God went down to the earth
Just to have a look
Hadn't been since Jesus' birth
Been writing his new book

Said to himself; “It's been awhile”
Thought about what to wear
“I wonder what's now in style?”
Brushed his teeth and combed his hair

Yes, there was his deep, blue sky
His trees of green and brown
But wait; What's this in his eye?
Smog I think; He frowns

Too many years now in the past,
awakening to a feast's fragrance
and the sound of kin folk gathering
as final leaves desert the trees.

The battle fought 'most every year
to keep "pluckers" from an early sampling
of turkey or some favorite dish
with resultant hand slaps and laughter.

At last a gathering around
the adult as well as children's table
while Grandpa offered up our thanks
in that still remembered deep bass voice.

After months of brain-wash
he headed
-as a mouse-
towards a kindergarten's
playground.

His steps margined
the hooded dark thoughts,

then no ocean
ever cleansed
the sinful hands.

By a lake,
one day in April,
I sat toasting marshmallows
as field mice turned
discarded fedoras
into a park
of imagined possibilities
existing,
entirely,
without my daydreams.

At three score and three I saw the truth
in a blaze of stern reality.
We all burned time in wasted youth
and I hardly dare to exclude me.

In small years how could we see,
though we'd been warned by older folk,
that in the future we would be
the butt of time's cruel ancient joke?

Mortality? A rumor so we thought
body nor limb would betray us.
We're too swift ever to become caught
by that black clad pursuing cuss.