Roy W. Backes – Poetry

In-Word Passage – Day 110 – War. Humanity’s Favorite Pastime

War
Humanity’s Favorite Pastime


First Messenian War – 740 BC * Wars of the Chinese Spring and Autumn Period – 722 BC to 481 BC * Lelantine War – 710 BC * Sennacherib’s Campaigns Against the Near East – 701 BC * Second Messenian War – 685 BC * Persian Wars – 499 BC to 448 BC * Sicilian Wars – 480 BC to 307 BC * Wars of Warring States Period in China – 475 BC to 221 BC * First Peloponnesian War – 460 BC to 445 BC * Samian War – 440 BC * Peloponnesian War – 431 BC to 404 BC * Corinthian War – 395 BC to 387 BC * Boeotian War – 379 BC to 373 BC * Revolt of the Satraps – 372 BC to 362 BC * Wars of the Rise of Macedon – 358 BC – 336 BC * War of the Allies – 357  BC to 355 BC * Third Sacred War – 356 BC to 346 BC * First Samnite War – 343 BC to 341 BC * Second Samnite War – 327 BC to 304 BC * Third Samnite War – 298 BC to 290 BC * Wars of Alexander the Great – 334 BC to 323 BC * Lamian War – 323 BC to 322 BC * Wars of the Diadochi – 323 BC to 280 BC * Babylonian War – 311 BC to 309 BC * Seleucid-Mauryan War – 305 BC to 303 BC * Gallic Invasions of the Balkans – 281 BC to 279 BC * Pyrrhic War – 280 BC to 275 BC * First Syrian War – 274 BC to 271 BC * Second Syrian War – 260 BC to 255 BC * Third Syrian War – 245 BC * Fourth Syrian War – 219 BC to 217 BC * Fifth Syrian War – 202 BC to 200 BC * Chremonidean War – 267 BC to 261 BC * Kalinga War – 265 BC to 263 BC * First Punic War – 264 BC to 241 BC * Second Punic War – 218 BC to 202BC * Third Punic War – 149 BC to 146 BC * Parni Conquest of Parthia – 238 BC * Qin’s Wars of Unification – 230 BC to 221 BC * Cleomenean War – 229 BC to 222 BC * First Macedonian War – 215 BC to 205 BC * Second Macedonian War – 200 BC to 196 BC * Third Macedonian War – 171 BC to 168 BC * Seleucid-Parthian Wars – 209 BC to 88 BC * Cretan War – 205 BC to 201 BC * Roman-Spartan War – 195 BC * Roman-Syrian War – 191 BC to 188 BC * First Servile War – 135 BC to 132 BC * Second Servile War – 104 BC to 100 BC * Third Servile War – 73 BC to 71 BC * Han-Xiongnu War – 133 BC to 89 BC * Jugurthine War – 122 BC to 105 BC * Cimbrian War – 113 BC to 101 BC * Gojoseon-Han War – 109 BC to 108 BC * Social War – 91 BC to 88 BC * Sulla’s First Civil War – 88 BC to 87 BC * First Mithridatic War – 89 BC to 85 BC * Second Mithridatic War – 83 BC to 82 BC * Third Mithridatic War – 74 BC to 63 BC * Pompey’s Georgian Campaign – 65 BC * Sulla’s Second Civil War – 82 BC to 81 BC * Julius Caesar’s Roman Invasion of Britian – 55 BC to 54 BC * Parthian War of Marcus Licinius Crassus – 53 BC to 51 BC * Caesar’s Civil War – 49 BC to 45 BC * Post-Caesarian Civil War – 44 BC * Liberator’s Civil War – 44 BC * Sicilian Revolt – 44 BC to 36 BC * Fulvia’s Civil War – 41 BC to 40 BC * Final War of the Roman Republic – 32 BC to 30 BC * Anthony’s Parthian War – 40 BC to 33 BC * Chinese War – 34 BC to 22 BC * Roman Conquest of Britian – 43 AD to 96 AD * Roman-Parthian War – 58 AD to 63 AD * Boudica’s Uprising – 60 to 61 * First Jewish-Roman War – 66 to 73 * First Dacian War – 101 to 102 * Second Dacian War – 105 to 106 * Kitos War – 115 to 117 * Bar Kokhba Revolt – 132 to 136 * Roman-Parthian War – 161 to 166 * Marcomannic Wars – 166 to 180 * Yellow Turban Rebellion – 184 to 205 *Campaign Against Dong Zhuo – 190 to 191 * Sun Ce’s Conquests in Jiangdong – 194 to 199 * Parthian War of Caracalla – 216 * Zhuge Liang’s Southern Campaign – 225 * Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expeditions – 228 to 234 * Jiang Wei’s Northern Expeditions – 247 to 262 * Conquest of Shu by Wei – 263 * Conquest of Wu by Jin – 279 to 280 * War of the Eight Princes – 291 to 306 * Gothic War – 376 to 382 * Roman- Sassanid War – 421 to 422 * Anastasian War – 502 to 506 * Iberian War – 526 to 532 * Iwai Rebellion – 527 * Vandalic War – 533 to 534 * War Against the Moors – 534 to 537 * Gothic War – 535 to 554 * Lazic War – 541 to 562 * Roman-Persian War – 572 to 591 * First Perso-Turkic War – 588 * Goguryeo-Sui Wars – 598 to 614 * Frisian-Frankish Wars – 600 to 793 * Byzantine-Sassanid War – 602 to 628 * Transition from Sui to Tang – 613 to 628 * Second Perso-Turkic War – 619 * Third Perso-Turkic War – 627 to 629 * Emperor Taizong’s Campaign Against Eastern Tujue - 629 to 630 * Ridda Wars – 632 to 633 * Muslim Conquest of Persia – 633 to 644 * Byzantine-Arab Wars – 634 to 1180 * Emperor Taizong’s Campaign Against Tuyuhun – 634 to 635 * Emperor Taizong’s Campaign Against Tufan – 638 * Muslim Conquest of Egypt – 639 to 642 * Emperor Taizong’s Campaign Against Xiyu States – 640 to 648 * Goguryeo-Tang War – 644 to 646 * Emperor Taizong’s Campaign Against Xueyantuo – 645 to 646 * Khazar-Arab Wars – 650 to 758 * The First Fitna – 656 to 661 * Silla-Tang Wars – 670 to 676 * Jinsin War – 672 * Byzntine-Bulgarian Wars – 680 to 1355 * The Second Fitna – 680 to 692 * Umayyad Conquest of Hispania – 711 to 718 * Frankish Civil War – 715 to 718 * Siege of Constantinople – 717 to 718 * Battle of Tours – 732 * Marwan ibn Muhannad’s Invasion of Georgia – 735 to 737 * Battle of Talas – 751 * 
An Lushan Rebellion – 755 to 763 * Saxon Wars – 772 to 804 * Croatian-Bulgarian Wars – 854 to 1000 * Zanj Rebellion – 869 to 883 * Battle of Lechfeld – 955 * Rus’-Byzantine War – 941 * War of the Three Henries – 977 to 978 * First Goryeo-Khitan War – 993 * Battle of Svolder – 999 * Second Goryeo-Khitan War – 1010 to 1011 * Battle of Clontarf – 1014 * Cnut the Great’s Conquest of England – 1015 to 1016 * Third Goryeo-Khitan War – 1018 to 1019 * Toi Invasion – 1019 * Battle of Stiklestad – 1030 * Rus’-Byzantine War – 1043 * Byzantine-Selijuq Wars – 1048 to 1308 * Zenkunen War – 1051 to 1063 * War of the Three Sanchos – 1065 to 1067 * Battle of Stamford Bridge – 1066 * Norman Conquest of England – 1066 to 1088 * Gosannen War – 1083 to 1089 * First Crusade – 1096 to 1099 * Crusade of 1101 – 1101 * Second Crusade – 1145 to 1149 * Northern Crusades – 1147 to 1242 * Hōgen Rebellion – 1156 * Heiji Rebellion – 1160 * Norman Invasion of Ireland – 1169 to 1175 * Battle of Jacob’s Ford – 1179 * Genpei War – 1180 to 1185 * Uprising of Asen and Peter – 1185 to 1204 * Third Crusade – 1189 to 1192 * Fourth Crusade – 1202 to 1204 * Mongol Conquests – 1206 to 1324 * Livonian Crusade – 1208 to 1227 * Albigensian Crusade – 1209 to 1229 * Fifth Crusade – 1213 to 1221 * Battle of Bouvines – 1214 * First Barons’ War – 1215 to 1217 * Sixth Crusade – 1228 to 1229 * First Prussian Uprising – 1242 to 1249 * Seventh Crusade – 1248 to 1254 * Great Prussian Uprising – 1260 to 1274 * Berke-Hulagu War – 1262 * Scottish-Norwegian War – 1262 to 1266 * Second Barons’ War – 1264 to 1267 * Battle of Benevento – 1266 * Eighth Crusade – 1270 * Ninth Crusade – 1271 to 1272 * War of the Sicilian Vespers – 1282 to 1302 * First War of Scottish Independence – 1296 to 1328 * Battle of the Golden Spurs – 1302 * Teutonic Takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) – 1308 * Battle of Morgarten – 1315 * Irish-Bruce Wars – 1315 to 1318 * Swedish-Novgorodian Wars – 1321 to 1322 * Peasant Revolt in Flanders – 1323 to 1328 * Polish-Teutonic War – 1326 to 1332 * Genkō War – 1331 to 1333 * Second War of Scottish Independence – 1332 to 1357 * Hundred Years’ War – 1337 to 1453 * Breton War of Succession – 1341 to 1364 * Battle of Zava – 1342 * War of the Eight Saints – 1375 to 1378 * Battle of Kulikovo – 1380 * 1383-1385 Crisis – 1383 to 1385 * Tokhtamysh-Timur War – 1380s to Early 1390s * Forty Years’ War – 1385 – 1424 * Timur’s Invasions of Georgia – 1386 to 1404 * Battle of Ankara – 1402 * Fourth Chinese Domination – 1407 to 1427 * Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War – 1409 to 1411 * Ming-Kotte War – 1411 * Hunger War – 1414 * Ōei Invasion – 1419 * Hussite War – 1419 to 1434 * Siege of Constantinople – 1422 * Gollub War – 1422 * Wars in Lombardy – 1425 to 1454 * Polish-Teutonic War – 1431 to 1435 * Lithuanian Civil War – 1431 to 1435 * Battle of Torvioll – 1444 * Fall of Constantinople – 1453 *Thirteen Years’ War – 1454 to 1466 * Wars of the Roses – 1455 to 1485 * Siege of Belgrade – 1456 * The Night Attack – 1462 * Ōnin War – 1467 to 1477 * War of the Priests – 1467 to 1479 * Dano-Swedish War – 1470 to 1471 * Vietnamese Invasion of Champa – 1471 * Burgundian Wars – 1474 to 1477 * War of the Castilian Succession – 1475 to 1479 * Siege of Rhodes – 1480 * War of Ferrara – 1482 to 1484 * Granada War – 1482 to 1492 * First Muscovite-Lithuanian War – 1492 to 1494 * Italian War of 1494 – 1494 to 1498 * Russo-Swedish War – 1495 to 1497 * Italian War of 1499 – 1499 to 1504 * Swabian War – 1499 * Ottoman-Venetian War – 1499 to 1503 * Second Muscovite-Lithuanian War – 1500 to 1503 * Landshut War of Succussion – 1503 to 1505 * Portuguese-Mamluk Naval War – 1505 to 1517 * Third Muscovite-Lithuanian War – 1507 to 1508 * War of the League of Cambrai – 1508 to 1516 * Battle of Diu – 1509 * Ottoman Civil War – 1509 to 1512 * Hvar Rebellion – 1510 to 1514 * Portuguese Conquest of Goa – 1510 * Fourth Muscovite-Lithuanian War – 1512 to 1522 * Battle of Chaldiran – 1514 * Slovenian Peasant Revolt of 1515 – 1515 * Ottoman-Mamluk War – 1516 to 1517 * Polish-Teutonic War – 1592 to 1521 * Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire – 1519 to 1521 * Revolt of the Comuneros – 1520 to 1521 * Italian War of 1521 – 1521 to 1526 * Swedish War of Liberation – 1521 to 1523 * Siege of Rhodes – 1522 * German Peasants’ War – 1524 to 1526 * War of the League of Cognac – 1526 to 1530 * Battle of Mohács – 1526 * Spanish Conquest of Yucatán – 1527 to 1697 * Hungarian Campaign of 1527 – 1527 to 1528 * Ethiopian-Adal War – 1529 to 1543 * First War of Kappel – 1529 * Balkan Campaign of 1529 – 1529 * Siege of Vienna – 1529 * Inca Civil War – 1529 to 1532 * Little War in Hungary – 1539 to 1552 * Second War of Kappel – 1531 * Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire – 1531 to 1572 * Ottoman-Safavid War – 1532 to 1555 * Count’s Feud – 1534 to 1536 * Fifth Muscovite-Lithuanian War – 1534 to 1537 * Toungoo-Hanthawaddy War – 1535 to 1541 * Italian War of 1536 – 1536 to 1538 * Conquistador Civil War  in Peru – 1537 to 1548 * Italian War of 1542 – 1542 to 1546 * Dacke War – 1542 to 1543 * Schmalkaldic War – 1546 to 1547 * Burmese-Siamese War – 1548 * Italian War of 1551 – 1551 to 1559 * Kazan War – 1552 to 1556 * Siege of Kazan – 1552 * Russo-Swedish War – 1554 to 1557 * Livonian War – 1558 to 1583 * French Wars of Religion – 1562 to 1598 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1563 – 1563 to 1564 * Northern Seven Years’ War – 1563 to 1570 * Philippine Revolts against Spain – 1567 to 1872 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1568 – 1568 to 1569 * Morisco Revolt – 1568 to 1571 – Eighty Years’ War – 1568 to 1648 * First Desmond Rebellion – 1569 to 1573 * Rising of the North – 1569 to 1570 * Ottoman- Venetian War – 1570 to 1573 * Russo-Crimean War – 1571 * Croatian-Slovenian Peasant Revolt – 1573 * Ottoman-Safavid War – 1578 to 1590 * Second Desmond Rebellion – 1579 to 1583 * War of the Portuguese Succession – 1580 to 1583 * Ottoman-Portuguese Conflicts – 1580 to 1589 * Cologne War – 1583 to 1588 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1584 – 1584 to 1593 * Anglo-Spanish War – 1585 to 1604 * Russo-Swedish War of 1590 – 1590 to 1595 * Japanese Invasion of Korea – 1592 to 1598 * Long War – 1593 to 1606 * Moldavian Magnate Wars – 1593 to 1617 * Nine Years’ War – 1594 to 1603 * Cudel War – 1596 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1599 – 1599 to 1605 * Polish-Swedish War – 1600 to 1611 * Dutch-Portuguese War – 1602 to 1663 * Ottoman-Safavid War of 1603 – 1603 to 1618 * Capture of Tbilisi and Gökçe War – 1622 * Polish-Muscovite War of 1605 – 1605 to 1618 * War of the Jülich Succession – 1609 to 1614 * First Anglo-Powhatan War – 1610 to 1614 * Ingrian War – 1610 to 1617 * Kalmar War - 1611 to 1613 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1614 – 1614 to 1615 * Polish-Swedish War of 1617 – 1617 to 1618 * Thirty Years’ War – 1618 to 1648 * Ahom-Mughai Conflicts – 1619 to 1682 * Polish-Ottoman War -1620 to 1621 * Polish-Swedish War of 1621– 1621 to 1625 * Second Anglo-Powhatan War – 1622 to 1632 * Ottoman-Safavid War of 1623 – 1623 to 1639 * First Genoese-Savoyard War – 1625 * Polish-Swedish War of 1626 – 1626 to 1629 * First Manchu Invasion of Korea – 1627 * Smolensk War – 1623 to 1634 * Polish-Ottoman War of 1633 – 1633 to 1634 *Pequot War – 1634 to 1638 * Franco-Spanish War of 1635 – 1635 to 1659 * Second Manchu Invasion of Korea – 1636 to 1637 * First Bishops’ War – 1639 * Second Bishops’ War – 1640 * Catalan Revolt – 1640 to 1659 * Portuguese Restoration War – 1640 to 1668 * Beaver Wars – 1640 to 1710 * Irish Confederate Wars – 1641 to 1653 * First War of Castro – 1641 to 1644 * First English Civil War – 1642 to 1646 * Torstenson War – 1643 to 1645 * Kieft’s War – 1643 to 1645 * Third Anglo-Powhatan War – 1644 to 1646 * Char Bouba War – 1644 to 1674 * Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms – 1644 to 1651 * Cretan War – 1645 to 1669 * Khmelnytsky Uprising – 1648 to 1657 * First Fronde – 1648 to 1649 * Second English Civil War – 1648 to 1649 * Third English Civil War – 1649 to 1651 * Mughal-Safavid War – 1649 to 1653 * Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland – 1649 to 1653 * Second War of Castro – 1649 * Second Fronde – 1650 to 1653 * Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years’ War – 1651 to 1986 * First Anglo-Dutch War – 1652 to 1654 * Russian-Manchu Border Conflicts – 1652 to 1689 * Russo-Polish War of 1654 – 1654 to 1667 *Anglo-Spanish War 1654 – 1654 to 1660 * Peach Tree War – 1655 * Second Northern War – 1655 to 1660 * Russo-Swedish War of 1656 – 1656 to 1658 * Dano-Swedish War of 1657 – 1657 to 1658 * Dano-Swedish War of 1658 – 1658 to 1660 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1662 – 1662 to 1665 * Austro-Turkish War – 1663 to 1664 * Second Anglo-Dutch War – 1665 to 1667 * Kongo Civil War – 1665 to 1709 * Polish-Cossack-Tartar War – 1666 to 1671 * War of Devolution – 1667 to 1668 * Stenka Razin Rebellion – 1670 to 1671 * Polish-Ottoman War of 1672 – 1672 to 1676 * Third Anglo-Dutch War – 1672 to 1674 * Revolt of the Three Feudatories – 1673 to 1681 * Scanian War – 1675 to 1679 * King Philip’s War – 1675 to 1576 * Russo-Turkish War of 1676 – 1676 to 1681 * Maratha War of Independence – 1681 to 1707 * Great Turkish War – 1683 to 1699 * Polish-Ottoman War of 1683 – 1683 to 1699 * War of the Reunions – 1683 to 1684 * Morean War – 1684 to 1699 * Monmouth Rebellion – 1685 * Russo-Turkish War of 1686 – 1686 to 1700 * Crimean Campaigns – 1687 to 1689 * Nine Years’ War – 1688 to 1697 * King William’s War – 1689 to 1697 * Williamite War in Ireland – 1689 to 1691 * Scottish Jacobite Rising – 1689 to 1692 * Azov Campaigns – 1695 to 1696 * Darien Scheme – 1699 to 1700 * Great Northern War – 1700 to 1721 * Battle of Dartsedo – 1701 * War of the Spanish Succession – 1701 to 1714 * Queen Anne’s War – 1702 to 1713 * Camisard Rebellion – 1702 to 1715 * Rákóczi’s War for Independence – 1703 to 1711 * Bulavin Rebellion – 1707 to 1708 * Russo-Turkish War of 1710 – 1710 to 1711 * Tuscarora War – 1711 to 1715 * First Fox War – 1712 to 1716 * Ottoman- Venetian War of 1714 – 17 14 to 1718 * Yamasee War – 1715 to 1717 * First Jacobite Rising – 1715 * War of the Quadruple Alliance – 1718 to 1720 * Chickasaw Wars – 1721 to 1763 * Dummer’s War – 1722 to 1725 * Russo-Persian War of 1722 – 1722 to 1723 * Second Fox War – 1728 to 1733 * War of the Polish Succession – 1733 to 1738 * Miao Rebellion – 1735 to 1736 * Russo-Austrian-Turkish War of 1735 – 1735 to 1739 * War of Jenkins’ Ear – 1739 to 1748 * First Silesian War – 1740 to 1742 * Russo-Swedish War of 1741 – 1741 to 1743 * King George’s War – 1744 to 1748 * Second Silesian War – 1744 to 1745 * Jacobite Rising of 1745 – 1745 to 1746 * First Carnatic War – 1746 to 1748 * Second Carnatic War – 1749 to 1754 * Konbaung-Hanthawaddy War– 1752 to 1757 * French and Indian War – 1754 to 1763 * Seven Years’ War – 1756 to 1763 * Third Silesian War – 1756 to 1763 * Third Carnatic War – 1757 to 1763 * Anglo-Cherokee War – 1758 to 1761 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1759 – 1759 to 1760 * Spanish-Portuguese War of 1761 – 1761 to 1763 * Pontiac’s War – 1763 to 1766 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1765 – 1765 to 1767 * Sino-Burmese War – 1965 to 1769 * First Anglo-Mysore War – 1766 to 1769 * Louisiana Rebellion of 1768 – 1768 * Russo-Turkish War of 1768 – 1768 to 1774 * Bar Confederation – 1768 to 1772 * Pugachev’s Rebellion – 1774 to 1775 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1775 – 1775 to 1776 * First Anglo-Maratha War – 1775 to 1782 * American Revolutionary War – 1775 to 1783 * Chickamauga Wars – 1776 to 1794 * War of the Bavarian Succession – 1778 to 1779 * Anglo-Spanish War – 1779 to 1783 * First Xhosa War – 1779 to 1781 * Fourth Anglo-Dutch War – 1780 to 1784 * Second Anglo-Mysore War – 1780 to 1784 * Revolt of the Comuneros – 1781 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1785 – 1785 to 1786  * Northwest Indian War – 1785 to 1795 * Shays’ Rebellion – 1786 to 1787 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1787 – 1787 * Austro-Turkish War of 1787 – 1787 to 1791 * Russo-Turkish War of 1787 – 1787 to 1792 * Russo-Swedish War of 1788 – 1788 to 1790 * Theater War – 1788 to 1789 * Australian Frontier Wars – 1788 to 1930’s * Third Anglo-Mysore War – 1789 to 1792 * Second Xhosa War – 1789 to 1793 * Haitian Revolution – 1791 to 1804 * Whiskey Rebellion – 1791 to 1794 * Polish-Russian War of 1792 – 1792 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1792 – 1792 * War of the First Coalition – 1792 to 1797 * War in the Vendée – 1793 to 1796 * Nickajack Expedition – 1794 * Kościuszko Uprising – 1794 * Miao Rebellion of 1795 – 1795 to 1806 * Persian Expedition of 1796 – 1796 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1797 – 1797 * War of the Second Coalition – 1798 to 1802 * Quasi War – 1798 to 1800 * Irish Rebellion of 1798 – 1798 * Fourth Anglo-Mysore War – 1798 to 1799 * Third Xhosa War – 1799 to 1803 * War of Knives – 1799 to 1800 * First Barbary War – 1801 to 1805 * War of the Oranges – 1801 * Second War of Haitian Independence – 1802 to 1805 * Second Anglo-Maratha War – 1802 to 1805 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1803 – 1803 to 1804 * First Kandyan War – 1803 to 1805 * Emmet’s Insurrection – 1803 * War of the Third Coalition -1803 to 1806 * Battle of Sitka – 1804 * First Siberian Uprising – 1804 to 1813 * Castle Hill Convict Rebellion – 1804 * Fulani War – 1804 to 1808 * Russo-Persian War of 1804 – 1804 to 1813 * Egyptian Revolution – 1805 to 1811 * Janissarie’s Revolt – 1805 * Franco-Swedish War of 1805 – 1805 to 1810 * Haitian Invasion of Santo Domingo – 1805 * War of the Fourth Coalition – 1806 to 1807 * Russo-Turkish War of 1806 – 1806 to 1812 * British Invasions of the Rio de la Plata – 1806 to 1807 * Ashanti-Fante War – 1806 to 1807 * War of Christophe’s Secession – 1806 to 1811 * Vellore Mutiny – 1806 to 1811 * Janissaries’ Revolt – 1807 to 1808 * Mtetwa Empire Expansion – 1807 to 1818 * Peninsular War – 1807 to 1814 * Gunboat War – 1807 to 1814 * Anglo-Russian War of 1807 – 1807 to 1812 * Anglo-Turkish War of 1807 – 1807 to 1809 * Rum Rebellion – 1808 to 1810 * Finnish War – 1809 to 1809 * Spanish Restoration in Santo Domingo – 1808 to 1809 * Bantam Conquest – 1808 * Dano-Swedish War of 1808 – 1808 to 1809 * War of the Fifth Coalition – 1809 * Quinto Revolution – 1809 to 1810 * Tyrol Rebellion – 1809 to 1810 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1809 – 1809 to 1812 * Bolivian War of Independence – 1809 to 1825 * Peruvian War of Independence – 1809 to 1824 * Tecumseh’s War – 1810 to 1811 * US Occupation of West Florida – 1810 * Merina Conquest of Madagascar – 1810 to 1817 * Punjab War – 1810 to 1820 * Chilean War of Independence – 1810 to 1826 * Conquest of Hawaii – 1810 * Amadu’s Jihad – 1810 to 1818 * Lamu Expansion – 1810 to 1813 * Mexican War of Independence – 1810 to 1821 * Invasion of Java – 1811 * Tonquin Incident – 1811 * Fourth Xhosa War – 1811 to 1812 * Ga-Fante War – 1811 * Arakanese Uprising – 1811 to 1815 * Battle of Las Piedras – 1811 * Cambodian Rebellion – 1811 to 1812 * Korean Revolt – 1811 to 1812 * Paraguayan Revolt – 1811 * Owe-Ife War – 1811 to 1812 * Ottoman-Saudi War – 1811 to 1818 * Venezuelan War of Independence – 1811 to 1823 * French Invasion of Russia – 1812 * War of the Sixth Coalition – 1812 to 1814 * War of 1812 – 1812 to 1815 * Creek War – 1813 to 1814 * Peoria War – 1813 * Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814 – 1814 * Gurkha War – 1814 to 1816 * Ashanti-Akim-Akwapim War – 1814 to 1816 * Hadži Prodan’s Revolt – 1814 * Argentine Civil Wars – 1814 to 1876 * Second Barbary War – 1815 * Second Serbian Uprising – 1815 to 1817 * Spanish Conquest of New Granada – 1815 to 1816 * Second Kandyan War – 1815 * Hundred Days War – 1815 * Neapolitan War – 1815 * Temne-Susu War – 1815 * Caucasian War – 1817 to 1864 * Third Anglo-Maratha War – 1817 to 1818 * Ndwandwe-Zulu War – 1817 to 1819 * First Seminole War – 1817 to 1818 * Pernambucan Revolt –1817 * Fifth Xhosa War – 1818 to 1819 * Zulu Wars of Conquest – 1818 to 1828 * Bolivar’s Campaign to Liberate New Granada – 1819 to 1820 * Trienio Liberal – 1820 to 1823 * Ottoman-Persian War of 1821 – 1821 to 1823 * Texan-Indian Wars – 1820 to 1875 * Brazilian War of Independence – 1821 to 1823 * Greek War of Independence – 1821 to 1832 * Padri War – 1821 to 1837 * Spanish Conquest of Mexico – 1821 to 1829 * Comanche-Mexico War – 1821 to 1848 * Haitian Occupation of Santo Domingo – 1822 to 1844 * First Anglo-Ashanti War – 1823 to 1826 * First Anglo-Burmese War – 1823 to 1826 * Decembrist Revolt – 1825 * Cisplatine War – 1825 to 1828 * Java War – 1825 to 1830 * Franco-Trarzan War of 1825 – 1825 * Russo-Persian War of 1826 – 1826 to 1828 * Winnebago War – 1827 * Gran Colombia-Peru War – 1828 to 1829 * Liberal Wars – 1828 to 1834 * Russo-Turkish War of 1828 – 1828 to 1829 * Chilean Civil War of 1829 – 1829 * November Uprising – 1830 to 1831 * Belgian Revolution – 1830 to 1831 * French Conquest of Algeria – 1830 to 1847 * First Siamese-Vietnamese War – 1831 to 1834 * Baptist War – 1831 to 1832 * Egyptian-Ottoman War of 1831 – 1831 to 1833 * Black Hawk War – 1832 * First Carlist War – 1833 to 1840 * Sixth Xhosa War – 1834 to 1836 * Malê Revolt – 1835 * Toledo War – 1835 to 1836 * Texas Revolution – 1835 to 1836 * Second Seminole War – 1835 to 1842 * War of the Farrapos – 1835 to 1845 * War of the Confederation – 1836 to 1839 * Lower Canada Rebellion – 1837 to 1838 * Upper Canada Rebellion – 1837 to 1838 * Battle of Blood River – 1838 * Mormon War – 1838 * Pastry War – 1838 to 1839 * Aroostook War – 1838 to 1839 * Honey War – 1839 * First Anglo-Afghan War – 1839 to 1842 * First Opium War – 1839 to 1842 * Uruguayan Civil War – 1839 to 1850 * Sino-Sikh War – 1841 to 1842 * Dorr Rebellion – 1841 to 1842 * Wairau Affray – 1843 * Dominican War of Independence – 1843 to 1849 * Franco-Moroccan War – 1844 * First Anglo-Sikh War – 1845 to 1846 * Flagstaff War – 1845 to 1846 * Navajo Wars – 1846 to 1864 * Hutt Valley Campaign – 1846 * Dutch Intervention in Northern Bali – 1846 * Seventh Xhosa War – 1846 to 1847 * Second Carlist War – 1846 to 1848 * Mexican-American War – 1846 to 1848 * Wanganui Campaign – 1846 to 1848 * Caste War of Yucatan – 1847 * Cayuse War – 1847 to 1855 * Praieira Revolt – 1848 to 1849 * Greater Poland Uprising – 1848 * French Revolution of 1848 – 1848 * Revolutions of 1848 in the German States – 1848 * Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg Areas – 1848 to 1849 * Wallachian Revolution of 1848 – 1848 * Sicilian Revolution of Independence of 1848  - 1848 * Dutch Intervention in Northern Bali – 1848 * First Italian War of Independence – 1848 to 1849 * Second Anglo-Sikh War – 1848 to 1849 * Hungarian Revolution of 1848 – 1848 to 1849 * First Schleswig War – 1848 to 1851 * Dutch Intervention in Bali of 1849 – 1849 to 1850 * Burmese-Siamese War of 1849 – 1849 to 1855 * Apache Wars – 1849 to 1924 * Taiping Rebellion – 1850 to 1864 * Eighth Xhosa War – 1850 to 1853 * Platine War – 1851 to 1852 * Second Anglo-Burmese War – 1852 to 1853 * Miao Rebellion – 1853 to 1874 * Crimean War – 1853 to 1856 * French Conquest of Senegal – 1854 to 1860 * Bleeding Kansas – 1854 to 1861 * Nepalese-Tibetan War – 1855 to 1856 * Yakima War – 1855 to 1858 * Rogue River Wars – 1855 to 1856 * Battle of Ash Hollow – 1855 * Puget Sound War – 1855 to 1856 * Punti-Hakka Clan Wars – 1855 to 1867 * Third Seminole War – 1855 to 1858 * Campaign of 1856-1857 * 1856 to 1857 * Second Opium War – 1856 to 1860 * Anglo-Persian War – 1856 to 1857 * Panthay Rebellion – 1856 to 1873 * 1857 Cheyenne Expedition – 1856 to 1857 * Indian Rebellion of 1857 – 1857 to 1858 * Utah War – 1857 to 1858 * Ecuadorian-Peruvian Territorial Dispute of 1857 – 1857 to 1860 * Coeur d’Alene War – 1858 * Fraser Canyon War – 1858 * Cochinchina Campaign – 1858 to 1862 * Second Italian War of Independence – 1859 * Federal War * 1859 to 1863 * Hispano-Moroccan War of 1859 – 1859 to 1860 * Russian Conquests of Central Asia – 1860 to 1873 * First Taranaki War – 1860 to 1861 * Occupation of Araucanía – 1861 -1883 * American Civil War – 1861 to 1865 * French Intervention in Mexico – 1861 to 1867 * Dakota War of 1862 – 1862 * Dungan Revolt – 1862 to 1877 * Ecuadorian-Colombian War – 1863 * Dominican Restoration War – 1863 to 1865 * Naval Battle of Shimonoseki – 1863 * Bombardments of Shimonoseki – 1863 to 1864 * Bombardment of Kagoshima – 1863 * January Uprising – 1863 to 1865 * Invasion of Waikato – 1863 to 1864 * Colorado War – 1863 to 1865 * Second Anglo-Ashanti War – 1863 to 1864 * Second Taranaki War – 1863 to 1866 * Uruguayan War – 1864 to 1865 * Mito Rebellion – 1864 to 1865 * Hamaguri Rebellion – 1864 to 1865 * Second Schleswig War – 1864 *Tauranga Campaign – 1864 * Bhutan War – 1864 to 1865 * Snake War – 1864 to 1868 * Russo-Kokandian War – 1864 to 1865 * Paraguayan War – 1864 to 1870 * Chincha Islands War – 1864 to 1866 * Powder River Expedition of 1865 – 1865 * Morant Bay Rebellion – 1865 * Hualapai War – 1865 to 1870 * Basuto-Boer War – 1865 to 1868 * Bukharan-Kokandian War of 1865 – 1865 to 1866 * East Cape War – 1865 to 1868 * Russo-Bukharan Wars – 1865 to 1868 * Hyogo Naval Expedition – 1865 * Second Choshu Expedition – 1866 * Austro-Prussian War – 1866 * Third Italian War of Independence – 1866 to 1868 * Red Cloud’s War – 1866 to 1868 * Cretan Revolt – 1866 to 1869 * French Campaign Against Korea – 1866 * Comanche Campaign – 1867 to 1875 * Klang War – 1867 to 1874 * Glorious Revolution – 1868 * Titokowaru’s War – 1868 to 1869 * Boshin War – 1868 to 1869 * Abyssinian Succession – 1868 to 1872 * Te Kooti’s War – 1868 to 1872 * Ten Years’ War – 1868 to 1878 * Haitian Revolution of 1869 – 1869 * United States Expedition to Korea – 1871 * Third Carlist War – 1872 to 1876 * Modoc War – 1872 to 1873 * Aceh War – 1879 to 1913 * Third Anglo-Ashanti War – 1873 to 1874 * Cantonal Revolution – 1873 to 1874 * Brooks-Baxter War – 1874 * Saga Rebellion – 1874 * Red River War – 1874 to 1875 * Shinpuren Rebellion – 1876 * Akizuki Rebellion * 1876 * Hagi Rebellion – 1876 * Great Sioux War of 1876 – 1876 to 1877 * Nex Perce War – 1877 * Satsuma Rebellion – 1877 * Ninth Xhosa War – 1877 to 1879 * Russo-Turkish War of 1877 – 1877 to 1878 * Bannock War – 1878 * Lincoln County War – 1878 * Cheyenne War – 1878 to 1879 * Second Anglo-Afghan War – 1878 to 1880 * Little War – 1879 to 1880 * Anglo-Zulu War – 1879 * War of the Pacific – 1879 to 1884 * Sheepeater Indian War – 1879 * Victorio’s War – 1879 to 1880 * Basuto Gun War – 1880 to 1881 * First Boer War – 1880 to 1882 * French Occupation of Tunisia – 1881 * Mahdist War – 1881 to 1899 * Mandingo Wars – 1882 to 1898 * Ekumeku War – 1883 to 1914 * First Madagascar Expedition – 1883 to 1885 * Tonkin Campaign – 1883 to 1886 * Sino-French War – 1884 to 1885 * North-West Rebellion – 1885 * Serbo-Bulgarian War – 1885 * Third Anglo-Burmese War – 1885 * Sikkim Expedition – 1888 * Pine Ridge Campaign – 1890 to 1891 * Chilean Civil War – 1891 * Second Franco-Dahomean War – 1892 to 1894 * War in the Eastern Congo – 1892 to 1894 * War of Canudos – 1893 to 1897 * Revolta da Armada – 1893 to 1894 * Franco-Siamese War of 1893 – 1893 * Conquest of the Bornu Empire – 1893 * First Melillan Campaign – 1893 to 1994 * First Matabele War – 1893 to 1894 * Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War – 1894 to 1896 * Donghak Peasant Revolution – 1894 * First Sino-Japanese War – 1894 to 1895 * Second Madagascar Expedition – 1894 to 1895 * First Italo-Ethiopian War – 1895 to 1896 * Cuban War of Independence – 1895 to 1898 * Japanese Invasion of Taiwan – 1895 * Anglo-Zanzibar War – 1896 * Philippine Revolution – 1896 to 1898 * Second Matabele War – 1896 to 1897 * Greco-Turkish War of 1897 – 1897 * Benin Expedition – 1897 * Tirah Campaign – 1897 to 1898 * Spanish-American War – 1898 * Voulet-Chanoine Mission – 1898 to 1900 * Boxer Rebellion – 1899 to 1901 * Second Boer War – 1899 to 1902 * Thousand Day’s War – 1899 to 1902 * Philippine-American War – 1899 to 1913 * War of the Golden Stool – 1900 * Anglo-Aro War – 1901 to 1902 * Bailundo Revolt of 1902 – 1902 to 1903 * Unification of Saudi Arabia War – 1902 to 1932 * British Expedition to Tibet – 1903 to 1904 * Herero War – 1904 to 1907 * Russo-Japanese War – 1904 to 1905 * 1905 Russian Revolution – 1905 * Dutch Intervention in Bali – 1906 * Bambatha Rebellion – 1906 * Romanian Peasants’ Revolt – 1907 * Honduran-Nicaraguan War – 1907 * Dutch Intervention in Bali of 1908 – 1908 * Persian Civil War * 1908 to 1909 * Dutch-Venezuela War – 1908 * Second Melillan Campaign – 1909 to 1910 * Wadai War – 1909 to 1911 * Mexican Revolution – 1910 to 1920 * Border War – 1910 to 1919 * French Conquest of Morocco – 1911 to 1912 * Italo-Turkish War – 1911 to 1912 * Xinhai Revolution of 1911 – 1911 to 1912 * First Balkan War – 1912 – 1913 * Contestado War * 1912 to 1916 * United States Occupation of Nicaragua – 1912 to 1933 * Negro Rebellion – 1912 * Second Balkan War – 1913 * Zaian War – 1914 to 1921 * World War I – 1914 to 1919 * United States Occupation of Veracruz – 1914 * Maritz Rebellion – 1914 to 1915 * United States Occupation of Haiti – 1915 to 1934 * Senussi Campaign – 1915 to 1917 * National Protection War – 1915 to 1916 * Kaocen Revolt – 1916 to 1917 * Easter Rising – 1916 * United States Occupation of the Dominican Republic – 1916 to 1924 * Arab Revolt – 1916 to 1918 * February Revolution – 1917 * October Revolution – 1917 * Russian Civil War * 1917 to 1923 * Soviet-Turkish War of 1917 – 1917 to 1918 *Ukrainian War of Independence – 1917 to 1921 * Finnish Civil War – 1918 * Georgian-Armenian War – 1918 * German Revolution – 1918 to 1919 * Greater Poland Uprising – 1918 to 1919 * Polish-Ukrainian War – 1918 to 1919 * Georgian-Ossetian Conflict – 1918 to 1920 * Armenian-Azerbaijani War – 1918 to 1920 * Estonian War of Independence – 1918 to 1920 * Latvian War of Independence – 1918 to 1920 * Lithuanian-Soviet War – 1918 to 1919 * First Saudi-Hashemite War – 1918 to 1919 * Lithuanian War of Independence Against the Bermontians – 1919 * Polish-Czechoslovak War – 1919 * Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919 – 1919 * Turkish War of Independence – 1919 to 1922 * Third Anglo-Afghan War – 1919 * Portuguese Monarchist Civil War – 1919 * Italo-Yugoslav War – 1919 to 1920 * Polish-Soviet War – 1919 to 1921 * First Silesian Uprising – 1919 * Irish War of Independence – 1919 to 1921 * Greco-Turkish War of 1919 – 1919 to 1922 * Franco-Syrian War – 1920 * Franco-Turkish War – 1920 to 1921 * Vlora War – 1920 * Rif War – 1920 to 1926 * Polish-Lithuanian War – 1920 * Second Silesian Uprising – 1920 * Turkish-Armenian War – 1920 * Zhili-Anhui War – 1920 * Guangdong-Guangxi War – 1920 to 1921 * Red Army Invasion of Georgia – 1921 * Third Silesian Uprising – 1921 * Iranian Events of 1921 – 1921 * East Karelian Uprising – 1921 to 1922 * First Zhili-Fengtian War – 1922 * Irish Civil War – 1922 to 1923 * August Uprising – 1924 *Second Saud-Sharif War – 1924 * Second Zhili-Fengtian War – 1924 * Incident at Petrich – 1925 * Northern Expedition – 1926 to 1928 * Cristero War – 1926 to 1929 * Chinese Civil War – 1927 to 1950 * Afghan Civil War – 1928 to 1929 * Sino-Soviet Conflict – 1929 * Igbo Women’s War – 1929 to 1930 * Yen Bai Mutiny – 1930 * Central Plains War – 1930 * Sino-Tibetan War – 1930 to 1932 * Japanese Invasion of Manchuria – 1931 to 1932 * Kumul Rebellion – 1931 to 1934 * Constitutionalist Revolution – 1932 * Ecuadorian Civil War – 1932 * Shanghai War of 1932 – 1932 * Chaco War – 1932 to 1935 * Columbia-Peru War – 1932 to 1933 * Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang – 1934 * Austrian Civil War – 1934 * Saudi-Yemeni War – 1934 * Second Italo-Abyssinian War – 1935 to 1936 * Great Arab Revolt in Palestine – 1936 to 1939 * Spanish Civil War – 1936 to 1939 * Islamic Rebellion in Xinjiang of 1937 – 1937 * Second Sino-Japanese War – 1937 to 1945 * Battle of Lake Khasan – 1938 * Hungarian Invasion of the Carpatho-Ukraine – 1939 * Slovak-Hungarian War – 1939 * Italian Invasion of Albania – 1939 * Battle of Khalkhin Gol – 1939 * World War II – 1939 to 1945 * Winter War – 1939 to 1940 * Franco-Thai War – 1940 to 1941 * Ecuadorian-Peruvian War – 1941 * Anglo-Iraqi War – 1941 * Continuation War – 1941 to 1944 * Ukrainian Insurgent Army Insurgency – 1943 to 1949 * Jewish Insurgency in Palestine – 1944 to 1947 * Guerilla War in the Baltic States – 1944 to 1953 * Lapland War -  1944 to 19454 * Ili Rebellion – 1944 to 1949 * War in Vietnam of 1945  - 1945 to 1946 * Indonesian National Revolution – 1945 to 1949 * Iran Crisis of 1946 – 1945 to 1946 * First Indochina War – 1946 to 1954 * Greek Civil War – 1946 to 1949 * Paraguayan Civil War – 1947 * Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 – 1947 to 1948 * 1947-1948 Civil war in Mandatory Palestine – 1947 to 1948 * Pre-Korean War Insurgency – 1948 to 1950 * 1948 Arab-Israeli War – 1948 to 1949 * Costa Rican Civil War – 1948 * Internal Conflict in Burma – 1948 to Present - * Malayan Emergency – 1948 to 1960 * Operation Polo – 1948 * Invasion of Tibet – 1950 to 1951 * Korean War – 1950 to 1953 * Kuomintang Islamic Insurgency in China – 1950 to 1958 * Retribution Operations of Israel – 1950 to 1967 *Tunisian War of Independence – 1952 to 1956 * Mau Mau Uprising – 1952 to 1960 * 1953 Iranian Coup d’état – 1953 * Cuban Revolution – 1953 to 1959 * Laotian Civil War – 1953 to 1975 * Jebel Akhdar War – 1954 to 1959 * Algerian War * 1954 to 1962 * First Sudanese Civil War – 1955 to 1972 * Vietnam War – 1955 to 1975 * Hungarian Revolution of 1956 – 1956 * Suez Crisis – 1956 * Ifni War – 1957 to 1958 * North Vietnamese Invasion of Laos – 1958 to 1959 * Tibetan Uprising – 1959 * Basque Conflict – 1959 to 2011 * Campaign at the China-Burma Border – 1960 to 1961 * Congo Crisis – 1960- to 1966 * Guatemalan Civil War – 1960 to 1996 * First Kurdish-Iraqi War – 1961 to 1970 * Bay of Pigs Invasion – 1961 * Bizerte Crisis – 1961 * Eritrean War of Independence – 1961 to 1991 * Invasion of Goa – 1961 * Angolan War of Independence – 1961 to 1975 * Tuareg Rebellion of 1962 – 1962 to 1964 * North Yemen Civil War – 1962 to 1970 * Sino-Indian War – 1962 * Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation – 1962 to 1966 * Dhofar Rebellion – 1962 to 1976 * Shifta War – 1963 to 1967 * Sand War – 1963 * Guinea-Bissau War of Independence – 1963 to 1974 * Rhodesian Bush War – 1964 to 1979 * Colombian Armed Conflict – 1964 to Present * Mozambican War of Independence – 1964 to 1974 * Insurgency in Northeast India – 1964 to Present * Zanzibar Revolution – 1964 * Dominican Civil War – 1965 * United States Occupation of the Dominican Republic – 1965 to 1966 * Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 – 1965 * Civil War in Chad – 1965 to 1979 * Korean DMZ Conflict – 1966 to 1969 * South African Border War – 1966 to 1989 * Nambian War of Independence – 1966 to 1988 * Six-Day War – 1967 * Cambodian Civil War – 1967 to 1975 * Nigerian Civil War – 1967 to 1970 * Chola Incident – 1967 * War of Attrition – 1968 to 1970 * Naxalite-Maoist Insurgency – 1967 to Present * Communist Insurgency War – 1968 to 1989 * The Troubles – 1968 to 1998 * Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia – 1968 * Islamic Insurgency in the Philippines – 1969 to Present * Football War – 1969 * Sino-Soviet Border Conflict – 1969 * Papua Conflict – 1969 to Present * Black September in Jordan – 1970 to 1971 * Bangladesh Liberation War – 1971 * Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 – 1971 * First Eritrean Civil War – 1972 to 1974 * Yom Kippur War – 1973 * Turkish Invasion of Cyprus – 1974 * Ethiopian Civil War – 1974 to 1991 * Second Kurdish-Iraqi War – 1974 to 1975 * Angolan Civil War – 1975 to 2002 * Western Sahara War – 1975 to 1991 * Lebanese Civil War – 1975 to 1990 * Cambodian-Vietnamese War – 1975 to 1989 * Insurgency in Laos – 1975 to Present * Indonesian Invasion of East Timor – 1975 * Dirty War – 1976 to 1893 * Insurgency in Aceh – 1976 to 2005 * Mozambican Civil War – 1977 to 1992 * Libyan-Egyptian War – 1977 * Shaba I – 1977 * Shaba II – 1978 * 1978 South Lebanon Conflict – 1978 * Uganda-Tanzania War – 1978 to 1979 * Chadian-Libyan Conflict – 1978 to 1987 * Kurdish-Turkish Conflict – 1978 to Present * Sino-Vietnamese War – 1979 * Sino-Vietnamese Conflicts – 1979 to 1990 * 1979 Kurdish Rebellion in Iran – 1979 to 1983 * Civil War in Chad – 1979 to 1982 * Soviet War in Afghanistan – 1979 to 1989 * Salvadoran Civil War – 1980 to 1992 * Internal Conflict in Peru – 1980 to 2000 * Iran-Iraq War – 1980 to 1988 * Second Eritrean Civil War – 1980 to 1981 * Paquisha War – 1981 * Ugandan Bush War – 1981 to 1986 * Falklands War – 1982 * Ndogboyosoi War – 1982 * 1982 Lebanon War – 1982 * South Lebanon Conflict – 1982 to 2000 * 1982 Ethiopian-Somali Border War – 1982 * Invasion of Grenaa of 1983 – 1983  * Sri Lankan Civil War – 1983 to 2009 * Second Sudanese Civil War – 1983 to 2005 * Kurdish Rebellion of 1983 – 1983 to 1988 * Siachen Conflict * 1984 to 1987 * Agacher Strip War – 1985 * 1987 Sino-Indian Skirmish – 1987 * First Intifada – 1987 to 1993 * Thai-Laotian Border War – 1987 to 1988 * Lord’s Resistance Army Insurgency – 1987 to Present * Nagorno-Karabakh War – 1988 to 1994 * Mauritania-Senegal Border War – 1989 to 1991 * United States Invasion of Panama – 1989 to 1990 * Civil War in Afghanistan – 1989 to 1992 * Romanian Revolution of 1989 – 1989 * First Liberian Civil War – 1989 to 1996 * Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir – 1989 to Present * Invasion of Kuwait – 1990 * Persian Gulf War – 1990 to 1991 * Rwandan Civil War – 1990 to 1993 * Tuareg Rebellion – 1990 to 1995 * Ten-Day War – 1991 * 1991 South Ossetia War – 1991 to 1992 * Djiboutian Civil War – 1991 to 1994 * Croatian War of Independence – 1991 to 1995 * Sierra Leone Civil War – 1991 to 2002 * Algerian Civil War – 1991 to 2002 * Somali Civil War – 1991 to Present * Georgian Civil War – 1991 to 1993 * 1991 Uprising in Iraq – 1991 * East Prigorodny Conflict – 1992 * Civil War in Afghanistan of 1992 – 1992 to 1996 * War of Transnistria – 1992 * War in Abkhazia – 1992 to 1993 * Bosnian War – 1992 to 1995 * Croat-Bosniak War – 1992 to 1994 * Civil War in Tajikistan – 1992 to 1997 * Burundi Civil War – 1993 to 2005 * Ethnic Conflict in Nagaland – 1993 to Present * Iraqi Kurdish Civil War – 1994 to 1997 * Chiapas Conflict – 1994 * Civil War in Yemen – 1994 * First Chechen War – 1994 to 1996 * Caprivi Conflict – 1994 to 1997 * Cenepa War – 1995 * Insurgency in Ogaden – 1995 top 2009 * Nepalese Civil War – 1996 to 2001 * Civil War in Afghanistan of 1996 – 1996 to 2001 * First Congo War – 1996 to 1997 * Rebellion in Albania – 1997 * Republic of the Congo Civil War – 1997 to 1999 * 1997 Clashes in Cambodia – 1997 * Pool Department Insurgency – 1997 to 2008 * War in Abkhazia – 1998 * Civil War in Chad of 1998 – 1998 to 2002 * Kosovo War – 1998 to 1999 * Eritrean-Ethiopian War – 1998 to 2000 * Second Congo War – 1998 to 2003 * Guinea-Bissau Civil War – 1998 to 1999 * Kargil War – 1999 * 1999 East Timorese Crisis – 1999 to 2000 * Insurgency in the Preševo Valley – 1999 to 2000 * Second Liberian Civil War – 1999 to 2003 * Ituri Conflict – 1999 to 2007 * Invasion of Dagestan – 1999 * Second Chechen War – 1999 to 2009 * Second Intifada – 2000 to 2005 * 2001 Indian-Bangladeshi Border Conflict – 2001 * Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia – 2001 * War in Afghanistan – 2001 to 2021 * Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines – 2002 to 2014 * Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa – 2002 to 2014 * Operation Defensive Shield – 2002 * First Ivorian Civil War – 2002 to 2007 * Insurgency in the Maghreb – 2002 to Present * War in Darfur – 2003 to 2010 * Iraq War – 2003 to 2011  * Balochistan Conflict – 2003 to Present * War in North-West Pakistan – 2004 to Present * Central African Republic Bush War – 2004 to 2007 * Conflict in the Niger Delta – 2004 to Present * Shia Insurgency in Yemen – 2004 to 2014 * South Thailand Insurgency – 2004 to Present * Kivu Conflict – 2004 to 2009 * Civil War in Chad of 2005 – 2005 to 2010 * Mount Elgon Insurgency – 2005 to 2008 * Fatah-Hamas Conflict – 2006 to 2011 * 2006 Lebanon War – 2006 * Mexican Drug War – 2006 to Present * War in Somalia of 2006 – 2006 to 2009 * Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara – 2007 to 2014 * Operation Juniper Shield – 2007 to Present * Tuareg Rebellion of 2007 - 2007 to 2009 * Civil War in the Republic of Ingushetia – 2007 to 2015 * 2008 Invasion of Anjouan – 2008 * Lebanon Conflict of 2008 – 2008 * Cambodian-Thai Border Dispute – 2008 to 2011 * Djiboutian-Eritrean Border Conflict – 2008 * Russo-Georgian War of 2008 – 2008 * Gaza War – 2008 to 2009 * Somali Civil War – 2009 to Present * Bangladesh-India Border Clash – 2008 * Kufra Conflict – 2008 * Sudanese Nomadic Conflicts – 2009 to Present * Insurgency in the North Caucasus – 2009 to 2017 * Peruvian Political Crisis – 2009 * Boko Haram Uprising – 2009 to Present * South Yemen Insurgency – 2009 to Present * Operation Scorched Earth – 2009 to 2010 * Dongo Conflict – 2009 * 2010 South Kyrgyzstan Ethnic Clashes – 2010 * 2010 Kingston Unrest – 2010 * Tajikistan Insurgency – 2010 to 2015 * Second Ivorian Civil War – 2010 to 2011 * Nigerian Bandit Conflict – 2011 to Present * Sinai Insurgency – 2011 to 2023 * Shia Insurgency in Bahrain – 2011 to Present * First Libyan Civil War – 2011 * Syrian Civil War – 2011 to Present * Sudanese Conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile – 2011 to 2020 * Syrian Civil War Spillover into Lebanon – 2011 to 2017 * Ethnic Violence in South Sudan – 2011 to Present * Operation Linda Nchi – 2011 to 2012 * Factional Violence in Libya – 2011 to 2014 * Iraqi Insurgency – 2011 to 2013 * Mali War – 2012 to Present * Heglig Crisis – 2012 * M23 Rebellion – 2012 to 2013 * 2012 Albanian Offensive – 2012 * Baragoi Clashes – 2012 * Central African Republic Civil War – 2012 to Present * Lahad Datu Standoff – 2013 * Batwa-Luba Clashes – 2013 to 2020 * RENAMO Insurgency – 2013 to 2021 * Zamboanga City Crisis – 2013 * South Sudanese Civil War – 2013 to 2020 * War in Iraq – 2013 to 2017 * Russo-Ukrainian War – 2014 to Present * Aswan Tribal Clashes – 2014 * Second Libyan Civil War – 2014 to 2020 * War Against the Islamic State – 2014 to Present * 2014 Gaza War – 2014 * Yemeni Civil War – 2014 to Present * Houthi Takeover in Yemen – 2014 to 2015 * Islamic State-Taliban Conflict – 2015 to Present * Islamic State Insurgency in Tunisia – 2015 to 2022 * Kurdish-Turkish Conflict – 2015 to Present * 2016 Niger Delta Conflict – 2016 to Present * Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict – 2016 * Pool War – 2016 to 2017 * Kamwina Nsapu Rebellion – 2016 to 2019 * Conflict in Rakhine State – 2016 to Present * Kasese Clashes – 2016 * Insurgency in Northern Chad – 2016 to Present * Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Skirmish – 2017 * Qatif Unrest – 2017 to 2020 * Marawi Crisis – 2017 * Anglophone Crisis – 2017 to Present * Insurgency in Cabo Delgado – 2017 to Present * 2017 Iraqi-Kurdish Conflict – 2017 * Islamic State Insurgency in Iraq – 2017 to Present * Catatumbo Campaign – 2018 to Present * 2018 Armenian-Azerbaijani Clashes – 2018 * OLA Insurgency – 2018 to Present * November 2018 Gaza-Israel Clashes – 2018 * 2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes – 2019 * May 2019 Gaza-Isreal Clashes – 2019 * Benishangul-Gumuz Conflict – 2019 to 2022 * November 2019 Gaza-Israel Clashes – 2019 * Gang War in Haiti – 2020 to Present * China-India Skirmishes - 2020 to 2021 * Western Togoland Rebellion – 2020 to Present * Second Nagorno-Karabakh War – 2020 * Afar-Somali Clashes – 2020 to Present * Tigray War – 2020 to 2022 * Western Saharan Clashes – 2020 to Present * Ethiopian-Sudanese Clashes – 2020 to 2022 * Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria – 2021 to Present * 2021 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Clashes – 2021 * Myanmar Civil War – 2021 to Present * 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis – 2021 * Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Crisis – 2021 to Present * Republican Insurgency in Afghanistan – 2021 to Present * 2021 Afghanistan-Iran Clashes – 2021 * Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict – 2022 to Present * Russian Invasion of Ukraine – 2022 to Present * M23 Offensive – 2022 to Present * 2022 al-Shabaab Invasion of Ethiopia – 2022 * 2022 Gaza-Israel Clashes – 2022 * 2022 Armenian-Azerbaijani Clashes- 2022 * 2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Clashes – 2022 * Las Anod Conflict – 2022 to Present * War in Amhara – 2023 to Present * 2023 Afghanistan-Iran Clash – 2023 * War in Sudan – 2023 to Present * Wagner Group Rebellion – 2023 * 2023 Azerbaijani Offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh – 2023 * Israel-Hamas War – 2023 to Present * 2023 Israel-Lebanon Border Clashes – 2023 to Present * 2023 American-Middle East Conflict – 2023 to Present * Ecuadorian Conflict – 2024 * 2024 Iran-Pakistan Border Skirmishes – 2024 * Israeli Invasion of Lebanon – 2024 to Present – 2024 Syrian Opposition Offensives – 2024 

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

In-Word Passage – Day 109 – The Too Heavy Blues

The Too Heavy Blues

He wears the blues like a chainmail suit.
They weigh on him.
They hold him back.
There have been brief moments
When he managed to shake off
This weighted suit and
Enjoyed the world without the burden
Of the blue haze.
But he always finds himself, once again,
Weighted down by the blues.
No matter what it takes, he needs
To figure out a way to lose this chainmail suit.
He tries.  He tries
To shake off this weight,
This weight of the chainmail suit.
This weight of the too heavy blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 108 – Betrayal

Betrayal

Being betrayed by your enemy
Is what you might expect.
It is no surprise.
That is what your enemies are supposed to do.
However,
Being betrayed by someone
You considered a friend,
That is a betrayal of a different sort.
It comes out of the blue.
It is devastating.
Especially, when confronted,
Your ‘friend’ just gives you
That smirk of a smile and
A shrug of the shoulders.
I’d rather be betrayed
By a thousand of my enemies
Than by one of my ‘friends’.
From ‘Friend’ to ‘Enemy’,
I never thought that could happen.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 107 – The Ember

The Ember 

Hanging high in the tree, 
Holding on for dear life,
The dry leaf flaps madly in the 50mph winds.
The flames, climbing the trunk of the tree
Quickly consume the leaf
Breaking it into a thousand embers.
One of these embers is grabbed by the wind
And lifted high into the sky.
Flying along on the wings of the wind
It grows hotter by the yard.
It travels for miles over land that is bone dry.
This lone ember continues to get hotter,
Glowing brighter as it slowly drops
Toward the earth, fighting the wind against gravity.
It finally lands in a small bush among
The crowded and brittle brush.
Finding dry and thirsty kindling
It ignites once again into a full-fledged flame.
A flame that burns the bush, that burns the brush,
That burns the leaves creating more embers.
Embers that are lifted by the whipping winds,
Growing hotter as they fly, just waiting to land
On the dry and brittle earth 
To begin the cycle once again.

Roy W. Backes
© 2025 

In-Word Passage – Day 106 – Beginnings

Beginnings

Beginnings.
An exciting time.
A time filled with wonder.
A time filled with anticipation.
We all love beginnings.
Beginning a new job.
Beginning a life together.
Even beginning a new series to binge on.
We all love beginnings.  
That is,
Until we arrive at the
Beginning of the end.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage - Day 105 - Play You Like a Piano

Play You Like a Piano

Now that you have played me like a guitar
Allow me to play you like a piano.
The pleasure I take in running my hands
Up and down your keyboard is only matched
By the music you make as I play.
My right hand plays your upper high notes
While my left explores the lower bass section.
My mouth explores your white keys
My tongue plays your black keys.
My fingers work their magic
Playing chords on your body
That slowly build to a crescendo covered
In sweat and passion.
Come on Girl,
Allow me to play you like a piano.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 104 – The Ten to Midnight Blues

The Ten to Midnight Blues

Anticipation,
Watching the minutes tick by.
She promised to meet him at eleven,
As of yet, she is a no-show.
Not a word.
Maybe she is stuck in traffic.
Maybe her phone has died.
Twenty-five past eleven.
He is on his third drink.
The minutes continue to tick by.
He makes a pact with himself
That at midnight he is going to roll,
Not a minute later.
He sits.  He drinks.  He waits.
He looks at the door every time it opens.
He orders another drink.
He looks at his watch.  He looks at the door.
The clock continues to tick on by.
His deadline is rapidly approaching.
He sits here alone with his drink
Staring at the door and 
Suffering from the 
Ten to midnight blues.

Roy W. Backes 
© 2025 

In-Word Passage – Day 103 – D.C. Dreaming

D.C. Dreaming

D.C. dreaming
On such a winter’s day.
Here I sit, the middle of January,
Snow covers the ground.
The temperature hasn’t gone
Above freezing for over a week.
I look outside, watching the wind
Whip through the trees
Adding height and girth to
The frozen drifts of snow.
I dream of D. C. in the summer.
Not D.C. as in Washington, but
D.C. as in Door County,
That peninsula that sits
On the edge of Lake Michigan,
Forming the Bay, known as “Green”.
I dream of warm waters,
Sandy beaches and shallow sandbars.
I dream of seagulls and geese
Feeding along the shore.
Here I sit, in the middle of January,
D.C. dreaming
On such a winter’s day.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 102 – Feelings

Feelings

I was feeling pretty good
When I walked in.
Then I saw them.
First two, then four,
Then six, then eight.
Four of them close friends.
The other four more friends of friends.
They were all surprised to see me
As I was to see them.
I was feeling pretty good
When I walked in.
When I walked out
My feelings were bruised,
Beat up and bleeding.
My feelings,
How quickly and deeply they can be bruised.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 101 – Against the Wall in My Hall

Against The Wall in My Hall

It started out nice.
Dinner, a couple glasses of wine,
Pleasant conversation, a few laughs.
As he walked me home, I debated
With myself about asking him 
Up for another drink.
I invited him in.
He tried to kiss me
As soon as I closed the door.
That was when it started to go sideways.
I swiveled away and since I had
Invited him in I got two glasses
And poured some wine. Half glasses at best.
My focus now on getting him
Out of my place asap.
I’d been here before,
This was not my first rodeo.
I kept my distance.
Uncomfortable,
Nervous.
He could see it.
He could feel it.
He knew he wasn’t going to get any tonight.
He drank his wine a little too fast and then
He got up from the sofa. 
I breathed a sigh of relief,
Stealing a glance at my front door
I stepped into the hall and
That is when he leaped.
Two large steps.
He grabbed me,
He spun me to the wall,
One hand over my mouth
The other hand moving freely.
I tried to push/pull away.
No luck.
He was too strong.
Against the wall in my hall
It happened.
He whispered vulgar things in my ear.
Against the wall in my hall
He raped me.
As he zipped up
He threatened me.  
Reminded me that I had invited him in.
Reminded me that he knew where I lived.
Leaving me against the wall in my hall
He opened the door and left.
I slid down the wall
Wiping tears from my cheeks.
I felt stupid.
I felt ashamed.
I felt dirty,
Like a used rag tossed into a corner.
I remember looking at my hands
As they shook in terror,
In anger,  
In rage.
I remember sitting against the wall 
In my hall wondering
If I was his first one.
That is when I reached for my phone,
Dialed 911 and
Decided that, no matter what,
I was going to be his last one.

Roy W. Backes
© 2017

In-Word Passage – Day 100 – Three X Wives and a Mortgage Blues

Three X Wives and a Mortgage Blues

Behind on his alimony
Behind on his child support
Behind on his mortgage
His three X wives are bleeding him dry
No matter how hard he tries
No matter how hard he works
He is always behind
X one has no patience
X two is constantly calling
X three is threatening to sue
Yet another letter from the mortgage company
Arrived this morning
He feels like he is living on
The dark side of the moon
Yearning for some sun
Yearning for some relief
Some relief from these
Three X wives and a mortgage blues

Roy W. Backes
© 2025

In-Word Passage – Day 99 – Don’t Want My Love for You to Hold You Back

Don’t Want My Love for You to Hold You Back

He’s loved her for so long
He can’t remember a time
Without this love in his heart.
He knows she loved him as well,
For a very long time.
But now he feels her fading away
Moving further from his heart.

He’s loved her forever.
He knows that he is not easy.
But his love for her is stronger
Than his pain.
So, he says to her, “If you need to go,
If our time is over,
Please know that I
Don’t want my love for you
To hold you back.

I’ll be okay.
I’ll be sad, but okay.
So, if you need to go,
Then go.”

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

In-Word Passage – Day 98 – Where Even Angels Suffocate

Where Even Angels Suffocate

As the towers fell
Sending tons of toxic dust
Roaring up the Avenues,
Most people, covered in gray ash, 
Run for their lives, half blind,
Struggling for breath, stumbling and tripping
On the curbs and debris ahead.
Into this dust storm,
A place where even angels suffocate,
Run the first responders
Looking to help those in need.
They selflessly run into the toxic cloud
Stepping over and around the bodies of
The angels who fell before them.
They run, they climb, they suck in the toxic dust,
They hold out their hand, they suffocate.
These heroic men and women chose to run 
Into the toxic cloud, a place where even angels suffocate,
All to help those in need.

Roy W. Backes 
© 2024 

In-Word Passage – Day 97 – Live Right

Live Right

Live right.
There will come a time
For all of us
When we end up laying on our deathbed
Getting ready to say goodbye to this life.
Live right.
Because, I promise, you will want those
Final hours to be full of happy memories,
Not regrets for having intentionally 
Caused pain for others,
For having closed your heart
To your fellow man.
Live right.
Because those final hours are coming
For all of us.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 96 – Stupid People

Stupid People

I’m talking about stupid people.
I’m not talking about uneducated people.
I’m not talking about poor people.
I’m talking about people:
     Who don’t vote.
     Who call African Americans the “N” Word.
     Who call members of the LGBTQ+ community “Fags” and “Dykes”.
     Who say that all people of the Muslim faith are terrorists.
     Who, even though they know they are
     Children of immigrants, still say
     That we should close our borders to everyone.
I’m talking about stupid people.
Am I talking about you?
Yes, you.
I know who you are.
You know who you are.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

In-Word Passage – Day 95 – Dead To Me

Dead To Me

He/She is dead to me.
He/She had his/her chance,
Actually, he/she has had numerous chances.
He/She has finally crossed the line,
He/She has finally gone too far.
I don’t think he/she will be missed.
It was never really that good.
It was always painful.
It is no longer worth the effort.
Now, he/she is dead to me.
Gone.
Never to be exhumed.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

In-Word Passage – Day 94 – How Is It Possible?

How Is It Possible?

I’ve been away for three months now.
I miss my house.
I miss my bed.
I miss my city.
I miss my son.
I stand here looking out at
This beautiful body of water
That changes color and character by the hour.
I stand here looking at this wide-open sky
With not a skyscraper in sight.
I stand here on this soft and sandy beach,
My feet sinking slowly into the sand.
I stand here and wonder 
How is it that I am actually tired of this sight,
Tired of this sound?
How is it possible to be no longer affected
By this magnificent beauty?
I have to admit it though,
I am.
I just want to go home.
I’ve been away for three months now.
I miss my house…….

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 93 – She’s Here but Already Gone

She’s Here but Already Gone

They sit at their table
Trying to have a pleasant meal.
The conversation is sporadic and banal.
He notices that her eyes often
Drift toward the front door,
Or cloud over in deep thought.
The food is just above average
As neither of them are able to
Put their heart and soul into the preparation.
They sit there in sporadic silence
Sipping their wine, glass after glass.
The food goes cold on their plates,
The wine bottles go empty.
She looks at him with empty eyes
While he comes to the realization
That she may be here
But she is already gone.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 92 – The Crowded Room Blues

The Crowded Room Blues

He was never comfortable in crowds.
All those people.
All the bumping and shuffling,
All those odors.
He found himself wondering how the hell
He ended up in this crowded room,
Surrounded by strangers
All bumping and shuffling him around.
He looked for an exit
But the amount of people between
Himself and the way out was overwhelming.
He stood there trying his best
Not to spill his drink while being
Bumped and shuffled about.
The air around him was full of perfumes
Of all types, mixed with the odor of sweat.
His anxiety begins to rise with each minute,
His forced smile slowly losing its luster.
He was never comfortable in crowds.
All those people.
Now he finds himself being bumped and shuffled about
And suffering, once again, from these claustrophobic 
Crowded room blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 91 – Timber and Tone

Timber and Tone
	         (Meant to follow ‘Iceberg Eyes’)

We’ve been talking on the phone
For the past couple of weeks.
We decided that it was time to meet
Face to face.
We agreed that he would wear a blue sweater
And that I would wear a red dress.
I nervously entered the restaurant,
Looked around and saw him stand and wave.
Thankfully, he matched his online profile photo.
We sat and talked over some wine.
One of the reasons I agreed to meet him
Was that I really liked the sound of his voice
Over the phone.
So, we talked.  We sipped wine.  We laughed.
All the while the timber and tone of his voice
Washed over me in waves.
I watched his mouth move
And his eyes checking me out.
His eyes spent much more time
On my face than on my tits,
Which I appreciated.
Over more wine and some light food
I allowed the timber and tone of his voice
To wash over me, subtlety drawing me in.
The more we talked the more I found myself
Slowly drifting out to sea
With only the timber and tone of his voice
To hold on to.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 90 – Iceberg Eyes

Iceberg Eyes
           (Meant to precede ‘Timber and Tone’)

We’ve been talking on the phone
For the past couple of weeks.
We decided that it was time to meet
Face to face.
I waited in the restaurant looking for
A woman in a red dress to arrive.
We agreed that I would be in a blue sweater
And she would be in a red dress.
Finally, she walked through the door,
Stopped, looked around for the blue sweater.
I stood and raised my hand and
She walked toward me looking seriously hot
In that red dress.
Not too tight, but tight enough.
We sat over glasses of wine
She checking me out.
Me checking her out.
Her eyes were icy blue, the color
Of an iceberg under the water.
Her smile, framed in red, showed teeth
So white it was like they were bleached
An hour ago.
The longer I stared at her red lips
And blue eyes the more I felt like
The Titanic on its maiden voyage
About to be sunk by those iceberg eyes
And that red dress.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 89 – People Come and Go

People Come and Go

People come and go.
Friends come and go.
Lovers come and go.
Many people come and go
In your life.
Hopefully you are able to savor
Each and every one in its own way.
Hopefully you are able to
Hold on to a few of those
People, friends, lovers
As you carry them into
Your senior years.
Even if you carry them
Only as memories.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

In-Word Passage – Day 88 – Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors

It is a beautiful house.
Perfectly manicured lawn.
The hedges sculpted in perfect symmetry.
The jet-black driveway with not 
A crack to be found.
Beautiful flower beds to the right and
Left of the front door, 
Where butterflies and bees buzz, happily
Drinking and pollinating away.
The front door made of solid varnished walnut
With ornate inset cut-glass windows.
The morning sun reflects mini rainbows
Off the beveled glass adding color to the flower beds.
Out of this walnut cut-glass door, steps a woman.
Her head down.  Her shoulders slumped forward.
She looks like around like a terrified chipmunk
In an open field.
Her black and blue eyes hidden behind large
Round sunglasses. Her hair, not quite right.
She hurries to her car, a slight limp to her gait
And quickly gets behind the wheel of her BMW.
It is a beautiful house, 
With a perfectly manicured lawn.
No matter how sculpted the hedges,
No matter how beautiful the garden,
You never know what happens
Behind closed doors.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 87 – She Sings

She Sings

I’ve not heard her sing
For many years.
For many years where we
Struggled to hold on.
To hold on to each other,
To hold on to our trust in the world.

Today I heard her sing.
She didn’t know I was there,
There where I could hear
Her sing once again.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

In-Word Passage – Day 86 – Heading West

Heading West

Heading west
Straight toward the western horizon
Straight toward the setting sun
Straight on into the colorful sky
Straight on into the night
Straight on into the dark
Heading west
The inevitable journey

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 85 – Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Christmas morning.
A time of good coffee, decorative cookies and
Investigating what Santa showed up with last night.
Licking your fingers clean after
The irresistible cookie dunk and wiping
Coffee drops off your chin
It is time to get to work.
Ripping the paper off the packages
That were so meticulously wrapped
In search of your surprise.
Watching the smiles appear on the faces
Of those you love and the excitement 
In their voices as they rip and shred.
Bagging up the crinkled and destroyed  
Wrapping paper for the trash collectors to collect.
Sitting down together around the table 
For your tradition of lox and bagels or
Numerous choices of jellies and jams to
Spread generously upon the cream cheese.
Spending hours reading your new book
Then taking a walk in the icy cold and snow
To prep your body for dinner.
Setting up the Christmas table with all
The holiday china that is used only once a year.
Then gathering once again around your table
To celebrate another year.
Kissing and hugging your loved ones
As they head home, their bellies full,
Arms loaded down with gifts and 
Hearts filled with great joy.
Finally putting on your new pajamas,
Crawling under the blankets while the
Continuation of your new book fills
You with excitement.

Christmas Day.
One of those very special days
In a year full of days.
Merry Christmas Everyone

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 84 – The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and,
As we all know, Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
He is sitting behind nine beautiful reindeer,
Led by none other than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
With a glass of wine in my hand and
A cookie on my plate I look out my window
On this very Silent Night and find myself
Exclaiming to myself, “Joy to the World.
It is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
So, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Because Baby it is Cold Outside.”
In the middle of this wondrous winter wonderland
I watch a group of kids enjoying a sleigh ride
With the Jingle Bells jingling and the sleigh all
Decked out with Silver Bells.
Turning away from the window I observe
My wife and son as they Deck the Hall.
They bring a smile to my face because it is obvious
That they are having a Holly Jolly Christmas.
On this O Holy Night before Christmas
I ask you all to stop and take a moment to
Enjoy the beauty of a White Christmas
And appreciate that it is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
I write this poem as a way of wishing that you all
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Hark, The Herald Angels sing,
“Pease and Love to you and yours.”

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 83 – Dancing in the Dark

Dancing in the Dark

The moon's been swallowed by
Dark dense clouds,
The starlight is all snuffed out.
In front of his penthouse window
Surveying the crowded city,
With Christmas music playing softly
In the background,
He sways to the beat of his heart,
His hands in his pockets,
Alone,
Dancing in the dark.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

In-Word Passage – Day 82 – Missing Her

Missing Her

She never stopped singing to me.
She sang her song all day and all night.
Sometimes her song was just a hum,
Soft and mellow with a gentle lapping.
Other times her song was loud and raucous
Pounding the shore with an aggressive beat.
She constantly changed her color,
Always a mix of colors that painted the water
Depending upon her mood.
She loved reflecting a vast field of diamonds
In the morning sun for my viewing pleasure.
While at night, she reflected a pathway
To the moon as it shimmered off the water
On its rise above the horizon.
She allowed herself to be home
To gulls, geese and pelicans.
She fed them with her fish.
She washed them all with her clean, clear water.
She made me happy.
Every day.
She never disappointed.

No longer sitting on her shore
I miss her song.
I miss the calls of her guests.
I miss her constantly changing color.
I miss the lake.
I miss her.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 81 – After the Fall

After the Fall

Is winter.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In- Word Passage – Day 80 – The Dark Light

The Dark Light

When you finally turn off
Your bedside light
Plunging your bedroom into darkness,
Close your eyes and observe,
What I like to call,
The dark light.
Those faint remnants of light
That linger in the dark that
Your eyes refuse to let go of.

I have always felt that
This dark light,
Which is constantly changing shapes
Under your eyelids
Gives you the inspiration for
Your first dream of the night.
So, close your eyes, sleep tight
And enjoy the dream provided to you
By the dark light.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 79 – No Room Blues

No Room Blues

There are times when
He is so blue
It is as though he is
Inside the blues,
Surrounded by the blues, 
Blinded by the blues.
When the golden sun shines on him
His aura has a tint of green to it.
There are times when he is so blue
That when new blues try to enter
They find that there is 
No room in the inn and
These new blues are forced to move on
Looking for another blue being.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 78 – Empaths

Empaths

We need more empaths in the world.
There is so much pain,
So much suffering
In so many places
That the need for more empaths
Has become acute.
So, if you are one of those people
Who feels for others,
Who feels the need to ease the pain of others
Then please reach out to someone
In need and try to take away
Just a little of their pain.
We need more empaths in the world.
There is just way too much pain.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

In-Word Passage – Day 77 – Our Thoughts and Prayers

Our Thoughts and Prayers

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all
The victims of this senseless school shooting.”
     “Yes, I proudly voted against any kind of gun regulation.”
Our thoughts and prayers…….
     “Look. If we just gave our teachers guns….”
Our thoughts and prayers……. 
     “Happy 14th birthday Son.  Here is your new 
      AR 15 and a box of bullets as well.”
Our thoughts and prayers…….
     “We all know the only way to stop a bad guy
       With a gun is to give the good guy a gun.”
Our thoughts and prayers…….
     “The Second Amendment states that we
      All have the inalienable right to bear
      Weapons of war.”
Our thoughts and prayers…….
     “You will have to pry my gun from my hands
      Over my cold, dead body.”
Our thoughts and prayers…….
     “Gun laws?  We don’t need more gun laws.
      We need more guns.
     “Background checks?
      We don’t need background checks.  Who cares?”
     “Bump stocks?  We need bump stocks.
      We want bump stocks.”
Our Thoughts and Prayers…….
     “STOP RIGHT THERE.
      We don’t want your thoughts and prayers.
      Your thoughts and prayers mean nothing to us.
      Your thoughts are absurd and empty.
      Your prayers are nothing but the voice of cowards.”

“I pray for your soul and all of the innocent blood on your hands.”

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 76 – A Risky Move

A Risky Move

It was always a risky move,
No matter what kind of signals
You thought you were receiving from her.
Should I lean in for that first kiss?
Will it be accepted?
Will she pull away?
Will it be returned?
Or, 
Slowly sliding my hand toward her breast.
Will it be slapped away?
Will she pull away?
Will she slowly turn toward my hand?
Or
Saying those heartfelt three words.
Will they be accepted?
Will they be rejected??
Will they be returned?
No matter what kind of signals
You thought you were receiving from her,
Leaning in or sliding your hand or
Saying those three words was always
A risky move.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 75 – Cleaning Erasers

Cleaning Erasers

I attended both grade and middle school
During the 50’s and 60’s.
Eight years at Catholic schools,
St. Mary’s and then St. Philip’s.
Each with black and white clad nuns
As my teachers.
They wrote lessons on large blackboards
Using white chalk and would use gray felt 
Erasers to clear the board.
After a full day of teaching
The dark gray erasers were chalky white.
I always felt a sense of pride
When the sister chose me to clean the erasers.
I would gather up all four erasers and
Step outside so I could slap two of them
Together, over and over, creating a huge
White cloud of chalk dust.
I learned quickly to keep my back to the wind
Or else I’d choke on the white dust.
I clapped and slapped those erasers
Against each other until the dust cloud stopped.
I then gathered the now chalk-free gray erasers
And returned to my classroom looking
Like a ghost, all covered in soft white powder,
But full of pride at a job well done.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 74 – Travelling

Travelling

I love to travel.
Going to places I’ve never been before,
Visiting historic sights.
However, I don’t love packing my bag,
Trying to meet the 50lb limit.
I don’t love living out of a suitcase.
I am scared to death of flying.
The idea of being cooped up with a 
Hundred-plus other humans flying
40,000 feet above the earth, frankly,
Scares the shit out of me.
I prefer to do my travelling in my mind.
I can go anywhere I want to go.
And the price is right.  Either 50% off
The original price at my neighborhood 
Used book shop or, worse case, full price
At Barnes and Noble.
I love to travel.
I just prefer my mode of transportation
To be my mind and imagination.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 73 – They Sit in the Corner

They Sit in The Corner

They sit in the corner
Of a four walled room.
No doors. No windows.
Light drips from a dim bulb
Fixed to the ceiling.
The floor is cold concrete,
Gray and uncarpeted.
They sit in the corner
Staring at the blank walls
Searching for cracks
Searching for sounds
Searching for warmth.

Roy W. Backes
© 1992

In-Word Passage – Day 72 – An Homage To the ‘Burgh – Mid 60’s

An Homage To the ‘Burgh – Mid 60’s

Got on ‘da bus in Crafton,
Asked the driver for some change
An’ headed dahntahn to meet my bud, Haherd.
(Found out years later that his name is actually Howard).
We’re meeting under the Kaufmann’s clock.
I rode dahn the hill through the West End, 
Passed the Duquesne Incline and crossed
The Fort Pitt Bridge to my stop in tahn. 
When I saw Haherd I said, “Hey, you Jagoff,
Wass up?”  
He smiled and asked, “Jeet yet?”
I said, “No. D’Jew?”
He said, “Cool.  Yinz wanna walk up to
Primanti Brothers and get one of ‘em sammiches, n’at?”
So, we strolled up Liberty Avenue toward
‘Da Strip.  We sat on one of ‘da loading docks
In the Strip District and devaherd our sammiches,
French fries, coleslaw, the whole nine yards.
Our stomachs full, we wandered back 
Dahntahn passing the Nixon Theater and then
The Stanley, which was showing ‘Goldfinger’ in ‘Technicolor’.
We decided to head dahn to ‘da Point where we walked
Arahnd the old remains of Fort Pitt.
Then we spent an ‘ahr or so throwing rocks into
The Mon and the Allegheny.
Our arms sore we headed back to tahn,
Passed the Hilton, checked out the Jenkins Arcade,
And wandered into Joseph Horne Co. 
After using the toilet, we tested all seven
Of the Seven Seas colognes, then walked back ‘aht
Onto Penn Avenue trailing a fog of sea smells 
All the way up to Fifth Street.  We took a left
And crossed the Fifth Street Bridge over to the nor’side
And came back to tahn across the Seventh Street Bridge.
With tired legs we stopped for a Clark Bar for me and
A Zagnut Bar for Haherd.
We then headed back to our bus stops for the journey home.
Just two kids enjoying a day in
Dahntahn Pittsburgh in the mid 60’s.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 71 – Toxic

Toxic

You know that slimy, somewhat
Oily feeling you get when
You are in the presence of
Someone toxic?
Once you walk away
All you want to do is
Go home and take
A long hot shower?
That is how I feel while
In the company of her.
Her, with that air of superiority.
Always looking down her beak
Of a nose as though I was
Somehow smaller than she.
She, who always has something
Critical to say, always trying
To put me down so she can lift herself up.
I can’t spend more than
A few minutes in her company
Before my skin begins to crawl
And the desire for a long hot shower
Becomes desperate.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 70 – Off Balance

Off Balance

Skipping and spinning down the street,
Throwing in an occasional leg kick,
The woman looks like she is full of joy
And has a love for life.
Following close behind is a
Cute four- or five-year-old,
Pigtails bouncing with each step.
She dances and spins and
And tries to keep her balance
Until she falls and skins her knee.
As she cries, the woman spins
One more time and screams
At the innocent child.
The child cowers and slowly gets up,
Inspecting her own knee,
Then limps forward,
No longer dancing and spinning,
While the woman does another
Off balance leg kick and 
Moves on without looking back.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

In-Word Passage – Day 69 – Running From the Devil

Running From the Devil

My God, she is fast.
No matter how far I run,
No matter how fast I run
She is always right behind me
Keeping pace.  Never tiring,
Never breathing hard.
I take a quick look behind me.
She is still there
Hair softly blowing in the wind
A cheeky smile on her face.
I put my head down and
Slowly pick up my pace
Hoping beyond hope that
I will, someday, be able 
To outrun the Devil.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 68 – Jack Drinks Jack

Jack Drinks Jack

He was born with the name John
But everybody called him Jack.
He embraced the name, Jack.  
Not John, or Johnnie or Jackie.  Just Jack.
His father always joked that he was named
After Jack Daniels.
He was actually named after his Uncle Jack.
His first taste of Jack Daniels whiskey
Was on his sixteenth birthday.
His friends scored a bottle and
They sat under the bleachers and sipped
Jack until the world softened and began to spin.
Jack became his drink as he
Worked his way into adulthood.
He settled on Jack and Coke.
As his weight began to grow
He dumped the Coke and
Stayed with Jack,
Maybe a little water on the side.
John, who became Jack
Liked to tell his friends that
Jack doesn’t drink Johnnie,
Jack doesn’t drink Jim,
Jack drinks Jack.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 67 – A Sad Sight

A Sad Sight

A beautiful windy day here on the shore.
I sit on our deck looking out
Enjoying the waves crashing onto the beach.
The clouds in the sky,
Soft white against bright blue.
The water a mix of blue and
A kind of granite gray.
White caps everywhere.
An absolutely beautiful day.
Into this wonderful slice of nature
Walks a woman with her head down,
Staring at her phone.
She walks.  She texts.  She stops.  She texts.
She never lifts her eyes from her phone.
She walked all the way across my line of sight
And eventually disappeared down the beach
While not once lifting her head
To take in the beauty of
Where she walked.
It was a sad sight to see.
Someone buried in a 6” x 3” screen
While ignoring the immense splendor
That surrounded her.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 66 – Too Much Time

Too Much Time

I am a patient man
As you well know.
You said you needed some time
So, I stepped back and gave you some time.
I have waited patiently, but,
It’s been a good long while now
And you still stay away.
You say you need more time.
Well, I can’t give you any more time.
It is time for me to move on
Because to be quite honest,
You have taken way
Too much time.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 65 – Grim Reaper or Grin Reaper

Grim Reaper or Grin Reaper

You can tell a lot about the lives of
Aged people if you are willing
To be patient.
Just spend a couple of days sitting in the 
Hallway of any senior citizen living community,
Known back in the day, as an “old folks’ home”.
Just sit patiently in your chair and
Watch who comes walking down the hall
As another ancient one passes over.
It is either going to be the Grim Reaper,
All black and hooded, hiding its face,
Scythe in hand
Coming for the old man who spent his life
Screwing over anyone in his way
In order to move forward and
Fill his already fat wallet.
Or you might see the Grin Reaper,
Dressed in white with its hand out and
A smile on its face,
Who is coming for the old woman who
Was kind and caring her whole life.
Whether the hooded Reaper with scythe in hand
Or the white clad Spirit with a welcoming smile
Arrives at your door as you pass over,
Either one will tell the observer sitting
Patiently in the hallway a lot about
How you lived your life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 64 – Feeling Naked

Feeling Naked

My phone died on me overnight.
It was alive when I went to bed
But looked back at me this morning
With a big black dead screen.
I tried to force start it
But the black screen remained.
Oh well, I’ll just have to 
Take it to the phone store
To see what the problem is.
In the meantime, I feel naked.
I have reached for my phone at least
A dozen times in the past hour alone.
I had no idea how much I depended
On that 3” x 6” minicomputer
I can hold in my hand.
I feel naked without it.
Hopefully the phone store can
Solve my phone problem and help 
Me get dressed at the same time.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 63 – I Left Her for You?

I Left Her for You?

She and I had a good thing going.
We enjoyed each other’s company.
We laughed.
We were comfortable together.
Then you walked into my life.
You, with that sweet smile.
You, with that sexy, smokey perfume.
You slowly pulled me away from her.
You drove a wedge between us.
Eventually I walked away from her,
For you.
Once you got me all for yourself
The thrill of the catch was gone.
You grew colder by the day.
You began to pull away,
Further and further, till you were gone,
Your sights set on another.
She and I had a good thing going,
But I left her for you.
She moved on just like you moved on
And here I sit
Alone at my table
Asking myself why did I
Ever leave her for you?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 62 – Our Loud World

Our Loud World

For those of us who are city dwellers
We live in a vibrantly loud world.
The constant buzz of the city streets,
Broken by the occasional beep, beep, beep
Of a truck in reverse.
Or the thwap, thwap, thwap of the helicopter
Above recording the news or
Heading to a hospital.
There is the distant hum of the fly over
Of jets on their way to somewhere,
As well as the chatter of us humans
On our phones or in conversation with each other.
It is a loud world.
Searching for quiet can be a challenge.
We may find it in a church, a library or even a museum.
But, on a daily basis, our search for quiet
Is often disturbed by this wonderful
And vibrantly loud world we live in.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 61 – The Genie

The Genie

Every morning, I get up
And check on the swollen cork
Shoved into the top of the bottle.
I push it down whenever I
See the cork slightly lifted.
I need to keep the Genie in the bottle.
I have no interest in its three-wish promise.
After the three wishes, then what?
Once out, there is no putting the Genie
Back in the bottle.
So, every morning I get up and
I check the cork.
I push it down.
I make sure that it is secure.
No matter what happens
I need to keep the 
Genie in the bottle.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 60 – So Many Options

So Many Options

I sent you a text the other day.
I typed you an email.
I even left you a voicemail.
All stating that I needed you.
It has been two days
And you are still not here.
How is that possible?
There are planes, trains and automobiles.
There are Ubers and Lyfts.
There are taxis and buses
And bikes and scooters.
There is rapid transit
Or even the horse drawn carriage.
You could even walk or run if need be.
So, how is it possible that after two days
You are still not here, by my side,
In my hour of need?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 59 – Never Been the Same

Never Been the Same

Every once in a while, an event
Happens in your life that changes you forever.
April 06, 1985, was one of those days.
On that day, a woman walked through the door
And my life has never been the same.
She brought light and joy into that room.
A room in which I watched thousands 
Of women enter over the years.
Most of them were very nice,
Many of them were quite attractive.
But none of them brought what she brought.
She brought light and joy and
Eventually, great happiness into my life.
I married that woman and
Five years to the day she walked through that door
She gave birth to our son.
Another day which, afterwards,
I have never been the same.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 58 – Driving

Driving

Fast:	Pedal to the metal
	Windows down and the wind
	Blowing loudly through the car.
	Radio at full volume playing
	ZZ Top or Zeppelin and leaving
	The world behind as quickly as possible.

Slow:	Cruising down the avenue,
	Top down, hair slicked back
	My cigarettes rolled up into
	My sleeve.  Revving the engine
	To rattle the pipes in order to draw
	The attention of all the pretty girls.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

In-Word Passage – Day 57 – The Clearing Path

The Clearing Path

We all need a place
To quiet our mind.
A place to escape the
Constant chatter of modern life.
A place to rest.
A place surrounded by nature at its best.
The blue/teil water to gaze upon,
The wind softly caressing the trees,
The birds gently chirping
Hidden by the leaves.
The ground creatures scurrying,
Crawling, digging, hunting.
But most of all it is the quiet.
I have yet to find a better place 
On this planet
That allows me to quiet my mind
And open myself to inspiration
Than the Clearing path.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 56 – Top of Their Game

Top of Their Game

Sitting in a Broadway theater.
Listening to the Symphony.
Reading my favorite authors.
Watching my cities sports teams play,
All give me the same satisfaction
In knowing that I am watching, reading
Or listening to professionals who are
All at the top of their game.
They are all among the best
At what they do.
They entertain me.
They fill me with joy.
They inspire me to be better,
To strive to be among those who are at
The top of their game.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 55 – The Darker Side

The Darker Side

I often think of nature in a kind light.
You know, beautiful sunsets, lovely flowers,
The melodic music of birds, the beauty of
The lake and those that reside on it.
However, recently Ms. Nature has been
Showing us the other, darker side of her personality.
Hurricanes with roaring winds that
Knock down trees by the thousands.
Megatons of rain falling hard and constant
Causing flooding of epic proportions,
Even in the mountains, where mudslides
Swallow up villages and hamlets.
Earthquakes rattling cities around the world
Cracking man’s construction projects like toothpicks.
Tornadoes whipping through the Midwest
Lifting everything in its path into its windy spiral.
I often thought of nature in a kind light,
But it seems to me that Ms. Nature has a 
Much darker and destructive side.
A side that I hope to never experience in person.
Bless you all who have been affected by
The darker side of Ms. Nature’s personality.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 54 – Fighting the Hill

Fighting the Hill

With its hand firmly placed
In the middle of her back
Time slowly pushes her up
The hill we call Life.
Her heels dig into the ground,
Her thighs twitch in resistance,
But time forces her further up the 
Hill like a slow-moving glacier.
She was probably, oh so fine,
Back in the day.
A day she refuses to let go of.
She dresses like she is still twenty-two
But her well over forty-two body
Doesn’t seem to be cooperating.
She works a little too hard
To attract attention.
That may have worked twenty plus years ago,
It doesn’t quite work today.
Her heels bleeding,
Her thighs twitching in resistance,
Her hands grabbing at every branch and bush,
Time, with its hand still firmly
Planted in the middle of her back
Continues to push her up the hill
Ever so slowly
Toward the inevitable crest.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 53 – A Week of the Blues – Friday

A Week of the Blues

Friday

I open my eyes
To another gray day.
At least the rain has stopped.
I crawl out of bed
And make my way to the bathroom
To do my morning routine.
I dress for work.
I pack my lunch adding
Another three Archway Date-filled
Oatmeal cookies to my bag.
I lock my house
And try to remember
Where I parked my car last night.
After a brief search I
Begin my final journey of the week
Alongside my fellow commuters.
I park my car and
Enter the workplace
Where the mood seems lighter.
Everyone seems relieved that
Finally, Friday has arrived.
Friday, the last day of these
Weekly workday blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 52 – A Week of the Blues – Thursday

A Week of the Blues

Thursday

The loud and angry voices
Of talk radio wake me
This gray rainy morning.
I lay here, half asleep, and try
To decipher what they are so angry about.
I finally give up, crawl out of bed,
And make my way to the bathroom
To do my morning routine.
I dress for work.
I pack my lunch, adding three
Archway Date-filled Oatmeal cookies
To the mix.
I lock my house and
Step out into a pelting rain
On the way to my car.
The commute is nightmarish.
The rain wreaking havoc on traffic.
At last, I park my car
And enter the workplace,
A full twenty minutes late.
I sit at my desk with my
Feet soaking wet, wishing I
Had extra socks in my desk drawer.
I hunker down, focus,
Knowing that there are only two 
More days to go and do my best
To get through these wet feet
Thursday workday blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 51 – A Week of the Blues – Wednesday

A Week of the Blues

Wednesday

Is it that time already?
I mean, I just fell asleep.
I hit the snooze on my alarm
And relish a mere nine minutes
Of additional sleep.
The sun blaring into my bedroom
I crawl out of bed
And trudge my way to the bathroom
To do my morning routine.
I dress for work,
Pack my lunch,
Adding an extra TastyKake
To have with my coffee break coffee.
I lock the house
Start my car
And slowly enter the flow
Of traffic once again.
I park my car and
Enter the workplace.
My co-worker announces that
“Today is hump-day,
It is all downhill from here”, 
Like she does every Wednesday.
I nod in agreement and struggle
To get the lid off my coffee
Without dumping its contents
All over my desk.
I sip my coffee, open my TastyKake
And begin another one of these,
Will I ever get over the 
“Hump-day” workday blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 50 – A Week of the Blues – Tuesday

A Week of the Blues

Tuesday

Stayed up too late last night
Binging on my favorite program
And thus, the morning came
Way too early.
The sun barely peeking over the horizon
I crawl out of bed,
Do the slow march to the bathroom
To do my morning routine.
I dress for work,
Pack my lunch, adding a TastyKake that
I bought at the grocery store yesterday.
I lock the house
And join my fellow commuters
In the slow-moving line of traffic.
I park my car
And enter the workplace,
Where too much work awaits
With too little time.
I put my head down and wonder
How I will ever survive these
Tuesday workday blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 49 – A Week of the Blues – Monday

A Week of the Blues

Monday

Woke up this Monday morning
Before the sun even had a chance to say hello.
I slowly marched to the bathroom
To do my morning routine.
I dressed for work, not a suit, thank God,
Packed my lunch,
Wishing now that I had bought those
TastyKakes at the grocery yesterday.
I lock the house
And begin another week
Of the traffic filled commute
To the job.
I park my car
And enter the workplace with
Five full days ahead of me
That feels like five full years.
I put my head down, focus and
Do my best to get through
Another of these
Monday workday blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In- Word Passage – Day 48 – The Lonely Player

The Lonely Player

It is almost midnight, and I am
Heading home from a gathering with friends.
As I approach the basketball court
In my neighborhood I am surprised 
To see a lonely player shooting hoops
Alone under the mercury lights that
Illuminate the court in a bluish haze.
He practices his dribble between his legs
As well as the drive, stop and pull-up jumper.
As I sit at the stop sign watching
I hear the ball clank off the netless rim
And watch him chase his miss.
It is almost midnight, and this lonely player
Practices hard.  
Are dreams of the NBA what drive him?
Is he unwilling or unable to go home
And face what awaits him there?
Is this just his exercise routine?
As I slowly pull away and leave the
Court behind, I can’t help but wonder
What drives a man to play basketball all alone
As the clock approaches midnight.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 47 – Four-Leaf Clover

Four-Leaf Clover

The four-leaf clover.
The Irish symbol of luck.
They say if you find one your luck will change.
My mother loved to look
For four-leaf clovers.
Since her nightly prayers
Didn’t seem to be working
Why not try for a little luck of the Irish?
She spent hours bent over in our backyard
Looking for a four-leaf clover.
I don’t know if she ever found one.
I do know that she never stopped looking.
Never stopped trying to change her luck.
The four-leaf clover.
The Irish symbol of luck.
It only works, however, if you are
Lucky enough to find one.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage - Day 46 - Where the Concrete Meets the Earth

Where the Concrete Meets the Earth

If you drive long enough
And far enough away from the highway,
Zig-zagging your way along
Smaller and smaller roads,
You will eventually come to
A place where the concrete meets the earth.
Once you step off the concrete
And onto the dirt road
You know that you are stepping into nature.
Follow the dirt road to
The hidden path through the trees
And experience the earth beneath your feet.
The earth that ever so gently
Gives way to your weight
Making it, oh so, much easier on your knees.
Walk and enjoy.  Sit and experience
And know that where the concrete
Meets the earth is just the beginning
Of your journey.
Not the end.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 45 – The Price of Love

The Price of Love

He lives paycheck to paycheck.
There is not much left over
At the end of the month to play with.
Certainly not enough to pursue that
Woman he has his eye on.
He can’t afford to talk to her.
He can’t afford to take her to dinner.
He can’t even afford to take her to
The movies where a bucket of popcorn
Is like six bucks, buttered.
He is forced to admire her from a distance
Until his situation changes.
He can only hope she doesn’t find someone
Who can afford to treat her
As she deserves to be treated.
The price of love is high,
Too high right now.
He just doesn’t have it.
He has to find a way to live without her love
Until he can finally fill his pockets with green.
At least then, he might have a chance.
The price of love?
Is way too high.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 44 – A Piece of Me

A Piece of Me

Each of them has a piece of me in their possession.
Either it is the piece they took
With them when they left me
Or it is the piece of me that
I left sitting on the bedside table
Before I walked out the door.
Most of these pieces are either stuffed
In a box at the back of their closet
Or rotting in a waste dump somewhere.
Maybe one or two pieces are
Sitting on someone’s mantelpiece
Or resting in a curio cabinet.
I know this because I have pieces of each of them.
Some given, some taken,
Some stored in a box in the back of my closet,
Or sitting on my mantel piece.
We all have pieces of each other
Some given, some taken,
Some hidden, some on display.
A piece of me.
A piece of you.
All pieces of the mosaic of life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 43 – A Scream in the Distance

A Scream in the Distance

Sitting on my roof deck
Looking out at the city
I listen to the silence.
No sirens.  No kids on the playground.
No traffic.
It is as though the city is holding its breath.
As though it is waiting for them.
Waiting for those who don’t agree with our values.
Waiting for those who don’t agree with our choices.
We are all sitting here
Holding our collective breaths,
Just waiting for the shriek and cry
Of someone being rounded up,
Marginalized, or kicked to the curb.
I look out over the city
Listening to the silence.
Waiting.
Until a blood curdling scream is heard off in the distance
Signaling the death of Democracy.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 42 – Party Line

Party Line

To this day, every time
I lift the handset of a landline phone
To make a call
I hold the handset to my ear,
Listen to make sure that there is
No one else on the line.
Then I dial.
That training was drilled 
Into me growing up.
Growing up with a party line,
A phone line shared by numerous parties.
If you were sneaky enough
You could very quietly lift the handset
And listen in on your neighbors’ conversations.
I tried that on several occasions
But soon realized that the
Lives of my neighbors were
No more interesting than mine.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 41 – My Women of Yoga

My Women of Yoga

It all started with my wife, Mary
Who suggested that I try yoga.
I resisted.
She insisted.
I gave in grudgingly, and have now
Been practicing for over fifteen years.
Mary and I now practice yoga together,
Side by side, growing together.
One of my early teachers, Chae
Taught me how to breathe,
How to move my body into the pose.
She taught me patience and showed
Me the mind-side of yoga.
Years into my practice came Lindsay.
A bright light. A beacon to strive for.
She taught me how to use silence
To enhance my practice,
To look inward and stop focusing
On “how do I look?”, to put my ego aside.
These three women,
I think of them as my Women of Yoga
Changed my life.
They taught me to move.
They taught me to concentrate.
They taught me to live,
Both outside and inside my practice.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 40 – This Routine

This Routine

I have this routine
In my life that makes
Me very happy, indeed.
There are minor adjustments
To this routine based on the day,
Time of year, and location.
This routine is simple,
With only one goal in mind,
Which is to make
My days comfortable
And spectacularly full
Of nothing but joy.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

In-Word Passage – Day 39 – It Starts Slow

It Starts Slow

It starts slow,
First with one note,
Then two.
Followed by a chord,
Then maybe another
Ending in a cool riff.
The groove that is set
Slowly builds in rhythm
With the beat of the bass
And the sticks of the drummer.
Layer in the vocal and that
Thing that started slowly, with one note,
Is now a full-fledged anthem.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 38 – The Cry of the Single Seagull

The Cry of the Single Seagull

It is a very quiet morning
Here at the lakeside.
Very little breeze.
The water gently lapping at the shore.
Into this quiet world
Flies a single seagull.
It seems to be in search of something.
Food?
A mate?
It cries loudly hoping that
Whatever breeze there is
Will carry its call.
This single seagull floats
In the sky calling to
An empty and quiet world
On its lonely journey over the water.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 37 – Empty

Empty

I’m empty.
I have no more to give,
My strength has run out.
My fingernails are chipped
And bleeding from grasping
At the rocks.
My feet are broken,
Snapped by the roots
And pits along the path.
My head aches
From the pressure
Of trying to cope
When coping seems hopeless.

I’m empty.
Drained.
Wrung out.
With nothing left
To give.
I crave for some strength,
For something to grasp on to,
Something to fill me up.
But now, I have no more to give.
I’m running on empty.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

In-Word Passage – Day 36 – As Night Ends

As Night Ends

When night’s shift is over
And the faint light of dawn
Begins to color the eastern sky
The day to follow is full of promise.
Expectation fills the cool air
Before the heat of the day arrives.
The dew is damp and wet
And covers every surface
Giving the world a shimmery look.
As the sun climbs toward the horizon
The night creatures scurry away
To rest while the day creatures
Begin to sing, welcoming the morning.
We humans slowly crawl out of our beds
And begin our preparations to face
What lies ahead.
As night ends 
Day slowly appears and shines
Its golden rays upon a world
Filled with life and expectation.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 35 – Singing in the Rain

Singing in the Rain

Escaped the heat of the city.
The heatwave was oppressive
This early in the season.
Flew two hours then drove three,
Finally arriving at our place on the lake shore.
I stood on the beach and
Watched the front roll in.
Blue sky replaced by dark gray clouds.
The waves kicked up, pounding the shore.
The sky opened up eventually,
Soaking me, cooling me off.
I stood there, the rain pelting me,
The wind blowing and
I found myself so full of joy
That I began to sing to myself.
At first quietly, then louder.
Standing on the beach
In the middle of this storm,
Soaking wet and slightly chilled
I entertained the stormy sky by
Singing in the rain.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 34 – Selling My Soul

Selling My Soul

Many years ago, the Devil approached me with an offer.
He said that, for the price of my soul
He could give me fame and fortune.
I could have anything I wanted.
After not much thought I looked him
In his fiery red eyes and
Very nicely told him to stuff it.

A few years back a “Christian God” approached me with an offer.
He/She said, that for the price of my soul
I can help build a Christian Nation.
They said that all I had to do was:
1.)  Ignore the Lies.
        After all, what is Truth
2.)  Forget about Forgiveness and Compassion,
        Replace it with Rage and Retribution
3.)  Pull back your Helping Hand.
        Let them suffer if they must.
4.)  Make Immigrants unwelcome.  Round them up.
        Put them all in cages and compounds.
5.)  Put Women in their place.
        Maintain control over their bodies.
6.)  Turn away when you see them Stealing.
        Use your Blind Eye.
7.)  Worship Money.  Remember, after all 
        It is the Father, Son and the Almighty Dollar.
8.)  Step on the Black Man.  
        Keep him down.  Keep him quiet.
9.)  Suppress the LGBTQ Community.
        They have no rights under our laws.
10.) Swear that I am the only God.
        Kill Buddha. Kill Yahweh.  Kill Krishna.
I looked this “Christian God” in their empty eyes
And very nicely told Them to put their offer
Where the sun don’t shine.
This “Christian God” looked me in the eye
With no love in Their heart and said to me,
“You will be sorry.  You will burn in Hell.”
I proudly gave Them the middle finger.
Turned my back and calmly walked away,
My soul still my own.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 33 – The Midnight Shift

The Midnight Shift

I always wondered where my uncle was.
He was seldom around when we visited.
It turned out that he was sleeping most of the time
Because he worked the night shift at the mill.
My aunt called it the Midnight Shift.
12:00am to 8:00am.
While we all slept, he worked all night
Making steel,
Sweating in the heat of the furnace
That negated the cool of the night.
He worked the midnight shift,
Missing many gatherings.
Missing his children, as they
Were already in school by the time he got home
And was often sound asleep when they got home.
My uncle worked the midnight shift at the mill,
Pouring molten steel in the still of the night.
He gave up most of his daylight life
So he could work in the deep dark of
The Midnight Shift.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 32 – Live Loud

Live Loud

We’ve all heard the saying,
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
My advice to you all is
To live your life loud
And make some noise.
Make noise for change,
Whatever it is.
Scream it from the rooftops.
Sing it loud and clear
Over and over again.
Make them hear you,
Make them deal with you,
Make them change.
Say no
Loud and clear.
Say no
Over and over.
Since the squeaky wheel is the one
That gets the grease,
Be the squeaky wheel.
Make some serious, squeaky loud noise.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 31 – Blue Skyy

Blue Skyy

Ice cold
Right out of the freezer.
As he pours himself his first shot
The dark blue bottle of Skyy Vodka
Is hard to hold.
It’s like holding a snowball in your hand,
Quickly numbing your fingers.
It is worth it though.
The ice-cold vodka from the shot glass
Freezes his throat as it goes down.
Sky Blue
His favorite color.
Since he can’t drink the blue
Of the daytime sky
He will be content to sit back and
Enjoy drinking the ice cold,
Just out of the freezer
Blue Skyy.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage- Day 30 – Diamonds/Clubs/Spades/Hearts

Diamonds/Clubs/Spades/Hearts

She has many moods, my woman does.
She wears these moods like suits.
Depending on the day the suits and color
Change as well as the style.

At her best she is like a red diamond.
She sparkles with joyous energy and
Carries a smile that is indestructible.

When her mood turns dark and black
She will beat herself up as though
She is wielding a club to inflict
Guilt and recrimination upon herself.

She is always curious, my woman is.
When interested in a subject, she loves
To research it and dig as deep as she can
Using books and articles like a spade
To dig even deeper.

Her heart is huge.
She loves deeply with a fire
That burns red with passion and commitment.

My woman wears many suits.
All of which show her style and
Shuffle the full deck of her personality.
I love this woman no matter
Which suit she is wearing.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 29 – A Waiver

A Waiver

The bruise on my left buttock
Grew larger by the day.
Blue, then purple, then black.
Like a giant internal ink blot.
When I hit the unforgiving red brick
From five feet in the air
Crushing my iPhone and driving it into my buttock,
My first thought was, “Get your ass off this ground.”
I immediately stood up to assess the damage.
With deep fear in my heart, I was stunned
To discover that I had full range of motion
In my hips, my shoulders and my back,
With no sharp pain present.
I was sore as hell.  Stiff as hell.
Obviously, some damage but nothing broken
Other than my ego.
Luckily, I didn’t hit my head.  I managed
To miss both the bench and the brick ledge
Along the walkway.
The fact that I walked (limped) away from
That fall was a minor miracle.
Fortunately, my Guardian Angel was alert
And on guard that day.
After hearing my story, a friend of mine
Looked me in the eye and said, “You got
A waiver on that one, my friend.  The
Universe gave you a waiver.”

I realize that I was given a waiver
By the universe and I swear to you all,
That I will not waste it!

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 28 – The Lone Cormorant

The Lone Cormorant

All alone on this massive stretch of beach
It stands stone still watching the flocks
Of its fellow cormorants fly by.
There are thousands of them heading south.
Not one of them stops to see
What the problem is.
The lone cormorant can walk, can swim
But it just can’t fly.
It can swim for hours in search of a meal
Then return to the beach to rest.
It can open its wings wide after 
Its swim to dry off in the sun.
It can even gently flap its wings,
It just can’t lift off.
This lone bird has been on our section
Of the beach now for over a month.
It still survives, somehow.
It makes not a sound while it stands
Stone still for hours on end
Longingly looking up at the expanse of the
Bright blue sky
In which it may never fly again.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 27 – Doors and Windows

Doors and Windows

Doors and Windows,
They allow us to:
Walk through
Look through
See in
See out
Keep us in
Keep them out
Let light in
Let them in
Open ‘em up
Close ‘em up
Keep cold out
Keep heat in
Check them at night
Lock them tight
Keep us safe
Keep us sound
Keep sound out
Keep secrets in
Pull the shades
Slam them shut
“Welcome” mat in front
Key hidden out back.

Doors and windows
Solid and double-paned
Allow us to live our lives
In peace and quiet.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 26 – Driving Through the Rain

Driving Through the Rain

Driving through the rain
Down this two-lane county road,
Oncoming headlights reflecting
Off my windshield, blinding me
As they pass.
I flick the arm for the wipers
First slow, then faster, then faster still.
They do no good.
The headlights continue to reflect and refract
In the pounding rain.
I wipe my eyes, hoping for some relief
Only to discover that
The rain that has been blinding me
Is coming from my eyes.
My windshield is bone dry
And bug spattered.
I slowly pull over, flick the arm
To still the wipers and sit
Quietly in the dark
While the rain continues to fall.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 25 – Way Too Old to Feel So Young

Way Too Old to Feel So Young

As I rapidly approach my seventy-fifth year
As a guest on this planet,
   (I can’t believe I just wrote that number)
I still feel pretty good.  I still feel young.
No major issues to deal with.
Minor aches and pains which are to be 
Expected after this long using and
Abusing my body machine.
My view of the future is optimistic,
Even though I now need bifocals
In order to see it more clearly.
I have no illusions about my own mortality.
We are all going to cross over eventually.
But I am willing to wait for that inevitable journey.
In my head I think I am still in my thirties,
Even though my body tells a different story.
I still feel good.
Happy to be alive.
So, I wonder,
Am I way too old to feel so young?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 24 – Does a Watch Know When It Has Stopped Running?

Does a Watch Know When It Has Stopped Running?

Does a watch know when
It has stopped running?
Is it aware of that moment,
Now frozen in time,
When the second hand came to rest
For the final time?
Was there a moment as the 
Second hand was coming to rest,
Where it pulsed in place,
Once, twice, three times?
Trying to move one more click,
Trying to pull the last ounce of energy
From the spent battery,
Trying to get one more second of life?
Tick……………..
Now that the second has come to rest
For the final time
Does the watch know that it’s
Time has finally run out?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 23 – Two Weeks

Two Weeks 
                        
Two weeks away as of this writing.
Two weeks away from the possibility 
That millions of Americans might vote
For the end of Democracy.
The end of a Democracy that has lasted
Over two hundred and thirty plus years.
Two weeks away from voting for a dictator.
Two weeks away from voting for an orange-haired fascist.
Two weeks away from voting for a
Convicted felon 34 times over.
Two weeks away from voting for a convicted sex offender.
Two weeks away from voting in a serial liar.
Two weeks away from voting for Putin’s puppet
And Kim’s best friend and Orban’s student.
Two weeks away from the end of the Free Press.
Two weeks away.
Won’t Mitch McConnell and Marjorie Taylor Greene
And all the rest be surprised when
He puts the cuffs on them and
Shoves them all into the basement to be forgotten forever.
Two weeks.
We can’t let this happen.
Vote.  Vote smart.
Vote like your freedom depended on it.

				10/22/2024
Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 22 – Lost in a Maze

Lost in a Maze

Woke up this morning
Only to find myself surrounded
By tall, thick, leafy hedges.
I couldn’t see over them,
I couldn't crawl through them.
Still wearing the same clothes as last night
I’m unclear as to how I arrived here.
After trying to get my bearings
I began to search for a way out
Of this hedge-filled world.
I had the choice of right or left.
I chose left and began my journey
Toward, what I hoped, was the exit.
The hedges were everywhere.
No matter where I turned
I turned into another hedge-filled path.
My only desire was that as I stumbled
About hopelessly lost
I was getting closer to freedom
And not dooming myself to this maze
Of green hedges, dirt paths and
An endless series of dead ends.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 21 – Tennis Head

Tennis Head

Hunkered down in front of the fire
On this very chilly early autumn day.
The wind outside is whipping the trees,
Bending them back and forth as though
They are waving at the sky.
The lake water is crashing the shore
In large waves, one after the other.
I sit in my chair comfortably watching
The flames consume the cedar logs.
I turn my head and stare at the waves
Crashing the shore.
Both sights are mesmerizing.
The flames flickering.
The waves crashing.
I look at one, then turn my head,
And look at the other.
I can’t get enough of either.
My head is on a swivel
As though I am watching a tennis match.
Fire……Water……Fire……Water.
Eventually the fire burns down and
I can rest my neck and savor the 
Sight of the waves and wind.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 20 – What About Forgiveness?

What About Forgiveness?

I’ve been holding this grudge
In my heart for way too long.
The energy it takes on a daily basis
To feed and nurture this grudge
Is beginning to take its toll.
I need this energy to heal,
To help me move forward.
I’m tired.  I need to let it go.
I can no longer hold this grudge 
In my heart.
I need something else to hold on to.
What about Forgiveness?
If I exert just a little bit of that
Grudge energy on the act of forgiveness
Who knows what might happen.
I figure it takes only one time to forgive,
Then it is over.
No need to feed forgiveness every day.
I need to let go of this grudge.
So,
What about Forgiveness?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 19 – Bottom of the Bottle Blues

Bottom of the Bottle Blues

Looking for the bottom of the bottle
He takes another drink.
Then another.
Then another.
He knows that once he reaches 
The bottom of the bottle
His blues will fade away,
If only for a short while.
He finally puts the bottle down
And squints his eye to see
Through the top of the bottle
To the bottom of the bottle
Confirming that he has reached his goal.
He sits back in satisfaction,
The world spinning ever so gently,
And once again hopes that
He was successful in drinking away
His bottom of the bottle blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 18 – Bridges

Bridges

I grew up in the ‘Burgh.
The city of bridges.
The city of high hills and deep valleys.
Pittsburgh, that is.
The city of three rivers.
Everywhere you went
You had to cross a bridge.
You were either driving over one
Or under one.
I grew up crossing bridges.
Constantly changing sides.
Constantly bridging one side for the other.
That saying, “We’ll cross that bridge
When we come to it”, had to
Have originated in the ‘Burgh.
Because that is all we did.
We crossed the bridge when we came to it.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

There are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The most of any city in the United States

In-Word Passage – Day 17 – Razor’s Edge

Razor’s Edge

This shiny edge seems to get
Sharper by the day.
The 1% are crowded around
With whetstones in their hands
And smiles on their faces.
They file away, day after day,
Watching the sharp edge
Slowly slice people until they fall
Off the edge, cut and bleeding.
They watch us struggle
To keep our balance,
Struggle to keep from getting sliced.
They quietly continue to sharpen the edge
Keeping us so focused on
Balancing on the razor’s edge
That we don’t even notice
The 1% crowded around
With whetstones in their hands.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 16 – Pieces of My Heart

Pieces of My Heart

I stumble home from the bar
Where tonight you informed me
That, “It was over”.
I stumble home from the bar
Blinded by my tears,
Unable to stay on the path.
I trip.  I fall.
I cry.  I continue on.
My heart is shattered.
The pieces lay scattered on the ground
Behind me like so many dead leaves.
Please, pay attention to where
You step so as not to crush
My heart.
If you should happen to find
A piece of my heart
Laying on the ground
Do me a kindness and pick it up
Gently, dust it off and
Deliver it quietly to my front door.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 15 – Off the Beaten Path

Off the Beaten Path

It is very mellow here
On this, off the beaten path,
Part of the world.
As dusk approaches
I decide to wander down
The path to the side of the pond.
I like to come here
At this time of day,
When the night is saying hello
And the day is saying goodbye.
I sit on the grassy hillside
And wait for the music to begin.
The music of the frogs and toads.
They build softly, one, then another
Then another until they arrive at 
A loud constant crescendo of croaks,
All counterpointed by the rubbing wings
Of the crickets and the occasional
Howl of a wolf off in the distance.
I sit back, close my eyes, and
Savor the power of the music 
Enriching my soul.
This very mellow, off the beaten path
Part of the world is
Like symphonic music to my ears.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 14 – Scales of Time

Scales of Time

I don’t really like looking
In the mirror these days.
It is not the image reflecting
Back that is the issue.
I actually think I am pretty
Well preserved for my age.
My age,
That is where the rubber meets the road.
If my eyes drift to the left
I am confronted with all the
Years I have left behind.
If my eyes drift to the right
I am confronted with the limited
Number of years I have remaining.
There are so many more years
In my past that there are
In my future, that looking
In the mirror only reminds me
That the scales of time are
Not tipped in my favor.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 13 – Rather Cry Than Pray

Rather Cry Than Pray

For many years I would lower myself
To my knees next to my bed,
Place my elbows on the mattress
And fold my hands in prayer.
I prayed.
I prayed for me.
I prayed for my family.
I prayed for my friends.
All to no avail.
The sick stayed sick.
The pain remained unresolved.
No matter how hard I prayed
My prayers remained unanswered.
It was as though the prayers
Of one young man on his knees
In his bedroom just didn’t matter.
I don’t pray any longer.
When life gets hard,
When people get sick,
When the pain comes back,
I lower myself to my knees
Next to my bed,
Place my forehead on the mattress
And cry.
I’ve decided that I would 
Rather cry than pray.
At least I can watch my tears
Land on my bedside floor.
At least my tears release some 
Of the built-up tension
That life presents every day.
Yes, after many years of unanswered prayers
I’ve decided that I would
Rather cry than pray.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 12 – Hometown Blues

Hometown Blues

Her hometown.
The place where she grew up,
The place that sucked the life out of her.
The place that took almost forty years
To move away from.
Sitting in her newly adopted city
She looks back at her hometown.
The place where her father drank
Himself to death.
The place where her mother lost her youth,
Lost her dreams in the fog of addiction.
The place where she was raped and harassed.
The place where she was stuck.
It took a long while to finally escape,
To find the courage to move away.
She looks back on her hometown now
With more bad memories than good.
She doesn’t miss her hometown.
In fact, the blues that she carries
Around like an albatross all started there.
That is why she calls them
Her hometown blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 11 – Suckling Pigs

Suckling Pigs

They crawl around in the mud
Pushing and shoving each other aside,
All in the hope that they can
Get close enough to suck on
The teat and taste the
Sour milk of selfish power.

They get up in the morning,
They put on their red ties,
They look themselves in the mirror
Knowing that it is going to be
A long and dirty day.
Their thirst for power is all consuming.
They know the only way, is to crawl into the mud,
And they do it anyway.
Like starving, suckling pigs
They crawl around in the mud
Pushing and shoving
All in the hopes of getting
A shot at the teat and the
Sour milk it dispenses.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 10 – Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Baseball		Water Polo
Football 		Squash
Softball		Dodge Ball
Basketball		Volleyball
Tennis			FoozeBall
Cricket			Bocce Ball
Soccer			Polo
Billiards		Lacrosse
Pickle Ball		Field Hockey
Pinball			Marbles
Wiffle Ball		Stick Ball
Hand Ball		Spitball
Rugby			Paddle Ball
Jai Alai		Beach Ball
Bowling		        Croquet
Golf			Lawn Bowling
Kickball		Beer Pong
Tee Ball		Mini Golf
Paint Ball		Medicine Ball
Raquet Ball		Balance Ball
Ping Pong		Red Rubber Ball
Jacks

We do love to play with our balls.

Roy W. Backes 
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 9 – Our Garden at 5:00am

Our Garden at 5:00am

I step out into our garden at 5:00am
With the sun still hidden behind
The horizon, but already painting the sky
A glorious blend of orange and yellow.
I stand quietly still allowing the
Creatures around me to relax.
The birds are chirping away loudly
Each one calling to another
While scoping the ground for the worm
Who hasn’t yet buried itself in the earth.
I take notice of the slimy trail left
By a slug moving across a large green leaf.
I find myself hoping it made it to
Safety before becoming breakfast
For one of the birds.
The morning dew leaves everything
Ever so slightly damp, highlighting the
Beautiful spider’s web woven overnight.
A chipmunk scurries along with
Its cheeks already puffed full of food.
A few fairies float by,
Ephemeral as ever,
On their way to wherever
They reside during the light of day.
I stand still in our garden at 5:00am
Waiting for the sun to appear.
But, in the meantime I’ll enjoy
The company of my fellow creatures
As we welcome the day once again.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In- Word Passage – Day 8 – My Arms Are Not Long Enough

My Arms Are Not Long Enough

My arms are not long enough
To be able to wrap you up and hold you close.
My arms are not long enough
To hold you as tight as you need.
My arms are not strong enough
To protect you from the pain of the world.
I try to hold you close, to comfort you
But my arms are just too short.
I try to protect you from the slings and
Arrows of life
But my arms are just not strong enough.
I want to ease your pain.
I want to protect you.
But my arms are not long nor strong enough.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 7 – Time

Time

All light has a source.
Whether it is the sun
A bulb, a flame or a flashlight
We know where the light comes from.
What is Time’s source?
They say, “Time just is.”
It has no beginning and apparently no end.
Time has no source.
It comes from nowhere and everywhere.
“Time just is.”
Time, as we know it, is a manmade construct
To help us keep track of our lives.
The second, the minute, the hour,
The day, the week, the month,
The year, the decade, the century.
“Time just is.”  It passes by
Leaving us in its timeless wake.
As of late I am much too aware of time.
Night, day, dawn, dusk.
The tick of the second hand.
The tock of the minute hand.
Time is passing me by
Like it always has.
But now, I find myself
Thinking about time
All the time.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 6 – Embracing Joy

Embracing Joy

Working hard each day
To embrace the joys of life.
I embrace the light in my wife’s eyes
      When I look at her face.
I embrace the smile on my son’s face
     When he looks at his fiancé. 
I embrace putting the headphones on and
      Listening to Queen Latifa or 
      Billy Price or Willy Porter.
I embrace walking into a theater to
     Watch actors work on stage.
I embrace sitting in a concert hall and
      Listening to symphonic music.
Every day I open my arms wide
     And try to embrace the joys
     That life has to give.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 5 – At Sixteen

At Sixteen

At the time when most girls
Are celebrating their sweet sixteen parties
They seem to be hitting their stride.
Their bodies have begun to form into
The shapes they will carry into life.
They have left the gangly, uncoordinated
Phase behind.  They walk with confidence
Around the dance floor.

Now, me at sixteen, all pimply-faced and shy
Trying to be cool and grooving to the beat
Of Motown.
I hover on the outskirts of the dance floor
Wanting desperately to join in on the fun.
I slowly turn away and check my zipper
Then push myself off the wall of the dance hall
And begin the slow painful walk around
The perimeter of the dance floor
Hoping to see an approving smile
Or even a wink of acknowledgement.
This lonely walk is endless.
After a full circuit I take my place
Against the wall once again
And watch the couples happily dancing
On the floor.

At sixteen I find myself
Way too shy to be here and
Promise myself that at seventeen
I’ll walk this floor once again
With more confidence
And clearer skin.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 4 – Play Me Like a Guitar

Play Me Like a Guitar

Come on Girl,
Take your time and tune me up.
Tighten each of my strings
Till they sound just right.
Come on Girl,
Slowly strum my strings
Keeping the rhythm smooth and easy.
Come on Girl,
Pick my strings with one hand
While the other sets the chords.
Pick slow and melodic or
Fast and raucous till I
Moan in concert with your fingers.
Come on Girl,
Feel free to play me like a guitar.
Then I’ll play you like a piano,
Running my hands up and down
Your beautiful keyboard.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage - Day 3 - The Saying No Blues

The Saying No Blues

For many years I buried my blues by saying yes.
I buried my blues
By saying yes to ice cream, 
     Cookies and cake.
By saying yes to the daily joint,
     Which certainly didn’t help me with
     The ice cream, cookies and cake.
By saying yes to the double shot
     Of bourbon over and over again.
By saying yes to the tequila.
     Yes, I make a mean margarita.
I said yes to bury my blues.
Now it is time to say no to yes
     And face my blues.
By saying no to the ice cream, cookies and cake.
By saying no to the daily joint.
By saying no to the double shot of bourbon.
By saying no to my mean margaritas.
Let me tell you something,
Saying no is difficult.
Saying no is depressing.
For so many years I said yes to bury my blues.
Now, I am saying no.
Now, I am working hard at what I like to call
The saying no blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 2 – The Breakup of the Band

The Breakup of the Band

They have been playing together
For a little over five years.
They formed in their second year
Of university and over the years
Have fine-tuned their songwriting and
Gotten so much tighter as a band.
The paid gigs were finally coming
More and more often.
They felt they were hitting their groove
And making a name for themselves.
They were on the rise.
Then the bombs fell.
Destroying their neighborhood,
Destroying their homeland.
Three of the band members were killed
In the bombing, two brothers, bass and drums,
And the lead singer, a woman whose voice
Was as strong as her spirit.
Yesterday they were on the rise
Preparing for their next gig.
Today they are dealing with
The breakup of the band.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

In-Word Passage – Day 1 – Surrounded By the Wings of Nature

Surrounded By the Wings of Nature

While doing my yoga practice
On the deck that looks out over the lake
I swatted an annoying fly who
Insisted on biting my leg.
Working to stay present I listened to
The buzz of the gnats as they circled my head.
I looked out toward the beach and
Enjoyed a monarch butterfly flitting
And flying in search of some milkweed.
My focus shifted to the finches calling in the trees,
Then watching them fly to and from the feeder.
A flock of geese flew by heading south,
Their V pattern in perfect symmetry.
Of course, the ever-present seagulls dot the sky
As they continue to search for the next school of fish.
To top it all off, the huge bald eagle,
Who resides in a tree just to the north of me
Flies out over the water, then turns
South in its hunt for food.
From gnats to eagles, it is a joy
To be surrounded by the wings of nature.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

12/01/2023 – 04/08/2024

Word Music – Day 130 – Her Final Notes

Her Final Notes

This woman could sing.
Her voice was one of a kind.
Clear and effortless.
She loved to sing.
She lived to sing.
Then, at thirty-three years of age
The Big C got its grubby hands
On her and never let go.
She fought.
She fought hard.
She gave up her hair.
She gave up her strength.
The Big C’s grip never let loose.
She lays on her bed
Keeping a close lookout for the Reaper.
When the time came
She asked her bandmates
To join her one last time.
They played and she quietly sang along,
Barely making a sound,
Till the final chorus,
Where she gathered all the strength she had 
And she sang loud and clear
Her final notes.
She smiled and mouthed a last goodbye,
Then closed her eyes,
Her final notes
Still resonating in the quiet room.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 129 – Hard Blonde

Hard Blonde

I passed her every day on the street.
It was always within the same
Two or three block area.
I called her “The Hard Blonde”.
No wedding band, no diamond.
She dressed beautifully.
All starched and pressed.
She seemed as stiff as the crease
In her slacks or the pleat of her skirt
And as hard as her high heels.
There was never a smile,
Not to me, not to anyone,
Not even herself.
Just the steady cadence of
Her high heels on the concrete
Approaching, passing, and receding.

I passed her every day on the street
And wondered.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 128 – Sleep

Sleep

Sleep tugs at me like
A marionette’s strings.
The light fading in and out
As dreams fight for control.

My head nods forward onto
My chest as I give in to
The relaxation of oblivion.

I snap awake and
Stare at the blue glow
Of my computer screen and
The pile of papers still on my desk.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 127 – Not Enough for Her

Not Enough for Her

She filled him with joy and passion.
He didn’t need any more.
He was content.
They laughed.
They talked.
They shared their lives.
Then one day she disappeared from his life,
With no word
No warning
Nothing.
She walked out of his life
Leaving him alone to wonder,
Why no goodbye?
Why no warning?
Why?
He eventually came to the conclusion
That she needed more,
And thought that he was just
Not enough for her.

Roy W. Backes
© 2010

Word Music – Day 126 – A Hundred Million Years

A Hundred Million Years

This earth we sit on
This water filled blue & green globe,
This beautiful rock in space,
Who’s time is endless.
It has survived the Ice Age,
The ever-shifting plates,
The quakes,
The forty-day rain,
And for all we know 
The forty-year rain.
It has survived the reign
Of the dinosaur, leaving
Millions of them in the dust.
It has left the Mayans a mystery.
It now waits patiently for humans to run
Their course in its history.
A hundred million years from now
This blue and green globe
Will still be floating in space,
Humans, a forgotten memory.
We will be nothing more
Than a blink of its eye,
A parasite that burrowed on
It's skin for a second until a scratch
And a shake that sent us
Off with the eternal wind.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 125 – Waited

Waited

Since she left
He has waited.
And waited.
And waited.
He sat in his chair
Staring into space.
He sat at the dinner table,
Alone,
One plate, too much food.
He prayed to a God he doesn’t believe in.
He stared at his phone
Yearning for a call, a text, a message.
Time seemed to have slowed down
Since she left.
Is it still today?
Or maybe it’s tomorrow.
Since she left
He has waited.
And waited.
And waited.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Word Music – Day 124 – Rag Doll

Rag Doll

You call me your Baby Doll.
You dress me up in fancy clothes,
Place flashy jewels around my neck,
Show me off in classy restaurants.
You call me your Baby Doll.
But, once the door is closed behind us,
You treat me like your Rag Doll.
You strip off my fancy clothes,
Toss my jewels to the floor,
Grab me by the hair and
Throw me to the ground.
You accuse me.
You abuse me.
You use me.
You call me your Baby Doll.
You dress me up.
You show me off.
But once the door is closed behind us
You treat me like your Rag Doll.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 123 – Where is God in Gaza?

Where is God in Gaza?

The bible says, “God is good”.
The bible says, “God loves us”.
I’m sorry, but I have to ask,
“Where is God in Gaza?”
“Where is God in Ukraine?”
“Where is God in the NRA?”
“Where is God on the streets of
Chicago or Philly or Haiti?”
And please, don’t give that bullshit
Line that, “God gave us Free Will”.
If God was so omnipotent She/He should
Be smart enough to know the
Ramifications of “Free Will”
In the hands of humans.
So, “Where is God in Gaza?”
I’m asking.
“Where?”

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 122 – Worm Rain

Worm Rain

I walk with my five-year-old son
In the wake of a soft, gentle rain.
He asks me, "Why are there so many
Worms on the sidewalk, Daddy?"
I think back to my first love,
A college love,
As I always do when it rains.
Not with an aching heart,
Like I did those years following
Our inevitable breakup,
But with a heartfelt joy
And a sense of peace.
She, Donna was her name,
Called this a "worm rain".
I had never heard this term before,
But it has stayed with me to
This day, every time it rains.
So, I share this term,
"Worm rain" with my son
And I tell him it's God's way
Of giving an extra treat
To the birds who’s beautiful
Songs fill our world with music.

Roy W. Backes
© 1995

Word Music – Day 121 – Still Life

Still Life

The art teacher sets up
The still life with great care.
The vase of flowers,
Next to which sits a bowl of fruit,
Lemons, oranges, and grapes.
Maybe there is a small salt and pepper shaker,
Or a half full glass of liquid.
While my fellow painters
Are trying to capture the essence
Of the lemon or the
Texture of the orange
I am painting images of the
Room’s doors and windows upon my canvas,
Or the broken mirror leaning
Against the wall reflecting
Fractured doorways and broken windows.
I don’t think the world needs
Another painting of a lemon or an orange.
I want my citrus juiced in a glass
Or sliced in a drink.
Give me an interesting door or window
To paint any time.
I think in this life
The world could always use
More doors and windows.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 120 – She Left Him in the Autumn

She Left Him in the Autumn

She left him in the autumn of the year
While gold and rust colored leaves
Fall to the ground painting the earth
In a quilt of color.

He sits at his table staring out the window
Watching the trees slowly strip naked
In preparation for the cold of winter.
You would think they would want to keep
The cover of their leaves to keep them warm
Through the long dark winter months.

He sits at his table staring out the window
As the snow falls and the trees
Seems to shiver in the wind.
The days are short, and the nights are long.

He sits at his table staring out the window
As the buds begin to appear on the trees.
As the rain falls feeding the plants
Poking up from the earth.

He sits at his table staring out the window
As the sun bakes the plants
Who are thirsty for some rain.
The trees are full and leafy and
Provide some shade and comfort from the sun.

He sits at his table staring out the window
And watches the green leaves
Slowly turn gold and rust
And once again fall to the earth
And cover his pain in a quilt of color
In preparation for another long dark winter.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 119 – The Push Bar

The Push Bar

The Push Bar is the kind of place
That pulls you in.
The vibe inside is smooth and easy.
The people who gather there
Are welcoming and full of cheer.
The music is mellow,
And plays at a level that allows
Animated conversations to happen.
The prices are right.
The spirits are top shelf.
The restrooms, roomy and clean.
The Push Bar is the kind of place
That pulls you in
And keeps you happy
While you push the world away,
If only for a few hours.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 118 – Watching Him Light Up

Watching Him Light Up

One of her favorite pastimes is
Watching him light up.
Sitting across from him,
The coffee table between them littered with
The baggie, papers, lighter and rolling board.
She watches him deftly crush the weed
And fill the double-wide rolling paper.
She watches his fingers gently roll the joint,
Holding it in both hands so he can
Raise it to his mouth.
She watches his wet tongue
Slide out and lick the sticky end
Left to right and seal the joint.
He quickly crimps each end and
Looks at her with a smile.
He reaches for the lighter and
Brings the joint to his mouth once again,
Flicks the lighter and takes
A deep inhale, tilting his head back
While it takes effect.
He then smiles once more and
Passes the smoking joint across the table.
She inhales and holds,
Letting the THC do its thing.
As the buzz begins to take effect
She finds herself
Looking forward to what
The evening has in store.
She exhales.
She smiles.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 117 – From His Grave

From His Grave

Don’t speak ill of the dead.
That is what they say.
But sometimes the truth must be told.
In life, he was, at best, a prick.
Quick to anger, extremely judgmental,
And a philanderer on top of it all.

Even from his grave
He is still causing pain,
Still judging, still angry.
Statements he made many years ago
Have come to light,
And slapped our face, leaving
A large red palm print on our cheek.
Even from his grave
He can still sting.
He can still cause pain.
I guess death does not change you.
Once a prick, always a prick.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Word Music – Day 116 – Silence and Snow

Silence and Snow

I walk along this wooded lane
With six inches of snow under my feet.
As I continue my walk more snow falls from the sky
Landing on my shoulders, like so much dandruff.
The world is silent.
The birds, quiet and huddled in their nests
Make no sound.
Even the wind blowing through 
The leafless trees is silent.
My feet make no sound as I walk,
The snow sucking up any sound.
Silence is all around.
I wander along this wooded path
Content with the absence of sound.
My mind is open and cherishes the quietude
While being surrounded by nothing but
Silence and snow.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 115 – I’ve Searched My Heart

I’ve Searched My Heart

I’ve searched my heart
These past few days
Looking for something to say.
I have found nothing but a hollow heartbeat.
Is my heart that empty?
Are the walls that thick?
Have I cut myself off
From myself so successfully?
I search my heart
And find nothing
But closed doors
And empty hallways.

Roy W. Backes
© 1992

Word Music – Day 114 – Drink His Worries Away

Drink His Worries Away

He is a worrier.
Have been his whole life.
Did he lock the car?
Did he turn off the stove?
Did he say the wrong thing?
His worries play over and over again
Like a constant loop in his head.
The acid in his stomach forces
Him to eat Tums like candy.
He’s tried therapy.
He’s tried yoga.
He’s tried meditation.
He still worries.
He is now going to try
To drink his worries away.
Lots of vodka, ice cold,
To try to ease his worried mind.
To try to take the edge off.
He’s going to give it a try.
But he is worried that if he
Tries to drink his worries away
His worries will not actually go away,
And all he’ll be left with is
A massive hangover to worry about.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 113 – She Always Liked to Camp

She Always Liked to Camp

She always liked to camp.
Pitching the tent,
The crackle of the fire pit,
Poking at the embers with a random stick,
Sleeping in a bag on the contoured earth.
Birds, crickets, and cicadas 
Singing her to sleep and
Waking her at the crack of dawn.

She always liked to camp.
Finding a remote spot to
Pitch her tent,
Light her kindling,
Poke at the fire with a random stick,
Lay on her back,
Hands behind her head
And looking at the starry sky.

She always liked to camp.
He just wishes that this time
She had not chosen his heart
In which to pitch her tent.
In which to keep her fire burning
By poking the embers of his heart
With a random stick.
In which to use his heart
As a place to rest her head
In order to watch the 
Dark starry sky.

She always liked to camp.

Roy W. Backes
© 2019

Word Music – Day 112 – A Man Content With His Life

A Man Content with His Life

Gray sky.
It’s been a dreary day
Here by the sea.
Gray skies and cloud cover
As far as the eye can see.
From out over the water
I hear the sound of a violin
And see a man, of average build and girth,
Standing on the roof of his boat
As it gently rocks in the water.
He faces the setting sun,
A hazy orange circle in the gray sky.
His head bent to the left
The violin tucked under his chin
He played the most beautiful music
As he serenaded the setting sun.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 111 – Coyote Roadhouse – A Gathering Place

Coyote Roadhouse  
           (A Gathering Place)

We all love to gather here.
Whether it is for food, drink,
Or just some time with friends.
We gather to have a bite to eat,
    (Their ribs are legendary, by the way).
We gather to have a drink or two.
We gather to enjoy one another’s company.
We gather to share thoughts and ideas.
We laugh.
We talk.
We drink.
We eat.

All the while Scott and Carrie
Both work the room,
Assuring that everyone
Is satisfied.
They laugh with us.
They talk with us.
They check in with us.
They feed us not only food and drink,
They also feed our souls.
They do this each and every day
So that we all have a place
To come together.

Coyote Roadhouse.
Our gathering place.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 110 – Falling Off the Earth

Falling Off the Earth

People fall off the earth every day.
Today my friend John watched
As his father fell off.
My mother, father, and best friend
Have all fallen off.

I eat healthy and do yoga for exercise.
I try my best to keep my balance
As the world spins out of control.

It spins faster every day.
It seems that the nights come much faster
As the danger builds day by day.

I try to keep my balance
And hold on for dear life,
Trying to keep myself from 
Falling off the earth.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 109 – Blame the Blues

Blame the Blues

Don’t blame me.
I can’t control how I feel.
These feelings run deep,
Like a river black at night.
Since that day the door
Slammed shut behind you
I can’t control how I feel.
The blues have taken over.
They wash over me like
A wave from the sea.
I try to get up,
Try to brush myself off,
Then I see the candlesticks
We bought in Peru perched on the mantle,
And I break down once again.
Don’t blame me.
I can’t control how I feel.
Don’t blame me.
Blame the blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 108 – Fuel of Forgiveness

Fuel of Forgiveness

Where do all your sins go
Once they have been forgiven?
Once you repent and say your penance?

All those sins of, “Impure thoughts”
I confessed to as a teenager.
The thousand Hail Mary’s and Our Fathers
I prayed as penance,
While kneeling at the alter rail
In an empty church.
Where did those sins go?

All our sins were set free….
To where?
I would hope that they got dropped into hell
To help fuel the eternal flames.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 107 – The Past

The Past

The past.
It has a profound effect on us all.
We relive it.
We relish it.
We reconstruct it.
We spend a lot of time there,
Time spent often at the cost of the present,
And possibly even the future.
No matter the memory,
No matter how often
We relive it.
We relish it.
We reconstruct it.
We can’t change it.
For better, for worse
The past is…...past.
It may have changed us,
But no matter how hard we try,
We can’t change
The past.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 106 – Another Shot

Another Shot

I look her in the eye and
I ask her for another shot.
I ask her to forgive me just one more time.
I tell her I know that this is not the first time.
I tell her that this will be the last time.
I ask her for another shot.
She looks at me with no forgiveness in her eyes.
She explains that she has given me another shot,
And another shot, and another shot.
She looks me in the eyes and tells me it is over.
She has no more shots to give.

I sit at the bar of my local tavern
An empty shot glass in my hand.
I lift my glass, trying to get
The barkeep’s attention.
She walks over to me and
Asks me what I need.
I look her in the eye and
I ask her for another shot.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 105 – Like an Antique Diamond

Like an Antique Diamond

Like an antique diamond
That’s been buffed and polished,
You continue to shimmer and shine.
Your strength, grown by the
Compression of time is impressive.
Your green eyes constantly shimmer.
Your soul shines bright
In the light of the sun.
Your smile, with brilliant white teeth
Glows when your lips part.
Your sparkling beauty continues to impress
As it reflects and refracts the light.
Like an antique diamond
You continue to shimmer and shine,
No matter your age.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 104 – Night Creatures

Night Creatures

Some creatures relish the dark.
They enjoy crawling from shadow to shadow.
They avoid the light at all costs.
Some people relish the dark.
They enjoy walking from shadow to shadow.
They avoid the light of day at all costs.
These night creatures
Are all around us.
We don’t see them because we
Live in the light,
With the reflection of the sun in our eyes.
These night creatures,
With pupils the size of pennies,
Stay in the dark and
Walk from shadow to shadow,
Because the light of the sun
Is too hot.
Too bright.
Too much.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 103 – Get Away

Get Away

It sits on the lake
Where the sunrises paint the sky.
The beach is made of sand
And is as wide as it is deep.
You can walk a hundred yards out
And still be able to stand.
The wind caresses the trees,
Knocking one down every once in a while
Just to remind us of who is boss.
While the seagulls make way
The eagle flies by
As majestic as ever.
As the sun goes down
The sky turns into soft watercolors,
As though painted by the hands of a master.

Yep, that is our little
Home away from home.
Our little
Get away.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 102 – The Pain of Empty Pockets

The Pain of Empty Pockets

As he wanders down the city street
Broke and broken,
He checks out the trash bin for food.
He picks up half-smoked butts
Flicked away without a thought.
He’s hungry.  His stomach hurts.
He needs new shoes.  His feet ache.
He needs a shower.  His odor offends.
He needs a bathroom.  Need I say more.
As he wanders down the city street
Broke and broken,
Passing coffee shops and bakeries,
He desperately searches his pockets
For some spare change,
But all he finds are abandoned cigarette butts
And the pain of empty pockets.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 101 – Blue Collar Jungle

Blue Collar Jungle

It is a jungle not of trees and shrubs.
It is a jungle of steel and concrete.
Tall smokestacks dot the skyline
Spewing their gray smoke into the canopy.
The mist of the morning dew
Softens the hard edges of riveted 
Steel beams and structures.
The concrete underfoot is unforgiving,
And stretches for miles ahead.
It is in this jungle
That the men and women of steel
Work: Three shifts a day,
Pouring molten metal into forms
Of all shapes and sizes.
Sweat stains their collars blue.
Their faces turn black from wiping
The sweat away hour after hour.
These men and women of steel
Toil in this world of steel beams and structures,
In this jungle not of trees and shrubs
But in a place, they fondly call,
The blue-collar jungle.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 100 – Oh, Valley Green

Oh, Valley Green

Oh, valley white
     Frozen in place under ice and snow.
     The sun shimmering, while cold winds blow.

Oh, valley wet
     Drinking April’s showers
     Prepping for all the spring flowers.

Oh, valley green
     Covered in grass and trees
     Flowers a-plenty for all the bees.

Oh, valley quilt
     Red, rust, orange, and yellow
     Looking all pretty and oh so mellow.

Oh, valley mine
     You ever shifting land of beauty.
     You chameleon valley of color.
     You constantly change with the seasons,
     While giving my eyes reasons
     To feast upon your beauty
     All year long.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 99 – Looking in the Mirror

Looking in The Mirror

Looking in the mirror is where
You find the truth about yourself.
When you really look,
Not the way you look to shave,
Or to put on your makeup,
But look squarely at yourself in the glass,
That is when you see the flaws,
The crow’s feet, the gray hair 
And the color of your soul.
When you stare into your own eyes
You can’t avoid the truth.
You can’t hide from yourself.
You don’t have the advantage of the
Love or friendship in another’s eye
To filter reality.
The truth is there.
If you want to see it,
You only have to look
In the mirror.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 98 – Thumbin’

Thumbin’

(Splash)  I’m tired.  I’m cold.
My feet are wet
(Splash, splash)
My calves hurt from walking backwards with my thumb out.
High beams, 
Bright (Hand covering my eyes.) headlights.
Come on, come on, come (splash) on.
Will I ever find a dry spot?
Headlights (low beams. I smile.).
I’m not a rapist.  I’m a good guy,
I promise. 
(Splash)  You bastard!
Damn, it’s cold.
Headlights (Don’t forget to smile)
Try to look normal.
Shit! A station wagon (Splash)
How far to the nearest motel?
How much money do I have?
I’m tired.
Headlights (low beams. Smile.)
Please stop, please …..
Is he slowing down?
No …. is he?
All right!!
“Thanks, mister.”!!

Roy W. Backes
© 1989

Word Music – Day 97 – What Part of Your Soul

What Part of Your Soul

What part of your soul
Have you lost?
You, standing there with
The smoking gun in your hand.
You, standing over your victim
While you zip up your pants.
You, adding fentanyl to
Your tiny packets of heroin.
What part of your soul
Have you lost
That you can inflict that
Kind of damage on
Your fellow man?

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 96 – Nature as Performance – Day Two

Nature as Performance – Day Two
			(Meant to follow Nature as Performance)

Okay, my friend.  Time to get up.
Coffee is on the stove.
Grab a cup and join me on the deck
Where we will be surrounded by
Fog and haze that softly blurs the rising sun.
Let’s enjoy our coffee while the
Sun slowly bakes the fog and haze away
Revealing the lake water
Reflecting the clouds as they
Move across the sky.
Look there, see the eagle fly by
And the gulls floating, squawking, and
Diving for food.
Let’s clean our mugs
And take a leisurely walk in the woods,
Where we can enjoy the quiet
While listening to the wind in the trees.
With the ground soft underfoot
Stop to notice that wherever you look
There is nothing made by man.
Time to head back to the lake
And enjoy yet another sunset
Full of color and light.
Once again, let’s get our glasses
Of wine and wait for darkness to come.
As the moon rises from behind the horizon
Just marvel at its reflection
Spreading out along the black water.
Fill your wine glass once again, my friend,
And face north where we can
Enjoy the dazzling soft colors
Of the northern lights.
Thanks for spending yet another
Day with me while we sat back
And allowed nature to entertain us.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 95 – Nature as Performance

Nature as Performance
		(Meant to precede Nature as Performance – Day Two)

Come with me, my friend, and watch this.
Grab your chair and join me on the deck
Just before sunrise.
Place it facing east, grab your coffee,
Sit back and enjoy the show.
Now, let’s move our chairs to the	
Sandy beach on this windy day.
Watch the whitecaps roiling on the water.
Watch the waves crash onto the shore,
Sending spray and sand into the air.
Now, follow me. We’ll drag our chairs
To this flower-filled meadow and
Allow ourselves to be dazzled by the color,
By the fragrance in the air,
And the symphonic buzzing of the bees.
Now that the sun is going down
Let’s move our chairs to the grassy yard.
I’m sorry it is so wet after the rain,
But the appearance of the rainbow
Will be well worth the wait.
Now, let’s turn our chairs around and
Grab a glass of wine.
We’ll face the western horizon and
Enjoy another colorful show
While the sun is swallowed by the horizon.
Now we wait.
Be patient, my friend.  Sip your wine.
Let the darkness surround us.
Now, just lean back in your chair
And marvel at the night sky
With constellations galore.
Did you see that shooting star?
I know it is getting chilly
So, let’s head back inside.
I hope you can join me tomorrow
For another show,
As that was just a taste of 
Nature as performance.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day – 94 – Daily Mass

Daily Mass

I attended a Catholic school
For the first seven years 
Of my education.
Every morning we were required
To attend mass.
They called it a “Low Mass”,
Which was just a shorter version
Of a “High Mass”.
I am sure that the intent
Was to make us all more devout,
Drill the dogma into our psyche.
It had the opposite effect on me.
The more I listened and
Read along with the liturgy,
The more I became aware of
How controlling and
Basically, full of shit it all was.
The myth began to disintegrate
In front of my eyes.
The more they fed me
The less I digested.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 93 – The Empty Pocket Blues

The Empty Pocket Blues

My pants are ragged and worn,
Ill fitting with a rope as my belt
That barely holds them up.
They are filthy and wrinkled,
The cuffs, worn away by the sidewalk.
My pants are ragged and worn,
My pockets all have a hole.
Nothing stays inside.
Not coins.  Not butts.
I need new pants,
Something with lots of pockets would be nice.
Maybe then I can finally lose
These empty pocket blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 92 – Afraid of the Dark

Afraid of the Dark

What are they so afraid of?
All those men and women.
What are they so afraid of?
Are they afraid of its power?
Are they afraid of its anger?
Are they afraid of the reckoning
That is bound to come?
They should be afraid.
You can only suppress,
Only hold back the dark
For so long.
The reckoning is coming.
Maybe that is what all those
Men and women
Are so afraid of.
The Dark Reckoning.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 91 – Dreams are Dreamt

Dreams are Dreamt

Dreams are dreamt in
The deep dark of night
When the sun is dead
And the world is silent.
Most dreams are buried
Behind the eyes.
They start large as small children
And grow more focused as
The reality of life takes its toll.
My dark dreams are what
Drive me through this life
And allow me to survive
Those dreamless moments of daylight.

Roy W. Backes
© 1994

Word Music – Day 90 – You Made Me Forget Her

You Made Me Forget Her

You
    With that smile,
    With those eyes,
    With that hearty laugh.

You
    Who walked in the door one day.
    Who came all alone.
    Who left with me.

You
    Who walked with me.
    Who talked with me.
    Who listened to me.

You
    Who made things good again.
    Who made me feel again.
    Who made me smile again.

You
    Who made me forget her,
    …… her …….
    Who made me forget…….who?

Roy W. Backes
© 2018

Word Music – Day 89 – 3 Shots

3 Shots

They had three shots
But each time it fell apart
Either her
Or him
They had three shots
Maybe they didn’t give it their best
He blames her
She blames him
They had three shots
They tried
They failed
They failed
They failed

Roy W. Backes
© 2018

Word Music – Day 88 – The End of the World

The End of the World

I’ve been walking for months.
Up and over forest filled hills,
Across enormous, flowered meadows,
Crossing over both streams and rivers,
Until, at last, I reach
The great mountain.
Tall.  Majestic.  Steep rock faces.
I begin my climb.
First, through wood,
Then up boulder filled slides,
Until I’m traversing the rock face
With bloody fingers
And aching toes.
I finally reach the summit,
Looking forward to the view.
But,
What I see when I crest the final boulder
Can only be described as 
The end of the world.
Nothing ahead but mist and fog.
No mountain ranges in the distance.
No oceans glistening gray/blue.
No green leafed valley below.
Nothing.
I have reached the end of the world,
A beautiful empty place.
I sit and rest on a lonely log
And take in the majestic view.
Knowing there is no turning back,
I build a small cabin
Next to the lonely log
So I can spend my remaining days
At rest enjoying the view from
The end of the world.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 87 – Glade

Glade

Steam blowing out of the sewer vent
Keeps his body warm
In the cold climate of the city.
His shoes, tied to his arm,
Reveal filthy toes thru crusty socks.
He lies on his back,
His face to the sky,
Snoring loudly at the traffic.
A sweaty sheen covers his skin.
His hands, folded on his chest,
Clutch a can of Glade air freshener
While he dreams of a room
To fill with odors.

Roy W. Backes
© 1994

Word Music – Day 86 – You’re Gone, But You Won’t Leave

You’re Gone, But You Won’t Leave

You left me a long time ago
Closing the door on our life.
You said, “Goodbye. I’m moving on”,
Not a tear in your eye.
I said, “Please don’t go.  I’m so sorry.”
“Too late, too late”, you said,
“You’re sorrys were always too late”.

You left me a long time ago,
My closets are still only half full.
I can’t bring myself to hang anything on your side.
Your photos still smile empty smiles back at me.
“I’m so sorry, honey”.
“Too late, too late”, you said,
“Your sorrys were always too late”.

You left me a long time ago,
Your smell is no longer here.
I’ve not had meatloaf since you said goodbye.
No mail with your name arrives anymore.
“I’m so sorry, honey”.
“Too late, too late”, you said,
“Your sorrys were always too late”.

You left me a long time ago
With empty closets and empty smiles
Then why are you still here?
You’re gone but you just won’t leave.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 85 – Too Many Questions

Too Many Questions

As the days and weeks
And months and even years
Crawl on by,
I find myself with
Way too many questions
And all too few answers.
Every day I ask
Why? Where? When?
What? Who?
Every day the silence
Of the cosmos forces
Me to ask more and more,
Leaving me in perpetual silence.
Leaving me with way too many questions
Leaving me with way too few answers.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music - Day 84 - Heavy Lifting

Heavy Lifting

Lifting boxes full of books is easy.
Pushing furniture around the room is easy.
Humping either of them up the stairs is easy.
But, 
Lifting the spirits of someone in need?
Pushing their depression around the corner
In order to connect with them?
Humping the weight of their addiction
For their own survival?
That is hard work.
That is some serious heavy lifting.

Roy W. Backes
© 2016

Word Music – Day 83 – The Silence of the Seagulls

The Silence of the Seagulls

A couple of hours before dusk
The gulls gathered in the sky.
Hundreds of them flew around
And around and back and forth
Enjoying the currents in the air.
A few dived for food in the lake
But most of them just floated
In the air making not a sound.
Not a squawk, not a call.
Just silence as they floated
Peacefully together in the quiet sky.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 82 – No Need to Be So Loud

No Need to Be So Loud

Your opinion is your opinion,
I get that.
But when you try to shove
Your opinion down my throat
That is when my defenses go up.
You believe what you believe,
I get that.
But when you insist on shouting
Your beliefs from the rooftop
That is when I shut you out.
There is no need to be so loud
About what you think,
About what you believe.
Being loud is not the same
As being right.
So, stop shouting.
Stop yelling.
Stop ranting.
If you are interested in having a quiet
Discussion, I’m all for it,
But there is no reason for you
To be so loud.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 81 – Can You Dig It?

Can You Dig It?

Can you dig it?
Here stands this cool cat,
Hair slicked back,
A Lucky hanging from his lip,
His shirt sleeve rolled up to hold the soft pack.
He is hanging in front of the
Gogo Lounge watching the chicks
Stroll by in their mini skirts
And thigh-high boots.
He is styling in his tight black jeans
And his bleached white tee shirt.
His penny loafers’ spit shined
With silver dimes on display.
He is groovin’ and snapping his fingers
To the jive beat of the music.
Ask anyone who passes him by
And they will tell you that
He is not only cool,
But that he is boss.
Can you dig it?

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 80 – Like Quicksand

Like Quicksand

While walking through the jungle of your past
Make sure your footing is firm and solid.
Don’t spend too much time wandering around in there,
Or the ground beneath your feet
Will get soft and your memories
Will suck you down like quicksand.
Once you are stuck in the muck
The past will hold you fast
As you slowly sink into the
Soft wet sand of your memories.
So, keep your feet firmly planted
In the present and only visit
The past for short and sweet memories.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 79 – Getting Up

Getting Up

She just got herself up off the ground,
Just got her feet underneath her,
Just dusted herself off.
She smiled.
She took a deep breath,
She took one step, then two steps
And then, yet another thing
With long legs and jackboots
Came along and knocked her 
To the dirty dusty ground.
Once again, on her hands and knees
She struggled for breath
Choking on the dust.
Ever so slowly
She gets one foot
Then the other under her
And stands.
She dusts herself off once again,
She looks up at the sky,
She is undeterred, undefeated.
She smiles.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 78 – I Miss the Lake

I Miss the Lake

Dead of winter.
Wind chills far below zero.
Ice covers the water
As far as I can see.
Standing on this frozen shore
I miss the sound of the
Lake waters lapping at the sand.
I miss how the water
Changes color as the clouds float above.
I miss walking in the water
With the sun baking my soul.
I miss the lake.
Standing on this frozen shore
In these conditions,
In the dead of winter,
Makes me wonder if I will
Ever see my lake again.

Roy W. Backes 
© 2024

Word Music – Day 77 – How Do They Sleep at Night

How Do They Sleep at Night

They lay on sheets covered in blood.
Blood of the victims of the guns
     They refuse to control.
Blood of the victims of
     The drugs they sell.
Blood of the victims of
     The wars they wage.
Blood covers their beds,
Covers their money,
Covers their souls.
No matter how hard they scrub,
No matter how much bleach they use,
The blood is still in their beds,
When they crawl in
Between the sheets every night.
How these people can sleep at night
On those bloody sheets 
Fills me with bloody rage.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 76 – You Fill Me

You Fill Me

An empty man
Stood in front of you.
You, a woman full of love
Full of passion.
An empty man
Stood in front of you
With no expectations
With no dreams
With no passion.
You, a woman full of love
Full of passion
Looked me in the eye
Smiled and began
The chore of filling me up.
Filling me with love
Filling me with passion
Filling me with you.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 75 – Leaving

Leaving

Four days I spent in a distant cabin
Trying to sort things out.
I chopped wood, took long walks among the trees
And stared into a log fire for hours on end.
The fifth day, still struggling over my decision,
I went for yet another walk.
My breath formed clouds as I meandered
Through the trees.
I’m deep in the woods, many miles from anywhere,
When out of nowhere steps a tiny white kitten.
I sit on a local log and say ‘hello’.
It rubs against my leg, searching for warmth.
I rub its ears and look around for its mother.
After a while I say goodbye
And proceed to finish my walk.
Hours later, a fire roaring, warming up the room,
I hear the kitten’s mellow meow.
For two days I fed this kitten.
Milk, scrap meat and a little bread.
I don’t bring it inside
Because I don’t want a cat.
I don’t need a cat.
On the seventh day I pack up my car,
Leave a bowl of milk on the porch
And say a heartfelt goodbye.
As I drive away, I take one last look
In my rearview mirror
And see that tiny white creature
Perched on the steps of the porch
Staring after me.
I turn my radio on
So I won’t hear its desperate cry
And continue my journey home.
My mind made up.

Roy W. Backes
© 2000

Word Music – Day 74 – Old Man Through a Window

Old Man Through a Window 

Standing in the mist of a recent rain
On a puddle-filled sidewalk
I peer through the parted curtains
Of an old man's window.
The color images from his TV
Create flat entertainment.
Bottles of pills lined up
Like soldiers next to his bed
Keep guard against the pain.
The bedpan, all shiny and silver,
Sits on top of a shelf
Like a misplaced knick-knack.
The worn cotton blanket has been tucked
Tightly around his thin frame
By loving hands.

His gnarled fingers grip the remote
With a fierce determination
As he flips from station to station
In search of something interesting.

Surrounded by the misty fog
I watch this old man lying on his bed
Watching TV
Waiting to die.

Roy W. Backes
© 1997

Word Music – Day 73 – Super Day

Super Day

It is a Super day today,
This Super Bowl Sunday.
A day for celebration.
A day for rooting for your team.
A day that ends with someone
Lifting a trophy.
It is a Super day.
That is, unless you live in
Philadelphia,
Detroit, or
Baltimore.
If you live there
It is a pretty lousy day.
It is a hard day.
It is a day that we all got so close to,
A day we all fell short of,
A day when we all say to ourselves,
Just wait until next year.
Go Eagles!
Go Lions!
Go Ravens!

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 72 – Bad Habit

Bad Habit

She was like warm chocolate chip cookies
After smoking a joint.
She was like his penchant to
Chew his nails down to the quick.
She was like his nervous leg
Pumping away to some internal music.

When she walked into his life
She was like a bad habit
He just couldn’t quit.
He knew she was not good for him.
He knew she was unhealthy.
But he couldn’t stop.
No matter how hard he tried
He just couldn’t stop
This bad habit.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Word Music – Day 71 – Deep Woods

Deep Woods

When you travel from the Interstate
To the state road
To the county road
To the country road
To the dirt road
To the hiking path
To the deer path
To the large log alongside
The quiet meadow,
That is when
You know you are
In the deep woods.
When the only sounds
Made by humans
Are your own footfalls
And labored breath.
When at last you take a moment to rest,
To sit on the log
Surrounded by nothing but nature
That is when you know you are
In the deep woods.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 70 – The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect

A stone dropped into a still pond
Causes concentric circles to ripple
Out in every direction.
Not unlike a death.
The ripples roll out and over
Those closest first: Wife. Husband.
Son. Daughter.   Mother. Father.
Then they ripple over the extended family.
Then they disturb the tranquility of friends
And co-workers.
The ripples touch us all until
The water settles down and
Returns back to stillness.
The ripples may be gone but
The effects of a stone dropped
Into a still pond resonate
Long after stillness returns.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 69 – My Side of the Bed

My Side of the Bed

I had been dating her
For months.
Dinner dates.
Movie dates.
Many evenings spent just hanging at home.
After many nights 
Of heavy petting and kissing
She finally agreed to sleep with me.
The sex was good,
Both of us interested in
Satisfying each other.
After our love making
I left the bed 
To clean up and floss,
But when I returned,
To my surprise,
I found her
Sound asleep
On my side of the bed.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 68 – My Favorite Space

My Favorite Space

My favorite space is the
Empty white space that
Surrounds a poem on a page.
That means that the poem
Is written, good or bad.
At least it is on the page.

It is the looming, large, empty
White space of a blank page
That is the most intimidating.

Now, I only have the
Empty white space surrounding
This poem on this once
Empty page.

My favorite space.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 67 – Walkin’ the Blues

Walkin’ the Blues  
   		A Lyric

Standin’ on the sidewalk
Under the bright streetlight
Feelin’ the rain fall from the sky,
I scream, “Baby, it was only a fight”.
Now Baby, you got me
Walkin’ the blues.

I walk down the East side
I cross over to the West
My hands buried in my pockets
My chin sits on my chest.
Now Baby, you got me
Walkin’ the blues.

My pockets, they’re all empty
They both have a hole.
I kick through the puddles
Which only dampen my soul.
Now, Baby, you got me
Walkin’ the blues.

I wander back up the West side
I cross over to the East.
I move under our front window
Pacing like a caged beast.
Now Baby, you got me
Walkin’ the blues.

Rain falls from my eyes
I scream out your name,
“Stella, Stella my star.
Oh Baby, I’m the one to blame”.
Now Baby, you got me
Cryin’ the blues.

You got me cryin’ 
And walkin’ the blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 66 – Bottle to Bottle

Bottle to Bottle

His mother always told him
That he loved the bottle.
As a baby he refused to take her breast
No matter how hard she tried.
He wanted the bottle.
He would hold it in both hands
And suck the liquid dry.

He still loves the bottle.
He’s learned to love the breast as well.
He can now hold the bottle
With one calloused hand
And suck the liquid dry
While caressing a breast with the other.

He’s always loved the bottle.
From milk bottle to liquor bottle
The inevitable journey of his life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Word Music – Day 65 – You Thought I Would Wait?

You Thought I Would Wait?

So, what?
You thought I would wait?
You walked away one day.
No warning
No goodbye
You just walked away one day
Leaving me choking on your dust.

One day, years later
You walked back into my life.
No warning
Just, ”Hello”,
With that smile on your face,
That smile that used to melt my soul.
So, what,
You thought I would wait?

Let me tell you.
That day you walked away
I hockered up a dusty wad
And was already on the move 
Before your dust settled.

So, what?
You thought I would wait?
You are way too late.

Roy W. Backes
© 2018

Word Music – Day 64 – Clock Face

Clock Face

Morning, noon, and night,
It just keeps coming
And passing me by,
No matter what I do.

I’m reduced to sitting
With my back against the 
Number six and my feet out
Straight, firmly planted in place
Holding the hands of time at bay.
My left hand holds the second hand,
Which pulses in my palm.
My back is in pain and
My arm is starting to cramp.

How long I can stay here
I don’t know.
I do know that
I’m so busy stopping time
That life is passing me by.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 63 – On Three

On Three

One:
        Hey, I was wondering if you
        Might be interested in having
        Dinner with me tonight.

Two:
        Hey, I was wondering if you
        Might be interested in marrying me.
        I’m on my knee, ring in hand.

Three:
       Hey, I was wondering if you
       Could push a little harder.
       Okay.  On three, a big push.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 62 – Thirst for Power

Thirst for Power

In the parched landscape of
This overpopulated world
The search for power continues.
Men and women slowly walking
Through dry fields holding their
Divining rods in front of them
With two white-knuckled hands.
They march back and forth
In a grid-like pattern hoping
For the almighty tug on the rod.
The rod of power.
The rod of perceived prestige.

The search for power
The thirst for power
Continues day in and day out,
With those desperate ones
Who walk the fields,
Divining rods in hand
Anxiously waiting for the tug
That will quench their thirst for power.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 61 – Golden Goddess

Golden Goddess

She came around the corner
Looking like a golden goddess.
The sun, high in the sky,
Highlighted her highlighted hair.
Her summer dress, all
Yellow and white,
Flowed around her in the summer breeze.
Her skin, well on its way to bronze,
Set off her dress and golden mane of hair
In perfect contrast.
She smiled, showing brilliantly white teeth,
And her blue/green eyes shimmered,
Reflecting the light.
She quickly approached me,
Giving me a full embrace
And a kiss on the lips.
I stood in the sun with her in my arms
And thought how fortunate I was
That this golden goddess loved me
And was happy to come home with me.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 60 – No Easy Way

No Easy Way

He has to say goodbye.
He knows it is the right thing to do,
At least for him.
She is gonna want to know why.
He’s not sure what to say.
No, he knows what to say,
He just doesn’t know how to say it.
There is no easy way.
They’ve been together a long time, 
But he has to say goodbye.
This is gonna hurt,
Him
For causing the pain.
Her
For feeling the pain.
He has to let her down easy.
But he knows
There is no easy way.

Roy W. Backes
© 2017

Word Music – Day 59 – A Flock of Geese

A Flock of Geese

Mid-January.
The air is frigid.
The ground coated in a 
Thin layer of white.
I hear them before I see them,
The V shaped form of flying geese.
Their squawks getting louder
As they fly overhead, heading south.
I wonder why they are so late.
Is their leader lost?
Did they wait for a straggler?
Or were they just enjoying the
Weather and decided to stay a little longer?

A flock of geese
In the middle of January
On the East Coast
Is a rare sight.
I wish them safe travel
To a warmer world than the
One I sit in today.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 58 – The Quiet of a Funeral Home

The Quiet of a Funeral Home

We all know quiet when we hear it,
Or don’t hear it.
But there is something about
The unnatural quiet of a funeral home.
From the moment you step in the door
And your feet sink into the plush carpet.
Wall to wall, not a hard surface to be found.
The air is quiet and still.
The dead don’t move much air around.
The quiet murmuring sound you hear,
Is that the HVAC running?
No.  It is the sound of sad people
All huddled together and speaking in hushed tones,
Lips to ears, in many cases.
It is as though they are afraid that
The dead might hear what is being said.
I would think that the dead
Would savor the sound of familiar voices,
Considering that this is the last time
They will be in the presence of friends and family.
So, raise your voices and make a little noise
For the dead
Because there is something about
The quiet of a funeral home.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 57 – She Bought Me Roses

She Bought Me Roses

We had a good time together,
She and I.
We enjoyed each other’s company.
We went to the movies,
We made love,
We hung out at home and watched TV.
We weren’t in love,
Just two people committed to
Enjoying each other.
It was good,
Until the day I found out
That she was cheating on me
(An old boyfriend apparently).
Not willing to put up with
That kind of deceit 
I broke it off.
Quickly.  Decisively.
She apologized.  She cried.
She even bought me roses
Trying to repair the break.
But it was broken.
Not the kind of thing that
A dozen roses could repair.
She went her way
I went mine.
The roses wilted in 
Their bouquet on my kitchen table,
Their scent no longer sweet
As I added them to my trash
And mixed them in with
The spoiled debris of my life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 56 – Blues in a Bottle

Blues in a Bottle

The liquor store is only
A few blocks away.
A convenient convenience.
He stops there two, three 
Times a week.
He’s on a first name basis
With the cashier.
He often cruises the bourbon aisle
Looking for something new
But always ends up grabbing his favorite brand.
He knows it does the trick.
He brings his own bag, cloth not paper,
To put the bottles in 
For the short trip home
Where he, once again,
Will try to bury
His blues in a bottle.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 55 – My Night Light Glows

My Night Light Glows

My night light glows
Holding the darkness at bay,
While I lay warm and comfy
Under my patch quilt (That grandma made).
I wait for my dreams to come
And take me off
To worlds far and wide.
Worlds known only to me
And the inside of my eyes.

Roy W. Backes
© 1992

Word Music – Day 54 – It’s Chemical

It’s Chemical

This thing we have,
How do you describe it?
Is it love?
Is it infatuation?
Is it just a deep need for companionship?

This thing we have
Is not ethereal.  Not spiritual.
It’s chemical.
The reaction when our two compounds
Are near each other
Creates a force which many of us call,
Love
Infatuation
Companionship

This chemical reaction has been
Studied by scientists down to the smallest atom.
It has been debated by philosophers 
As to the difference between
Love.  Infatuation.  Companionship.
But there is no denying that
When we are together
And our two compounds mix
There is a very satisfying chemical reaction.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 53 – The No Longer Lonely Bar

The No Longer Lonely Bar

		Lonely?
   There is no need to be lonely any longer.

•	Do you find yourself sitting at home
Alone staring at the TV?
•	Are you tired of the quiet
Your house surrounds you with?
•	Are you yearning for some company
That is not your dog or cat?
•	Are you tired of drinking alone
One lonely glass on the table?


Then come on down to our place.
Come on down and join the crowd
That is gathered here
At the
      No Longer Lonely Bar

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 52 – The Choice

The Choice

We all make choices
Each and every day.
Some have fleeting effect
While others have long term consequences.

Being young and independent
She decided to walk away
From a love in search of something better.
She never found that something better,
No matter how far she looked.
Today she sits alone in her house
Reliving that choice.
In that moment,
Being young and independent
She figured she had nothing but time.
But time kept chewing up the future,
Until it became the present.
A present only made possible
By her long ago, young, and independent
Choice.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 51 – Silence

Silence

There is a great wall
Built around my soul.
It's been laid brick by
Silent brick.  The mortar,
Set with pain and rejection,
Keeps the wall strong and straight.
The wall has grown tall over the years,
It's thickness great.

Trying to dismantle this wall
Has been a formidable task.
I feel that the wrecking ball 
Of my written words
Only chip and nick at the wall.
I know only my spoken words
Will lift the bricks off
One by one.
But when I open my mouth
My silence only adds another
Brick to the wall.

Roy W. Backes
© 1992

Word Music – Day 50 – Looking for Myself

Looking for Myself

The search continues.
Every time I lift my pen
And put it to paper
I am working my way
Through the forest of my mind.
I hunt through the weeds of my past.
I explore the tall trees of my emotions.
I search the fields of the present
All in an effort to find myself
Hidden somewhere among 
The brush and undergrowth.
I search carefully with my
Pen in hand
Trying to illuminate the dark recesses 
Of my mind.

The search continues.
I, once again, put pen to paper
In the hope that looking for myself
Will lead to some understanding.
No matter where it is to be found.

Roy W. Backes
© 2024

Word Music – Day 49 – The Devil is Winning

The Devil is Winning

He has mastered the technique of delivering misinformation,
Of deceiving us and making us
Blind to the blaring truth
That is right in front of our eyes.
The Devil is winning.
We still wage war even though no one wants war.
We still kill each other even though we all grieve at a death.
We still own more guns than books
Even as we ban more and more books every day.
We still vote for crooks and madmen and madwomen
To ‘lead us’ even though they brag
About abusing women and
Blatantly lie to our face.
It is time to wake up.
It is time to fight back,
Before you wake up one cloudy morning
In a totalitarian nightmare.
It is coming, ‘cause
The Devil is winning.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 48 – He Pours

He Pours

He pours.
He drinks.
He looks.
The aromatic liquid blurs the bottom
Making it hard to see.

He pours.
He drinks.
He looks.
The bottom is still blurry,
The answer unclear.

He pours.
He drinks.
He looks.
He studies the empty bottom.
No answer there.
He opens another bottle.

He pours.
He drinks.
He looks.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Word Music – Day 47 – FLT 800

FLT 800

I'm standing on the beach of
Long Island Sound on this
The 17th day of July.
Last night 230 people
Fell out of the sky
Not very far from here,
Out there, beyond the horizon line.
I'm a little distressed
That as a fellow human being
I was unable to feel their
Entrance into somewhere else.

I'm not talking about hearing
The sound of their screams
Or feeling the sound waves of the explosion.
I'm wondering how the feelings of
230 fellow humans,
All experiencing the terror and horror
Of watching their lives pass before them,
Could just pass me by
While I calmly walked the beach,
The waves at my feet
Thinking about my life,
My future.
How could I not possibly feel
That surge of energy?

From now on I plan to
Open the window of my soul
A little wider
And try to listen a little closer
To the feel of the Atlantic sea air.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 46 – Lake and Fire

Lake and Fire

Staring at the lake
On a windy day
With the whitecaps crashing
Over the sandbars
Is not unlike staring
At a roaring fire with
The flames fighting for 
More oxygen as they reach for the sky.
Both are very hypnotic.
No matter how often you
Turn your eyes away
They always draw you back.
Back to the breakers breaking
Or the flames flickering.
They hypnotize your soul
Leaving you in a state of relaxation
Not often found in this world.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 45 – Not Tonight

Not Tonight

Deep in the middle of the night
The phone rings.  She answers,
Knowing that it could only be bad news.

She sits in the bright light of her bedroom,
In tears, in pain,
In need of her lover.

She calls his number
Needing to hear his voice…..
Instead, she hears his wife’s.

Not tonight.  She can’t share him tonight.
She’s been his lover for years,
Spent years alone, waiting for his call.

Every morning she wakes up alone.
She can’t be alone tonight.
She needs him to help her fight.

She sits in her car under the streetlight
Staring at his home, with the wraparound porch,
And him, asleep next to his wife.

No. Not tonight.
She stands on his porch,
Bangs on his door and cries out his name.

No. Not tonight.
She can’t share him tonight.
She won’t share him tonight.

Roy W. Backes
© 1999

Word Music – Day 44 – Chasing the Sun

Chasing the Sun

I wake up before dawn,
Check out the eastern horizon
And lace up my New Balance
Running shoes once again.
I fill my water bottle,
Put on my cap,
Stretch out my legs till comfortable,
And wait for the sun
To peek out over the horizon.
As the sun begins to rise
I begin to jog west.
I slowly build up my speed
As the sun climbs in the sky,
Warming my pathway forward.

Thus, I begin yet another day,
Heading west at a comfortable pace
Chasing the sun.
I follow the sun till it finally falls
Beneath the western horizon.
I slow to a stop and take a deep breath,
Drink some water, wipe my brow,
And stretch out my legs.
At last, I can rest once again.
That is, until just before dawn.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 43 – Would’a. Should’a. Could’a.

Would’a. Should’a. Could’a

Would’a. Should’a. Could’a.
The three regrets we all
Carry around like a thirteen-year-old’s
Overloaded backpack.
I would’a done that, if only…..
I should’a done that….but…..
I could’a done that if it weren’t for…..

Would’a. Should’a. Could’a.
The three regrets we
Constantly trip over like the
Hidden roots along our paths.

Would’a. Should’a. Could’a.
Unable to drop them like
So much litter
We all carry them around,
Our backs bent with the weight.
I would’a…..
I should’a…..
I could’a…..

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Word Music – Day 42 – Fishing in the River Styx

Fishing in the River Styx

Balanced in my rickety boat
I cast my line into the murky
Water of the River Styx.
The water is so black it looked
Almost purple in hue.
I had no idea what I might
Snag on my baited line.
The water bubbled all around me
And when the bubbles burst the
The screams of despair and anger
Gave voice for a split second.
All the bursting bubbles filled
The air with a sound of haunted desperation.
I finally felt a tug on my line,
And began to reel the creature in,
Only to discover that I had caught
A desperate soul who, when it broke
The water’s surface, made a sound
The likes of which I had never heard,
And hope to never hear again.
I quickly cut the line, releasing
The creature back into the depths of the murky water.
I promptly turned my boat around
And headed back to the safety of the shore,
Knowing that this was the first 
And last time I would go
Fishing in the River Styx.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 41 – Smoke in the Sky

Smoke in the Sky

All along the riverbank
As far as you could see
The smokestacks spewed their gray smoke
Into the air.
The making of steel is a messy
And smokey business.
For years on end the stacks
Spit their smoke into the sky,
High above the molten metal
Being poured into forms far below.
The soft blue sky above was often
Covered in a gray smokey mist
Making the sunsets beautiful and the
Collars of our shirts grimy.
The smoke in the sky
Over the ‘Burgh of my youth
Always let us know that the
Making of steel was a messy
And smokey business.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 40 – A Special Quiet

A Special Quiet

As I wander through one
Of my favorite places on earth
I relish the special quiet
That surrounds me.
The quiet of the high pitched 
Whistle of locusts hidden in trees.
The quiet of distant birds
All singing and searching for each other.
The quiet of the friendly buzz
Of mosquitoes as they explore my ears.
The quiet of the soft breeze
Blowing ever so gently through the leaves.
This place.  My favorite place.
The place where I go when searching for
A special quiet.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 39 – Chillin’

Chillin’

Just chillin’
Just chillin’ and grillin’
Just rollin’ the dogs around the grate of the grill
Just flippin’ the burgers as they begin to sear
Just drinkin’ the beer so cold and wet
Just talkin’ with my friends
Just chillin’
Just chillin’ and grillin’ and
Drinkin’ and talkin’
Just chillin’

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 38 – Spiritually Alone

Spiritually Alone

I am, oh, so alone.
Spiritually alone.
I have my wife and son
To keep me company and
Fill me with pride and joy.
I’m spiritually alone, in the sense,
That I no longer believe
In a ‘God’.
A God can’t exist with all
The pain in the world.
I lost my faith about fifteen years
Into my Catholic upbringing.
I just stopped drinking
The Latin-laced Kool-Aid.
So, I moved on in search
Of other paths for spiritual strength.
The power of the Cosmos.
The spirit of Internality,
Looking inward for strength.
Thus far they have all failed,
Or, maybe, it is I who have failed.
No matter.  I’m still alone.
Spiritually alone.
Where do I turn when in need?
I don’t know.
I do know
That I will continue my search
For a spiritual path
Even though
I am, oh, so alone.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Word Music – Day 37 – From Over There

From Over There

He wonders what the view
Is like from over there.
Over there, in the bright sunshine.
Over there, away from the shadows.

Since she left, he hasn’t 
Been able to step back into
The light.
He needs the comfort of the shadows.
He needs darkness around him,
Caressing him and keeping him cool.
But now he is beginning to wonder
What the view is like from
Over there.
Over there, in the heat of the sun.

He looks forward to that new perspective.
He’ll be over there soon.
He just needs a little more time
In the soothing coolness
Of the shadows.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 36 – The Blues Crawled into My Bed

The Blues Crawled into My Bed

It’s been a long, lonely day today.
After you walked out on me this morning
Giving me a kiss on the cheek and
A whispered “’Sorry” in my ear
You walked out,
Leaving me alone.
I found myself wandering around,
What used to be our home,
Seeing memories crowded into every corner.
I sat in silence at our dining table
With a slice of pizza growing colder
By the minute.
I lay on our bed watching
The sky grow dark.
I finally rolled over,
Reaching out my arm for your warmth
Only to discover that
The blues had crawled into my bed,
With its cold comfort and
Empty passion.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 35 – Nothing to Prove

Nothing to Prove

It’s late in my life.
I’ve had a wonderful career in the theater
	Worked with some of the best in the business
	Did some great work and some not-so-great work.
I’ve had a successful marriage.  Thirty-six years
	At this writing.  Still together through
	All the ups and downs of life.
I’ve/We’ve raised a fabulous son, who
	Makes us proud each and every day
	A man who is making his mark in this life.
I’ve done a lot of writing and put it
	Out into the world for all to enjoy
	Again, some good.  Some not so good.
I’ve read a lot.  Books of all types
	Fiction and non-fiction alike
	Once again, some good.  Some not.
So, as I reflect on my life
	Now in my later years
	(My God, it is a long way back)
I’ve come to the conclusion that
	I’ve got nothing to prove.
I did it and did it well
	At least most of the time.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 34 – Ball and Chain

Ball and Chain

The choker is fastened tightly
Around his neck.
The chain, hanging down his back,
Is constantly jingling and jangling
As he drags the chipped and discolored 
Ball through the dirt.
He leans into the wind of life
His legs pumping, driving.
The muscles in his neck
Strain against the weight,
As the ball grabs at every root and weed.
He keeps focused on the earth ahead
Seldom lifting his eyes.
He drags this discolored metal ball
Everywhere he goes
Wondering how empty pockets
Can weigh so much
And keep him down so long.

Roy W. Backes
© 1998

Word Music – Day 33 – Searching for Solitude

Searching for Solitude

Relaxing on my deck
Here on the lake shore
Watching the sun go down,
I noticed a man carrying
A fire-engine red plastic Adirondack chair
Out into the water.
He walked maybe twenty yards
Into the water and
Then placed the chair in the sand
And sat down, water covering his lap.
The lake was fairly quiet
With the waves gently caressing
His body as he enjoyed nature’s show.
I watched this man searching for some quiet,
Some solitude, some natural beauty
As he sat in the water
Watching the sun go down.
I sat on my deck and quietly
Reached for my pen.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 32 – Living in a Box

Living in a Box

Too many of us are
Living in a box.
I’m not talking about
Living in your apartment or
Living in your house.
I’m talking about living
In your sheltered sense of self.
Whether the box is 
Your shelter from other ideas or beliefs,
Your shelter from people not like you,
Your shelter from the truth or
Your shelter from reality,
Too many of us choose to
Live in a box.
A box not constructed of brick and mortar
But a box constructed out of fear.
Your fear of new ideas,
Your fear of reality,
Your fear of the truth.
It is time to lift the lid off of your box
Look up at the blue of the sky
And begin living your unsheltered life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 31 – This Notebook

This Notebook
		7-10-21 → 7-10-22

This notebook,
My friend.
My companion.
My venting place
Has done well for me
Over these past 365.
It has protected my thoughts,
My fears,
My anger.
It has been a good friend.
I’ll miss it.
But I know that
I can visit it at any time
And it will bring me back.
Back to my fears,
Back to my anger,
Back to my thoughts.
			
Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Word Music – Day 30 – Secret Keeper

Secret Keeper

Come
Share your thoughts
Share your dreams
Share your secrets.
I will listen
I will care
I will be your
Secret keeper.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 29 – The Peace of Quiet

The Peace of Quiet

Are you one of those people
Who keep the TV on in the background
All day long?
Who stuff buds in your ears
That pump music or podcasts at
High decimals as you walk down the street?
Who constantly play games
On your smartphone?
Who surf You Tube and Tik Tok
On your computer for hours on end?
Why are you so afraid of the quiet?
Turn the TV off,
Take the buds out of your ears,
Put your phone down
And take the time
To add silence to your day
And discover the peace of quiet.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 28 – Old Woman at Red Light

Old Woman at Red Light

Ancient old woman
Hair thin and gray
On her wrinkled head,
Sits confined to her wheelchair
At a red light.
The old woman wears a black sweater
She knitted years ago
With her gnarled fingers and has a
Lap blanket across her knees.
Her caregiver, bored and uninterested,
Is an overweight woman who stands 
Behind the chair just putting in her time.
She takes a deep drag on a cigarette
Dropping gray ash onto the
Shoulders of the ancient black sweater
Like so much dandruff.
The old woman stares at the light 
Patiently waiting for it to turn green
So she can get back to the home 
And brush the ash off her shoulders.

Roy W. Backes
© 1996

Word Music – Day 27 – The Expanse

The Expanse

The expanse.
Vast
Nothing but white
As far as it can see.
In the middle of this expanse
Slowly crawls a tiny spider.
A spider far, far away
From its web,
In search of food
Or perhaps a better place
To spin its time.
The spider stops,
Looks one way,
Looks the other way,
And wonders how it
Ever managed to end up
Surrounded by this 
Vast white webless expanse.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 26 – Don’t Belong Anymore

Don’t Belong Anymore

I left town decades ago
To make a better life.
I had hit the professional ceiling,
With nowhere to go
But away.
My friends there have all drifted away,
Most of my family has passed on.
The house I grew up in
Has strangers living in it.
On the rare occasions I do go back
To visit, I’m surrounded by nothing
But change.
I get lost.
Lost in memories that don’t match
Reality any longer.
I left town decades ago,
But when I go back
I feel I don’t belong anymore.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 25 – Jingle Bell Blues

Jingle Bell Blues

Dragging the sleigh behind him
Through six inches of snow,
Jingle bells attached to
Each and every harness,
The horse trudges down the lane
With the jingle of bells ringing
In his ears with each footfall.
They never stop.
Every step brings more noise.
Every nod of his head, more jingles.
He yearns for the peace and quiet
Of the stable, where the
Bells and harnesses are hung on the wall.
But now he is trussed to the sleigh
Dragging his masters through the snow
While suffering through another season of
The Jingle Bell Blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 24 – My Ten Commandments

My Ten Commandments

I’ll keep two of the original.
•	Thou shall not kill
•	Thou shall honor thy Father and thy Mother
Mine:
•	Thou shall leave this world a better place than when you got 
        here
•	Thou shall respect your fellow man
•	Thou shall respect and nurture Mother Earth
•	Thou shall not pull out into traffic if any doubt exists.
        By the time you take the time to assess, it is already too
        late       
•	Thou shall show patience in all things
•	Thou shall search for and nurture the artist inside you
•	Thou shall be like a duck.  Let things roll off your back    
        without effect
•	Thou shall never stop dreaming

I follow these Commandments and have,
Thus far, lived a long and happy life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 23 – The Road Trip Blues

The Road Trip Blues

My plan was to get on the road at 8:00
	I pulled out at 11:00
As I left my house, I checked the gage
	It said almost empty
I hit the highway with sixteen hours ahead
	Pushed it to 72 in a 55 mph limit.
I cruised for forty minutes
	Till I saw the flashing lights in the rearview
I spoke nice to the officer
	He handed me a $100.00 ticket with a tip of his hat
Finally, I’m cruising on the road for hours on end
	Till I saw an army of brake lights up ahead
I passed into Ohio with a bursting bladder
	Searching helplessly for a plaza
I stopped for the night
	The hotel could not find my reservation
I bitched.  I moaned. I got a room
	Located right next to the elevator
I slept through the alarm and
	Missed the complimentary breakfast
I finally got on the road once again
	Hoping for better luck than yesterday
Where I suffered through a bad case of 
	The Road Trip Blues

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 22 – Waiting for the Decision

Waiting for the Decision

Late fall on the lake
A gaggle of geese
A flock of geese
A group of geese
A bunch of geese
A gigantic batch of geese
All gather on the water
And along the shoreline of the lake.
They are restless,
They squawk, they feed,
They flap their wings.
They all seem to be waiting for
The decision to head south.
Which one decides?
When?  Why?
They wait.
They squawk.  They feed.
They wait patiently for the decision
To be made to take flight
And begin the long journey
To warmer waters.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 21 – Growing Up

Growing Up

You lay in my arms
Your body no longer than the
Distance between hand and elbow.
You smell of powder and innocence.
A soul open to all possibilities.

You sit next to me on the sofa,
Your feet just over the edge
As I read “Dogger” and Dr. Seuss.
You smell of bubble gum shampoo
And ask me to read it again and again.

You sit next to me on your two wheeled
Bike, training wheels off and
Helmet on.  Your shirt is stained
With sweat and smell.
Your smile is large with pride.

You sit next to me at the wheel
Of the car while I show you 
How to stay in your lane.
I notice that you have put on
Too much cologne while I yell, “Slow down!”

I can’t imagine living my life
Without your smile or your smell.
I look forward to you sitting next to me
As the years go by.
I wish you sat next to me more often
With your shoes off and the smell 
Of your feet bringing a smile to my face.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Word Music – Day 20 – The Love You Leave Behind

The Love You Leave Behind

When you “Pass away”.  “Expire”.
“Go to the other side”. “Die”.
You leave many things behind.
Your family
Your friends
Your house
Your car
Your love for your fellow man.

The love you leave behind
Will last forever.
Your love will never die.
So, while you are here
Love as much as you can
And leave behind your most
Precious possession.
Your love.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 19 – Terminal

Terminal

The letter from the doctor
Said that her condition was
“Terminal”.
There was no treatment
That would heal her.
We decided to bring her home,
Let her spend her remaining days in her house.
Our hope was that this would
Keep her alive a little while longer.
We worked hard.
We tried.
Eventually the Reaper won.

I have spent most of my life
Trying to keep my mother alive.
I keep her alive in my thoughts
In my prayers
In my actions.
I keep her alive 
By saying hello each and every morning.

The letter said that she was
“Terminal”.
But it seems to me
That her death has no end.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 18 – My Phone Rang Today

My Phone Rang Today

So,
I had just finished with the dishes
After dinner when my phone rang.
As I do, I checked the caller ID
And saw a name from my long ago
And distant past.
My first thought was,
Why is he reaching out after all these years?
My second thought was,
That he was calling to let me know
That one of our old friends had passed away.
I was taken aback by that thought,
Given that I am entering the age
When old friends and acquaintances begin
To drop off the earth.
I couldn’t answer his call.
I had to listen to his voicemail
So I could absorb the news at my own pace.
It turned out to be a friendly call
Just wondering how I was doing.
My phone rang today,
And I realized that at my age
My fear of the phone ringing
And the news it might bring
Brought to light how little time
We all have left.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 17 – Chaos to Calm

Chaos to Calm

The lake was wild today.
The wind was up, bending the trees
And whipping the leaves.
The whitecaps roiled
All the way to the horizon line.
The waves beat the shore with aggression,
Turning pebbles into sand.
The sound was constant. Loud.
And drowned out everything else.
A sense of chaos was everywhere.

I arrived in the middle of
This natural chaotic world,
My nerves on edge from the drive,
My body full of tension
From months on the job.
I poured myself a glass of wine
And walked down to the water’s edge,
Watching and feeling the chaos unfold
In front of my eyes.
I allowed the chaos of nature
To calm my nerves and slowly
Release the tension, like a good massage.
That is why I come here,
To experience chaos to calm.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023	

Word Music – Day 16 – From Red to the Blues

From Red to the Blues

She loved red.
Red nails
Red lipstick
Red eyeglasses.
Red is what drew me to her.
Red, the color of passion, the color of fire.
I loved her red.
Her lips
Her nails
Her glasses
Her passion
Her heat.
She burned hot.
I loved that heat.
It kept me nice and warm,
That is until she began to cool on me.
She turned from red hot
To ice blue in a hot minute.
An icy blue that
Froze my heart
And gave me a red hot case
Of the cold-hearted blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 15 – The Corner Tavern

The Corner Tavern

It sat on the corner
Midway up the hill
That overlooked the J & L steel plant.
It opened at 7:30am.
Awfully early for a tavern to open
You might say.
It opened that early to
Allow the workers coming off
The midnight shift a place
To have a drink and wind down
From a long night’s work.
It was a friendly place,
Catering to the workers
In the neighborhood.
By 8:30am laughter and conversation
Could be heard through the screen door
That kept the flies out and
Allowed fresh air in.
I passed that tavern,
With its friendly vibe,
Every morning on my way to school.
I always slowed down as I
Passed that door enjoying
The sound of camaraderie and
The smell of cigarette smoke.
I couldn’t wait to be able
To enter that door
And sit at the bar 
And be a part of that crowd.

When I finally came of age
I went back to visit
Only to find dirty plywood and cardboard
Covering the windows
And the screen door hanging off its hinges.
It looked like the rest
Of the small town I grew up in,
Boarded up, abandoned in the wake
Of steel sneaking off to China.
That sound of laughter and camaraderie
I so much wanted to be a part of
Had been boarded up behind the despair
Of dirty plywood and filthy cardboard.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 14 – When You Get Down to It

When You Get Down to It

When you get down to it
War
Famine
Racism
Homophobia
Are all man-made conditions
That deeply affect the human experience.
We choose to kill, to starve, defame
And hold back our fellow man.

So, when we lean over and look at our reflection
In the still pond,
Our knees wet with mud,
We are met with an unpleasant image,
An image that is often difficult to look at,
Because, when you get down to it,
We have nobody to blame
But ourselves.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 13 – Still Hungry for Life

Still Hungry for Life

The man’s knees ache
Especially climbing stairs.
Age and arthritis are
Taking their toll.
The man is up twice a night,
Disturbing his sleep, so he
Can relieve his bladder.
The man still turns his head
When a sexy young thing
Passes him by, leaving
A sly smile on his face.
The man still enjoys a good book,
Or a taste of whiskey
Or a nice glass of red wine.

The man wakes up every morning
His bladder full, his knees aching,
Wiping a little drool off his cheek
And finds that he is
Still hungry for life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 12 – A Mouth Full

A Mouth Full

After delivering the meal
To my table and making sure
I had plenty to drink
My waitress wandered off
To take care of other customers.
Waiting until I was about 
A third of the way through my meal
My waitress hovered out of my
Line of sight just waiting
For me to put a large bite of
Food into my mouth.
That is when she sprung and
Quickly approached my table
To ask if everything was satisfactory.
Even if I wanted to complain,
My mouth full of food prevented 
Me from speaking.
Hopelessly I held my thumb up
In the “Okay” sign.
She walked away with a sly grin on her face
Leaving me to wonder how it was
That every waitress managed
To show up at my table just when
I had a mouth full of food.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 11 – Autumn on the Lake

Autumn on the Lake

Autumn on the lake.
The air crisp,
The mosquitos gone to ground.
If you sit here long enough
You will hear, far off in the distance,
The squawks of geese heading south.
As they get closer the sound
Increases in volume
Till they are at full throat
As they pass you by.
Sit patiently and the sound
Will slowly fade south
Until the quiet arrives once again.
Just wait and listen,
The distant squawks will come again
Creating music in the air
And stunning art over the
Water as they fly low
Following their leader in
A perfect V.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 10 – Hey Julie

Hey Julie

Hey Julie,
I saw you at the ball tonight.
We danced together all too briefly,
You looked good hiding behind your mask.
Hey Julie,
Get off that balcony
Its cold out here
And you only in a nightgown.
Hey Julie,
Go on back inside
You’ll catch your death. 
You never know who may be watching.
Hey Julie,
Don’t go calling his name.
Why won’t you call out my name?
Please call out my name.
Hey Julie,
Was that Romeo I saw
Climbing the trellis on his
Way to your balcony?
Hey Julie,
You best be careful.
You can’t be seen with him.
Trust me, he is not worth dying for.
Hey Julie,
Take my hand instead,
I’ll keep you safe.
You and I are from the same tribe.
Hey Julie,
Don’t say no. Please.
Hey, where are you going?
You will regret this Julie, trust me.
Hey Julie,
I told you so.
I told you it was dangerous.
I told you not to stray outside your tribe.
Hey Julie,
…………………
Hey Julie,
…………………
Hey Julie,
………………

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 9 – Only Ash

Only Ash

It once burned hot.
Golden embers glowed
In the evening dusk.
Tree branches, broken into
Manageable size crackled 
And spit, adding their
Sound to the natural noise
Of the forest.
Left alone, unattended,
No one there to feed the flame,
It slowly burned out
Till only cold ash remained.
The memory of heat
Lost to the cold wind
Of life.
It once burned hot
But now only ash remains.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 8 – A 33 1/3rd Kind of a Day

A 33 1/3rd Kind of Day

Last night we celebrated
The 50th anniversary of good friends.
The conversation was captivating and
The wine flowed freely.
The hors d’oeuvres were excellent and
The wine flowed freely.
The dinner was scrumptious and
The wine flowed freely.
I woke up this morning
And entered my day
Moving a little slower than usual
Knowing that it was going 
To be a 33 1/3rd kind of day.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 7 – Pass Them By

Pass Them By

They stand on the side of the road
Balanced on their little red soapboxes
Spewing hate and anger and lies.
I choose to just pass them by
Without so much as a glance.
I ignore them.
I refuse to give their spittle
Any oxygen.
However, I do enjoy watching their
Rhetoric and overstated zealotry
Get blown away by the wind
And land on the dusty ground,
Only to be crushed by the 
Footfalls of truth and reality.
So, the next time you approach someone
Standing on their red colored soapbox
Ignore their words and
Just pass them by,
Keeping a watchful eye out for
Their hateful words scattered on the ground.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 6 – Forever Evergreen

Forever Evergreen

In the autumn of the year
All the leaves
On all the trees
Turn majestic colors, only
To drop to the earth
To add yet another layer
To the quilted leaf-bed
Of the forest floor.

In the autumn of the year
All the trees change color
Painting the landscape in brilliant hues.
All but one.
The forever evergreen.
The evergreen, so aptly named
Remains green adding some
Much appreciated color to the brown
And white landscape of the winter months.
The forever evergreen,
Always beautiful, always green.
Today, tomorrow, and forever.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 5 – Screwed by Steel

Screwed by Steel

They were tough,
These people of steel.
Their hands covered with callouses,
A blister couldn’t appear if it wanted to.
They were men and women raised
In and around the steel mills
Of Pittsburgh, aka “The Steel City”.
They gave their lives
To the craft of making steel.
Steel used in the construction
Of many a skyscraper and bridge.
These tough people,
Men and women alike,
Counted on steel.
Built their lives on steel.
Felt they were on solid ground,
That was until,
They were screwed by the steel companies.
The steel companies who sold them out to China.
Who sold out these tough men and women
Of Pittsburgh.
These men and women who were as tough as they come
Until they got screwed by steel.

	PS:  US Steel – Made in China

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 4 – Music vs music

Music vs music

I took a long walk
Along the beach today,
It being a sunny day
With a modest breeze
Coming off the lake.
I passed many gatherings of people
All laying on their chaise lounges
And relaxing in plastic Adirondack chairs.
The waves calmly beat against
The sand beach,
The gulls squawked above
Making beautiful natural Music.
As I continued my journey
I was taken aback with how many
People took the time to come to the beach,
Drag their chairs and coolers
Through the sand and
Promptly turned on some music.
Music which drowned out the Music
Of the waves and gulls.
Music vs music
I know which one I would choose.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 3 – God and Guns

God and Guns

Human population has continued to grow
For thousands of years.
Despite famines, plagues,
Disease and natural disasters.
Every year God was having a harder
Time controlling the growth rate
Of the human race.
As an additional control mechanism
God introduced to man
The concept of guns.
He figured that guns would
Be a helpful solution to
Human expansion.
It seems to be working,
The herd seems to be thinning.
God smiles in satisfaction
Knowing that man will
Continue to weaken its ranks
And shrink its numbers
By designing, building, and using
Ever more powerful weapons.
God and guns, a dangerous mix.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 2 – Paying the Bills Blues

Paying the Bills Blues

It is that time of the month once again.
On your table sits your electric bill,
Next to the gas bill,
Next to the car payment coupon book,
Next to the rent due invoice,
Next to the credit card statements,
Master, Amex, Visa.
Each and every one laying
Next to your very lightweight checkbook,
Splayed open and almost empty.
You sit.  You stare.
Your head aches.  Your stomach turns.
Your heart races.
Man, you need a drink.
You sit there and stare at the bills
All screaming to be paid,
And once again find yourself
Suffering from the monthly
Paying the bills blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Word Music – Day 1 – Lake of High Rises

Lake of High Rises

I left the lake behind.
The lake, crystal blue as far
As my eyes could see.
Left the shimmering reflection
Of the cloud dotted sky to memory.
I left the lake behind
And moved to the city.
Now, I sit on my terrace
Looking out over a different
Crystal blue lake.
A lake of glass-covered high rises
Reflecting the cloud dotted sky
In their glassy skins.
My sight filled to the western horizon,
I look out over a lake of high rises
And yearn for the crystal blue
Of the lake water that reflects 
The cloud dotted sky
As far as my eyes can see.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 120 – Trying To Walk Away

Trying To Walk Away

His hand perched on the knob
Of the front door.
His bag at his feet.
He looks at his watch
And sees illuminated 2:42am.
He pauses, takes a breath,
And looks out at the crisp night sky.
He stands there
Frozen, like a statue.
But no matter how hard he tries
He just can’t turn the knob.
He just can’t open the door.
He just can’t walk away.
He looks at his watch
And sees illuminated 2:48am.
He pauses. He takes a breath.
He slowly moves to the sofa.
He sits.
No matter how hard he tries
He just can’t walk away.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 119 – A Taste

A Taste

You are like soft serve ice cream.
You are like a Cadbury chocolate bar.
You are like a ribeye steak,
Dripping with juices.
They taste so good, 
Each in their own way.
I just want a taste of you,
Just a sample
‘Cause I know one taste will lead
To another, to another, to another.
I want to savor your taste
In my mouth.
I want to enjoy your taste
With a glass of wine.
I want to take my time,
Suck every remnant of juice from your body.
So, come
Take my hand and
Give me a taste.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 118 – Too Hot

Too Hot

Passions ran hot.
Their need to be together,
Insatiable.
When separated they vibrated
For each other,
They were red hot.
Flames flew high
Only to end in ash.
Their time together was short,
Shorter than they wanted,
That’s for sure.
Too young.
Too hot for each other,
They flamed out.
They look back with a burning
Ache in their hearts
Knowing their time together
Was really good,
But it was just
Too hot.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 117 – When You Worry

When You Worry

When you worry
Your mind constantly runs
The worse-case scenario
In an unending loop.

When you worry
Your stomach churns,
Acid dripping on acid.

When you worry
Your nerves are shot,
Your hands shake,
Your leg pumps like a piston.

When you worry
You are consumed with the nightmare,
Night. Day. Everyday

When you worry
You sit alone
With your stomach churning,
Your hands shaking,
And your leg pumping,
Replaying the worse-case scenario
Over and over and over.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 116 – Not More Interesting Than the Internet

Not More Interesting Than the Internet

He reads the paper every day.
He watches BBC World News every night.
He considers himself well read,
Mostly mysteries but some non-fiction.
He likes most music except
Gangster rap and opera.
He actually really likes country music.
He loves to walk and
He exercises regularly.
But no matter how hard he tries
He knows that
He is not more interesting than the internet.

Roy W. Backes
© 2015

Words of Wonder – Day 115 – Last Chance

Last Chance

Last chance.
With the stools to my left and right empty
They announce, “Last Call.”
My head feels light
I can’t seem to focus.
One more drink?
I look in the mirror behind the bar
And stare at the one other lonely
Soul still hanging around.
She orders another drink and
I figure, “What the hell” and 
Order one for myself.
She sits, staring into the bar mirror
While I try to catch her reflected eye.
I smile.
I wink.
Nothing….
The lights come up.
Looking straight into the mirror
She gulps the last of her drink
And pushes away from the bar.
She picks up her purse
And walks away
Without even knowing that I exist.
I watch her image leave the club
As I slip a tip under my glass.
I take a moment to focus and steady myself
And head for my car
Where no one will be riding
Shotgun tonight.

Roy W. Backes
© 2008

Words of Wonder – Day 114 – You Afraid of Me?

You Afraid of Me?

Why would you be afraid of me?
Is it my size?
Is it my anger?
Is it the size of my anger?
Why would you be afraid of me?
Is it my passion?
Is it my intensity?
Is it the intensity of my passion?
Why would you be afraid of me?
Is it my bearing?
Is it my pain?
Is it my unbearable pain?
Why would you be afraid of me?
This is me.
This is who I am,
As scary as it seems.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 113 – The Crowded Empty

The Crowded Empty

As I cross the grassland
Approaching the forest path
I notice how quiet it is.
No man-made sounds to be heard,
Only the sounds of nature.

As I enter the forest
Leaving the sun behind
For the shadowland of the trees
I look ahead and see an empty forest.
No birds.  No chipmunks. No snakes.
No life.

As I move along the forest path
In this seemingly empty wood
The sounds of life increase.
Leaves rustled by the wind.
The distant chirps and squawks of birds.
The song of the stream as it weaves
Its way through the wood.

I pause in this noisy quiet
And stare out at the crowded empty
Of the world around me.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 112 – The Merry-Go-Round

The Merry-Go-Round

As a Catholic I have been told
Since birth that I was a sinner.
First, they branded me with ‘Original Sin’,
Then they forced me to confess my sins.
In order to have something to confess
I found myself making shit up, 
Which of course was a sin.
Then they constantly told me, over and over,
That I was a sinner.
At mass.  In prayer. 
The ‘Hail Mary’ prayer ends with
Us proclaiming that we are sinners.
It is as though the church can’t exist 
Without our ‘sins’.
The more guilt we have about being a sinner
The more we need to come to 
The church for ‘forgiveness’.
Forgiveness from an institution that
Tells us over and over that we are sinners,
So, back we go……….and so it goes,
Round and Round.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 111 – Impossible Void

Impossible Void

If someone is lucky
They may have four or five
Really good friends during
The length of their life.
The loss of one of them
Is a hard blow to recover from.
I lost a good friend
Almost twenty years ago.
He left us way too early.
He left us way too young.
He left us with one less
Really good friend.
He left us with a void
That is difficult, if not impossible
To fill.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 110 – Not To Be

Not to Be

We were
For a long time
We were
We were together
We were lovers
We were friends
We were young
We were happy
We were not in the middle
We were not at the end
We were at the beginning
Of our lives
We were
For a long time
We were
Unfortunately
We were
Not to be

Roy W. Backes
© 2019

Words of Wonder – Day 109 – Payback is a Bitch

Payback Is a Bitch

The young punk with new found power
Was protected by power from above.
He spent his days firing people
Who crossed his boss.
The ‘Hatchet Kid’ they called him.
The problem is that he was firing
People who wield their own kind of power.

His boss no longer in charge
The young punk’s power is now gone.
The powerful men and women he fired,
Of course, landed on their feet.
They now feel the time
For payback is due.
Now, the young punk can’t find a job,
Can’t get arrested.
The young punk has no idea
The power that is about to rain 
Down upon his head, upon his life.
The young punk is about to find out that
Payback is a bitch.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 108 – Mary Jane in Jeans

Mary Jane in Jeans

She had on red cowboy boots
And blue jeans.
As she walked in, he noticed
The boots first and then his eyes
Climbed her body like Mount Everest.
He stopped and held on to each and
Every crevasse until he reached
Her summit.
She moved so smooth as she crossed the room, 
A huge smile on her face.
He felt a smile crawl onto his face as well.
A friend said her name, 
“Mary Jane”.
His eyes held on, 
Never losing their grip
While he crossed the room
To introduce himself
To Mary Jane in jeans.

Roy W. Backes
© 2007

Words of Wonder – Day 107 – Blue Song

Blue Song

This is a Blue Song.
A song where white has faded
Into the sky, azure, royal 
Color we all know as blue.

Blue, that hue that covers your soul,
That wraps itself around your heart
With the royal color of water
Like a deep dark sea.

A blue that grabs your heart
In its dark tight fist
And won’t let go.
A blue that grows darker by the day.

A blue that drives you down the hole
To darkness where light does not shine.
To dark so dark, you go blind
Like some hairless bald-headed mole.

This is a Blue Song.
A song where white has faded
Into the sky, azure, royal 
Color we all know as blue.

A blue that holds tight
No matter how hard you fight
With all of your might.
This is a song of being blue.

This is a Blue Song

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 106 – If Only

If Only

If only he had:
The Moves
The Looks
The Words
The Confidence
He wouldn’t be sitting 
Here, once again,
With one glass, one plate
And a lot of leftovers.

If only he had:
The Moves
The Looks
The Words
The Confidence
He’d be sitting here
With her.
He’d be sitting here
With you.

If only.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 105 – Another Angry Poem

Another Angry Poem

The last thing this world needs
Is another angry poem.
I know that.
But still, I find myself,
Pen in hand,
Scratching these words
Onto parchment.
The force of my hand
Ripping the page to shreds.

Where to put the anger
If not onto the page?
I don’t have a heavy punching bag to hit.
I don’t own a gun.
I won’t kick a dog.
So, I will continue
To write. To vent.
Even if I have to add
Another angry poem to
The already crowded, angry world.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 104 – War Kills

War Kills

War kills.
It kills people.
It kills cities.
It kills countries.
It kills your spirit.
It kills your future.
It kills your hope.
It kills your faith.
Whatever God you admire,
It kills.
Leaving only death, dust and debris
Behind.
War kills….
Everything.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 103 – Don’t Be on the Downside of My Landslide

Don’t Be on the Downside of My Landslide

High on my mountain
The snow of my emotion packs tight.
Storm after storm
The weight of each snowfall
Compresses my emotions tighter together.
Eventually layers of ice form
As my way of keeping it all together.

Many family, friends and neighbors 
Stroll around the bottom of my mountain
Unaware of the danger above.
I add another layer of ice
To compress tighter,
Hoping that a lightning strike
Won’t release all this pent-up emotion.

If the lightning should strike
I don’t want anyone I care about
To be on the downside of my landslide.

High on my mountain
I wait patiently for the next snowstorm.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 102 – Lonely Table

Lonely Table

It’s a lonely table
Now that you are gone.
Now that you are no longer here.
Just your mom and I
And your empty chair.
The milk goes bad in the fridge,
The twelve pack of soda
Seems like the loaves and fishes.
Your mom cooks way too much
For the two of us.
We sit at the dinner table
Night after night
Loving each other and
Missing you so very much.
It is a lonely table with
Just the two of us.
                       For “O”
Roy W. Backes
© 2008

Words of Wonder – Day 101 – A Pope Died Today

A Pope Died Today

A pope died today.
A pope who put the church
Before the people.
A pope who helped cover up
The rampant abuse of young
Boys by old priests.
A pope who lived lies
And tried to cover them
With prayer.

A pope died today.
He is on his way to
Meet his Maker.
A Maker who is pissed off,
Disgusted, and who will,
Not so gently, slam the Pearly Gates
Closed upon his approach.

A pope died today.
Let’s hope that he gets what he deserves.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 100 – The Lights Went Out on Christmas

The Lights Went Out on Christmas

They had power this holiday season.
It was intermittent, yes,
But it was still there.
That was, until this Christmas morning
When the missile strike
Took out the power station.
So, undeterred, they spend Christmas day
Surrounded by the light of candles,
Their joy of being together, of being alive,
Not dimmed by the lack of power
On this bright Christmas morning.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 99 – California Praying

California Praying 

Please……..
Please bring us some rain……………………
Oh, thank you God
We really need it…………………………………
……………………………………………………………
Oh, wait.  That’s enough.
You can stop now…………………………………
Stop……………………………………………………
Can you please make it stop………………
……………………………………………………………
Please…………………………………………………
Please stop the rain……………………………
STOP……………………………………………………

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 98 – Procrastination

Procrastination

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………Pro………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………cra………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………sti……………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………na………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………tion.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 97 – Chasing Johnny

Chasing Johnny

Whether up
Or on the rocks.
Whether Red or Black or Blue,
Whether chased by a beer
Or water over ice
He is constantly
On his quest.
Scouring the top shelf
Of this unfamiliar bar
Looking for his favorite color,
Whether Red or Black or Blue,
He is constantly
Chasing Johnny
Hoping that Johnny will
Sit with him for a while
And keep him company
Until the chase begins once again.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 96 – The One and Only

The One and Only

Am I the only lonely one?
Am I the one and only lonely one?
The lonely one.
Stuck behind two
And ahead of zero.
Am I the only lonely one?
I search for another lonely one
So we can become two,
Then three, then four,
Then more.

Am I the only lonely one?
One
Alone
Not two, not three,
Not four, not more.
Just one.
Am I the one and only
Lonely one?

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 95 – Broken Highway

Broken Highway

His heart is broken.
It is finally over.
He tried.
She tried.
They failed.

His car now loaded
With the debris of his life
He heads out of town,
Not sure of his destination.
All he knows is that
He needs to find the on ramp
To his future,
The on ramp of the interstate
Also known as the
Broken Highway.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 94 – Karmic Path

Karmic Path

I’d like to know
How many dogs I kicked in a past life,
Or how much damage
I did as I plundered my way
Across Europe as a Viking
Back in the day
In order to deserve the karmic
Ass kicking I am getting today.
Whatever I did in any of my past lives
Or in this life
Let me say this loud and clear,
“I am sorry.”
The karmic path I’m on
At present
Has got to come to an end soon.
My penance finally finished,
My dues completely paid.
So, let me say it once again
From deep in my heart,
“I am sorry.”

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 93 – What Are the Chances?

What Are the Chances?

What are the chances?
There are somewhere around
2.5 billion adult women in the world.
More than a few of them
Have passed through my life,
But it always ended with me waving goodbye.
But on that day,
That day filled with rain and rainbows
One of them walked through the door
And changed my life.
One of 2.5 billion.
What are the chances?

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 92 – Under the Sheet

Under the Sheet

Lying on a bed
With a sheet over its face
The body of someone I knew
Lays lifeless.
I pull down the sheet,
Uncover the face
And look at how death
Leaves us all.
Still.
Cold.
Eyes, open, still blue and beautiful,
Staring but not seeing.
Mouth, open, frozen in a perfect zero,
With only darkness inside.
The soul, gone.
The spirit, gone.
The light of life, gone.
I cover the face once again
Of the person I once knew
That is now
Just a body on a bed.
Still.
Cold.

Roy W. Backes
© 2018

Words of Wonder – Day 91 – Listening to the Blues

Listening to the Blues

The blues are more than music.
The blues are the color of desperation.
The blues are the color of lost hope.

I love listening to the blues.
To the beautiful, soulful guitar licks
Played from deep inside.
To the yearning vocals
Telling me how they feel.

I love listening to the blues
Because the blues are more than music.
The blues are what I need when
The color of the blues
Covers my soul with desperation.

The blues are how I feel
From time to time.
The blues are how I feel today.
I need to play some blues
To brighten my blue colored soul.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 90 – Living With an Elephant

Living With an Elephant

It is crowded in this room.
The air is stale,
In need of an open window.
Just moving around the room
Is difficult.
Space is at a premium.
As I suck in my stomach
So I can squeeze by
On my way to the kitchen
I’m finding it more and more
Difficult to live side by side
With this elephant in the room.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 89 – Those Two Breaths

Those Two Breaths

I crawl into bed
At the end of my day.
After reading one of my,
As my friend Sonja calls them,
“Hack ‘em up at midnight” books,
I finally give up on the day,
Close my book and turn off the light.
Once I get comfortable
I say goodbye to the day
By taking two long, slow breaths.
Inhale, exhale.
Inhale, exhale.
These two breaths ease me
Out of my day and into my dreams
And fill me with the life force
I need to get me through the night
Till the joy of the morning arrives.

Roy W. Backes
© 2023

Words of Wonder – Day 88 – The Brokenhearted Bar

The Brokenhearted Bar

They come to drink.
They come to drown out the noise.
Most come alone,
A few come as a couple.
But they mostly sit in silence and drink.
The bar is dark,
On a quiet side street.
The bar is quiet,
No sound on the TV.
No music.
The barkeep stands at
The end of the bar
Waiting for heads to nod
Or glasses to be lifted,
Asking for another.
They come to drink.
They come for the quiet.
They come to a place named
The Brokenhearted Bar.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 87 – Chasing the Dream

Chasing the Dream

Late sixties.
I’m talking age, not era.
He’s still chasing after
The car that he can never catch, 
Like a city dog,
“Bark, Bark.”
On the train.
Off the train.
Running as hard as he can
To book the next gig.
He is out of breath.
His legs ache.
His thighs begin to burn.
But,
He can’t stop.
He can’t stop,
“Bark, Bark.”
Chasing the dream.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 86 – You Thought You’d Win

You Thought You’d Win

You left
You thought I would follow
You thought I would break
You thought I would fold
You left
Time tick-tocked by
You stayed away
You thought time would wear me down
You thought time would break me
You thought I would follow
You left
But I stayed
You were surprised by that
I stayed
And stayed 
And stayed
You thought I’d follow
You thought you’d win
But I stayed

Roy W. Backes
© 2019

Words of Wonder – Day 85 – He’s Gone

He’s Gone

We are so happy for him,
But we are still sad, cause….
He’s gone.
He just walked out of our life
And into his own life.
We’ve shared everything
These past three years.
Our love.
Our laughter.
Our secrets.
Our pain.

He’s gone.
He just walked out of our life
And into his own life.
The silence of his absence
Roars in our ears
Like waves on the beach
On a stormy night.
We are so happy for him,
But we are still sad, cause……

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 84 – Woke Up This Morning With the Sun in My Eyes

Woke Up This Morning with the Sun in My Eyes

Woke up this morning with
The sun in my eyes.
It is a glorious day.
Bright sun
Blue sky
No shade to be found.
My hand to my forehead
To minimize the glare
I squint
As I frantically search for
My lost sunglasses.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 83 – Rabbit Hole

Rabbit Hole

Watching someone head down
The rabbit hole
Is like watching the bunny rabbit’s
Soft white tail disappear into the dark.
No matter how hard you try,
No matter what you say,
No matter the love you show
It doesn't stop the clockwise spiral
Into darkness.
You reach out, trying to grasp
The soft white tail
But it always slips through your fingers.
It always disappears into the dark,
Disappears into the 
Rabbit hole.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 82 – The Green Has Arrived

The Green Has Arrived
		(Meant to follow “Waiting for the Green”)

Spring just arrived.
The air is getting warmer.
The days are getting longer.
The sun is bringing life
And color back into the world.
After the long, cold, dark winter
The green has begun to arrive.
The trees are flowering
The perennials are peaking
Out of their pots,
The grass is breathing once again.

I look up into the heat of the sun
And give thanks that
The wait for the green
Is finally over.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 81 – Waiting for the Green

Waiting For the Green
		(Meant to precede “The Green Has Arrived”)

The dead of winter.
The trees have shed their leaves
Their buds long frozen in place.
The forest, a plethora of brown
Branches as far as the eye can see.
The grass is covered in white,
Frozen in place.
I look out over this colorless land,
My feet cold and frozen in my boots
And find myself impatiently
Waiting for the green.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 80 – Waitin’ for You Blues

Waitin’ for You Blues

I sit here staring at the phone,
Waiting for the call that may never come.
I sit here staring out my kitchen window,
Counting the cars as they pass by.
I pace my room, back and forth,
Back and forth, wearing a pathway
In my carpet that leads to nowhere.
I sit here thinking and re-thinking
About the day you left.
The day you walked off into the winter
Night, snowflakes on your hair.

With April showers prepping my flowers
I still find myself sitting here in the quiet
Staring at the phone,
Counting cars in the rain,
Pacing back and forth, back and forth,
Still going nowhere.

While facing a summer of heat and disappointment
I find myself still looking,
Still pacing, still surrounded by
The waitin’ for you blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 79 – Missing, Then Found

Missing, Then Found

Had not met you yet
But I still missed you.
I have been looking for so long.
Looking around corners,
Looking at doorways
Always hoping that you would be there.
Always hoping that you would walk through.
I’d walk the streets
Hoping to catch your eye.
Up one street and down another.

Then one day
I looked up from my book
And there you were.
Standing in the doorway
Looking lost, just like me.
Then you caught my eye,
Gave me that smile and
I knew that finally
You were found.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 78 – Treading Water

Treading Water

I’ve always loved diving
Into the deep end of the pool.
Swimming lengths freestyle;
Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.
Head to the right, breathe.
Back and forth
Over and over.
But now, I find myself
Stuck in the deep end
Surrounded by water,
Unable to swim forward,
Unable to swim backward.
No backstroke.
No butterfly.
No freestyle.

I’ve always loved diving
Into the deep end of the pool,
Except now I find myself
Treading water.
Legs pumping, arms waving
Struggling to keep my head above water.
Doing all I can just
To keep myself from going under.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 77 – Under the Mistletoe

Under the Mistletoe

He just wants a kiss
Not just any kiss
A special kiss
A holiday kiss
A kiss from her.

So, he waits patiently
Under the mistletoe
Waiting for her arrival
Waiting for her kiss
For her special kiss
For her holiday kiss.

His focus on the front door
He waits patiently
Under the mistletoe
Sipping his eggnog spiked with Baileys.

He just wants a kiss
Not just any kiss
A special kiss
A holiday kiss
A kiss from her.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 76 – What Matters

What Matters

It’s easy to get lost in the past
When it is the present
When it is the future
That matters.
The past is a maze
Of regrets, mistakes
And wrong choices.

It’s easy to get lost in the past
When it is the present
When it is the future
That matters.
Bringing lessons learned from the past
To the present is wise.
But wandering around in
The maze of regrets is fruitless.
You’ll never get out.

It’s easy to get lost in the past
When it is the present,
When it is the future
That matters.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 75 – Just Wants to Sit Down

Just Wants to Sit Down

It is cold.
The wind whipping up the avenue
Billowing coats and
Tossing hats to the ground.
Working against the wind
Is an old woman
Slowly pushing her grocery cart
Up the sidewalk, working hard
Not to trip on the uneven pavement.
Her head down
She leans into the wind
And pushes her desire
To just sit down
Ever so slowly up the street.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 74 – Welcome Back

Welcome Back

It has been over a year since
I last sat on this deck
And looked out over the
Bright blue lake.
As I sit here the wind
Blows in my face.
The waves kick up and
Beat the shore.
The birds squawk 
And chirp in the trees.
The eagle flies by.
All as if to say,
“Welcome back.”

Roy W. Backes
©2018

Words of Wonder – Day 73 – Calling It a Night

Calling It a Night

Time to go home.
It has been a long night.
A long night of working the ladies.
Working to no avail.
A long night of drinking and talking
And taking a toke or two.
A long night of empty banter
And meaningless chatter.
A long night of wishing and hoping.
A long night of empty dreams.

Time to go home,
Alone.
It is time once again,
To call it a night.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 72 – Feeding Ground

Feeding Ground

22,000 square miles
This lake is.
Blue/gray sparkling water
As far as the horizon line and beyond.
This lake feeds millions of people,
At restaurants, at grocery stores,
At farmers markets across the land.
It also feeds the seagulls, pelicans,
And untold numbers of flying species.
Day after day I look out at the lake
And see not only great beauty
But also, a massive feeding ground.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 71 – It Was Meant to Be

It Was Meant to Be

The end.

It was meant to be.
Their life together
Was like a one act play.
Short, sweet and to the point.
The plot, not that original.
You know, “Two lovers
On a journey that you know
Is not going to end well.
You watch them try.
You watch them die.”
It was meant to be,
Their life together.
Short
Sweet and
To the point.

The end.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 70 – Before Man

Before Man

What must it have been like before man?
This planet is beautiful.
Lush green forests,
Huge blue seas,
Wind-blown deserts.
All of this despite man’s
Polluting the waters,
Felling the forests,
Poisoning the air.

I wonder about how much more
Lush,
Blue,
Powder brown
This planet would be, or,
Has been,
Before man arrived
And left his mark.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 69 – To Write

To Write

To write takes an artist’s eye.
To write takes an artist’s soul.
To write takes patience.
To write takes persistence.
To write takes great strength
To push aside and keep aside
The big granite block.
To write takes effort.
To write takes putting pen to paper
Or fingers to keyboard.
To write takes courage
To face the blank page
And write what it takes.

Roy W. Backes
© 2018

Words of Wonder – Day 68 – A Memory Passes

A Memory Passes

A memory passes by,
I smile.

Life is long
For those of us who
Are the lucky ones.
I look back at my life,
At all those wonderful people
Who have entered my orbit.
Especially my friends, ex-lovers,
And colleagues,
Those wonderful people who
Lit up my life,
If only for a brief period of time.

My hope is that
When a memory of me passes by
It brings a smile to their face.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 67 – Footprint

Footprint

I was like a detective
Or a private eye
Examining the footprint in the sand.
It was of a bare foot,
Five toes from a right foot.
I stood and stared
At this lonely print in the sand
Wondering how it came to be.
There were no signs of other prints
To be found in the surrounding sand.
No coming.
No going.
Just one single bare footprint
Left in the sand.
Left there to intrigue me.
Left there to make me wonder.
Left there by a one footed soul
Who had lost its shoe.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 66 – Chairs

Chairs

I’ve had many chairs
That I have cherished in my life.
There was my highchair
Upon which I made an epic mess.
There was my bouncy chair which
I worked to exhaustion.
There was my La-Z-Boy “smoking” chair
In which I rolled years
Worth of joints.
There was my office chair
In which I made a joyful living.
Now, there is my large overstuffed
Incredibly comfortable “Dad’s” chair.
I’m not sure how many more chairs
I will claim as my own.
For now, I’ll just sit back
And allow my “Dad’s” chair to
Wrap its arms around me
As I take my afternoon nap.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 65 – One Way Ticket

One-Way Ticket

As we enter from the void
We are given a one-way ticket.
Where it leads
Is ultimately up to us.
We can go anywhere,
But we can’t go back.
How long the journey lasts
Is left to chance.
Some long,
Some too short.
Thus far my ticket
Has taken me to distant lands and back,
Has allowed me to meet and work
With numerous creative people,
Has blessed me with a beautiful family.
With my ticket in hand
It is my plan
To continue exploring this beautiful place
Called life,
That is, until the exit back into the void
Appears on the horizon.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 64 – Watching the Sun Set on Our Despair

Watching the Sun Set on Our Despair

Dusk has arrived.
The setting sun is painting
The clouds in the western sky
Shades of orange and gold.
The beauty is astounding.

My wife, son and I sit on our deck
Champagne glasses in hand
And toast the setting sun
As we finally watch the sun
Set on our despair.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 63 – Self-Power

Self-Power

I stare at the pumpkin pie
Two days before Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin pie.
My favorite.
I have the whipped cream sitting
Patiently in the fridge
Just waiting to be released.
It is taking all of my self-control,
It is taking all of my will power
Not to take a slice.
Not to take a taste.
It is taking all of my
Self-Power to resist.
To resist
Taking just a slice.
Taking just a taste.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 62 – The Hole She Left

The Hole She Left

He finds himself, once again,
Standing on the edge of the abyss
With shovel in hand.

When she first ripped open this hole
He found himself staring
Down into a black, empty abyss
That seemed to go on forever.

He found himself at the hardware
Store staring at shovels.
Spade, Flat, Snow, Post Hole,
Wondering which was the best tool
For burying pain.
He began to shovel
Hour after hour, day after day
Doing his best to cover the pain,
To fill in the hole.

He finds that
No matter how hard he shovels
No matter how much he
Puts down the hole
He is still left standing
On the edge, staring down into
A huge, black, empty abyss.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 61 – Always Saying Goodbye

Always Saying Goodbye

Every time you leave
     You always leave in
     The deep dark of night.

Every time you leave
     You always leave without a word.
     Without a goodbye.

Every time you leave
     You always leave
     Me in silence.

Every time you leave
     I’m always surprised
     When I wake in the morning.
	(Not really, if truth be told)

Every time you leave
     I am the one who
     Is always saying goodbye.

Roy W. Backes
© 2019

Words of Wonder – Day 60 – The Visitation

The Visitation

My mom and dad stopped by today.
My mom, wrapped in the spirit of a dove.
My dad, as a small squirrel.
My mom landed on a nearby tree,
Scoped out the area for a few,
Then flew down to the yard
By the feeder.
She bobbed around looking for feed
And munched away, giving me
A wink and a nod now and then.
While she fed, my dad,
In the guise of a tiny squirrel
Stopped by and joined my mom
In picking up seeds,
Enjoying the late morning snack.
They shared the space
For about ten minutes or so,
All the while soothing my soul.

You see, I talk to them both
Each and every day
And it is always a pleasant surprise
When they stop by to say hi.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 59 – Only So Much of Me

Only So Much of Me

You do know that there is
Only so much of me?
Only so much to go around.
I’ve used up a lot of me
On lovers who weren’t 
The real thing.
On lovers who just wanted
To use me up,
Empty me out and 
Move on.
There is only so much of me left,
So, take it easy,
Savor the taste,
Enjoy the time
‘Cause you have my permission
To use me up.
Al of me
Till I’m empty.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 58 – Stay in the Light

Stay In the Light

I choose to walk on the “sun” side
Of the street.
The side where the light is.
The side where the warmth is.

I enjoy the feel of the heat on my face.
I stay away from the cool of the shadows
Whenever I can.
The shadows, where darkness resides
And light is not to be found.

I choose to walk on the “sun” side
Of the street.
I always do my best
To stay out of the shadows.
To stay out of the cold.
To stay out of the dark.
And
Stay in the light.

Roy W. Backes
©2021

Words of Wonder – Day 57 – Murdered

Murdered

My friend was murdered.
He wasn’t shot.
He wasn’t stabbed.
He was infected.
By a virus.
By a virus that kills,
That murders.
That murders by
The hundreds of thousands.
That kills you slowly or quickly,
That causes you pain.

My friend was murdered.
Like he was shot in the heart
Or stabbed in the back,
He was murdered
By a heartless, venomous 
Virus.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 56 – My Five Senses

My Five Senses

I look at you and my heart smiles.
	As though from ear to ear.
I listen to you and my ears
	Ring with your music.
I touch you and my fingers
	Tingle as they stroke your skin.
I taste you and my tongue
	Yearns for more.
I smell you and my mind
	Goes to that first time.

My five senses are always at 
	Full flight whenever
You are near.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 55 – The Alley

The Alley

The Alley
You know, that place out back.
That place that isn’t 
A road, or a lane, or an avenue,
Or even a street,
But only a ‘way’.
That place where your trash sits,
That place where workers sit
To steal a smoke
Or maybe a toke.
That place of fences and gates.
That place used only for shortcuts
From one place to another.

The Alley
You know, that place out back.
That place where we don’t sweep up.
That place with no sidewalks
And minimal lighting.
That place where the air is pungent
With the odor of rotting fruit or dried piss.

The Alley
You know, that place out back
That place we kindly call a ‘way’.
That place we all know
But where none of us go.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 54 – It Is Her Time to Say Goodbye

It Is Her Time to Say Goodbye

He’s left her twice now.
Each time lasted a little longer
Than the last.
He’s come back twice now
Drawn back by promises,
Drawn back by tears.
Each time lasted a little longer
Than the last.

He’s left her twice now.
Her promises broken once again,
He’s left with this;
It’s over.
Her time is up.
It is time to say goodbye.
It is time for her to go.
It is time for him to stay.
It is her time to say goodbye.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 53 – Smoked

Smoked

Sitting in my faux-leather recliner
I filled my pipe with Mexican marijuana.
I packed it tight
Enjoying the aroma
Of the unsmoked ganja.
Leaning forward in my chair
I struck a match
And brought it to the pipe.
I inhaled once,
Twice, and held the smoke in my lungs
Till I was forced to exhale.
Till I felt the world beginning
To tilt a little off kilter.
After repeating that ritual
Two or three times
I sat the pipe down
Leaned back in my chair
And enjoyed the feeling
Of being smoked.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 52 – Short Love

Short Love

It’s 12:30am and he is sitting
On a bar stool falling in love.
He loves her eyes
He loves her smile
He loves how she smells
He loves how she looks.
Her energy is infectious,
She talks loud and fast.
Time has flown by.
He’s falling in love.
He knows it has only been an hour or so,
But he’s falling hard.

Then the lights come up,
She looks at him with those eyes
And smiles at him with that simile
And leans toward him, wrapping him
In the smoke of her perfume.
She kisses him,
On the cheek, and says,
“It was great talking with you tonight.”
She then picks up her purse and walks away
While he sits, elbows on the bar at 2:00am
Trying to catch the pieces
Of his broken heart
As he rapidly falls out of love.

Roy W. Backes
© 2019

Words of Wonder – Day 51 – From “Me” to “We”

From “Me” to “We”

It seemed like it happened
In the blink of an eye.
His love for her
Etched on his face.
His love for her
Shining in the sparkle of his eye.
His love for her
Drawn upon the smile on his face.

He went from, “Me” to “We”,
It seems,
In the blink of an eye.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 50 – Broken, Broke and Busted

Broken, Broke and Busted

He’s broken.
The weight of being broke
Has broken his spirit.
He is so broke
He can’t even remember
The sound of change
Jingling in his pocket
Or the soft touch of green paper
Between his fingers.
His shoes are busted.
His nails are busted.
His glasses are held together
With masking tape.
He’s broken.
He’s broke.
He’s busted.
He’s scared.
He’s alone.
He’s broken, broke and busted.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 49 – The Landfill of Desperation

The Landfill of Desperation

I want to pray.
I need to pray.
Unfortunately,
I know my prayers, when prayed,
Will fall into the landfill of desperation.
A landfill full of prayers prayed
By people like me.
People who need.
People who want.

I want to pray.
I need to pray.
But, 
To who?
To what?
Unfortunately,
I know the prayers I pray
Will land on deaf ears
And will eventually fall into
The landfill of desperation.

I want to pray.
I need to pray.
But, unfortunately,
I can’t pray.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 48 – A Title Wave of the Blues (A Ditty)

A Tidal Wave of the Blues
		          (A Ditty)

Hello Stranger.
Let me tell you a little story.
On that
Stormy Monday,
A day when 
She Lost That Loving Feeling,
My Girl
Realized that she was down to her
Last Two Dollars
And that
Her Good Thing Was About to Come to an End.
She had nothing left, not even a
Nickle and a Nail.

She always knew that she was
Born Under a Bad Sign,
But she was
Not Ashamed to Sing the Blues.
Now that
Love don’t Live Here Anymore
She knew in her heart that
The Thrill Is gone,
And that there
Ain’t No Sunshine
Here on 
The Bitter Side of Sweet.

No matter how hard she tries she
Just Can’t Lose the Blues.
It’s been a long road and
She finds herself, once again
Facing a
Whiskey Sunrise.
It’s Been a Long Time Coming,
She is tired and she just wants
To go home.
Go home to her little
Cottage For Sale.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 47 – Air Traffic

Air Traffic

Close to the shore a very large
School of fish are making
Their way south in the lake.
Swimming fast and furious
They figure safety in numbers.
High above them in the cloud
Dotted, ice blue sky
There is mayhem.
Thousands of seagulls flying
This way and that way
All trying for an advantage
On their next meal.
Along with hundreds of pelicans
Gliding in on open wings
They are all diving for their next meal.
Somehow, they all manage
To avoid crashing into one another,
And based upon the cacophony of squawks
And splashes they all seem satisfied.
The fish swim hard,
The birds dive,
The traffic in the air is fierce.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 46 – My Truth

My Truth

Sometimes the Blues
Are hard to read
Are hard to hear
Are hard to see.
The Blues are hard
Because they are true.
They tell the truth,
Through words
Through music
Through life.
The Blues tell the truth
No matter how hard it is
To read
To hear
To see.
That is my truth.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 45 – We All Need a Hand

We All Need a Hand

When the evil of the world
Pokes its ugly head above
The filthy ground it hides in,
It is critical we remember that
At some point
We all need a hand.
We all need a hand,
Whether it is a hand to hold
When comfort is needed,
Whether it is a hand
To help us with the task at hand,
Whether it is a hand
When serious aid and support is needed.
We all need a hand.
To hold.
To console.
To give aid.
To fight for what is right.
No matter how hard,
No matter where,
No matter when,
Remember, at some point
We all need a hand.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder- Day 44 – The Rest of My Love

The Rest of My Love

You grabbed my heart
And held it close over the years.
I chose to lay my heart
Alongside your heart
So they could give each other
Strength, keep each other
Beating in rhythm,
And protect each other from pain.
You grabbed my heart,
You held it in your hand,
You loved me.
I will love you
For the rest of my life,
For the rest of my love.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 43 – It Lets Me Know

It Lets Me Know

As the clouds move in
And the temperature drops
The distant rumble of thunder
Lets me know what is coming
So I can seek shelter
If I so choose.
How very kind of nature
To let me know.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 42 – Hard Pews, Harsh Reality

Hard Pews, Harsh Reality

I should have known
When I first sat on the
Waxed, wooden pew,
Or when I placed my knees
On the hard wooden kneeler
With minimal padding.
Just enough to let you think
That some comfort was to follow.

I should have known
That the hard pews and
The even harder kneelers
Would lead to harsh realities,
To hard truths,
And even harder lies.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 41 – Bad Investment

Bad Investment

It was like buying stock
In a company that, unbeknownst
To him, was about to go bust.
He invested in her,
Gave her his time,
Gave her his heart,
But, unbeknownst to him,
She was about to go.
Leaving him broke,
Leaving him busted,
Leaving him brokenhearted
Like a bad investment.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 40 – Absence of Smiles

Absence of Smiles
(Ukraine 2022) 

Over two million women and children
Have been forced into refugee status
Across various European borders.
Watching the pain and devastation
Play out on TV is beyond heartbreaking.
For twelve days (as of this writing) I have
Been watching the sadness and pain
Play out at train stations
And border crossings all across Ukraine.
Children and parents, all in tears,
All in pain, many in shock.
Among all this pain and sadness
I was struck by a smile,
A single smile.
A smile on a woman’s face
Who was just reunited with her sister.
One smile among the sadness and devastation
Shined bright like a match struck in the dark.
One smile that shined bright
For a brief moment among the
Deep dark absence of smiles.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 39 – The Silence Screams

The Silence Screams

It is so quiet here,
Here, at what feels like
The end of the earth.
Here where land meets water.
Here where the wind is still
And silent.
Here where the sun shimmers
Off the lake.
Here where the water is crystal.
Here where
The silence screams.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 38 – Beyond the Blue

Beyond the Blue

Laying on my back
In the earthen grass
I stare up at the mid-day sky,
Blue as far as my eyes can see.
I lay here staring,
Concentrating, knowing that
Just beyond the blue
Is the deep dark void
Of space, 
Sprinkled with stars
That shine pearly white.
I try to see
Beyond the blue
When I look up,
‘Cause, there is so much more
Up there,
Beyond the blue.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 37 – The Weight of the Past

The Weight of the Past

Damn, this is heavy.
Lugging the weight of the past
Through hither and yon
Is hard work.
No matter how hard I try
No matter how heavy the load
I just can’t let go of the past.
I spend untold hours
Hashing and rehashing
All those moments.
Both good and bad.
Mostly bad if I am being honest.

Let me tell you,
No matter how many times
I hash and rehash those memories
The outcome is still the same.
So, that is why I am admitting to you
That lugging this dead weight around,
This weight if the past
Is hard work.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 36 – Not Afraid to Write the Blues

Not Afraid to Write the Blues

I’m not afraid to write the Blues.
The Blues,
That state of mind we all know,
That we have all experienced.
Some of us are more in touch than others.
Some try to ignore it.
But me, I embrace it.
When I am under the cover
Of the Blues
I reach for my pen
And write my way out.
Out of the Blues.
The Blues,
That state of mind we all know,
That we have all experienced.
But me,
I am not afraid to write the Blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 35 – Friends on the Road

Friends on the Road

On the road
A two-day drive
Sixteen hours on the highway.
During the drive
I find myself making friends
On the highway at 70+ mph.
I follow him,
She follows me.
We pass,
We draft,
We drive.
We remain friends on the road
Till one of us waves goodbye
With our turn signal and pulls off.
Once again, we begin the search
For a new friend
On the road.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 34 – Abandoned Sky

Abandoned Sky

For the first time in my memory
I look out at the lake
And see an abandoned sky.
No gulls.
No pelicans.
No geese.
No swans.
No crows.
No eagles.
Nothing but a big, beautiful, blue
Abandoned sky

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 33 – What a Piece of Work is Man

What a Piece of Work is Man

BB Gun, handgun, shotgun, hired gun,
Machine gun, Scatter gun, Gatling gun,
Gun control, Gun powder, Gun ship,
Gun lobby, Tail gunner, Guns N Roses,
Adolf Hitler, Adolf Eichmann, Uncle Sam,
GI Joe, GI Jane, Bloody Mary, Billy club,
Bin Laden, Squeaky, Ruby, Oswald, Rambo,
Skin head, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force,
Space Force, Armed Forces, Armed guard,
Armored car, Ambush, Auschwitz, Attica,
Statutory, Solitary, Mercenary, Gang Bang,
Kiddie porn, Child abuse, Rape, Drug abuse,
In self-defense, Defensive end, Defense,
Offence, Sing Sing, Shackles, Sniper,
Ground Zero, Combat zone, Body count,
Body bag, Mass grave, Manslaughter, Manson,
Draft board, Soldier of Fortune, Gun for hire,
Overkill, Undertaker, Taser, Air raid,
Apartheid, Destroyer, Hand grenade, hand cuffs,
Land mine, Tripwire, IED, Dungeon,
Torture chamber, Gas chamber, Electric chair,
Noose, Small arms fire, Firing squad,
Barbed wire, Gas mask, Geiger counter,
Powder keg, Flame thrower, Fallout shelter,
Agent Orange, Grenade launcher, Scorched Earth,
Mortar round, Armored tank, Depth charge,
Assault rifle, Smith and Wesson, Remington,
Colt .45, .38 Special, .44 Magnum, Tec 9,
ICBM, AK 47, 9-11, 12-07-41, 11-22-63,
8-06-45, 8-09-45, .22, 30 ot 6, .32,
B52, M60, .357, Thousand-yard stare,
PTSD, World of Hurt, World War I,
World War II, Vietnam War, Korean War,
Civil War, Gulf War, Guerilla War, Gang War,
Cold War, Nuclear War, Religious War,
War on Terror, War on Drugs, Star Wars,
War Room, War widow, War games, Warfare,
“All’s fair in love and war”, Rules of Engagement,
Blitzkrieg, First strike, Counterstrike, 
Air strike, Battlefield, Minefield,
Field jacket, Full Metal Jacket, Field Marshall,
Court martial, “Bombs bursting in air”,
Firebomb, Cluster bomb, A Bomb, H Bomb,
Pipe bomb, Letter bomb, Time bomb,
Bomb squad, Bomb site, “Bombs away”,
Mushroom cloud, “Boom”, Dynamite, Nitro, TNT,
Semtex, C-4, Blown up, Blown away,
Purple Heart, Red Cross, Medal of Honor, Kill zone,
Crossfire, Claymore, Khmer Rouge, KKK,
NRA, CIA, NSA, KIA, MIA, FBI, MI6,
DMZ, POW, PFC, NCO, AWOL, MASH,
SWAT, NATO, 007, Double agent, Secret agent,
Top Secret, Secret Code, Code of Conduct, 
Carbine, Crack, Cocaine, Fentanyl, Oxy,
Meth, Cosa Nostra, Cartel, Kamikaze,
Genocide, Collateral damage, “Going Postal”, 
Mass shooting, Terrorist, Triage, Tour of Duty,
Trident Sub, Crown of Thorns, Pistol,
Pump action, Uzi, Automatic, Vigilante,
Massacre, My͂ Lai, “Medic”, Mortally wounded,
Missile, Mutually assured destruction, 
Nuclear nightmare, Nuclear winter, 
Nuclear strategy, Tactical nuclear weapon, 
Nuclear waste, Radioactive, Radiation poisoning,
Enola Gay, Mass murder, Serial murder, Murder one, 
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”,
“Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 32 – Negotiating With His Memories

Negotiating With His Memories

He found himself smiling
At her memory.
Why, he had no idea.
The last years of their relationship
Were absent of smiles.
Just unhappiness and
A deep desire to move on.
They tried.
They failed.
The smile he found on his face
At her memory
Was only him
Negotiating with his memories
Trying to rewrite their messy history.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021

Words of Wonder – Day 31 – Soaking Up the Rays

Soaking Up the Rays

Sitting in the sun
Soaking up the rays
I feel the heat
Slowly cook the tension
From my soul.
It’s time to relax.
It’s time to heal.
It’s time to sit in the sun
And soak up the rays.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 30 – Waiting

Waiting

Waiting………………………………………………
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………………………………Still waiting.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 29 – Past Tense

Past Tense

I used to do that.
I loved doing this.
I was really something.
She was really sweet.
I should have done that.
I wish I had.

As I write this, I realize that
I spend way too much time
In the past.
I need to spend more time
In the present,
Like I used to do
In the past.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 28 – When I Left Heaven

When I Left Heaven

When I left heaven
On the day of my birth,
A full seventy-two years ago,
I left with a joyous and open heart.
Then the Catholics hung
“Original Sin” around my neck,
Forcing me to carry that weight
Around for years.
Then the Catholics expected me
To attend mass each and every Sunday.
A mass where the priest turned his back on me.
A mass where the priest would not even
Speak the liturgy in my own language.
Then the Catholics taught me that
“Impure thoughts” were a sin.
Not a very original sin, I must say.
Then the Catholics protected their own.
For years.
For years they preyed.
Enough was enough.
I left the faith with the knowledge
That I was leaving that arrogant,
Sin obsessed institution
In my dust.
I left the faith
The same way that I left heaven,
With a joyous and open heart.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 27 – The Child Behind the Curtain

The Child Behind the Curtain

I snuck up behind the guy
With the really stiff orange hair
And peeked behind his curtain.
What I saw was a little,
Scared, scarred and very angry child.
He sat there in front of his cameras,
His hands feverishly working
The dials and levers
While all the time screaming
Into his old-fashioned microphone
About what a great and powerful
Cause he was.
Sweat covered his face,
His knuckles were white with effort
And his teeth were black from his bile.
I quietly dropped the curtain and
Turned my back 
Feeling really sad for
The man-child behind the curtain.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 26 – Star Bright

Star Bright

Star light. Star bright,
First star I see tonight.
Perched low on the horizon line
Its bright light reflects
Off the dark waters
Creating a thin path of sparkling light.
I look upon this sparkling pathway
As yet another invitation to
Take an evening stroll and
Go where no man has gone before.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 25 – Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

Whether it is
A rainstorm
A thunderstorm
A tropical depression
Or a hurricane,
	No matter how hard the wind blows
	No matter how hard the rain falls
	No matter the damage from wind
	No matter the damage from floods
	No matter the pain
At some point
Every storm runs out of rain.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 24 – Nature is Nice

Nature is Nice

Nature is nice.
The trees provide shade
So I can stay cool.
The sun shines hot
So I can stay warm.
The rain falls from the sky
So I can cleanse my body.
Rainbows appear magically in the sky
To fill my heart with joy.

I do my best to thank Her
And respect Her
Each and every day
Because
Nature is nice.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 23 – Blue Smoke

Blue Smoke

Between my teardrops
I carefully load the
Small white rectangle of paper.
Then, between my thumbs,
Slowly roll the thin doobie.
Once it has been licked,
Sealed and the ends crimped
I run the joint under my nose
And inhale the relaxing scent.

I wipe my cheeks dry once again,
Strike the match on the arm
Of my ‘smoking’ chair,
Bring the flame up to the joint,
Take a big inhale,
(The first is always the best)
And hold the smoke in my lungs
As long as I can till I feel
The world soften a bit.
Alone in my room, the room
Where you and I shared our
Life, our smiles, and the occasional joint,
I exhale blue smoke.
I exhale the smoke of the blues.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 22 – Forks in the Road

Forks in the Road

In my seventy-plus years
I’ve faced my fair share of
Forks in the road.
At some, the choice was all too obvious,
One side strewn with debris	
The other, smooth, and clean.
Right, left, right or wrong.
At some, I camped out for days,
Weeks, even years trying to
Figure out the correct path.
Right, left, right or wrong.
At some, I just guessed,
Went with my gut
And never looked back.
Right, left, right or wrong.
I’ve faced my fair share of
Forks in the road
Whether right, left, right or wrong
They all led me here.
Here, sitting on the beach
Notebook in hand, pen at the ready
Trying to figure out the next
Fork in the road.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 21 – Howling at the Gates

Howling at the Gates

With sirens howling outside
And red lights flashing
The murderer shot me in cold blood.
His anger at life on full display
In his costume of body armor,
Flak jacket and black stomper boots.
As I lay bleeding out
I heard a shot
And saw his neck explode.
He landed on the floor next to me
And we both passed on to the other side
At the same time.

When the light allowed me to focus
Once again, I heard my murderer
Screaming in fear.
Howling in terror as he was
Dragged toward the dark gates of Hell.
He prayed.  He asked for forgiveness.
He asked for another chance.
To no avail.
His howling terror
Grew louder as he passed through.
I watched the black gates swing
Closed on his condemned soul.
I then turned, knowing karma
Was served and began my journey
Toward the light.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 20 – Worn Out

Worn Out

God, he is sore.
After 30 years of shoveling dirt
And digging ditches for a living
His back aches.
His shoulders scream.
His hands thump in arthritic pain.
He sits on a pile of dirt
He dug this morning with
His sandwich in hand and
His Tastykake in waiting
And wonders how he will
Ever survive the next ten years
Until he can retire.
He is tired.
He is sore.
He is worn out.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 19 – Our Path

Our Path

We often think we know
The path that we will take.
We plan for it.
We study for it.
We envision it.
But, often our paths
Have different plans.
They take us down unknown
Roads and tracks, through trees
And dense undergrowth,
Forcing us to stumble and trip
Over roots and stumps.
They often get us lost
Until, at last, the brush and brambles
Clear and a new path
Of freshly laid cedar chips appears
Leading us quietly
Into our unplanned future.

Roy W. Backes
© 2020

Words of Wonder – Day 18 – Dead Calm

Dead Calm

It is dead calm this morning.
The lake that is.
Not a wave.
Not a ripple.
The sun hits the water
And instead of sparkling diamonds
I get a harsh reflection
As though from glass.

Dead calm.
No gulls flying and squawking.
No geese strutting up the beach
Honking as they walk.
No bees buzzing.
No breeze.
Just calm.
Just quiet.
Just right to soothe my stormy soul.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 17 – Sunrise

Sunrise

The sound of flies buzzing
As the sun begins to rise
Can be heard from afar.
The sun slowly begins to paint
The sky above the horizon line
Creating stunning color and beauty.
However, today the sun is rising
Over a battlefield filled with the dead.
The sun slowly illuminates the carnage
As the buzzards circle slowly above
Trying to decide on their next meal.
With the heat, the flies buzz even louder
Creating a cloud of noise that
Mingles with the dew of morning.
The sun continues to rise,
To create beauty in the morning sky,
To shine light, once again,
On man’s insatiable thirst
For self-destruction.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 16 – We Too

We Too

As husbands, partners, and lovers
Of all those traumatized victims
Whose pain and suffering brought about
The #MeToo movement,
We too stand by our women.
We too love our women.
We too support our women.
The nights of tears.
The nights of bad dreams.
The days of depression,
We are there for them.
We love them.
We support them.
We understand them.
We too are there.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

(This in no way is meant to
Minimize or marginalize the
Pain, trauma, and suffering
Of these incredibly strong survivors.)
R.W.B. 8-13-22

Words of Wonder – Day 15 – The Moon Path

The Moon Path

The moon, full and fat,
Is about 30 minutes above
The horizon line.
Not a cloud to be found
In the night sky.
Its reflection on the water,
Thin and straight,
Is a welcoming pathway
Of sparkling light
Inviting me to take an
Evening moonlight stroll.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 14 – The Quiet City

The Quiet City

I never thought of the city as quiet.
I mean, the constant sirens in the distance,
The bang, bang, bang of construction.
The beeps of cars being locked or unlocked
Is the soundscape of the city.
But, after three months of sitting
On the beach
Waves constantly beating the shore,
Adding sand to sand 
Along with the chirps, squawks, and honks of
The sea birds.
And, lest I forget,
The constant song of the wind
Waving the trees, pushing the water,
Whipping past my ears.
I never thought of the city as quiet.
But here I sit surrounded by
Concrete and asphalt and
The quiet sounds of the city.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 13 – The Line in the Sand

The Line in the Sand

The snow falls hard and steady
And covers the beach sand
In a beautiful soft powder
Creating a constantly changing
Line in the sand.
The lake sends its waves onto the beach
To grab the snow like 
Greedy children at a dessert buffet,
Adding to its enormous girth.
This constantly changing line in the sand,
Where the land meets the water
Is a constant give and take.
The snow gives.
The lake takes.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 12 – Opening the Door on Love or Deceit

Opening the Door on Love or Deceit

He has been gone a long time.
He has done his time.
He has paid his debt.
Now he stands
On his own front porch
Hand poised over the knob.
He pauses,
Hoping that the surprise
Won’t be too much of a shock,
Both for him and for her.
He grips the knob and
Begins to turn
Wondering if he is
Opening the door on love
Or deceit.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 11 – But…..

But…

There is always a catch,
A hitch, a caveat.
You can enjoy this, but….
You can have that, but….
You can go there, but….
There is always a catch.
There is always a hitch.
There is always a caveat.
You can read this, but….

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 10 – Teeming With Life

Teeming With Life

As I look out over this wonderful world
That is teeming with life
I also see a lot of death.
The gulls and pelicans feed
On the fish all day long.
The spider spins more lace
Around the body of the fly
Stuck in its sticky web.
The birds pull the worms
Out of the ground after a storm.
The eagle swoops down and
Grabs the chipmunk
And carries it off high into the air.

In this wonderful world
That is teeming with life
I see that it is also teeming with death.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 9 - Fighting Back

Fighting Back

The Earth has shown significant
Patience with homo sapiens.
It has waited a long time,
It has put up with a lot.
Put up with the unrestrained poisoning of the air.
Put up with the widespread pollution of the waters.
Put up with the felling of entire forests
Without so much as a thought of replenishment.
Put up with the land of plastic
In the middle of the ocean.
670,000 square miles.  Immense and
Growing every day.

The Earth has finally lost patience with
The filthy, disrespectful homo sapiens
Inhabiting its land.
So recently,
The God of Wind,
The God of Fire,
The God of Water,
The God of Ice,
The God of Bedrock and the Underland
All called a summit and decided
That it was time to begin
The end of homo sapiens and
Begin the millennia of healing
Needed to repair the damage inflicted.

The God of Ice sacrificed itself
To melt the icecaps and fill
The oceans to overflowing.
The God of Water began to claim
More and more land,
No matter how hard the homo sapiens
Tried to hold it back.
The God of Wind began to blow.
It blew hard and it blew often,
Spinning its tornadoes and
Blowing the falling rain sideways.
The God of Fire burned acre after acre
Driving homo sapiens even further away.
The God of Bedrock and the Underland
Decided to refill the voids left
From the drilling, pumping, and mining
By shaking and shifting the bedrock,
Knocking down the homo sapiens’ 
Infrastructure in the process.
It refired the volcanos and
Spit out miles and miles of lava
Reclaiming its turf.

The Earth has lost patience
And has decided to fight back.
Decided to end the epoch of man
And begin to heal.
Begin to cleanse.
Begin to forget
All about the homo sapiens.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 8 – Falling Through the Crack

Falling Through the Crack

Our lives are full of cracks.
Some larger than others.
Most cracks we just step on,
Step over or give them no thought.
But every so often a larger crack appears.
One large enough to swallow us whole.
I remember this one crack very clearly,
Large and somewhat scary.
You managed to jump over
Just before it expanded before our eyes.
Uneven, deep, and wide.
You stood on the safe side
While I struggled to traverse
The expanse of the crack,
Your impatience showing
By the tap, tap, tapping of your foot.
Unable to make my way to your side
You studied the void
Then looked me in the eye,
Waved goodbye and
Let me fall through the crack.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 7 – Looking for God

Looking For God

I’ve been looking for God
For most of my life.
Raised Catholic in the fifties
I watched the priest
Turn his back on us every Sunday.
I left the church in search
Of something better.
At minimum, a face-to-face meeting.
As I was looking for God 
My search area narrowed each and every day.
As Willie Porter sings, “I know where He’s not.”
As war, famine, terror and
Racism continues to expand,
My search area for God shrinks.
I know that God cannot be found
Among the pain and suffering
And the millions of unanswered prayers.
I will continue my search for God
Knowing that I know where He is not.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder – Day 6 – Not a Kid Anymore

Not a Kid Anymore

I remember the moment
I realized that I was
Not a kid anymore.
It happened at the playground
In my old neighborhood.
I climbed the ladder for the slide
And as I slid down, I realized
That the eight feet of slide 
Was way too short.
Or, when I swung on the swing
And my feet kept hitting the ground
On my way up and on my way down.
I moved to the jungle gym
And when I hung from the monkey bars
My knees touched the ground.
At that moment I realized
I was not a kid anymore
And that it was time to
Leave the playground in the past
And take a big step into adulthood.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 5 -Watching Life Leave

Watching Life Leave

I know it is not the same
As being with someone as
They take their last breath.
But I watched a beautiful
Gray feathered bird
Take its last breath today.
It hit the window in full flight,
Bounced and landed on its back.
Stunned, it lay there for a minute or so,
Probably unconscious. Then it opened its eyes
Lifted its head, looked around one last time
Then gently lowered its head back onto the stones,
Took one last breath
And left this world.
I buried this beautiful creature
Under a young pine tree
With hopes that it would add
Strength and beauty to the tree
In death as it did in life.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 4 -So Low I Got To Get High

So Low I Got to Get High

As one does when one
Is feeling blue,
At least as this one does
When feeling blue,
I often reach for the bottle,
Or I raid the fridge,	
Or I put on the blues
And wallow in the deep.

Today I am so low
I pass up the bottle,
I ignore the ice cream,
I, however, do put on the blues.
As I wallow in the deep
I roll a joint.
I light a match.
I inhale deep
‘Cause today I am
So low I got to get high.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 3 - Kyiv and Philly

Kyiv and Philly

I look at images of Kyiv
On the news and it strikes me
That Kyiv looks very much like my neighborhood 
Here in Philly.
The people drive the same cars,
Live in the same style of apartments and houses,
Go to the movies in multiplexes,
Walk in city parks,
Dance, drink and dine.

When I see Putin’s missiles striking
Homes, apartments, and monuments
I think that it looks very much
Like Philly.  Only in Kyiv, now
Apartment buildings are on fire,
Cars are burned and buried in debris,
The dead lay in the street.

The fight I see in the eyes of
The Ukrainian people
I know is the same
As I have seen here in Philly.
That look says,
You come after us,
You will pay the price.
You will end up bloodied
And in tatters, not unlike Apollo Creed.
Kyiv and Philly,
Not so different after all.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 2 - The Blues Club

The Blues Club

He’s never been much of a joiner.
He never joined a country club.
He never joined the Elks club.
He never joined a book club.
When he met her, he was all in.
He joined her in cooking class.
He joined her in watching The Bachelor.
He joined her in marriage.
He never thought he could be so happy.
He never thought it would end.
He never thought she would pack her bags and leave.
He never thought he could hurt this bad.
He never thought he could be this lonely.
He never thought he could be this blue.

He has never been much of a joiner.
Now, he finds himself a card carrying,
Heartbroken, full-fledged member of the
Blues club.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022

Words of Wonder - Day 1 - In Mother's Arms

In Mother’s Arms

Sitting in the cool of the forest
My back against the mighty maple
I feel safe.
The canopy of leaves keeps me dry.
The canopy of leaves keeps me cool.
The thickness of the woodland
Keeps me safe.
I sit here, my back against
A mighty maple and
Feel one with the Mother of Nature.
She will nurture me.
She will protect me.
She will hold me in her arms
While I relax and begin to heal.
In peace.
In quiet.
In Mother’s arms.

Roy W. Backes
© 2022