This Years Model

Things are falling apart

bit by bit

on this life driving machine 

called ‘me',

so in the name of full disclosure 

to anyone that may consider 

taking it for a spin around the block,

there are a few things that require mention:

the headlights don't work well on anything far away or too close

which means everything must land 

in some great middle-ground of focus

that begins about a foot past your outstretched arm,

the top still provides cover

but is a thin shadow of its former self,

there have been reoccurring problems 

with the belt just below the ever-expanding spare tire,

and there seems to be concern in some circles

about the fuel we've been using

every day at 5:00p.m.

that may have invalidated the warranty,

however, 

we can still cruise for fairly long distances at night

without too many pit stops,

there have been relatively few complaints

from any of the joy riding passengers,

the on-board sound system

warbles a good tune when needed,

the horn still produces loud blasts of nonsense 

that smart folks seem to ignore completely,

and most importantly

the engine seems to be beating so smoothly 

the mechanic sees no reason why we should not expect 

plenty more years of good driving.

When I think back 

on some of the roads and grand adventures 

we've be been on, it's really a wonder 

this thing is still running at all,

yet even as the mileage continues to roll over,

a bit of nip and tuck of the sagging upholstery

or a monthly smidgen of touch-up paint to take out the fade

seems out of the question.

We've recently added this years model 

with all new shiny parts and that wonderfully distinctive new model smell

to our family stable of life vehicles 

and that baby is a real beauty,

and it made me realize just how far I've driven 

this old jalopy of me and how I need to keep it in better condition 

so I can be around to teach our new little one how to avoid 

those nasty pot holes and roadblocks that can throw you out of alignment,

and when I’ve been retired to my spot in the garage

I hope she’ll consider trotting me out 

for an occasional Sunday ride 

so I can tell her of the glory days

when I was this year’s model.

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   February 2014

When Stars Go Out

When stars go out

that long burned bright

we celebrate

their passing light

as memory fades

in black and white

remembrance of their shine

frozen in time,

we read their story

in passages bound

with sentiment

as elegies sound

in silent mourn

when hearts bow down

for the star that fell to earth

now home again,

the battle done

lost demon fight

delivers oblivion 

of eternal night

with final release

from the grip of life,

forever in hearts and minds

love left behind.

in appreciation of Phillip Seymour Hoffman 

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   February 2014

Crows and the Blue Star Cowboys

My direction,
concrete north towards Capital City
then due west
on the old Kings Highway,

my wheels joining a rhythmic symphony
on the long causeway
that stretches for miles
over once fertile wetlands,

then down road 32
past billboards for Jesus
and the old roadside fruit stand
empty for years,

where crows and the blue star cowboys
left orchards of nut trees and black oak
picked clean, bare trees now in winter
evergreen no more,

towards golden hills
that watch grand white clouds
with grey bellies swollen with rain
on their way to somewhere else,

to the end of West Texas street near Cherry Glen road
and an adobe brown house with a broken screen door
in a place they used to call
Prospect.

Every truck stop
from Dixon to Travis,
every road
from Davis to Woodland,

I'm committing it all
to memory
on the road
between me and you.


Ken Owen  Van Niddy Press   February 2014