A shutter and some overalls make tricks of light and shadow dance and sometimes catch the smile behind the squint. But, rarely, can the viewer spy the layers left unfolded, or to clearly know just what the smiling meant.

Busy Chester Bumblebee, Envy of the garden, Flaunts himself for all to see; Begging no one’s pardon. Mornings spent with lovely Rose, Afternoons with Daisy; Ev’nings passed in sweet repose

I’m not an economist but reflecting on the recent financial fluctuations and general state of affairs, I believe there is a vital element the experts have overlooked. Marbles.

I began to wonder, “What was I thinking?!”; then I began to think, “What was I wondering?!”; then I dozed off. When I awoke, and read the first lines a few more times, it started to develop a sort of rhythm. Indeed, it seemed a rather obscure rhythm, but it spoke to me. I chose not to listen, and am posting the results, anyway. To wit:

Passing a construction site, yesterday, I parked my car alongside the roadway and watched for about half an hour while workmen methodically dismantled a building that had served, faithfully, for years as an elementary school. My gaze tracked a crack in the old sidewalk alongside what was left of the south wall, up the front steps, toward the side door, and wandered into fuzzy memories of Bobby pulling Paula’s hair in geography class and Freda kissing Bif on the playground near the swings. Both felonies, now, but at one time regarded as almost a rite of passage.

With Apologies to Edgar Allen Poe, Warner Brothers and Mel Blanc I present: The Rooster On a wint'ry weekend morning, heeding my alarm clock's warning, And as my feet reluctantly approached the chilly bedroom floor- All at once there came a ticking, as if boogers one were flicking, Wooden boogers gently clicking, clicking at my chamber door. "Just the cats" I mumbled, "with their claws upon the hardwood door. Just the cats and nothing more."

An absurd bit of rhyming to distract anyone who feels they might be missing something vital. When asked, “If given options, What would be your fondest wish?”

A dog will catch a Frisbee, A cat will catch a mouse, A fish will catch its death, unless You leave it in the house. So run your canine through the park To fetch a flying dish;

Dear Abigail, It is difficult for me to put into words what it meant to have you, my oldest niece, and your grandmother present when your cousin’s two-year old inadvertently knighted me with the vacuum cleaner attachment. I’m striving to remain humble in the face of the daunting responsibility associated with becoming the first “Earl of Hoovers”.

Rockette lines of toasters Dance up and down the drapes; Cork, absorbent, coasters Peeling Kournikova’s grapes. Photographs of bison tails Wagging in their frames;