Poem: Aurora P.D. +

Shots fired;
Officers dispatched.
Immediate arrival -
No hesitation;
No thought
of self.
Courage
and confusion
at the scene.
Restoring order;
Calming fears.
Protecting lives;
Addressing the wounded.
First responders -
Law enforcement
turned Medics.
The back seats
of Police Cruisers -
Make shift
Ambulances.

Poem: Front Range Colorado Wildfire Firefighter 2012

Firefighter,
facing a wall of flame -
In full gear.
Even with protection,
smoke enters the lungs.
Overwhelming 
and arbitrary destruction -
Where to begin?
Standing brave
and unyielding,
in the presence
of a firestorm.
Protecting a home -
Memories and mementos,
captured
and housed,
in its walls.
While another
burns helplessly -
To the ground.
But a foundation remains,
on which to rebuild.
Drenched,
drained 
and spent,
the day ends.
On the hard ground -
Sleeping in a tent.

Poem: Linguistic Leslie

Linguistic 
Leslie,
with long,
luscious
lavender 
locks,
that leap
and linger,
levitates 
language.
She 
leisurely
and laconically
lampoons
longing
letters
from lying
Lloyd -
lascivious 
and libidinous.

Poem: Nosey Nelly

Nosey Nelly
nestled
in her nook
nodding off.
Having nasty 
nightmares,
of nocturnal
nasties,
nuancing
naive neighbors,
nabbing,
nearly naked
Nora's
knapsack.

Poem: Mortality and Invincibility

Institutions crumbling -
Pillars of stability,
causing me
to question,
my very own
mortality.
Waking me up
from my suburban
apathy -
Comfortable 
and comatose.
Time 
runs out
and no one
lives forever.
The invincibility 
of youth -
A legend;
A myth.
Folklore
of the nubile
and viral.

Poem: Aurora 58: Survivors in Hope, Selflessness and Defiance

I'm a survivor!

The cacophony 

of violence

did not win!

Unhinged cruelty,

answered

with selflessness -

The welfare

and safety

of others,

placed above own.

I stood resolute,

in the midst 

of the fear

and despair

of unfolding tragedy.

The moment of violation,

a frozen

and haunting 

memory -

a witness,

to inconceivable 

depravity.

A deep

and vulnerable scar

remains.

I stand tall,

in defiance,

to the hate

and rage,

of my attacker.

I am slowly healed,

by the love

and support,

within 

and without,

that surrounds me -

From faith,

family,

friends

and strangers.

Each day born,

embraced,

with bravery 

and courage.

A conviction,

in the worth 

and common decency,

of the human soul,

was not lost!

Instead,

fortified.

Poem: TOO DAMN HOT!

It's
TOO DAMN HOT!
Oh yes,
it's
TOO DAMN HOT!
I can feel
the blistering sun
on my hiney!
The blazing heat
makes me
oh so whiney!
Oh yes,
it's
TOO DAMN HOT!

Poem: Aurora 12: An inextinguishable flame

What might have been,
no one will ever know.
The immediate,
unfiltered
and raw response,
to the surreal 
brutality
of a deranged mind,
is sadness
and anger.
The soul 
cathartically screams,
through tears
and devastation -
Darkness cannot win;
Hope must prevail!
An inextinguishable flame,
of courage
and strength found,
in the faces,
names
and abundant lives
of victims -
Turned Heroes
and Martyrs,
the resilient legacy
of this tragedy.
Remembered,
forever more,
for who they were -
And the lives
they touched.
All rejoicing,
in memories
and memorials,
of days spent,
in laughter
and fellowship -
Figures
of inspiration,
to act in kind.
Reaching out
to those around us -
In love,
in service,
and civility.

Poem: Theatre 9

Theatre 9,
Century 16 -
Aurora, Colorado.
Entering through
an emergency exit,
James Holmes:
Cold blooded madman,
in black,
with a gun arsenal,
tactical ballistic armor,
and wearing a gas mask,
unleashes mayhem -
Releasing tear gas;
Advancing the aisle,
while showering bullets.
A minute
and thirty seconds -
Innocent victims:
Of random
and senseless
violence -
Macabre serendipity.
Survivors:
Hidden -
In the darkness;
On the floor.
Pandemonium
and chaos;
Terrorism encroaches,
on a midnight showing.
Cheerful
and colorful neon -
Sadly,
ironic.

Poem: Mailbox and Postage Lament

I long
for the days
of hand written
letters,
and Hallmark 
drug store
reminders,
that someone 
out there
is thinking of 
you -
And you
of them.
Of picture
postcards,
from half
a world away -
Or from along
Route 66.
Of sitting
by the mailbox,
waiting for 
a response,
the suspense
almost too much 
to bear.