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

Finding the light

  I

Routine, not rote, is rooted in our pattern of life and when the pattern of light

is changed, interrupted, anything can happen when finding the light

Amazed by how the youth are so eager to share their favorites, their delight

On your phone call not understanding the call may not be a screen finding the light

Plastic whistles, given to the old & retired folks, they have the time to watch alright 

And wait, and react, blowing the whistle when ICE vehicles are spotted finding the light

Folks wondering, how low can he go, don’t they remember the limbo dance right?

“Do the limbo rock, how low can you go” he plays no game, a dangerous trend finding the light

Transparency, a funny word for what one wants to see but can’t usually it's so bright

train of thought goes its way, observation of events leads to connect the dots finding the light

Poetry can break the guardrails built into an Artificial intelligence, no copyright

like chatGPT. Yes, poetry. I love that, yet concerned about finding the light

  II

How about using old fishing nets to create a safe zone against drones that stage fright

Apparently a new thing happening in Ukraine to make passageways finding the light 

A new nonprofit foundation created to fund efforts to encourage stoplight

time away from screens, walk a labyrinth, non-tech solution for finding the light 

Local performing company revises a classic tale incorporating pop songs, playwright

updates the storyline, mention of 6, 7 creates unexpected excitement finding the light

What is it that generates the viral win, right place, right time, or some floodlight

Has someone ever discovered the repeatable secret to finding the light 

In the cross of two shadows, there lies a darker diamond, as in the depths of chromite

there penetrates a force more constant than the moon finding the light 

“Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window” Let the sunlight

illuminate the words that you cannot find to help you finding the light 

So Sherlock, that painting’s not real, in a world with AI, it is harder to be right

Know what's real, or what’s Memorex, so revert to basic humanity, listen for the whistle, find the light

Quote from the lyrics to "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI

Variations on back it up

  I

When you get to a place and can’t go forward, back it up

When you get to a point with poor choices, back it up

If the choices were only the easy way or not the

Road less traveled, back it up

If the choices were the only same old

“But we’ve done it that way”, back it up

If the choices were not fully explained

Or fully thought out, back it up

If the choices were only between a rock

And a harder place, back it up

That is if the prior choices put you in a place

Where you could back it up

  II

If the choices were between the lesser of multiple evils,

Accept the challenge, suck it up

If the learning is hard and bruising,

Absorb the lesson, suck it up

If the trials are either long or short

Take in all of the lesson, suck it up

If the road is curvy, lots of switchbacks

Guess what, slow down, suck it up

If you leave something behind

Forget about it, suck it up

If the page lies blank, face it squarely

Trust the words will come, suck it up

So Sherlock, this doesn’t sound like advice on 

aging boldfully, where did "suck it up" come from

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/

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”

Answer is 42

  I

Deep Thought took 7.5 million years to calculate the answer is 42

We said “I do” in 1982, and this year 2024, gets us to the anniversary is 42

Frustrating to see things develop, where the outcome 

should be good, and yet turns bad, don't folks know the answer is 42

Garden harvest has been good for my greens, cherry tomatoes, 

less so for the garlic, despite planting when the answer is 42

Voracious reader, turning pages among various book types, 

trying to escape from a world where the answer is 42

Weather varies in summer, not a surprise, much appreciated 

when the humidity is way down, closer to the answer is 42

Walking streak not as good as my reading streak, also need 

to work on the strength exercises, get back to where I was at 42

  II

Choosing your partner, do you throw caution to the winds, or 

calculate the pros & cons, going when the answer is 42

The bent brown leaf scuttles across the roadway, scratching 

the surface, almost crablike, looking for the answer is 42

He looked for other college presidents to join in writing letters 

to students, sharing advice on whether the answer is 42

Translation matters when working with a derivation of the 

original, or working within the language, where the answer is 42

Household chores have long been divided to share the work, 

and specializations that come naturally, when the answer is 42

“Take the cotton of the mind’s doom-ridden chatter out of your 

ears, hear the booming voice of the heavens” the answer is 42

So Sherlock, listen to “the roar of fate, the ruckus the muse 

makes” when you finally realize the answer is not 42

Credit for the quote to Haleh Liza Gafori’s translation of Rumi in her book “Gold”

For DS

Send me on my way

  I

Wooden ladder leans to the house, accessing short roof ledge, 

hawking Romeo to visit Juliet, send me on my way

All 3 cars backed in the driveway, no hurry to get home, 

time blocking ready to leave, send me on my way 

Strolling along the shady side, cooler by 10 to 20 degrees, 

tomahawking the temp, send me on my way

Text on the page just sits, spoken words fill the air we breathe, 

squawking the life we live, send me on my way

The tail of the letter q apparently evolved from the tail of a monkey, 

rollocking play with questions, send me on my way 

What is better, an answer, or a discussion leading to a better question?

sweet talking much more discussion, send me on my way

  II

Doing anything the proper way is best, I go fishing for words, bushwhacking impatient dictionaries, send me on my way

Tiger lillies welcome drivers to Weikert, lining the curving roads, flocking along Buffalo Valley, send me on my way

Life’s issues play in a rainbow of color, the key is managing the gray, peacocking between spaces, send me on my way

My hands were wet when I was at the source of the Nile. Dry now, rocking the source within me, send me on my way

Blue hydrangeas didn't bloom last year, frost caught them just as they were about to, gawking this year's splendor, send me on my way

Sunlight dances on Penn’s Creek, lengthens the glistening flow, cyberstalking the deep, send me on my way

So Sherlock, go make space for the silence to be broken,

knocking down doors, opening windows, send me on my way 

In response to Rusted Roots’ “Send me on my way”   https://youtu.be/IGMabBGydC0 and multiple contemporary events

What time is it?

  I
Katydids come out as darkness arrives, what time is it
Their da da da, back and forth, da da da, asks what time is it

The rain falls knowing nothing of the concern it causes

Because the runoff now requires payment, what time is it

A raindrop in Flint delivered as clean water costs more 

Than a raindrop delivered in most other places, what time is it

The grasses rise, reach for the sun, bend with the breeze

Until they're trimmed or not, do they ask what time is it

Late May frost caught blue hydrangeas buds, most failed

To bloom, now in August, we get a few, and ask what time is it

Tree branches reach up, and over, along the trail, making a canopy in search of the sun, so we ask what time is it

  II

There is a cycle to life, most things within it, and around us

A question we tend is miss is when, what time is it

There are best times of day for creative work and also

Respectfully, for required grunt work, what time is it

There are best times to start new patterns, new habits

New challenges, to succeed not fail, what time is it

There are best times to make big decisions, times to avoid

That dental visit, times to take a napaccino, what time is it

There are best times to start school for middle and high schoolers,

too bad 80% of districts don't do that, what time is it

Coming off the pandemic, with uncertainty, and tight budgets

Wouldn't it makes sense to adjust the start time, what time is it

Katydids, larks, and owls seem to know about cycles

They don't need technology to live, what time is it

Written in response while reading https://www.danpink.com/books/when/

Updated Labor Day weekend when I realized it was the sound of katydids, not tree frogs, that I was referring to.  https://youtu.be/TjM9tZE_bDg