Category Archives: Vanity



The Human Condition

I’ve never quite understood what “soul” means.
There, tumultuous, underneath the skin,
Empathy and ego ebb, flow, careen
Through consciousness like unleashed yang and yin.
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Posted in Family, Pain, Vanity, Wisdom

Deft

A friendly editor who reads my verse
E-mailed: “your poems have struck a chord in me.”
Unsure, I wondered, was this praise or curse;
A B-flat minor chord, was that the key?
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Posted in Inspiration, Poetry (What is it?), Vanity

The Music Of Critical Response

Well known unwritten protocols insist
On generosity, however mild.
One never growls “Dear friend, please, please desist!
Your hapless, somber verse leaves art defiled.”
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Posted in Poetry (What is it?), Vanity, Words

Memorial Day At Venice Beach

Each year
The body-builders come
To Muscle Beach
Vying for attention,
Admiration.
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Posted in Beauty, Local Color, Vanity

Sheen

Light, in all its varied forms, creates sheen—
Sometimes welcome, as when it seduces
A diner’s eye as she contemplates, keen
To taste, the surface of her chocolate mousse.
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Posted in Beauty, Lust, Vanity

Parallel Universes

I went down to the courts to find Lorie
Because an error marred his tax returns.
Stressed and embarrassed, profoundly sorry,
I fixed my mistake but suffered concern.
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Posted in Taxes, Vanity