Once Upon a Time...

Wolves and witches. As children we were told

Fables and fairy tales. We learned that some

Stories do not end well. Indeed, life has proven

To have its princesses and ogres. Face it, glass

Slippers are a perfect fit for some; and most

Could live a 100-years and never own a goose

Which lays golden eggs. Few grow up these

Days to become knights in shining armor or

To marry Prince Charming and live happily

Ever after. Nowadays many children are

Exposed to computer and smart phone technology.

Social media has for them become the new wave

For learning and escape. Call me old school, if

You will. That’s okay. I have earned my degree.

I often still rely upon following the trail of bread

Crumbs I’ve scattered on the forest floor which

Has always served to help me find my way home.

Kids today seem to believe that GPS is the only way

To get from here to there. And young ones beware,

There will always be wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Chris Hanch 9-30-16

Memories

Memories—We all lose bits and pieces

Of past lives as we age. Memories—

The recall of names, places and

Experiences fade or seem to dis-

Appear with time. I am no exception

To this process. Memories—Oh, you

Know that actor, British guy who

Starred in that movie...You know...

Memories—My brother reminding me

On the phone the other day about

Us being refused service at a local

Restaurant in1960 when we were

Kids because we had a black friend

With us visiting for the day. Memories—

Polished opals and shards of glass

We carry with us as through the rest

Of our days. Memories—Some forgotten

Sparks of brain which continue to be

Blurred behind the foggy window of

Time. Memories—Ballast amassed

In muscle and bone which reshapes

The body in our old age. Memories—

Recollected or forgotten, that

Forming substance which compresses

The body, which lines and sags the face.

Memories—with us to the grave.

Chris Hanch 9-21-16

Body Politc

It is all right if the politician makes promices

He does not intend to keep. All of us have

Thrived on lies to get us through our lives.

Many of us sleepwalk on the shells of
Slow-moving tortoises. The sun does not

Care about you and me. History and science

Tell us we are lost in space, and that the

Foundation on which we’re planted is doomed.

No lie can survive beyond the atmosphere we

Breathe. Not to worry, my friends, truth will

Survive long after our demise. We all need a

Few good lies to get us through the political

Sideshow of our lives. The tortoise moves with

Cautious deliberation toward the truth, steering

Clear of the polls on election day.

Chris Hanch 9-13-16

Paid in Full

Rent is paid today. Phone calls I have been

Avoiding have been made. Thoughts about

Where I’ve been to date have been played.

And plans for where I’m headed have been

Layed. There is no clairvoyant, neither prog-

nosticator nor soothsayer, no oracle who

Can definitively say what volume or shape

My future will take. Rent is paid today. I am

Sure of that alone. Another month has passed

Under the sun of this life I have made. Dust is

Still dust as I remain--paid in full today.

Chris Hanch 9-2-16