside treat,     purple traces
we'll leave on your lips     and long fingers
if you brave the pricks     of rune-letter bramble.

Escondido

Don't look askance     at Escondido;
boring burb sure     bordering the desert,
but the late-night checker     is the world's chattiest at Von's,
and slurp a soda     and have a slice
with kitschy movie posters     at Killer Pizza from Mars.

In by Trolley, Back by Coaster

The fabulous fountain     at Santa Fe Depot
in its trolley-ringed plaza     is plenty of playground
for my little boy     and a bunch of new friends
who run in circles     around and around it.

At the Zoo II

Lions and tigers     and tortoises too,
but what makes the zoo     Xanadu to me
isn't animal     but mineral,
or numismatic:     penny-smashers!

At the Zoo I

It's kind of awkward     when the zookeeper asks
your toddler politely     if he'd like to pet
a tortoise, and he shouts     "Turtle! Turtle!"

Old Ladies and Sticks!

It's raining in June     just shy of July;
precipitation's     a surprise past spring,
when hills are golden     and lawns, irrigated.
The boy and me     are in a bus shelter,
and he's laughing like a loon,     loving the dibbledops.

Erudite but Easily Amused

Erudite maybe,     but easily amused,
Oxford-DUDEN's     on my desk
beside SWEET's     Anglo-Saxon Reader.

Weedpatch

Why seek scenery,     when a weedpatch
is outrageously     orange with poppies,
and dried-up wispy     dandelions
are entertainment     for my two-year old?

Feeding Ducks

Tithe for habitat,     for tidelands filled,
a bit of bread     to balance things:
crust for a coot,     crumbs for mallards.

Cheapest Lunch in Mountain View

A bus stop bench     is the place for a bite
at the Mexican Market     with dollar tamales.

I Noticed you Picked up a Few Things from Me

Bless you Dear     for knowing Blackpool's
the destination     for double-deckers,
and that ß     is a double S.
I hope I've been paying     half the attention
to your predilections     that you've paid to mine!

Cat in the Bushes

Some weeds I wanna     pull this weekend,
but my cat's all cozy     curled up under them;
her secret hidey-spot,     half sunny, half shady.

Im Frühen Zug

Viele Fahrräder     im frühen Zug;
Ungeduldig möchten     alle aussteigen;
in Aussteigstau     stehengeblieben.

April 2011

As wet as winter,     spring was weak and cold;
but April's onset's     been most æstival,
with scents of summer,     creosote from the tracks
and pine tree pitch,     in the parking lot
outside the entrance     to my office building.
Inside we'll all want     A/C soon,
but first let's feel     some splendid Fahrenheit!

Streetcar Fantasy

We rode downtown     on a Tea Trolley,
found jam of all flavors     at the Fairy Building,
and rumbled up Market     in an Iron Monster.

Riddle II

Regal by name and raiment,     my reach is two nations:
Sempervirens     to Sierra Madre.
Fluttering, dancing     like dandylion fluff
in a little breeze,     branch by branch
I conquer leagues     like long-winged condor.

Riddle I

Patriarch of time,     my pendulum
oscillates     and increments
each sixtieth     of a sixtieth.

At Least by being Late I Still got Some Exercise

What's more workout?     I'm wondering,
a wet morning     when my commute
diverges from usual     velocipedery:
bike a steady mile     doorstep to station,
or park the length     of a block-long lot away,
and run the rest     with backpack and raincoat?

Putting a Swing on a Tree for the Kids

Thirty throws,     as many misses,
slinging a swing-seat     up a sycamore.
It returns each time     with a tug on the rope,
landing lightly     on the lawn at my feet,
amusingly     like Mjöllnir.

When I Rode the Train from Atherton

My morning commute,     I remember seeing
a weeklong spectacle     when winter turned to spring:
The A.M. train     at Atherton,
(a garden station;     the gentry's stop)
blaring its horn,     blowing cherry blossoms
into a snowy flurry     of flower petals.

The Snowy Day

Thank you, Peter,     pointy-hooded kid,
whose snowy day     ensnared my son
with dreams of winter,     and white piled-up drifts,
of crusty snow...     to walk crunch, crunch, crunch.

Kimchee on Tacos

The lunch-place lady     laughed in surprise;
a non-Korean     asking for kimchee,
as afterthought     to ordering tacos.
But why not?     Get the works,
when you're dining     at Redondo Pier's
Mexican/Asian     mixed-up eatery.
But I didn't expect it     to be so spicy!
Yet pickled cabbage,     hotly peppered--
on top of tacos     it's quite tasty;
just plop it on     in place of salsa.

Los Angeles, Christmas 2010

Smog is smitten down     and wet streets smolder
in warm after-rain sun,     in winter air;
and downtown towers     stand tall in front of
misty mountains,     snowy-mantled.