
some days are more: wu wei
than woo-whee…
goin’ with the flow, instead of jumpin’ upstream
against the current
the NOW
which
again
is
more wu wei…
©Karen Robiscoe

some days are more: wu wei
than woo-whee…
goin’ with the flow, instead of jumpin’ upstream
against the current
the NOW
which
again
is
more wu wei…
©Karen Robiscoe

a coffee machine onna fritz,
I have no filter.
I espresso too much.
the said-i-meant catching
on unpapered Net
almost purposely
sometimes more
sometimes less
depending on mud,
measure,
and
humanity
humility
humidity–
that doesn’t amount to a hilla beans anyway, since these–
perks get lost
in the drop-drop-drop,
and the drip-drip-drip,
of day-to-day grind…
and though my brew is not bitter,
it’s too strong
like zee bull, strong
like zee battery-acid strong
and the body
never comes through…
arguably the bean’s finest feature
to top it off,
I whip froth.
a latte, latte froth,
and while this suits the mix,
the starred-bucks queue in over-priced cap & chinos
I’ve already pressed points
of no recycle
straining grounds.
©Karen Robiscoe

after hesitation
I paused,
losing or,
I stopped short,
far from harbor
I shipwrecked,
kindling new fire
with the only or left
–had it been or right, I’d have used it a’sea—
I divined,
and though the burn melted what
little ice floe remained,
the smoke
~singed~
~signaled~
&
~signed~-
and design I did…
stranded in time that bore no stigmatizing measure.
hearing the silence
I perceived.
a lens of truest sight.
you can say what you want
and what you believe–
out it
and shout it
and wear it on sleeve,
exhort it,
report it,
in-depth or in brief–
declare it
and swear it
from rooftop and eave,
state it
orate it
in welcome release,
feel it,
and seal it,
yet always appeal it
appending three-letter reprieve:
take a deep breath
that borders a sigh,
add the term:
“but”
to all you imply,
to wash white on words
and make them a lie,
to cast doubt on first
and play either side,
to know right, but wrong,
and thus justify
retractions, redactions
and subsequent actions,
with
“but”
interspersed
in aside….
©Karen Robiscoe

once weaponized,
it’s difficult to disarm
–still more
to be
disarming–
to speak softly…
since the olive branch
is
the big stick,
and the
white flag
is
the shroud,
(tied around that big stick)
and the dove of peace
is
the caged bird,
loosed only to mitigate
fallout–
–a freedom
contingent on war.
©Karen Robiscoe

a drama queen, she
was
in·tense…
constantly canvassing just
as camp as drama queens are, and
pitching
fits for a king
without pin, & no Joke
…er
serious-like,
and after too much shuffle
the deck she cut was
marked.
making it a safe bet that
52 card
pick-up would result…
luckily the jack
–of some trades, mostly Fish–
was in hand to
re·pair.
©Karen Robiscoe

the key to
punching ivories,
–boards, too–
is more than
black & white
(notes)
it’s grey·matter of fact, and so is
the metro
gnome…
the troll that trip-trip-trips
the feet
(pedals & power bars)
snarling the chords, &
benching some players.
©Karen R.