http://slow.writerscafe.org/MJS The original writings of author MICHAEL en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776102920 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15      It's been a few months. Lisa is doing well. Some good days, some bad, mostly good. Gallery is doing well, opened a coffee shop in the basement, hired Bridget to manage the place, she's great.Our status is routinely set; breakfast, paper, radio weather, kiss. I'll retire .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/620961/ So wise in the ways of the worldthrown to lions in the cageman in the mirrorother than thouReplenish my soul in your eyesdark clouds drifting beforefierce fire of morningDay of triple ninesSeptember changeVenus stands her distancefrom the crescent moon http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/462249/ Two minutes fast and an hour slowMy clock is set by daylight breakingAnd the night falling downRacing toward the pastAll my foibles and failuresAnd the people I've left behindI've punched a hole in this worldNot very large or very longJust enough to get me back, Back where I belo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/427100/ THE WILD OLD WICKED MAN 'BECAUSE I am mad about womenI am mad about the hills,'Said that wild old wicked manWho travels where God wills.'Not to die on the straw at home.Those hands to close these eyes,That is all I ask, my dear,From the old man in the skies.'Daybreak and a candl.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/422949/  "Hey""Hey""What ya doin?""Uh, I got the kids.""Oh""You can come over though. You know they'd love to see ya, me too.""Ok""I'll leave the door unlocked.""Alright"I take the stairs, not being in a hurry. B14, I knock lightly then push it open. Call in, "Hey"."Back here"Find her kneeling at the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/418917/           It's been a few months. Lisa moved in, keeping her place as a studio, a bed and kitchen for when she worked late. We've had little time to talk. Her mom had passed in December. Hit her hard. She withdrew into her work, threw herself into mak.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/418077/ We live by our own termsamidst the swirls and eddiesvagrancies of timeBrothers and motherssisters and fatherssons and daughtersfriends and loversNow our gods come to playin the backyards of our mindRelinquish controljoin in the sandbox of our soul http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/418052/ Definitely thinking of someone in particular here. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/413332/ Crossed the bar room floortoward the juke box by the doordropped a quarter, turned the cardslooking for a song to soothe my heartFlirted with the bartenderinsulted my friendwatched the pool game in the cornerwalked back to the box againPlayed a song from 1973that meant a lot to.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/409544/ Above allI am your friendSomeone who doesn't demand anythingother than for you to be youI will listenI will talkwhile you listenfor you must be my friend tooI'm stuck in the fishing netor is it the fishnet stockingsone thin strand of goldcircles your right nostrilwhile de.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/406380/ To Kim, et al. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/403655/ Maybe I shouln't be so venalor is that venialbut then wouldn't that make me more mortal?IneffableSo why am I trying to speak it?Clever, cynical, sarcasticIt's not your faultjust an accident of time. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/400151/ Lisa was leaving. She had a chance to travel that summer with her work.We were saying goodbye the night before, a last supper of sorts.Spaghetti and chianti. We didn't talk much. She looked over at me."You don't want me to leave, do you?" I looked into her defiant green eyes.Reached across a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/397243/ Swoops up from the canalperches in white blossomed dogwoodalong the government center mallPeregrine falconreleased twenty years agonest in downtown towersfeast on pigeons and occasional duck3 1/2 ft wing span, two feet high, dive at 200mphpeering eyes, he sits just a few feet away, u.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/395016/ Best day of the weekDriven mistbillows from the buildingsWeeping willows by the canaldip green fingers toward the waterlong, cold, lonely winter is over http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/395012/ Half moon horizonsouth over the citysoft shaded silhouettesrustle through the budding treesLast day of winterForsythias ring out springwith golden bellsRobins and cardinalsjoin the chorus http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/395010/ Trying to be less obscure, less mental, more left brained. This is actually a song. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/388562/ Paint the words in broad strokes across the pagebackyard colors of mauve and graypull up close, scarlet and yellowsdark and light and mist in betweenBlack holes in the center of galaxiesOh so precarious this perch we sow ourselvesOur own seeds planted in the landI'll keep my place.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/380492/ If I knocked on your door would you let me in as a friend?Horizon lightens at the eastern edgewatch the ducks upon the pondFeel the fingers of the dawnChilling touch of nightgoneI know the answer is noOnce twilight is enough http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/377694/ Scarlet curtainsplotches of brown and beigegrays mostlyWind swirls between her wingsWords bleed upon the pageStop this flow of life's most preciousGift freely givenPast puddles on the wallBeauty comes at a costUgly is easyNo matter what you doShe'll knock at your doorMight .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/372690/ Place is poetryI am in my placeI am close to homePoetry flows from this placeMy life is a poemSometimes tragicSometimes magicA prairie placeSand Hills of NebraskaHorizon disappearsbetween the grass and the cloudsPlace and time mean nothingAnother friend has to goI am .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/370594/ What is winter?Winter is a waiting for springNecessary seasonCulls the weak and the oldFrom the herd http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/364599/ Time is a creaky wooden porch,A white bearded smiling man,Reaching forward,Asking, "Why?"A cacophony of drunken voices,A soldier in a field of flowers.The stars pay no attention http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/361892/ I saw the moon riseI saw it setVenus,its companion for the nightgave cold comfortAs astrals flyso do livesHeadlong into the headlightsTriumphant elephants trumpetWhimpering and withering,stumbleWe carve ourselves out of the clay http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/355171/ Woke up from the couchlooked out my windowAgainst an azure skya red-haired girlmoved down the walkI opened the doorShe walked inas if she knew meHer hair too rednose too big May I stay?What IS your name?She became indignanthurt, turned to leaveI reached out my hand.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/349429/ It was an early December morningdriving down US 40past empty snow swept cornfieldsI spotted a red-tail hawk circling a red barnsearching for rodent tracks no doubtI pulled to the side, no one on the roadThe red-tail hawk spiraled downlanded on the fence next to me We looked at.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/348611/ Crows rise,another grey dawnRiders enter the welcome warmthHuddle together in cornersCurl up in their armadillo skinParkas and leather boots Randomnessthis wanton forcebeyond comprehensionMeaninglessthat it exists at all Caterpillars crawl across the sunsetA son.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/344529/ On an Argos of the soulthrough the pillars of Herculeshell of a spotTugged on the shoulder of Godreplied in silenceadmissable evidence Morning blushesas if the sun were embarrasedto warm such an ingracious planetPink then peachMauve greys, November dawn Sat in the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/342804/                              THE VIEW FROM                   &n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/341079/ I am an interloper in your worldOld and wrinkled and whiteNo disgrace, just time writtenDeserts and mountains and seasBut thee art treasureFountain of my youthBody and soul, mysteries unfoldRevealed, veil upon shroudA few houses downA thousand miles awayLay with me on my bed of n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/335834/ Shivered in the morning to the static of the radio we left on all nightTook turns grabbing the log we'd stoke in the stoveFilm of ice covering the bucket we used to wash upStill an hour till dawn Breakfast waiting at the house Share the cigarette we rolled on our walk up&nb.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/334680/ CHRYSALIS There is danger in writing of the misty pastDistorted, blurred imagesbut the power lastsCoos Bay in the midnight rainSix hundred miles in one dayPacific aloneNot far from Lewis and GeorgeOne light on mainStrange wooden benchJack Daniels in my fistToastin.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/333170/ Summer has morphed to fallnot rudelyas butterflies are thrownor puberty takes holdbut softly as leaves decay Neighborhoods I used to roamperched on chrome fendersMickey Mantle chattering in the spokesNow I ride alone, old Streaming videos Face the future.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/330171/ Public passengershipAssess people by their shoesMine are old and brownSeen better daysAcross the aisleConstruction workerHard hat and bootsBeside a high schoolerPink and stoutMost nod and swayDriver calls out streets and routesHums some old motown soundDowntownWork and doub.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/326690/ Wonder what does it matterWhen all comes to the sameStruggle to survive, struggle to maintainDriven to continue, driven to remain She curls around your conscienceSiren of the darkHolds out the illusionCurls around your heart Enigma of existenceCrucial to the truthI .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/324821/ She lied to the mirrorbrush stroked the truthMen came to her door to be lovedshe acquiescedTenament slumgarbage can linedDreamt of timesbeyond the coastLazily, lyingNext to the churchwhite on the hill Now lived by stretchesimagination and branchesof love imaginedTr.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/320482/ New York street sillhouettestreet light, stop lightPredawn, hasty lovers quarrelstumble toward the hazeDay struggles to pretendit's supposed to be hereNight desappearsDawn happens If you transpose loveinto the equation of lifeyou get chaos which works itself outYes, ther.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/318461/ Please,     Leave the keys in the mailboxmy heart behind the door     My soul you can take with you It ain't worth much any more     You stole my faithalong with my car     Left my love in tattersrag.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/309470/ She rises from her bedsoaked in sweatclothes squandered retrieves her robeCold water splashes through her hairDon't look in the mirrorKitchen, dishes undone,one last beer, snipes a buttDraws the curtainsdazzling white Where'd he go in the middle of the nightFunnel my l.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/307281/  Believe my harmonica     is wrapped in cellophanebeneath my bottom     dresser drawer It bubbles and blows     sweet fruits of alone29 palms     and sheets all alone Duplicity plays .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/302930/  I have your strengtheven as it fades awaygoes on blindly forgottenSomewhere the sun shineson a field of hay and flowersAugust afternoons make wayemerge the means of forgiveness http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/301087/  Lisa is back, been gone two months. She calls me from the airport."Hey""Hey, I'm home""How'd it go?""Pretty well""That's an understatement. From what I read, made quite a splash" "Take me to dinner, I'll tell you all about it""Ok, around eight, we'll go to Tony's""Sounds great, but make it e.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/299964/             Jenny and I had been friends for a long time. She had known my wife, Maria, who died a couple of years ago. We were even roommates for awhile. Never did anything, though there were some compromising situations, as there always are .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/297414/ Indiana August afternoonLeaves show their silver sides to the sunDusty breeze, like brimstone through the trees,Whisper of wind is all it needsSets them shimmering http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/296485/ Peer into the darknessShadows that can't be seenDreams that can't be graspedNarrow corridors of despairTwo figures pass under the street lampDisappear http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/296468/ REMINISCENCE http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/290996/ Divided by 2 1/2 http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/MJS/286575/