Category: random

(July 1996)

I can’t help but get all jacked
Up when I look back
To see what I’ve become
With things said or done.
An’ how each season
Brings on new meaning
An new reason.

Time’s an endless set of cycle
That Mother Nature won’t forget
Weather,
Dry or wet,
Rain or shine,
Where time and season
Have no boundary line.

Man can fly high above a cloud
But he still can make a cloud
In a cloudless sky.
So why do we sit an’ worry,
What is our hurry?
We live,
We die.

That’s why this old man longs
For the cattle and their song
On trail way up high
Within the open sky
Never so free have I been
In life
Like I am nearin’ death.

(May 1977)

Yellow bits of metal.
Soft
And shining.
Everyone likes it
And all want it.

Wash gold;
The vein still hidden.
Hard work.
Panning
And sluicing.

Four months,
Allowed for dredging.
Mother lode.
Troy ounce.
Twelve to the pound.

Digging.
Sore arms
And tired back.
A shovel
And a pick-ax.

Still nothing.
Still dredging
And digging.
The pains
And the sorrow.

All for what?
A few flakes of gold.
Keep trying.
Don’t give up.
Mother lode to find.

(August 1976)

Damp morning air,
It fills my nostrils.
Running water,
It fills my hearing.
And she fills my mind.

We are together,
In nature.
The boat is launched.
Moving,
With grace.

The wind;
Cold and wet.
Yet refreshing.
We huddle
beneath our yellow blanket.

Keeping warm.
Foggy morning mist.
The hills;
Rocky banks,
Running into the river.

Trees.
Birds.
And fishermen.
The next bend
And the clouds break.

Sunshine.
Warmth.
We remove our blanket
As well as our coats.
A lovely day.

No clouds.
The river is peaceful.
A gentle lull.
The water rushing passed
And the steady hum of engine.

A cormorant.
Ospreys.
And gulls.
A blue egret.
The Kingfisher.

My arm around her.
She smiles gently.
The sun on her face.
Black hair
And delicate dimple.

The boat docks.
Sand under foot.
Bags in hand;
Lunch
On the veranda.

Seventy-degrees,
Only in the shade.
Hot.
But who cares.
Not us.

We skip flat stones;
Hopping across the river.
She splashes me.
I threaten to dunk her,
But I don’t.

Again to the boat.
Time to leave.
Reminiscing.
Laughter
And happiness.

The return is quicker.
She’s tired.
I’m tired.
My arm around her.
Her head on my shoulder.

Under the Klamath Bridge.
Our Golden Gate
With big boats beneath it.
The journey is ending.
Home once again.

There’s a nostalgic memory.
Of her and I.
A cruise.
A romantic day
And ourselves.

(August 1976)

Wetness.
The waves.
Sand between your toes.
Salty air
And sea water.

Pebbles on the shore
And an occasional shell.
The soft breeze,
With mist
And the roar.

People.
Smiling faces
And sunburns.
And beach balls
And running children.

A seagull.
The otters,
Looking for shellfish.
Playing in the waves
And tidal pools.

Sunlight.
The driftwood;
Lying still on the sand.
A scurrying crab,
Dashing along sideways.

Seaweed
And periwinkles.
Blue.
Green.
Living.

(July 1976)

The parade.
Decorated cars.
Fire trucks.
Clowns.
The Crowd.

Cheering
And the laughter.
The fire cracker
A smoke bomb.
The children.

Flags
And soldiers.
Games to play.
The booths.
A logging show.

Fireworks.
Red.
White.
Blue.
And other colors too.

Like a clap of thunder;
The sound of rockets,
In flight.
O can you see
By the dawns early light.

A nation.
Newly formed.
A struggle to survive.
And the flag,
Still flying.

(July 1975)

Crane the neck.
Look up.
Over the fence.
The eye’s see,
As the nose pops over the edge.

Look there!
Someone comes.
A trailer Dweller.
The neighbor walking the dog.
The dog does its thing.

Laughter.
Nosiness.
Jus’ gawking.
Seeing nothing important.
Feeling dumb.

Again the neck cranes.
Look up;
Look over the fence.
It’s a couple of girls.
Nothing important?!

But the walk off.
Never noticing.
Passing by.
Jus’ visiting.
Oh well…

While at work it has occurred to me that I am lacking in leadership skills. With that in mind decided to sit down with my bible and start compiling a guide of what makes a great leader.

1. “…If anyone wants to be first , he must be last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Learn to serve to become a great leader. One . key element to any successful leader, whether it is a person of the church, a company or a household, is that they must learn how to serve the people they work with. Many times a CEO will look at his or her position as the head of the company, they cannot see themselves as the main service provider for their employee. Serve with humility .

2. “Simply, let your ‘Yes ‘be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’  ‘No ‘…” (Matthew 5:37) ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is a complete sentence and requires no explanation. It is a natural to justify why a decision has been made, yet it is completely unneeded. If you say ‘No’ and keep moving them or return to your work if you are stuck behind a desk, then the answer is sufficient.  Parents with children take note: You are the parent and your word is law, period you say ‘No’ and keep moving them or return to your work if you are stuck behind a desk, then the answer is sufficient.

3. “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he nuts it on the stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” (Luke 11:33) Be the light that shines. When you come to work and you have a spring in your step and you’ are whistling a happy tune and you are doing the same when you leave, it is infectious. Pretty soon everyone wants some of the same.

4. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) Be aware of individuals, companies and corporations that place profit ahead of people or principles. It has been said time and again, ‘The customer is always right. ‘ Outwardly this may appear to be good customer service, however customer service is both internal and external. Employees are the internal customers that a strong personal leader serves. In the long run though, the ‘Customer is always right’ theory fails because it considers only the profit margin, the bottom-line, and the greed factor.

5. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Matthew 18:15) Conflict resolution is an overlooked communication process that can provide both individuals and companies with employees that trust one another. Yet it is often avoided because is appears to too difficult a process to develop and follow through on.

6. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)Whisper if you wish to make a point. Time and a again, co-workers, husbands and wives, friends find themselves angry over something and before he or she realize it, that anger has turned into words that cannot be taken back. A smile and good manners will help over come the possibility of a real disagreement.

7. “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.” (Proverbs 11:1) Setting aside the rules for one person or a group of people is not only unfair but it is deceitful. Some corporate owners or company managers expect better customer service for their ‘preferred ‘ client list. This is the same a stealing from one person to prosper another person . In home life, Little Johnny gets a dollar bill for doing his home work and Little Janie gets nothing for doing the same homework assignment, teaches a child that it is okay to cheat your neighbor.

8. “…That all of them may be one…” (John 17:21) Teamwork. It is essential to the function of all workplace activity. Owners, managers, supervisors and labors should be shoulder-to-shoulder and elbow-to-elbow working to complete the task at hand. It is demoralizing to see one of the essential elements listed above standing around the work environment with his or her hands idle.

9. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38)  Creating a work force is a challenge. Search for people who are like­ minded but with varying talents. Do not be afraid to hire someone who has better credentials than you. Talk with your co-workers and search out their likes and dislikes, looking for the weaknesses and their strengths. Look to assist him or her using your talents. The same came be applied at home. Trade off if a husband hates to mow the lawn but doesn’t ‘t mind cleaning the house.

10. “Warn a divisive person once, and then you warn him a second time . After that, have nothing to do with him.” (Titus 3:10) First you ask the employee to change his or her behavior, next you tell the employee to change the behavior. If they still don’t change it, discharge them from your employment. With each step you must inform the employee what the next step of action and. final outcome will be. It is that simple. In the family setting, the actions are the same. Make certain that the discipline is greater than the offense.

Again, this is by no means a definitive list. Leadership by nature is as personal a choice as what kind of ice cream you might like after dinner.

(April 1996)

Poor Billy Baggens —
He saw many men a-hangin’
But the one that was the worst,
Was the one that he came to curse,
When it was his own heels draggin’.

(February 1975)

The rocky road.
Brown with oil,
Caused by the trucks.
Passing trucks,
Rolling onward.

Into the yards.
All flat;
The logs stacked up
On the cold deck.
Waiting to be barked.

The fork loader comes.
Menacing jaws
And fanged teeth.
Looking very hungry
The logs are its food.

It attacks.
Biting the first log.
Then the next.
The last one.
A full stomach.

It leaves’ Truck now barren.
The load is gone.
Put up the trailer;
Time to go home.

(February 1975)

The spider stops;
Sensing another being.
It raises its legs.
Move onward.
Changing directions.

It stops again.
Still.
Resting upon its web.
Forward.
Swiftly crawling.

The black fly.
Reckless.
Buzzing wildly.
Into the sticky net.
Trapped.

Down drops the spider.
Dangling.
Viewing its quarry.
Moving gracefully.
Void of hurry.

The attack.
The Panic.
The thrashing.
Struggling to the end.
Finish.

Death.
And victory.
Hunger satisfied.
The spider pauses,
Then moves on.