Dr. Oz to run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid?
17 hours ago
Chilly April rains,
Crisp afterthoughts of winter,
Cool the warming earth
As white tree flowers give way
To Spring frocks of new green leaves
Whenever I smile,
The whole world brightens,
Even in darkness,
For a light that shines within
Is reflected everywhere
On life’s stormy road,
When there is no place to lay
My rain-soaked body
Down, you pull my aching head
To your breast, my safe haven
Two AM, awake,
Wishing nausea away
Unsuccessfully,
Trying to resist the urge
To howl, to cry, to vomit
The pain is a friend,
A faithful companion who
Lives inside my skull,
Who wakes me after midnight
From the terror of nightmares.
Lichens cling to rocks
Mushrooms feed on felled tree trunks
Dung beetles roll dung
Vultures feast on rotting flesh
I chew up my old writings
How dare you strike me,
A tiny defenseless baby,
Unable to walk,
Unable to remember
Yet unable to forget?
Make fewer errors
And be less likely to lose,
But avoid losing
And be less likely to win:
Plan, execute, take good risks.
With my flute and dog,
I wandered up the mountain,
Seeking better views
And a bed of pine needles
To serenade the full moon.
There is no wizard
Other than the little man
Or little woman
Standing behind your curtain
Pulling the strings of your life
One need not travel
The earth’s far places to quench
The lust to wander:
Any lake, mountain or stream
Is a cosmos to explore.
No Baritone need
Play villain in life’s opera,
Though easy fame be tempting,
Corruption ubiquitous:
Choose heroic roles and soar.
In darkest hours,
The new day concealed by shade,
I wonder what comes,
Whether pain, love, even death —
All hopes and fears possible.
Is that snow upon
My head, my cheeks? Those gray white
Hairs? Reminders that,
However much I dread it,
Life’s cold winter approaches?