earth note 226

snorkeling off the reef
looe key
rises and drops
like fingers
open hands along
an ocean bottom
a thousand fish
swarm blue with the sun
yellow with black stripes
then a barracuda
and a couple of
hundred-pound groupers
keep your attention

rolling and rising
the waves meet crescendo
in every specie
     a heartbeat

--- e b bortz

(published in opednews.com, Jan 23, 2013)

mediocrity equals death

for all the talk of
free expression
and the liberation
of the artistic soul
is it not clear
there's very little
creative fire
that really surfaces
or takes root
or inspires?

we're being droned out 24/7
by the pundits
and
unsocial media
with talking points
kept within
predictable restraints
     like the straightjacket
     or a starched white shirt

even the words
freedom
peace
justice
that so permeate our texts
are losing all practical applications
wars continue
prisons fill
most politicians
return their contributions
with custom legislation
for their captors

so far
the great upheaval
has passed us by
the lid stays on the soup kettle
opening occasionally
to dole out a piecemeal
of disappointment
(so let's start a new facebook page)

it's true that
the words and music and colors
that can ignite a generation
still kindle
in the darkness
     every once in a while
          there's a new spark
but nothing burns
every facade and border and prediction
or goes wildly
     all out
     way down the road
          like a chuck berry song

--- e b bortz

(published in opednews.com, Jan 20, 2013)

oil-gas-dogma fundamentals

even a shot & a beer
can be a most toxic brew
when consumed through the script
of the one and only
     answering to the infidelities
     (yes, we all live with)
an eye for an eye
     (keeps the void well hidden)
beneath our breastbones
     an entryway
     of stereotypes
     answerable only
     to the water-board
     each wagging tongue
          dipped in fire
          will claim victory

--- e b bortz

(published in opednews.com, Jan 18, 2013)

earth note 225

marathon, florida

hot breeze
cool water
a few people
venture into the surf
     i splash my arms
     & dive in
     backstroke
     then float
     all is well

all's quiet
'cept seagulls
wind blown
yelling out
something like
yooow or cooow
     the waves coming in
     are a steady rhythm
     like island drumming
     the stones warm & healing

when sand slips through your toes
     touch each grain

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)

earth note 224

the end of the road
begins the gulf of mexico
far out to the north
     more islands
enough elevation for a calm day
not nearly enough for a storm surge
     rising seas are not negotiable

but today
the wind is up
palms spread their fronds
     legs open
     perfect bliss

--- e b bortz

(published in broad sidling thirteen, Green Panda Press, March 2013)

it cost me a margarita

to post this poem
if it falls short
maybe
i should have two

--- e b bortz

earth note 223

white street pier, key west

pelicans hold back
     nothing
     dive for fish
     deep
     all out
     come up empty
     mostly
seagulls
     smaller and more tentative
     always looking for any slight advantage
     compensating for their frailty
tourists
     snap pictures
     peck at their phones
     walk behind dogs
     run along the beach
     hide in the trees
     shake sand off their towels
     read names on the aids memorial

pelicans hold back nothing

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)

earth note 222

even a no-see-um bite
can lead to revelation
a nip of blood becomes more than an itch
if juxtaposed on a sea grass beach
an abundance of bare asses
still makes blush coloring
on foreign sand
castles that refuse to melt
in a tide
driven by memory

--- e b bortz