sometimes when i’m bored,
there’s a girl who makes me think
i wouldn’t be anymore
if only i extended
the slightest of gestures.

i could ask her name,
her favorite color, or something
- anything to break the ice;
but i’m married to the habit
of wanting, not getting.

doesn’t matter how accessible
her smile may seem, or her heart may be;
i always find a way to settle
for far, far less
- and yet so much more -
than i could ever get.

(brought to you by the words bored, habit and settle)

This was me a loooong time ago (circa 1979-80), back when the future stretched out in front of me and I couldn’t wait to get there.

I was standing atop the doghouse, wearing my favorite shorts (“favorite” being shorthand for any article of clothing I insisted on wearing every single day, without regard to situational protocol or the item’s state of cleanliness). They were red, though you can’t tell from the photo, and they were emblazoned with the number 32 on the left leg.

I’m not sure why the picture’s in black and white – I remember it in full color, just like it was yesterday.

If only.

what makes you happy
is rarely the same as what
makes them think you are.

photo: Tracy O

meaning: defender,
or one who watches over
- fits just like a glove.

on the verge of it,
is the urge for it only
muscle memory?