You Again

It’s getting so

That I can barely finish

Reading a love poem

Or any poem for that matter

Without your day dream image 

Appearing unannounced and

Knocking my concentration 

Completely of track

And I find myself 

Having to read the same lines 

Over and over...

And I find myself

Having to read the same lines 

Over and over....

I’m sorry,

what was I saying? 

Ken Owen   
January 2018   Van Niddy Press 

It Is Our Time To Dance

(Es Nuestro Tiempo Para Bailar)

And so it is

in these days of rushing 

everywhere for everything 

in the name of 

getting somewhere and 

making sure things get done

No one is dancing

while everyone is frantically 

trying to get ready

for their song to end

No one is dancing

in this majestic ballroom

on this grand stage to a song 

that can be played only once

No one is dancing

when there should be

crazy tangos under the blistering sun

and steamy boleros under a pale blue moon

No one is dancing 

only slow death marches

towards a fate you were sold

because you believed them

But my love

I have seen you

from across the dance floor

where one look into your eyes

gave time 

its true measure

It is our time to dance.

Ken Owen   
Van Niddy Press   January 2018

A Dream I Had

I just remembered

a dream I had.

I was at a party

sitting at a table

but everyone else was standing

looking down at me with

disdain and contempt 

and it felt like

I had just said something 

that everyone in the room

disagreed with

but here’s the thing:

I remember very distinctly 

that I felt calm

with absolutely no need 

to explain myself further.

That’s when I knew

I was dreaming.

Ken Owen   
Van Niddy Press   December 2017

Evil

       You should be more selective 

with your use of the word

Evil

   otherwise you will have nothing 

 to call it when the real stuff 

comes around 

as you look back at 

 these moments of your rage and realize 

the insignificance of their cause.

We need to be sure 

of what we are looking at because 

Anger unchecked becomes Hate

 and bringing more Hate into the world 

will never be a way 

to defeat anything.

Ken Owen  Van Niddy Press   

November 2017

And Death Said . . .

I gave thanks for my day 

and Death said 

“You are most welcome.”

I asked, “See you tomorrow?” 

and Death said 

“We’ll see.”

I cried, “I fear the future!”

And Death said

“Worry not,

we do 

exactly as planned

without knowing.”

Ken Owen 

Van Niddy Press,  November 2017

There Goes The Neighborhood

While everyone is complaining

About Millennials ripping the heart

Out of their neighborhood

There are a few things

You should remember:

The Colonial English said that

When The Irish, Germans, and Italian came in

And The Irish, Germans, and Italian said that

When The Africans came in

And The Africans said that

When The Asians came in

And The Asians said that

When The Great Generation came in

And the Great Generation said that

When The Beats came in

And The Beats said that

When The Hippies came in

And The Hippies said that

When The Cops came in

And The Cops said that

When The Drug Lords came in

And The Drug Lords said that

When Generation X came in

And now everyone is telling The Millennials,

Who did what we told them to do

To be successful and productive,

“Get out of my neighborhood

You self-entitled over-paid shit,

You’re destroying my Sanctuary City!”

It’s called Change: the universal constant

that has come to every village on the planet

since we crawled out of our cave and said 

“I was here first!”

Guess what; 

you weren’t.

Of course

you could always move 

to another neighborhood

but. . .what would people say?

Ken Owen   
Van Niddy Press   November 2017

Haiku: Fall 2017

Ukiah Haiku:

      majestic beauty demands

our quiet worship

~~

Encouraging grass

      to grow stronger does not work

by shouting at weeds.

~~

30 miles from the ocean

     the fog still finds me;

memories damp and cold.

~~

  dreams

     as poems

forever                       floating

~~

The List

#3) make a poem

      using the word ‘imperial’.

check.

~~

Fall moon rises 

     to appreciate 

you

~~

Hidden symphony

     in a neighborhood tree. . . 

the dog signs his review.

~~

the kitchen window . . .

     outside, Fall leaves slowly turn;

inside, restless chores.

~~

computers

     connecting the planet . . .

pictures of dinner.

~~

It took a while

     but you can't hurt me anymore. . .

please stop trying

~~

pressure

     from years of neglect . . .

three middle shirt buttons

~~

Perfectly still

     guarding the moon rise--

dragon cloud.

~~

Your startled look

     leaving my dream--

the alarm.

~~

. . . and just like that

I thought of Harry Dean Stanton.

I was drunk; it made sense.

~~

Thirty thousand feet,

     three seats, four arm rests, six arms;

“Sit back and relax!”

Las Vegas to Oakland, October 2017

~~

cleared for departure

your hug

  my carry-on 

for Kelly, October 2017

~~

The traveler surprised 

     by midnight thunder. . .

Texas sleeps.

Aubrey, Texas, October 2017

~~

 I will not be

 the cause

of your cause.

~~

     She’s almost perfect:

     toilet paper rolls

under instead of over.

~~

  a benevolent king

     in a former life,

many princesses, no queen.

Alviso, October 2017

~~

Warm vacuum tubes,

     Princeton Reverb . . .

Smells Like Teen Spirit, 1965

~~

Truth:

 one news source

  no longer enough

Ken Owen

Van Niddy Press  October 2017