Dave Borland

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Copper Penny by the River

It lies
        Silently, as clouds pass by a full born moon,
        as if covering up the rusty hands upon her breast
        that have flaunted feminity for thousands of years
Yet, of course, the man was obscure, in yellow pain.
 
Why does the sun ignore his sister in such violent pain?
        Not because rain is due but only from the storms lying along
        the African coast predicting havoc along its way.
        Alas, it shines from moonbeams escaping the gaping grasp
A penny by the sea is worth what, these desperate days?​
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Sameness

Same things
Same people
Same corner
Same person
What shame!
Re-do same 
Where growth?
I, repeat again.

Black and White

Black eye……..white eye
                                   of the black service dog.
Lying patiently, paws crossed.
                                   panting in the heat.
The ancient, grizzled, wrinkled old, once, white man,
                                   sits silenty on the bench.
Suddenly a ricocheting subway car comes along,
                                   they’re up, bound together. 
Trudging along in tandem to the opening door,
                                   shuffling with tails wagging.

​Dave Borland profile

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Picture in a Box

I’ll be a picture in a box
         Under an old, discovered bible in a drawer in disarray.
                   Faded in gray and darkened white.
A smile, today, as I think of that time to come
         When a curious grandchild explores grandpaw’s “things,"
                   Days after I’ve have gone astray or wherever.

Entanglements

Sweep the floor
                          Oh, that’s an 
                          Easy one
        Oh, yeah!
Until the cord
        Finds the corner of the expensive
               Gold bronze coffee
                                                    table
A yank, no good
        Be extraordinarily careful
               Until you stumble over the clothes basket you 
        Left in the middle of the hallway
Before tripping over the most expensive 
                  Flower pot holding the rare Eucalyptus 
        As you drop the phone
Before, you ask why has she called again, she goes on
        To remind you to be careful of her things and to take out the turkey
        From the freezer which you dutifully had done earlier 
As you look over to see water melting and running into the top drawer
               On to her store coupons she saves so dutifully
What can you do now to thusly save your marriage from these 
                                    Entanglements you constantly create yourself.
                                    Just me being me, oh yeah!

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