Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas San Diego, Ca. March 2012

Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas San Diego, Ca. March 2012
Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas at Luche Libre Taco Shop in San Diego, March 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Road Well Trampled


One trail unmistakable in a bright green wood
And happily I ambled along in the footsteps of the many
Who trod the path well worn and true
Saving me the trouble of picking my way
Through bramble and thistle or thickets or worse

The trail was clearly the most advantageous
For the view of the lake and the mountains beyond
No obstacles blocked egress or hindered progress
This trail was perfect in every way
Clearly the right choice for an enjoyable hike

There was no flora or fauna anywhere
To indicate that possibly a better experience could be had
By disturbing the untouched areas of the park
And even if something off the path should interest me
I could always return to see it some other day

I tell this with a felicific smile
Right here and now, no need to delay
One trail unmistakable in the wood and I
Walked comfortably along it
And it made for an appreciable constant




Friday, April 27, 2012

The Cube Root of Infinity

Water, water everywhere...but god forbid you should drink it from the hose...

The sea is a beauty without the need for explanation
It's just there and it's just beautiful
It doesn't wilt under cross-examination
The sea cannot be judged
There is no need for rationalization
It's powerful, awe-inspiring, and forever
It's life, it's death, it's stimulation
The sea washes the world with it's sweep
Plankton, coral, aquatic craniate or cetacean
All thrive in the shallow and the deep
Every shade of blue and green in it's coloration
Turquoise in the Med, cerulean in the Baltic
At night the moon can cast illumination
That makes the sea glow with a pale yellow green
And under the waves the darker depths defy classification
The sea can lap at the shore with a caress
The sea can crash on the shore with determination
It's the sea and it's beautiful




Thursday, April 26, 2012

Weeds In The Garden

Tom Long, Chris Bakunas (fka Long), Kathy Long & her daughter Brittany Martin

My family isn't close, not all of us 
I've read about families that faced tragedy or misfortune
Banding together, sharing their strength with one another
That's not us though, we are not of that ilk
Tragedy and misfortune pushed us apart
It really is quite a shame
We have very little in common, my brothers and sisters and I
We don't like the same music or read the same books
If pressed, I guess I could come up with a few commonalities
None of us liked growing up poor
But as a consequence, we're all fairly thrifty
Several of us have traveled extensively
I think that must be a delayed reaction
To feeling trapped in that abysmal pit of a neighborhood we got stuck in
After Dad left Mom for the second of his four wives
Or was it five? I can never seem to get that straight
His Dad, my paternal Grandfather Arthur, he had three wives
And his Dad, Great-Grandfather William, he had three as well.
My paternal Grandmother Agnes, she was the rebel, only married the once
That I know of
Grandfather's mother, Great-Grandmother Martha, she had three husbands  
Those spouse counts are all subject to revision - up
Mom's side of the family, they all stuck it out with each other
Maybe they didn't like the idea of having to break in someone new
Still, the paternal family tree looks like a kelp forest
being ripped apart by the currents
I've been married twice myself
The first time for almost 23 months
The second time, well, that was never much of a marriage
Not only did I not ever live with the woman
I never even lived in the same state with her
Yeah, that's a story right there
So, my family, we're not close, not like I think families should be
It really is quite a shame
Might be a good thing though, with all the half-siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles
Postage for Christmas cards alone would probably bankrupt me








Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Conversation Turned

Chris Bakunas & Rick Thibodeau hoist a few in 2009

She nodded her head as I spoke feigning interest in my opinion of a movie
Twisting her hair with an index finger
The shirt she wore looked like silk but I'm sure it was polyester
She told me she named her cat Schrodinger

With a sardonic grin she explained how she found him in a box and thought it was fitting
And lamented about her friends not getting the joke
I asked if those friends waxed poetic about quantum mechanics
Her blank stare told me I shouldn't have spoke


The ritual had become routine, it was such a bore
There was only so much we could possibly have to say
Tomorrow seemed so far away

She asked Joey for another drink as I stared out at the skating rink
Curious if I could still handle being on the ice
I noticed a snag in her nylons and wondered what she got them caught on
As she played with an electronic device

It had been a long day, really, an excruciatingly  long day
But I yearned more for conversation than I did for sleep
I couldn't be alone with my thoughts right then
And I didn't want to bother my friends
I didn't want to be a bother to my friends

So I retained my seat at the bar and listened to her talk about an ugly scar
A boyfriend gave her as a parting gift
And like her I nodded my head as I listened to what she said 
I stared at her lips as my mind began to drift

The ritual had become routine, it was such a bore
There was only so much we could possibly have to say
Tomorrow seemed so far away







Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Those Days, Edited*


Scott Foreman, Rob Tidmore, Mike Meyers, Chris Long (nka Bakunas), Terry (nka Tellis) Capell

Everyone had ambition
Though no-one took the time to listen
We all thought we had a million years and ten

Hair thinned and fell out
shaky confidence turned to doubt
Suddenly it became work to meet up with friends

Addictions, marriages, mortgages, disparages
Miles away lapsed into months then years apart
Somebody we all knew or possibly was a relation to
Would tell of victory's, defeats, and broken hearts

Have you heard such and such do you keep in touch
Thought you'd know about the kids, jail, divorce
Maybe you'd go fishing and would start reminiscing
Tell yourself it's time to go directly to the source

Writing a check on Thursday you remembered it's a birthday
And you can't believe it's been that long a time
You don't feel that age and then look in a mirror
To try to gauge
Whether it's the light that's causing all those lines

It would be good next vacation
To stop with the procrastination
Pay a visit to the old neighborhood

What if they lost the house to the recession
Or worse, to the ex-spouse
You wonder if they would think you understood

You heard about some hardship but regarded it as gossip
Would it have hurt to have offered assistance
Remembering them tough as leather
Riding out the worst of weather

You think you had to maintain your distance
From those windows that open upon all the 
Changes you've undergone
Wind and rain blow in and stir up the room

Like a pathetic vitriolic offer of water to a shaking alcoholic
The last thing you need is to try to exhume
A life that has passed even if it seemed 
To be gone too fast
Every train eventually reaches its final destination






*This was edited on 01/04/2014. I was never happy with the original. The original was, it was just, I don't know...cumbersome. I didn't edit much - added two words, omitted two words, and broke up the stanza structure.