Danger: High Voltage

The power yard     that PG&E
keeps cinder-block walled     with barbed wire
twisted on top     is all a-twitter.
Three-phase power's     no peril if you perch
with two feet gripped     on one wire, ungrounded.

Äah!

Dear Häagen Dazs     (I know that's fake Danish)
about those billboards     and bus-mounted
ads with umlauted     exhalation:
Honestly "äah"     as onomatopoeia
sounds less like delight     at a cool delectable
than melodramatic     gags I once made
as a boy, to a bowl     of Brussels sprouts.

Up Russian Hill with a Scooter

The horizon's clear,     unclouded nor hazy,
and Ina Coolbrith's     poet's corner view
from Mt. Tam to Diablo     is unblemished blue.
This walk's not one     for the weak or lazy;
our dragged scooter scraped     as up-hill we huffed--
it's fine on the flats,     but there's few enough,
and daring to ride     downhill'd be crazy.

New Year at Work

A cup of coffee     or tea per taste;
Chat with the usuals;     should have checked
important Windows     updates first,
and got that rolling     towards the reboot
that's as inevitable     as year's end and the new
while we're busy     not quite yet working--
but oh well... Outlook     sure starts slow as all hell.

Nut!

My boon companion!     Catcher of bugs
and detachable     lizard tails too;
affectionate napper     at family feet,
and back-yard sentry;     we salute you!