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
Roy W. Backes - Poetry 