Passing

He stopped breathing, finally
After 3 days of breaths shallow, weak and confusing
Shallow breath, no breath, shallow again
The agony was not his alone
But ours who waited in a hushed circle beside the bed.

He stopped living, finally
After 60 years of days joyful, pained and confusing
Good days, lost days, good days again
The journey was not his alone
But ours whose paths converged along his way.

We mourn, we grieve, we chant the song of the Buddha
At his bed side, and we say our goodbyes
Sobbing, we touch his hand, smooth back his hair
Kiss his forehead from which no further dreams arise
We bid his tender soul safe journey through ethereal skies.

We can release our own breath now, let go our fears and breathe
Deep, strong and enduring breaths.
We who stay behind as keepers of memories
And singers of the songs of life
We hold him close and let him go.

(Copyright 2005 E. Bond Francisco)

Hiatus

I'll be gone these next few days
Amid the redwoods in blissful daze
But I'll be back to tread the maze
Of words and thoughts lost in the haze.

Night

Wind came upon us
A leaf twisted from its branch
And a dark moon shone.

Copyright 2005 E. Bond Francisco

The Mart (5/25/05)

Plywood windows, hard to see through
Glass shattered by an angry rock
Perhaps annoyed by the quality of news in the rack
Maybe upset by the low-life wine stock

An American foreign person runs the mart
He sits outside mostly, smoking cigarettes
Magically appears at the register as cash approaches
Makes change, asks how are you sir.

Along the back wall, cold cases of soda and beer
Individual bottles arranged to slide forward as the first is removed
So that there will never be a lack of thirst quenchery
For the sweaty clientele.

Most everything in the mart is American-made
Unusual in a land where Chinese product reigns supreme.
Most everyone who frequents the mart is American-made;
Class distinctions disappear in search of candy bars and magazines.

The mart reminds us to buy our lottery tickets, dream what if,
What if I won twelve million dollars, cash value seven point five million.
I’d buy the mart, paint it green, plant ivy in its aisles,
Sell hammocks and hamster food and hope for better days.

Copyright 2005 E. Bond Francisco

Memorial Day

While Johnny comes marching home, hoorah
Jim and Mike will stay behind
Blackened lungs gassed, destroyed
Limbs exploded, shocked and shelled
Sent to save the flag and God.

Where once the epic battles raged
And citizens stood up to fight
Today our soldiers strain to save
An oil-addicted way of life
Brings neither honor nor shame to light.

Rejoice for those who've paid the price
Rejoice for those who shall return
Rejoice for those who have not gone
Rehearse the speeches meant to praise
The souls of soldiers in their graves,
Remember them the deeds they've done.

[copyright 2005 E. Bond Francisco]

Tanka

Passion rules my heart
As dawn’s sweet light engulfs me
Humbly now I pray
Parting paths we take today
Rejoin anew at nightfall.

The Cancer

I know very little about cancer
I've known someone who knows someone with cancer.
Today I Know someone who has cancer
Diagnosed not 4 months ago with cancer.
My friend, I've known him for 12 years, has the cancer.
It's all through him, the cancer.
He doesn't eat, and is hooked to a tube to fight the cancer.
He has given up, and it looks like it's won, the cancer
We're not sure he knows his wife's name, because of this cancer.
The big words that describe the cancer
Can not be understood by his mind, affected as it is by the cancer.
Those of us who know and love him, we hate the cancer.
There will be a hole in our lives, eaten away by the cancer,
And the beauty of his soul will be all that remains
For those of us left behind by the cancer.

Some College

Highest level of education completed?
Some college.
But not just any college -
Rutgers Newark College
Oberlin College
Army Language School College
Orange Country Community College
Rutgers New Brunswick College
Laney College
Merritt College
College of Marin College
University of California Extension College
San Francisco State College of Extended Learning College
A collage of colleges!
-----
Today, May 20, 2005
San Francisco Theological Seminary
Awarded the Master of Arts in Divinity (Student Transportation)
In recognition of the art of van pool coordination
Just a few steps short of transport ordination
Never lost a passenger, never found one either.

The Gallery

Up the alley, beside the bay
Signs say simply, readings today
Paintings are hung, slightly askew,
Artists graze on chroma and hue
Brush, pen and word will have their say.

The sky had turned a drizzled gray
I took a seat, I thought I'd stay
The murmur ceased, a whistle blew
Up the alley, beside the bay.

The poet spoke, as if to pray,
The words she said with hushed dismay
An inner life of pain construed
Whispered phrases hard and true
Paint the picture the writer's way,
Up the alley, beside the bay.