Reflections upon a gift of conversations received from a friend called necessity*

*With apologies to John Tobias

During that autumn 

As the leaves started to 

change color and fall

Creating a carpet of crunches

While the temperature remained summer like 

But without the thunder storms to 

Roll thru and break the heat

Even if momentarily 

While the drought monitors crept higher

And higher, inducing restrictions 

On outdoor water use

During that autumn

Which definitely was 

created by the biennial election

There were multiple conversations 

And the conversations ruled

Schedules to coordinate

Times to agree upon,

Zoom info shared, then connecting

Sound check, 

background check,

Lighting check,

Find the button and we're on

How to get at the questions

Folks wanted answers to

Without being so direct,

Abrupt, or unfriendly

We created the context,

The setting, neighbors 

Meeting neighbors

Some closer than others

Some we'd met before

Some we hadn't yet

Until there, virtually, we were

Together to get their story

Their point of view 

Recorded to share

Wind down to a close, 

then editing, Cut this, 

queue this, upload that, 

Send this, wait for their response

And when the recording 

was approved, it was

Shared, some more widely than

Others, somehow that is always

The case, some candidates generated

more interest by being new

Less familiar than the

Incumbents whom folks seem

to know enough of

To not need anymore

When the recorded conversations 

Came to a close

Other conversations began

Folks following up with candidates

Candidates following up with

Each other, making the meet &

Greet circuit, making the rounds, 

To address all the questions,

Provide all the answers

On the website, the pages 

Are rich with links

To the conversations, 

Video and audio, 

Along with historical data, 

Info on what was done before

And may need to begin again

To further the conversation

And become closer neighbors

Than we were when 

the conversation started

When the biennial election is

Over, the results tallied,

Perhaps they'll be a new set

Of folks at the table

Now with the task of

Providing oversight

To our Town, our services

Which we need, some of us

more than others

And so by necessity 

This autumn the conversations 

Continue, neighbors with neighbors 

To find the solutions

That can be possible

Clap hands, or ??

  I

School days returning soon, time to get the kids attention, clap hands

A school chore once upon a time was to clean chalk erasers, clap hands

Masked agents stop vehicles, and pedestrians, on our city streets, 

a question or two can lead to bound wrists, and they are unable to clap hands

When the music performance was astounding, it moved you so,

You stood to join the rest of the gathered audience to clap hands

Congress is supposed to play a role in the balance of governmental power

Yet they aren't taking action against mostly illegal executive orders, clap hands

Task to make a fruit bowl, combining cans of pears and peaches, with fresh 

blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, & mango. Kitchen dance ends with clap hands

Occasional protests against these changes, extreme challenges to the law 

of the land, don't seem to be enough, do we need to do more than clap hands

  II

Biennial local election draws neighbors to take out nomination papers

And gather signatures, a good civic action so we applaud with clap hands

Military are supposed to defend us from foreign enemies, local police meant to

Keep local law and order; with military deployed to cities, we need more than clap hands 

Administration attacks on funded programs and services, with staggered implementation 

Dates to avoid scrutiny around doublespeak, raises the need to respond with more than clap hands

What is fair and equitable is being distorted by the almighty dollar, absolute power

Corrupts absolutely, so we need to respond with more than clap hands

Those few with billions are buying their way around, gaining access previously 

Inconceivable, what does the future hold for those without money; only clap hands?

How do we avoid the pain of a thousand cuts, do we stop at 10, or 50, or 500?

Immunity and freedom can return with civic action by more than clap hands

So Sherlock, instead of pissing into the wind, what actions do we consider

We need to do more than stand on the sidelines and clap hands

----------

Thanks to the spark provided by Beck in his performance of "Clap Hands" on Saturday Night Live (SNL) once upon a time. The SNL video of the performance can be seen here ->   https://www.instagram.com/ryansbrown/reel/DNm6hP6OrXw/

Foundku quartet: Gatsby Series #7

For a moment 

a phrase tried 

to take shape 

my mouth and 

my lips parted 

like a dumb man’s

So we beat on

boats against 

the current 

borne back 

Ceaselessly 

into the past

and his dream 

must have seemed 

so close that 

he could hardly 

fail to grasp it

“thirty,” I said. 

“I’m five years 

too old to 

lie to myself 

and call it honor.”

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

sherku: Remember

Remember:

“just because 

a place is 

always dark 

doesn’t mean 

it is empty”

With kudos to Stephen King & "The Dark Tower"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #6

It was full of money—

that was the 

inexhaustible 

charm that rose and fell

And their faces 

were touching 

except for a 

pale thin ray of 

moonlight between

suck on the pap 

of life and gulp down 

the incomparable 

milk of wonder

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #5

Promise 

that the rock 

of the world 

was founded 

securely 

on a fairy’s wing

a meaning 

in each word 

that it had never 

had before and 

would never have

Gatsby saw 

that the blocks 

of the sidewalk 

really formed 

a ladder

And mounted

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Out of Place

  I

The mulch was freshly laid a couple of weeks ago, young trees are 

already sprouting, though life will be short lived as they are out of place

Nips and discarded cans litter the road, discarded by those who wanted 

to spend some time, or more time avoiding, or trying to find a happy place

Middle schoolers get to choose one of 6 books to read this summer, 

to meet in the middle come September, and not feel out of place 

Pickups pulling trailers crammed with lawn equipment, mowers & blowers, 

They’re going to trim the growth and create the look of everything in its place 

Raised garden beds, nurturing vegetables, and greens within their wooden 

walls, carefully tended, the growth cultivated to not feel out of place

Pickleball courts are busy, follow the sounds of the racket, you’ll be able 

to understand about where the ball will land within its place

  II

“Ya know what I mean” potentially leaves the conversation just hanging 

there, until the other agrees, or clarifies, what might be out of place 

Does level service mean that what we were getting will continue,

or that paying for it, is something that for the majority, is out of place

Black shirt, black pants; subtle indication that my body is in morning, 

that the imagined world might not be able to hold us in its place

The demand for housing is growing, faster than the green that can 

be controlled, we need to face the reality that folks need to have a place

Two sided conversations rally around the topic, and many times insults fly back 

and forth, oh, please stop; we need to find a common place

Together we can do much more than any one alone, together we can create 

a world where our neighbors won't feel out of place

So Sherlock, how do we get neighbors from all sides to come 

together, to develop a solution that works for us in this, our place

As you wish

 I

I keep coming back to Wesley saying to Buttercup, “As you wish”, 

“you can't please everyone, So you got to please yourself”, “as you wish”

Some folks make claims without providing evidence, others 

Insist on diverting discussion from the main topic, “as you wish”

“How sweet the sound, I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see”, yet they proclaim errors “as you wish”

Some folks spend a few hours on a spreadsheet and come off

As ‘experts’ when they are likely far from the truth “as you wish”

“You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em”

Always remember the face of your father, “as you wish” 

Some folks claim lack of info, mismanagement, lack of transparency 

Yet hide behind ‘anonymous‘ identity shields “as you wish”

  II

“Just gotta thank my lucky stars tonight … gonna fake it 'til I make it right” 

Your “no” vote disables the 3rd ambulance, “as you wish”

“But now it's just another show, You leave 'em laughing when you go” 

And your “no” vote reduces our police force, “as you wish”

“You're so vain, You probably think this song is about you”

And your “no” vote cuts about 15 teachers, “as you wish”

“The shortest path between two points is still a crooked line”

And your “no” vote keeps bus and sports fees high, “as you wish”

"I am ... I said to no one there, and no one heard at all”

And your “no” vote jeopardizes library & senior center services, “as you wish”

“Don’t wait up – leave the light on, I’ll be home soon”

Horace needs to rise, restore some imagination to us all, “as you wish”

So Sherlock, as “a working man in your prime cleaning windows…”

How well are you getting by saying “as you wish”

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #4

drowsiness

closed down upon 

some vivid scene 

with an oblivious 

embrace

a satisfactory 

hint of the 

unreality 

of reality

he had been 

very slowly 

bending toward her 

to attain 

this proximity

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #3

And happy; 

I think I 

walked into 

a deep sleep 

as I entered 

my front door

But Daisy 

glanced up and 

held out her hand; 

Gatsby didn’t 

know me now at all.

If you want to 

kiss me any time 

during the 

evening

just let me know 

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #2

With the 100th anniversary of the publication of "The Great Gatsby" exercising the synapses with a rereading, it was originally read in school many years ago, I am finding unintentional sherku in Fitzgerald's writing.  Unintentional simply because I was not anywhere near him at that time or era, nor had the sherku idea occurred to me so I could share it, and he could write accordingly.

 

 

Reach me a rose

honey, and pour me

a last drop

into that there

crystal glass

 

the first time

in its first wild 

promise of 

all the mystery 

and the beauty

 

A universe 

of ineffable 

gaudiness 

spun itself 

out in his brain 

 

Part 1 of this series can be found ->

https://www.quietpoet.com/2025/04/foundku-trio.html

Why would anyone

  I

It is pouring cats and dogs, why would anyone

The gutter is full of overflow, why would anyone

We voted it down last year, nothing has changed,

apartments are still being built, why would anyone 

Our Federal administration is ignoring the law, challenging 

Our rights, challenging our way of life, why would anyone

This room has an air filter cranking along, legacy from 

pandemic days, lessons learned likely forgotten, why would anyone

In the moves toward a perfect union, it used to be one man,

one vote, then it became pay to play, why would anyone

Citizens united, an oxymoron if there ever was one, created

a new personage which allowed dollars to flow, why would anyone

  II

“They're eating the cats and dogs” became a campaign meme

yes, the gullible voters lapped that up, why would anyone

Sitting, writing, in the quiet of the room reserved which

less took advantage of than could, so I did, why would anyone

Women were added to the one man one vote, other rights were established

along the way as “settled law”, now turned back, why would anyone

The sense of joint actions of the people, by the people, for the

people, created our commonwealth, why would anyone

The drive of social media to capture and maintain the eyeballs

attention a diversion from reality, is concerning, why would anyone

Even in a circle of friends, surprising how few knew of this or that,

or where to go, and get this, or that, why would anyone

So Sherlock, what are you going to do now? Strive for more attention 

to what matters, or call it a day? Why would anyone

Written while waiting for someone to participate in the Favorite Poem Reading at the Franklin Library. No one did, so this was successfully completed. Thank you!

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #1

With the 100th anniversary of the publication of "The Great Gatsby" exercising the synapses with a rereading, it was originally read in school many years ago, and finding unintentional sherku in Fitzgerald's writing.  Unintentional simply because I was not anywhere near him at that time, nor had the sherku idea occurred to me so I could share it and he could write accordingly.

A baby act

in costume,

champagne served 

in glasses 

bigger than 

finger-bowls

One of those

rare smiles,

the whole world

for an instant,

at that point

it vanished

Slow-thinking 

and full of 

interior 

rules, that act 

as brakes on 

my desires

Thanks to CB for the idea to revisit Gatsby