Land Mines

Just some thoughts about history, of nations and of people.

              Land Mines

Buried beneath some forgotten conflict,

they don’t forget their appointed task,

so they offer the same explosive answer –

no matter what question they may be asked.

Final Exam

Yes, we just gave exams at my school.

       Final Exam

You must know everything

since anything may be asked

of you, and the one fact you have

forgotten may be the one you need

while two things that seem unrelated

may come together to form your final point.

A Matter of Principle

Here's a little light scientific verse. It started the other day when "Heisenberg" (or Heisenburg?) struck me as a good name for a city as well as for the uncertainty principle (the observer affecting the phenomenon being observed).

A Matter of Principle

In the town of Heisenberg

this phenomenon is true

that everyone is always in

someone else’s view.

And if this were not the case,

this much is certain, too:

they would not know just who

they are or exactly what to do.

Auto Analysis

Another commuter poem.  Sometimes I wonder what the damage to the cars I see says about their drivers (and about different ways of going through life.)

            Auto Analysis

The cars bashed from behind

stopped too soon

or turned too timid

for those too quick

to follow

and those smashed from the side

refused to yield  

or even look,

their pride too much

 to swallow –

while the few hit head on

looked too far,

wrecking today

with their eyes fixed

upon tomorrow. 

Driven

I think we often expect to be forgiven for the very things we despise in others.

               Driven

If I pulled out in front of myself
at this middle distance, I would
honk and curse – and then curse
and gesture back, while muttering
to myself, “What’s your problem?”