The rain is covering my dreams

as I wake

out of the acrid taste

of some nonconformist dream time argument

The whispering of the rain

mimics

the muffled, under-the-breath pleading

at The Wailing Wall

as well as the eager crowd's anticipation

at Fort Worth's Tarrant County Convention Center

on 24th November 1978,

waiting for Bob Dylan to appear

When the rain suddenly stops,

the unavoidable reality of morning

lays out the facts for me

I have to shape up

and be more decent than I normally would,

stepping down the stairs

to fix my breakfast

Anna has driven over to her daughter's farm

and picked up one of the grand kids

- Alice, 8 -

for the day

She's Einstein smart,

lays out cosmological findings,

looks anyone straight in the eye

and beats Anna at chess, anytime,

a broad, glittering smile

all over her appearance

She picks up another lifetime

I remember I started listening to Elvis Presley

when I was 8:
One-Sided Love Affair / Tryin' To Get To You /

Lover Doll / You're So Square

The birds fly to and fro the feeders

outside the kitchen window,

busy feeding their hungry young

The machinery of life squeaks on

I take note

I take notes