Two poems from today

Battery Operated Sunday Morning

Howard Park

early Sunday mornings

while my toddler runs

amongst the tree caves

 and feeds ducks and curved-bill ibises

crackers and bread

Some man plays his bagpipes

while the fire hydrant stand at attention

and the Banyan trees stand completely still

And I wonder why

he is here

and we are here

in the cool of morning

on Sunday morning

before the Hispanic church

gathered at a pavilion

with a battery operated amplifier

and sang gospel music

with an electric guitar.

Appearance Matters

sometimes I remember

I should get a haircut

or buy new shoes.

times like driving through

High Springs, seeing a sign:

Haircuts $15

I have to remind myself

that fifteen dollars isn’t much

It used to be

working all day

at McDonald’s for fifteen dollars,

grateful to get small fries

small drink and hamburger

for free but that was

nearly 50 years.

Today I make it

in fifteen minutes

but I don’t want to think

about what a good pair

of leather shoes will cost.

It’s always been a lot of money

hard to remember

appearance matters.