Strangers Among Us

After the funeral,
I walked through the street alone,
-many strange faces.

When they were dating,
He was a prince, she said yes
-became a monster.

Joey meet Dennis,
Both were the new boys in town
-a lifelong friendship.

Copyright©2009

One Single Impression: Strangers

In Honor of Steve Lonergan, R.I.P.

It had been ten years,
Then I learned he passed away
-never said goodbye.

Copyright©2009

Conservatism, R.I.P.

Death Of Modern Conservatism
By Edward S. Gault

O

TOTAL

WAR F WAR

DEAD R DEAD

OCRYGR E ED CRYO

SPEND E SPEND

SPEND D SPEND
SPEND O SPEND

SPEND M SPEND
PATR IOTIC
BORNAGAIN

RADICAL

BIB LE

DIT TO
HEADS

O DE IFYO
TOXIC
FALSE
GOD

O

NaPoWriMo Poem #22

Tyrone’s Birthday
By Edward S. Gault

Rod, his brother, remembers the day
They shot Tyrone down.
They just drove by
and started shooting
like they didn’t care who they hit.
Tyrone had turned seven.
He was at his birthday party
on the porch.
His mother remembers
The way he asked for a bicycle,
and how she thought
he was growing up too fast.
She had a nice red bicycle all ready for him
in the garage.
She had spent all morning on the cake,
angel food with a motorcycle on top;
next, he would be want one of those too.
Rod told me how he had taught Tyrone
to throw a baseball just right;
and coached him how to shoot a basketball
through the hoop every time.
He wanted to give Tyrone dreams
because that’s all he had to give him.
Rod wanted much more for the boy
than he had had.
He knew about gangs.
His voice cracked when he told me,
The bullet had been meant for him.

Copyright©2009

Farewells, Sad And Happy.

Married twenty years,
Each day a silent goodbye
-lovers, now strangers.

He stood by her grave,
Not believing she was gone
-her moist eyes and smile.

Lukas stood on deck,
Saw Statue Of Liberty
-goodbye poverty

Copyright 2009.

One Single Impression: Goodbyes

Contemplating Mortality?

Looking from cliff's face,
Jagged shoals point up at me
-beckoning to me.

Copyright 2009

The One We Don't See

After the car crashed
Crowds gathered to see who died
-someone cries tonight.

Copyright 2009

Walks In Autumn

As Autumn returns,
Leaves slowly fall before me
-death reminding me.

Copyright 2008

Home Sweet Home

After Grandpa died,

Mom told us he was back home

-thanksgiving dinner

In steerage for weeks,

They came on deck to see home

-lady liberty.

Summer camp over,

There was a long bus ride back

-home seemed to be new.

At meeting Boss says:

"I'm giving myself a raise!

-you can all go home."

Coming home again,

I felt like a stranger there

-after the war, distance.

I walked through the ward,

knowing this was home to them

-children's hospital.

When young, home was huge!

I went away to college

-then I found it small.

Victory touchdown!

After losing all season

-happy homecoming.

Copyright 2008

For One Single Impression

The Things We Face

The Decider's face
stared down, admonishing us
-"Go shopping! Buy! Spend!"
(apologies to George Orwell)

Behind the scarred face,
was the boy she always knew
-her son, war hero.

After she had died,
I saw her face everywhere
-god, the lonliness.

For One Single Impression

Murphy's Haiku will return on Tuesday

An Uncommon Visitor

In my dream last night,
You just stood there, stone silent
-needing me to know.

Holding On

Memory's image
From long ago still remains,
-poison to our lives.

Copyright 2008

Our Best Friends

For One Single Impression: Pets

Billy was funny
Always cutting up in class
-still getting an A

When my cat got hit,
I buried her in the yard
-I kept her collar, though.

Visiting their world,
My host showed me all his pets
-lord, they were humans!

Copyright 2008

Memorial Day: Two Haiku

They're heroes to us,
Yet families mourned their loss
-flags can't replace them.

We should remember,
They once belonged to someone
-who still misses them.

Copyright 2008

Being born to write
Means fighting Death to the end
-life lived with meaning.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo #25

Did you take your life?
The kids were teasing me, Lord.
-come to me, sweet child!

Copyright 2008

The Different Sides of Color.

For One Single Impression Prompt: Color

People love Autumn,
With its' rich yellows and reds
-but leaves are dying.

Copyright. 2008

NaPoWriMo #21

I layed on the couch
Next to dead, she brought the brew
Once more, I saw life.

Copyright 2008

Flying High

For the Writer's Island Prompt: Flight

Last Flight
by Edward S. Gault


It had to have been around eleven
When my my father came in
And told me that grandpa had died.
He was only sixty-three,
So it didn't seem possible.
The shock disabled my tear ducts.
Images began to come-
The quilt work landscapes I would see
From the window of his little piper plane,
As I helped him to steer it
Over the horizon.
He would not need a plane
To see those things now.
When I came back, I saw the blurred image
Of my white knuckled hands
Pulling at the bed frame.

Copyright 2008

A Place To Lay His Head.

A guarded cave sealed
With a stone, many pass by
-a tomb for a King.

Copyright 2008