A Modern Business Plan

(a re-interpretation of my Modern Art poem)

I read some office jargon today
and tried to pick it apart
then discovered a truth about myself —
I guess I’m not that smart!

I couldn’t make sense of the jumble of words
and the diagrams left me baffled.
I know I’m supposed to see a comprehensive plan
but I strain and I struggle and I grapple.

So, I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that,
like the little boy who knows,
for all the praise of the consultants’ flair,
the emperor’s not wearing clothes!

A Symbol of Hope

Beyond the blackest clouds

Through the deepest rains

Beams a ray of peace-

Colors to remind us that

Somewhere the sun still shines

And we are not alone in the darkness.

A Crooked Umbrella

Do you see it there
bobbing in the crowd?
The yellow one,
with the red stripe?
That crooked umbrella?

Do you hear it now
rising from the chaos?
The voiceless song
with the timeless melody?
That child’s laughter?

She’s twirling it now
Dancing to her own song
Oblivious of the stares
Lost in her own joy

Do you wish it was yours,
that irrepressible feeling?
The one that makes your heart
float on the air?
Like a crooked umbrella?