In Passing

broken flower

battered by destiny,

lie still now 

in beauty and sadness

and dream

of gentle spring rains.

inspired by a biography of Gene Tierney

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

Paper and Ink

everyone wants to die 

peacefully in bed

at the ripe old age of 95,

except, of course,

the person lying peacefully in bed

at the ripe old age of 94,

but I will not argue that decision

with the great source of Universal kismet

that aligns such events,

and I’ll ask 

but one thing

of those I leave behind,

bury me with paper and ink,

my spirit free from encumbrance

of the mortal shell in darkened tomb,

so I may offer the views 

from atop rainbows and clouds

and the other side of sunsets,

and let not the end of earthly walks

cease my attempts

at the indescribable.

inspired by a letter by Giacomo Puccini, 1920

dedicated to Pete Seger

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

Just A Thought

When you drive home 

from work each night

on that long and winding road

into a cloudless sunset

as the sky turns red,

that's the time

I drive to work each night

on that long and narrow bridge

into the heart of The City

as the skyline glimmers like stars.

We're pretty lucky, 

don't you think?

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

Twins

Soon

there will be a picture of you

holding two new babies,

one gently cradled in each arm,

your eyes glistening

wet from tears of joy 

as you marvel in their perfection

with a smile powered by a heart 

filled with love and gratitude 

for the wonder of new life.

And when I see that picture,

I'll smile too.

for alicia and tristan and their families, January 19, 2014

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

A Rainy Day

In early morning surprise 

as sidewalks puddled

and drinking lawns gave thanks,

I thought, perhaps 

one of the reasons

we have droughts

is to remind us to appreciate

how beautiful 

a rainy day can be.

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

The Great Race

I had to laugh the other day

when driving down 

a windy mountain road,

I saw an expensive sports car

stuck in traffic

behind an electric hybrid

only slightly bigger than a bread box

(though I don't recall 

ever seeing a real bread box),

probably being driven 

by a tourist with his wife holding a map

(though I don't remember 

the last time I saw a paper map),

or perhaps a middle-aged hippie 

trying to reduce their carbon footprint

(though I've never seen 

a carbon footprint, big or small).

We've sent men 

from the earth to the moon

in a great race to leave 

real footprints in the sand 

of a galactic dessert,

we've developed great machines

and sent them into space

so we can instantly send

pictures of the new baby

from New York to Hong Kong,

but in this age 

of technological wonderment,

it just goes to show

we are still only as fast

as the slowest guy

on your way down the mountain.

Ken Owen  Van Niddy Press  January 2014

As You Know

This morning started 

like any other morning,

coffee and email,

the dog staring and wondering

why we wait for the sun

to get higher in the morning sky 

before we walk 

now that it's winter,

but then

in a surprising turn of events,

I made the perfect omelette

and you weren't there to see it.

It was a thing of culinary beauty

and as you know,

something I've been trying 

to perfect for a while,

well, this morning

perfection showed up 

when I had no reason to expect it,

perhaps I had reached 

the 10,000 hours

they say you must do

before you can be really good at something...

...only tomorrow's omelette will tell

and as you know,

you won't be there 

to see that one either.

I still try to practice my gratitude

for the daily gifts we receive,

so tonight's celebration -

where I raise a glass

to the accomplishments of the day,

will be dedicated to this morning

when perfection came,

unexpected,

and as you know,

you won't be there

to toast with me 

and share the triumphs of our day,

but I'll be grateful 

for the memory of you

I'll have forever

in all the simple things I do.

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014

The List

Before she left on her trip,

the dog and I 

received a very detailed 

list of chores 

that she should find completed

upon her return.

After placing her bags

in the trunk of the car,

we gave heartfelt good-byes 

as she drove off 
to her next great adventure.

Try as we might,
the list produced
no such sense of urgency 

in either the dog or myself.

We looked at the list,

we looked at each other,

and the unspoken decision

on our plan of action

was immediate and unanimous:

Nap Time.

We accomplished this task
that had been mysteriously
left off the list 

without encumbrance or delay

as we left our chores

for another day and rested

with dreams of our
next great adventure.

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   January 2014