Cold Moon

Large and bright, silver white

to hang against a velvet night.

Gentle wisps drifting by

painted silver in night’s sky.

Degrees down, breath seen

floating ahead a cloudy sheen.

Staring star-ward the lovers swoon

overcome by December’s Cold Moon.

One here, another there

each standing in crisp new air.

The miles between melt away

as Earth turns steadily from Day.

Thoughts run deep and re-align

connections reaching to define.

Enhancing promise of touches soon

witnessed by December’s Cold Moon.

cd - 122912

Eulogy

The world turns without permission,

and we move through time’s passing experiencing transition

of life everlasting.

Along the way new life joins the dance

through birth, acquaintance, design or chance;

a correct and natural casting.

We turn together or spin apart,

changing lives and molding heart

ever new and growing.

Moving across the lines of life

we label love, joy and strife

ever innocent yet knowing.

And along the way, the rocks we cling to

are pulled or worn away as the bards will sing to

until it’s time to fly.

And we must turn and move ahead,

ever grateful for the lives they led,

feeling the pull of heart and head

as pain and suffering they finally shed.

And we stand and quietly cry

and whisper…

Good-bye.

cd - 122412

How to Change a Water Pump

How to Change a Water Pump on a 2003 Chrysler Town & Country.

• Change everything you can think to change avoiding the possibility that the water pump is what's leaking
• Give in and decide to change the water pump
• Read the Haynes manual....   a lot
• Thank the stars above you have a 6 cylinder that does not require removal of the timing chain
• Purchase water pump and gasket (app. $40)
• Put van on ramps
• Disconnect negative battery terminal
• Drain antifreeze (for about the fifth time in a month...you should be good at this by now)
• Remove plastic belt guard (for about the third time in a month...  again, you're an expert)
• Using 19 mm box wrench rotate belt tensioner counter clockwise to loosen belt
• Slip, pinning hand between wrench and lower pulley
• Swear
• Push hard, using the pain and frustration
• Remove serpentine belt from water pump, tucking it carefully out of the way without removing from other pulleys
• Release tensioner, almost pinning hand again
• Remove three 12 mm bolts holding water pump belt wheel
• Attempt to remove five 10 mm bolts securing waterpump
• Realize your handy open socket set is not sufficient for job
• Get trusty heavy duty hinged ratchet and sockets with extension
• Realize your metric sockets are in the trifold toolbox
• Search in vain for said toolbox
• Swear
• Ask wife where it is, getting the expected response
• Swear
• Call son to see if it at his house; not there...   swear again
• Ride with Daughter-in-law (who came to get wife to go shopping) to purchase metric sockets
• Get call from son on the way saying he did have the box after all; go there to get it
• Return home and continue work
• Remove five 10 mm bolts securing water pump
• Push water pump pulley wheel against water pump and attempt to pull water pump from vehicle
• Realize the leak has been going on long enough to "rust fuse" the water pump to the timing cover
• Spray the hell of it with WD-40, clean up, and eat lunch while the magical solution does its work
• Pull water pump from vehicle (yay!); realize there's not enough room between the timing cover and vehicle frame to completely remove it
• Hop on You-Tube to find everyone and their brother (except Haynes) says you need to drop the engine to get the water pump out
• Place jack under oil pan and head to back yard to get the 2 x 6 you've had for 10 years and never used so you have something between the jack and the pan
• Realize you finally cleaned up the flippin yard the previous spring and apparently threw the stinkin thing away
• Swear
• Catch wife and daughter-in-law as they leave to shop and ask them to pick up a 2 x 6
• Watch several repair videos while you wait
• Call wife to see if they went to the next state to get wood, then watch them pull into the driveway
• Place wood between jack and oil pan, raising ensemble to rest firmly and support engine
• Prepare to remove three 15 mm bolts securing right side of engine
• Realize you have 14 mm sockets and 16 mm sockets but no 15 mm sockets
• Swear
• Call wife to pick up socket before shopping (app $5)
• Get socket from wife, watch them leave...   again
• Realize the socket is for 1/2' drive ratchet and all you have are 3/8" drive ratchets
• Swear profusely
• Call wife, explain situation, claim you will walk and never drive again
• Retrieve from wife a new socket set and ratchet and a new 1/2" drive ratchet (app $25)
• Watch them leave to go shopping...    finally 
• Remove three 15 mm bolts gently lowering engine, hoping your jack is strong enough to hold it
• Remove water pump and gasket
• Clean all surfaces
• Prepare new water pump and gasket
• Realize you threw away the packet of gasket seal you had a week ago
• Swear like a sailor on leave in a blue law state on Sunday
• Go through two bags of garbage to find the packet of gasket seal because you'll be damned if you're going to call them back again to pick one up for you
• Rejoice when found, and clean up garbage spread all over the ground
• Apply gasket seal to gasket, place in groove on water pump, and install water pump on vehicle
• Finger tighten five 10 mm bolts securing water pump, becoming contortionist to get them all
• Raise engine, tighten three 15 mm bolts securing engine in place
• Tighten five 10 mm bolts
• Attach water pump pulley wheel with three 12 mm bolts
• Realize in all the movement the serpentine belt all but came off the vehicle
• Struggle for 15 minutes getting the belt on all pulleys, fighting tensioner, pinning hand again until successful
• Fill coolant system with antifreeze solution
• Connect negative terminal on battery
• Start engine and check for leaks
• Stare with wonder that there are none, and that the vehicle actually runs
• Install belt guard
• Bring van off ramps and begin clean-up just as wife and daughter-in-law return from shopping trip apparently purchasing the entire store
• Realize at some point the sun went down

2 hour job.....    taking approximately 6 hours to accomplish.....      Would have been easier to just by a new vehicle. 

Forever Scarred

I found myself falling
through my day,
while cold, senseless tragedy ended innocence.
There are no words,
no solutions,
no fixes that will erase the pains, tears, heartbreaks.
There is no reason,
no answer,
no justification for the turns taken to arrive at this place
where little ones
don wings
far too soon, and take flight from the care and love of those
left behind.
Hearts unbind.
Masses in kind reach out to one another, desperate to know
how to STOP
falling
through the day....
To carry on.

cd - 121512

Dedicated to those grieving souls, forever scarred, in Newtown, Connecticut

December Fog

Night, dark and grey,
A blanket surrounds
of mist, cool and damp,
muffling the sounds
of life's frenzy until the softness brings
the whispered tones of sweetness;
a voice at once distant and near,
electrifying synapse once alone and silent.
Another world in time and being
awaits the adventurous, the young of heart,
and beckons to dance in the mist, cool, damp blanket of night...   dark and grey.
cd - 120912

Life

I'm 4, in the back of Dad's Chevy,
Not feeling well, and voices are singing
In the stars against the black velvet drop,
and they don't stop
until the doors open and they slip inside
to start the ride
for home.
Can you hear me?  Are you there?

I'm 9, going on 10, in the back of Dad's Ford,
Heart heavy as I wave goodbye
To my boyhood friend running through the yards
trying to mend the shards
until around the corner we turn,
and the tears burn
for home.
Can you hear me?  Are you there?

I'm 14, in the back of a field,
Confusion abounding in adolescent fury
In the midst of changes I don't quite grasp
childhood's last gasp
until exhaustion steps in
and the journey I begin
for home.
Can you hear me?  Are you there?

I'm 18, in the back of the Bay with Ocean in sight
Adolescence behind me as I breath salt air
Mind spinning with thoughts I don't understand
standing in sand
until day's light fades
and I pull back the shades
of home.
Can you hear me?  Are you there?
Can we share?

cd - 120112