Peter Pan, plus

I

Cuba and the missile crisis was a defining moment in American history

Unfortunately there have been so many defining moments, ain't that fine

In the western PA hallow, wolves gathered there to howl, the howling

Riled up the farmers who gathered their guns to shoot em all, ain't that fine

The Oklahoma land rush created opportunities, for some more so

Than others, the Tulsa massacre is still unsettling, ain't that fine

A boy, a pony, and a ghost, a simple story with layers, and side roads

So enriching, hard to believe how the threads wove together, ain't that fine

The mixing of races, legitimacy vs appearances, infused the young girl’s

Story set in the post Civil War South, but truth will out, ain't that fine

The “other” will be used when there is lack of knowledge, understanding

Martha's Vineyard developed a significant sign language, ain't that fine

  II

The Iran hostage story, another of those defining moments, retold thru

The life of a young middle school girl caught in the middle, ain't that fine

The injustice between what could have been, and what was, still lives

On in many ways today, all Americans suffer for this, ain't that fine

Looking back to racial tensions in Chicago of the 60's told via Sam's story

Brings another view to what's happened & happening still, ain't that fine

Middle school, a defining period of life, challenges the development of the self

And the one constant, a challenge, occurs no matter the time period, ain't that fine

Who are we, what will we do, follow one of our parents footsteps 

Or go in the opposite direction, navigating that challenge, ain't that fine

Defining our place, within a religious approach, or having made sense of the 

Frightful world, challenges us with nuances between those ends, ain't that fine

So Sherlock, now that you know what you know, would you go back

And change something, anything, or go forward; ain't that fine

Note: the first 9 line pairs each summarize a book from the Franklin Middle School reading list for 2026. Celebrating the 250th, the books tap into different time periods of our American life and defining moments. You can find the reading list - https://anunlikelystory.indiecommerce.com/fms26

Vignettes

In the parking lot, one father's arm is stretched out pointing the way, his other arm is also stretched, toddler holding on forcefully, knees bent, resisting movement in that direction, gonna be a long way home

When we see something, our eyes, optic nerves, send electrical impulses to the brain to figure out if we have seen that before, if not, it is psychedelic and requires a long way home

The lint sensor is overly sensitive, fluffy towels trigger it, it captures lint, yes, then indiscriminately shuts down, forcing creativeness to get the stuff cleared before the long way home 

Remembered to trim the garlic scapes this year, one of 2 varieties planted were curled and ready, the others haven't appeared yet, may still be preparing for the long way home

The sourdough is slumbering in the fridge, awaiting time, and opportunity enough to reenter the warmth, be feed, and then continue to grow, feeding us for the long way home

Thankful for the grains, hops, and care taken in the combination thereof for this beer, tiny bubbles streaming upwards from one spot on the bottom of the mug, last one before the long way home

The inconvenient truth

   I

Repetition of lies does not make things true
Repeating, repeating, just layers around the inconvenient truth

Creating straight lines between historic points
Imposes another reality upon the inconvenient truth

Story telling can be creative, adding nuance to
Data attempting to disarm the inconvenient truth

Trying to capture a thought as it happens
Leaves ones hands wet with the inconvenient truth

Is thought just words or are there other aspects
Perhaps harder to grasp than the inconvenient truth

Light breeze bends branches tipped with buds about
To blossom reinvigorating the inconvenient truth

  II

Galileo's lens construed science to exclude consciousness 
Which is really the most inconvenient truth

Everything has to be great or greater than
Repetition adds invisible clothes to the inconvenient truth

Reducing science to measurable metrics avoided 

Offending the Church with the inconvenient truth

Returning to the natural, biological ways
Leads science to the inconvenient truth

“Tears and fears, and feeling proud, to say
‘I love you’ right outloud” reveals the inconvenient truth

Repetition of scientific truths gives life, breath
And hope for those who know the inconvenient truth

So Sherlock, having looked at thought from both sides now
Are you reconciled with the inconvenient truth

Send me on my way

I 

If the Irish soda bread comes with caraway, buy two, one without

For you, and one with seeds, for me; once fortified, send me on my way

Juggling the email thread, should we gather or not, too many choices

That day, but others had options, that made the case to send me on my way

Trying to read while the rain pelted the house, relishing the sound 

of the heat rising thru the baseboards, the story sends me on my way

His voice is changing, not seeming to fully enunciate his words

But his blues beat is steady, ready to send me on my way

Good fitness is work, learning techniques for lifting, doing this

Or that exercise, getting me stronger to send me on my way

A subscriber wants less of the national issues, and it is not clear

Which of the issues caused the message to send me on my way

  II

March 14, or pi day, gets me to the kitchen for my annual baking 

exercise; 2 French meat pies & 2 pumpkin pies, sends me on my way

We had Shepherd Pie earlier in the week but for me, without a crust

that doesn't really count as pie, it's goodness did send me on my way

Audio, video, digital text, the information streams surround us, can

Overwhelm us, what do we pay attention to, to send me on my way

Coming to the intersection, watching the lights change, each direction has a

Turn, some use a different path to cross, then the light sends me on my way

A secret to life is keeping moving, with youth like energy, exploring

With eyes wide opening, rising each day with joy sends me on my way

Travel time is coming, an opportunity to see another area of our world

Other ways of living, anxious for the day to send me on my way 

So Sherlock what will happen with those left behind, will they realize 

there is a gap to be filled when the day comes to send me on my way

The First of Many

 I

The flakes of the first 2026 storm sugar coated the tree branches

The snow of the second storm, came by inches, the first of many

On the way to Boston to incorporate as a Town, Essex was 

changed to Franklin, after Benjamin, becoming the first of many

The kissing number of 1 dimension is 2, of two dimensions is 6

Of three dimensions is 12, the relationship is only the first of many

The Town’s letter to Benjamin requesting a bell to ring in his name

Became a gift of books to the library, lending the first of many

“All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust”

The relationship between dust and imagination is the first of many

Horace Mann voraciously read those library books to start his 

journey, creating a free public school education, the first of many

  II

In the days before social media apps took over, email and

Personal conversations were how information was passed, the first of many

James Nason developed a better coffee percolator capturing

The aroma before it escaped, obtaining a patent, the first of many

The idea to capture that aroma was born during the Civil War

Exactly how that invention came about is unknown, the first of many

Franklin did bring several dimensions together once, in 2007, to pass

The first operational override, which could have been the first of many

Alas, neither the stars, nor the sides, have come together since then

Hence with each failure, the resulting budget cuts are the first of many

Could the Mass 250, or the World Cup, or Franklin's own 250 celebration

serve as the impetus for creating civil unity worthy of the first of many

So Sherlock, be ready with note taking, reporting, recording, and sharing

To help keep the community informed on this journey, the first of many

Thoughts of it

  I

The sound of one hand clapping, 

Or a tree falling in the wood

Where no one is near to hear it

The sound of a flower opening 

Or footsteps crunching snow

Shovels scrapping ground below it

The sound of a page turning

Thoughts, images, leaping and

Hopping, racing all around it

The sound of a body wiggling

Softly stretching, or dancing

To the music as she feels it

The wolf moon rises shining

Shudder to imagine the howls

That echo when he realizes it

Art is creating and making

Something new or repurposed

There is a reason to be it

  II

The handy spatula scrapping

Along the inside of the glass jar

To get the last, and all of it

Post deluge, raindrops dripping

Through the downspout

Persistent rhythm of it

Success results from planning

Sweat as much as luck makes

What is adjacent possible for it

The single act of creating

Making anything substantial, or not,

focuses your attention on it

The sound of humanity making

A ruckus, or exchanging something

Wet and wonderful, tops all of it

Artificial stuff can be revolting

but we can return humanity

Back to be at the center of it

So Sherlock, we can't go scrolling

Trolling, lost among the detritus; 

Reach out, hands together, we'll live it

The living room

I

The balsam pine visited the corner of our living room

Bringing colorful lights and ornaments to the living room

Colorful lights helped to counter the period of darkness

As days grew shorter, casting less light into the living room

Various ornaments shared bits of memories, places visited,

Times of life, milestones, all within reach in the living room

The irony of the evergreen tree once outside in fullness of life

Cut and carried in to stand in the corner of the living room

The evergreen drank heartily for several days, then stopped

There was still water in the tree well in the living room

The pine needles once flexible became pointy hard

And started to fall covering the tree apron in the living room

  II

The annual ritual to undo the decorations, place the ornaments

Safely away until they'll be brought next year to the living room

The angel on the top of the balsam is the first one on but the last 

One off as the lights are unbound from the tree in the living room

The strings of light are coiled and returned to their containers

For storage until next year when they come to light the living room 

The balsam is removed from the stand, carried back outdoor

To await the curbside pickup, leaving empty space in the living room

Vacuum and other cleaning elements are found to clean up

The trail of the tree out the door from the living room

When the cleaning is complete, furniture can be rearranged 

To fill in the empty space where the tree visited in the living room

So Sherlock, will you ever get an artificial tree to make all this

Easier? No, there must be room for life in the living room