there are these moments
I was maybe six
it was Christmas eve
night or early morning
it was dark
If I leaned over in the bed just right
I could see
just barely
the living room and
the shadow
of a tree
I couldn’t leave the bed
it wasn’t daylight yet
I could see shadows in the bit of light
that was given to me
is that a bike
that shape in the darkness
is that a bike
I’ve strained to see that shape
in the shadows
my whole life long
david michael jackson
Neptunium
Janet Kuypers
from the “ Periodic Table of Poetry” series
When they discovered the planet Neptune,
seeing that distant blue orb
and naming it after the Roman god of the sea,
scientists seemed to be in a mad rush
when discovering elements
to name the new element after the planet.
Someone originally named Germanium
after the (at the time) newly discovered planet,
and at three times the element ninety three
was discovered and given the names
bohemium, ausonium and sequanium.
But after all this research and all this discovery,
it seems fitting that the element
that got the name Neptunium as it’s name
is used on earth mostly in nuclear reactions.
Discovered by bombing uranium
with slow moving neutrons in nuclear fission,
Neptunium is now used in weapons applications.
So it might have something in common
with the name of the gas giants, as an energetic,
explosive ball or energy, despite the fact
that like the planet, with it’s deceptively
seductive blue hue, can deep down
still be so tumultuously violent.
But in ancient history and mythology,
Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto,
each of them presiding over the realms
of Heaven, Earth and the Netherworld. I suppose
Neptune ruled with a gentle hand, although
Neptunium always had that iron fist.
Be Glad You Have a Job
there was a time
a long time ago
when my boss
said
are you happy
the big man is concerned
he thinks you don’t look happy
that was a long time ago
and then came
be glad you have a job
people are our most
valuable resource
we have a performance management process
close the door please
how did we go from
are you happy to
be glad you have a job?
When did the big man turn from
an old man to a young guy
and an old man into an entitlement
david michael jackson
I’m tired said the man
but you haven’t told me the story
of the dog and the honey bee
you have heard it before
but
okay
the dog was walking his
dog walk
along the trail
sniffing this
sniffing that
and the honey bee
landed on his nose
and looked him
straight in the eye
buzz said the bee
buzz off said the dog
or I’ll lick you dead with my tongue
I’ll sting that tongue
said the bee
and die doing it
but you’ll know I was there Mr Dog
So the bee buzzed
and the dog walked along
with the bee on his nose
Buzz buzz said the bee
Bark bark said the dog
I think I like you bee
You can be my bee
I’m nobody’s bee
said the bee
I visit the flowers
and make honey
Mr Dog
And I’m very glad
you got to meet me
said the bee
So the bee and the dog
went along
and got along
david michael jackson
Autumn is a beautiful wake
with the orange
and red colors it makes
a funeral of leaves.
Birds and
butterflies flutter south
away from the mouth
of the winter stream
of cold air
Leaf raker’s it makes
of us
and we pile them
and children
jump into them
and the leaves
in orange and
the trees in black
dance for us
against a blue sky
I am always a little sad in autumn
to see the summer go
like a friend leaving town for a year
packing his shorts
and the Bermuda shirt
and his sandals
Every Spring I say
I have made it through
another winter,
every Fall I wonder
will this be the one
It’s best to just
jump in the pile of leaves
instead
david michael jackson