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