In my Opinionated Opinion

You know those address labels,

 non-profit organizations send you to guilt you into giving

them money for their good cause? 

The address labels with your name embossed on them.

 The ones younever ordered, but they keep showing up

 in your mailbox, like it or not?

By now, if you have not round-filed them you have hundreds,

perhaps thousands—more than any one person could ever use.

Had you given into the guilting, you would have spent hundreds

of dollars for them all.

The whole proposition was disturbing to me so I decided a long

time ago that I wasn’t going to pay for what I don’t need,

 didn’t order and since I already pay my taxes,

 I have already helped subsidize all these non-profits,

 who write everything off, anyway.

These labels aren’t exactly FREE, but possession is 9/10s of the law

and clearly they are printed with my name and address,

 so it is logical to believe that they belong to me!

 Ever since that light bulb moment, I use them with impunity 

and have no regrets.

(After all I have had friends that work for “non-profits” who made more

money than me and had way more benefits.) How dare those non-profits

try to guilt people into paying again and again for what our tax dollars

have already  paid.

The unmitigated gall…

Raintreepoet, grinching.

Neither Shakespeare Nor I can compete with you

This on the occasion of a fellow writer wanting me to listen to him read what he had written, when my mind was other places. He was miffed. I was miffed right back.

 Rebuttal on ten note cards...

1. Okay! Here is my defense: There are 64 plots to man's narrative since the beginning of human history.

2.Chances are, if you talk to me in "plot" you will hit one of the 64, which might cause me to respond with, "That's familiar."

3. Pardon me, for having been an English Literature major and having heard those plots more than a few times.

4. I believe I have already told you that I am a "character driven story" fan and that "plot" is pedestrian to me.

5. So, "Mr. I am Offended because you aren't listening to me", hear this: If I wasn't compelled to listen that should be a clue!

6. Perhaps your plot drivel/driven narrative is not beguiling me!

7. You, as a writer have no right to manipulate or bully your reader

8. when she happens not to be entertained. The fact of the matter is, newly declared writer, if you write with the need for always positive feedback

9.  you will forever be waiting as a thirsty man for water. Write because you love it,

10. because it is rewarding in and of itself or cease to write at all. If the act of writing is not self-fulfilling for you, you were't meant to be a writer---but with that dogged attitude, you will probably be published long before me! 

raintreepoet, reporting.

Back to the Farm

5:15 a.m. - The big dogs that guard the sheep

wake me

Their bark is always with purpose-their job

to guard 40 odd sheep and 34 new born lambs

This is my spring break-my escape from the city

to a place much like my own agrarian roots

I’ve missed my family farm for decades

City folk bought 5 acre plots of it- so,

it is no more

But my friend’s family farm, 70 acres, is in tact

with its refurbished 70 year old barn

I come here for respite and to recall my own

farm girl days

My friend and I met as teenagers in Seattle

at the Washington State Dairy Princess Contest

Neither of us has been close to a dairy cow in

nearly half a century, so we laugh, wistfully

at the hard work of our youth and the fancy

dresses we wore to the big city

America was once 87% agrarian and now it is

something like 2 or 3%

People hunker in cities, drink Starbuck’s and

wander through clean, clipped parks to try to

feel what Mother Earth is really all about.

I am proud of my country bumpkin roots.

When I retire in a couple years, my fiancée and I

plan to move back to the land outside some

small town in the west that doesn’t have a

Starbuck’s. Then I’ll wear cowboy boots and

herd my cats and dogs…

Raintreepoet, reminiscing & looking forward.

SUNSHINE

 Sunday morning

Sunshine woke me!

Over the telephone,

Sunshine spoke a

Call to play

And so it goes

Quickly, I pack my car

With bottles of water

And a light backpack

The hiking sticks,

Already onboard

I dress in layers because

Winter still reigns,

And drive post haste

To Sunshine’s house

He greets me with a

Broad smile and a

Big kiss and

We are off to adventure!

The day sparkles with Joy

I love Sunshine and

Sunshine loves me

Dedicated to GM

Almost spring 2017

What Poet Isn’t Passionate About Words?

They are our greatest and best toy!

We jump in the deep end and back stroke through

the dictionary like we own it—and we should!

We love words so much, every single one should

be ours.

My heart thrums with such joy when I page through

my Heritage (dictionary) and spy a word I’ve never noticed,

But the letters tell me that it is a word of distinction and

station

I relish reading the meanings, 1 through 5 and chuckle

at the odd pronunciation—-O my, what possibilities this small

 microcosm of the English Language!

 It carries a whole narrative of a miraculous journey

 through mystery and intrigue

If I decide to swim deeper, I go to the Oxford English Dictionary

where a whole page can be dedicated to  a single word and its ancestry, explaining all of its origins-enough drug to  keep a word geek high

for an entire afternoon!

But I digress…

Googling will never give this generation the satisfaction of

Savoring a word, masticating it carefully and swallowing its

Essence

Only hard copy can give such satiety and ultimate pleasure

But I am a word geek and a silly poet-what do I know?

raintreepoet, reporting.

White Carnations in a Cobalt Blue Pitcher

For G.M.

Oh, what lovely flowers you brought  to

comfort my sorrow

Delighted, I cut off their ends and arrange them

In a blue pitcher

The next morning I find three scattered on the table

I pluck them up and rearrange them

into the pitcher again

Then chide my cats to be more polite

Morning two: Again several more flowers are strewn about the pitcher, dehydrating in the air

I put them back, wondering which of my two cats the culprit is

When I arrive in the afternoon, I notice flowers strewn about again

One cat, Oliver, was inadvertently locked in the small bathroom

As I free him I note his innocence

I now know who to indict!

Morning Three: Blue pitcher on its side,

Water soaked magazines and papers

in close proximity (the carnations may have been sassy)

apparently it was them or him

(Winston), and he prevailed

As I leave this morning, the flowers in

the blue pitcher are set safely in the sink

There will be no more cat vs. carnation skirmishes

This cleaner has surrendered-has decided not press charges

Nor mete out punishment!

P.S. That grey cat can thank his

cute furry little ass.

raintreepoet, reporting cat tales.

Has Capitalism Eaten Our Democracy?

Tomorrow, the United States will induct a new person
into the presidency; A man who is shadowed by controversy,
who incites his followers to violence and who is repugnant
to me.
 From his mouth spews racism, sexism and any other
dang thing he wishes to vomit into his Twitter feed.
He has single handedly undignified the position of POTUS
before he even takes office.
The first family is usually the wife and children of the
president, however, this president is on his third marriage, and
is dragging his adult children from two previous marriages
along for the ride. Could he rub our faces any deeper into his
manure on our traditions?
Some of us thought a "business man" would run the country
better than it has been run in the past. Perhaps that will happen
 I sure hope so. Government as usual was devolving our democracy.
 Will a "bottom line" thought process improve things?
 I do not truly know.
It is disturbing that he may have prevailed due to another
country hacking into our computer systems. More disturbing
are his attacks on our Intelligence community. Talk about a
Chihuahua picking a fight with a mastiff...Can we afford this
guy's sensibilities?
A big fat liar having the gall to be sworn in on "Honest Abe's"
Bible? Give me a break!
He is so quick on the Twitter trigger, I have wondered if he
has a minion typing it out for him. If we bring him up on charges
of treason, he'll probably throw that minion on the fire.
There are so many things I am ruminating about as I wait to
see the hammer fall. Even though it all looks like doom and
dire at the moment, the good news is Mr. T. has brought
close scrutiny on our government. This is a ginormous wake up
call. Citizens are on high alert. The same hi jinks that used
to slip under the radar are now throbbing in neon.
We, my fellow Americans, I believe, are in for big changes!
From where I sit, it was well overdue. What say you?

raintreepoet, opining.