The Verdict

In the judgment of ghosts my hope is retried Forgiven or not their will to decide To ever move on or be damned here to stay To wander my failings mistakes on display They fly through my present back into my past Not missing a nuance of slippage I’ve cast Returning my sentence their jury unhung Pronouncing the verdict — my fate zero sum ******** Memory Lingers Impropriety the soul of wit Audacity its memory lingers Incongruity the leak that drips Banality — its bee unstingered ******* God’s Nation At the country’s bicentennial I came of age A hard bitten patriot and liberty sage Two hundred years won through blood will and pain To shine in the glory God’s nation — ordained ************ The Ivory Tower Did you hear your favorite student when he spoke his truth to power Or when he challenged what you said high up the ivory tower Do you miss him now that he has gone into a world unclaimed And free of what your words did spew in pander — false proclaimed ********** Gears Enmesh You can sulk and brood with Achilles heel to sit detached in place Or live in neutral disengaged to stay outside the race But one free choice can change all that to track uncovered ground When gears enmesh to set you free and turn your world — around (The New Room: June, 2026)