Spring Golf

Photography by Rtk

Spring Golf

I play golf 
with the wind and my soul, 
and where the ball goes 
only the ball knows
for sure. 

I try to give the ball direction 
and yes, the club must do its share, 
the ground often takes a pounding 
as the ball takes to the air. 

Eventually, the ball will find it's 
ultimate  destination, 
with myself and clubs in tow
as we all meet some shots later 
at the hole, 

Rinse and repeat.

I play golf 
with my soul and the wind, 
and when one round is over 
I can't wait for the next one 
to begin. 

I play golf. 

(And not that well, 
who does...Tiger Woods 
do tell...) 

Rtk 

Photography by Rtk

A Walking Man Walks

Photography by Rtk

A Walking Man Walks…

I walk and I hike
And sometimes I run,
Sometimes.

I walk down and around
The block and the square,
I hike the trail, the goat path, the creek bed, the river bank.
I love the footbridges, the steps, the walls
All giving me direction
I suppose.

I walk. The wind often comes along,
Sometimes the rain and almost always the sun,
If not, then a flashlight is my best friend.

A walking man walks
As a talking man talks,
I can do both at the same time
But prefer not too,

Part Two:

Lately,
Where ever I walk, I find crosses. Decorated crosses.
On trees, on the side of the road, near a bluff or a waterfall,
I know what they mean.
There is a story that ends tragically
A day that someone did not return home,
A night so long that even the dawn could not save it,
It breaks my heart every time,
So I walk, and I hike
And sometimes I run
Knowing the stories…

Rtk
Photography by Rtk

A Year Without Spring

Photography by Rtk

A Year Without Spring…

A year without Spring,
Who could have imagined such a thing?

A year without Spring
Left the diamonds bare,
As their brilliant display and wonder went unnoticed
As no one was there,

A year without Spring
Left echoes in sacred halls
As there were no dancing or buzzer beaters to be found,
There were no sneakers screeching
Or any other basketball sounds,

A year without Spring
Left a treasured tradition un-played with
No amazing shots or acts of grace,
Now just a home for the birds
If nothing else…a beautiful green space,

As I walk alone
I can still hear the birds sing,
It’s only now, I can imagine
A year without Spring…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

Swing Town

Photography by Rtk

Swing Town

I saw you there
From maybe a half mile away,
I was looking for you
Maybe you were waiting for me?

How many had come before
And how many had stayed,
How many had returned
From a hundred miles away,

I’m not sure.

I hope they all crossed in peace
And returned the same way…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

The First of August…

Photography by Rtk

The First of August…

So let one star fall
as the heavens has many stars,
a wish made today
is someone’s dream coming
true tomorrow,

Today,
we will let August begin,
as I’m in no hurry for September,
Let the summer go quietly
into the autumn evening
with new stars to
wish upon…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

Adventure Part Two

Adventure Part Two

Down to the beach, we ran
And then around the tide,
We chased after it all day,
And when we finally found it
We only wished we could make
It stay,

The sunset smiled at our foolish game…

Rtk

Do You Know the Way to San Jose ?

Photography by Rtk

Do You the Way to San Jose?

Someplace to go
And something to see,
Nothing really to do
But sometime to let it all be,

Are you coming with me?

I have some sunshine in my back pocket
And a little sand between my toes,
Do you know a place
Where we can let it all go?

A place where the silence grows,

The breeze singing in the trees doesn’t count
Or a squirrel as it scurries about
Or a warbler as it darts in and then out
Or a crooking frog as it shouts
To its neighbor,

A place that we will always remember,

We visit
Because we cannot stay,
Putting our trust in tomorrow
And future days…

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

Christmas 2015

Photography by Rtk

Christmas 2015

I will write for the lonely
Because I am one of them,
Sharing my thoughts with the wind and the stars
And no one else
Until the end,

I died a little on that bridge,
Recalling those words:
“They’re sending me to Vietnam; it’s this whole ‘nuther country”
I know it’s just a movie, (Forrest Gump, 1994)
But I could not help but think about
All the young men that went to war
With no one in their hearts,
Maybe that thought may have kept them
Alive just one more day,

I left the window blinds open
So she could see the Christmas tree
On her way home,
For God or for country,
For the blessed
Or just for the
Lonely,

I will write…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

Footprints

Photography by Rtk

Footprints

The footprints in the fallen snow
Follow me where ever I go,

Footprints found Balance Rock and Picnic Point
Grand Dads Bluff and Egg Harbor,
Swamps and forests, cliffs and railroad tracks
Trails and country roads,
A waterfall
Or two,

Footprints found Chicago and St Paul
St Louis and Miller Park,
Crosswalks, sidewalks, intersections and traffic lights
The Capitol
A time
Or two,

Footprints found the mountains and the beach
As the tide came in I watched them disappear,
Sunrises and sunsets as the days
Turned into years,

If you want to know what I know
Just follow my footprints in the snow…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk

Afternoon Delight

Photography by Rtk

Afternoon Delight

A life without sky
Would not be worth
Living,
As a day without sunshine
Is only an endless
Night,
Dreams may be born on pillows
But they grow while
Looking to the
Sky…

Rtk

Photography by Rtk