LIKE LIFE (updated)

the smell of a hot summer day reminds me of playgrounds and tether ball

swings and slides

of exhilaration when you jump off the swing at its apex

and the tears of the scraped knees when you landed



the sounds of laughter remind me to live in today

look forward to tomorrow

and not dwell on yesterday



the full moon rising reminds me of romance when I'm with you,

and of werewolves when I'm not



the images of wrestling remind me of Sunday mornings with my grandfather and cousins,

and bruises from drop kicks gone awry before church



the sounds of the ice cream man

still make me call for my mom and ask her for a dollar

to get some cool delicious treats that normally ended up melting

because of the brain freeze slowed down the eating

by the time the brain thaw kicked in the “sugar high frozen for mass consumption”

had already melted



the sight and smell of roses shows me that all things beautiful have another side

and that usually you can reach them if you take the time to get to know them

and than realize that even the thorns can be beautiful



the sounds of keyboard keys remind me that I need to write more frequently



the sound of music makes me want to dance

than the sight of me dancing for some reason makes everyone else laugh

and that makes me dance harder and faster

because laughter is still the most beautiful music a man can make



the sounds of thunder make my heart race

my palms sweat

my desire grow

the smell of rain

the sound of rain

the images of rain

is a lot like life

fast and fleeting

longer than some and shorter than others

there are times its scary

and times its peaceful

there are times you're happy to see it

and times when you wish

"rain rain go away"


the antiseptic smell of a hospital waiting room

the fingernail chewing moments

waiting for news

the sigh of relief

mother, father and son doing well

sister, her boyfriend, and nephew are all healthy

the overwhelming feeling of something bigger than you

more important than you

that you can say

"I was there"


the reflection of pain is mirrored in your eyes

being strong to hold back tears

and keep away the memories

to stand unyielding and immovable

not to be self-indulgent on a day that is not yours to mourn

but theirs to celebrate

and celebrate you do

whole heartedly and unselfishly


but mostly its like life.