Old Age Travelogue

 

Most days in my old age now,

my travel is restricted pretty much

from one room to another. Arthritic

disabilities deem it so.

In my younger days when I was

willing and able, I went where I

wanted or needed to go. With

my own transportation, I could

pick up and leave to most any-

where I pleased. With my passport

and disposable cash in my pocket

I could and occasionally did

venture out overseas.

But nowadays in my disabling old

age, I take a few steps from one

room to another recollecting some

of my fondest memories.

Pardon my dust, if you please,

what was your name again, and

how in hell did you get in here?

                    -30-

Chris Hanch 7-31-2022

The Ride

She loved fairy tales;

he loved horses

Want to ride, he asked her?

Sure, she answered. I have

to be back before dark.

He smiled and put out

his hand. Hop on.

And they rode off

headed toward the West.

She held on tight

arms around his waist.

Lovely day, he said.

Overhead at dusk,

a flock of geese

winged South

ahead of winter.

                    -30-

Chris Hanch 7-30-2022 

Reminiscing (for Gary)

 

I like Mark Twain. I’ve told many of you

that before. He reminds me of the past

and generally of the way things are presently.

Not exactly, mind you, but reminders of

what life is like for most of us living it day

to day.

I have a friend here on Facebook I worked

with back in the late ‘70s early ‘80s. Many

of the folks we knew and worked with back

then are no longer with us, Ed King, Jim

Koehler, Bob Dunn, Dan Westlake, Robert

Stoltzing, Paul Mahaffey to name a few.

In our mid-seventies now, I suppose we

are two who are fortunate enough to have

made it through. In one of his speeches,

Twain named a few of his contemporaries

who had recently passed away. He concluded

his little monologue with the fact that he

wasn’t feeling all that well himself.

Now, it would be presumptuous of me

to speak for my friend today, but with

Mr. Twain, I certainly can relate.

                              -30-

Chris Hanch 7-29-2022

In My Dreams

I awoke in my State,

two Large cities, one

on either side, 250

miles apart. Halfway

in between I was

awake in the middle

somewhere, halfway

here halfway there.

A strange dream

I had that night,

not one of joy nor

of fright, just okay

to be on my way

to or from one

place or another.

I had no reason,

to be halfway in

between, but that

was perfectly okay

by me. Didn’t

need a road map

either way

or guidance by

GPS. Having traveled

to both places before,

I knew the Interstate

would guarantee my

arrival and departure

either or.

Perhaps you too

know the way to

and from places in

the State from

which you come.

And when you

awake from your

sleep, drowsy

though you may

be, you know

as it was with me,

you never left

yet have arrived

on time

precisely where

you need to be.

You’re in your

State, I’m in mine.

Both of us dreaming

or awake living

in our own State

of Mind.

                  -30-

Chris Hanch 7-28-2022 

Judge and Jury

 

I see the common sense and

goodhearted people and figure

we may just have a chance.

I see the ill-willed and self

centered and see nothing but

doom and gloom.

It has been this way for mankind

from the beginning, mythology

and history tell us so.

There are those, the righteous

and power hungry, who profess

their faith, those, the chosen who

believe right or wrong, that god

is on their side, gives them the

right to do as they wish, to

control others as they choose.

Then there are those who choose

to do the right thing because it

is simply the right thing to do.

Done wrong personally or in

society today and there seems

to be no accountability, no

acceptance of responsibility.

Personally, it is up to the

individual to choose. In a

democratic society it is the

responsibility for the majority

to choose. The abdication of

responsibility is a problem in

both cases.

We in America and other

countries of the world are

losing in the battle between

good and evil, right or wrong.

No intervening god or a savior’s

second coming to the rescue, my

friends. Mother Earth, judge and

jury, shall one day make all of

mankind pay.

                      -30-

Chris Hanch 7-27-2022

Nothing is Forever

 

A walk on the beach

and in a short time

footprints in the sand

shall wash away.

Expand a rubber band,

to its extreme and it

snaps in half.

The bubble blown up

pops and it’s gone

as if it never was.

The nature of physics 

shall have its way.

Things are born,

things grow old

and worn. Every

thing eventually

fades away.

Even mountains of

granite cannot escape.

I have managed to

advance to seventy-five

years of age.

Many memories I

have retained in

my time. And when

I’m gone every place

I have been, every

person I have known,

every happening

to me shall

shall over time

disintegrate.

Not even the

indelible ink

and acid-free

premium bond I

write upon today

is impermeable

enough to

preserve me.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 7-26-2022

Identify

 

Identify the shadow cast against the wall.

Identify the rippled reflection in the pond.

Identify the constellation lighted in the night-

time sky.

Identify for me in a lifetime the abstract

Rorschach images you see.

Make me believe the obtuse epitome of it

and tell me no lies.

Identify the why of you and me and the obstacles

which come between.

Seems some days swirling Topsy-turvy are

uncertain for me flying one eye blind.

So that I may see a new perspective more clearly

please identify, why?

                                      -30-

Chris Hanch 7-25=2022

A Sunday Array

 

Mozart figured it out early on.

It took Colonel Sanders longer,

but eventually he came around.

Cows graze naturally in green

pastures while the oak tree takes

a stand. There are no oceans in

the Midwest, but several rivers

join together to get you there.

North to south and south to north

the goose knows where it’s going.

Sometimes we sit alone stewing

in our own juices. Ever wonder

why we forget our own birth?

The fisherman cast his net over

the side expecting a catch.

The wily fox prowls throughout

the night. There is more than

enough here to sum up in a nutshell.

Suffice it to say, sometimes Mozart’s

piano stylings and Colonel Sanders’

original fried chicken are enough.

Let’s listen up, sit down and eat.

Pass the salt and pepper, please.

                      -30-

Chris Hanch 7-24-2022

Something About Fire

 

Fire is good, the right kind of fire to heat and cook.

Early man learned that. Fire is bad, can burn out of

control and hurt or kill. Early man learned that as

well.

It is amazing throughout our history, the good

and bad which has been handed down to us from

our ancestors. We are or should have been taught

these common sense tenets from childhood, and

shall hopefully continue to pass them along to

our children.

Some may be aware of that which is good and

bad, but will violate given precedent to achieve

a certain devious or self-serving end.

Giving power to an autocratic MAGA Republican,

a Q-anon conspirator or white supremacist, some

will agree, is counterproductive and sheer stupidity.

Trusting the likes of a Donald Trump, Ted Cruz,

Josh Holly, Marjorie Taylor Green, Steve Bannon

is tantamount to giving a match to an arsonist. In

this day and age we, supposedly as a learned

and caring civil society, have much yet to learn

about responsible fire control.

                                      -30-

Chris Hanch 7-23-2022

The Difference Between

 

I write sometimes.

So, it could be said

that I am a writer

sometimes.

The penguin is a bird

with wings who never

flies. He is, however,

a damn good swimmer.

Unaided, I cannot fly.

I am not a good swimmer.

And damn good or not,

I am a writer sometimes.

              -30-

Chris Hanch 7-21-2022

Why?

 

After birth I cried, I knew how

but not why? Learned to crawl

before I walked. I grew older

and by the day I somehow made

it through into my disabled

old age. Still, I knew how but

not why?

And then this, wicked mankind—

Russians with their cruise missiles

launched against Ukraine, obstructive

right-wing MAGA Republicans and

mass murderers in America armed

with AR 15s. Why?

Oh for god’s sake, Why?

                       -30-

Chris Hanch 7-19-2022

Telephone Etiquette

Ah, the telephone, generally a useful device

to connect the communication gap. The ring

or programmed melody, and I answer with,

Hello.

Either I recognize the voice or respond,

Who is this? Either I am not interested or

continue with the call.

When done, I finish with an ending salutation,

Goodbye or a simple, Bye. And that’s that until

the next time.

Should no one answer at my place, I have not

set up a leave message device. I was either too

lazy or dumb to figure that out, or simply didn’t

feel it was necessary.

If I know who you are, and we’re on friendly

or sociable terms, try calling later. Should you

be someone else unbeknownst to me, who wants

a piece of me, don’t bother. Nice try...bye, bye.

It shouldn’t take a smart phone to figure it out.

                                        -30-

Chris Hanch 7-19-2022 

Decline of Our Democracy

 

I shall not write about the loss

of a woman’s Right to Choose

handed down by the right-wing

Supreme Court. Nor shall I ad-

dress in detail the repeal of the

Voting Rights Act by the same

body several years before.

I shall not bring up the failure of

Congress to enact meaningful

common sense gun legislation,

or pass bills on critical environ-

mental climate change issues.

I shall not elaborate on the

Department of Justice failure

to indict leaders responsible for

the January 6^th Coup and Insur-

rection to overthrow the US

election, and the further dis-

mantling of our Democracy.

And what about the removal of

the filibuster in Congress to ef-

fectively pass critical legislation

which is needed to serve the

majority of Americans today?

And so instead, I shall write about

the mechanical workings of pistons,

just one more thing to obfuscate and

further confuse meaningful matters,

the vital issues which face and endan-

ger our society today.

In any case, I hope this urgent message

happens to effectively find its way to

you the voter. The piston shit I wrote

about yesterday, and the Fox News BS

telecast every day be damned. It’s all

just a further diversion we can manage

to do without all the same.

                               -30-

Chris Hanch 7-18-2022

Pistons If You Please

 

Thinking about pistons today,

all around the world, up an down,

pistons clacking away.

Motor driven pistons, in synchronous

motion, I convey.

Without pistons, where on Earth would

we humans be

as an advanced, mechanical society?

Cylindrical heads and undulating

rods of steel, sparked by an explosion,

providing motion to

drive shaft, trans axle and wheel.

Pistons are what it takes to

motivate the automobile.

Unless, that is, you happen to have

a Wankel or some other rotary engine

to make your machinery run.

I hereby proclaim today as world-wide

piston day.

Who in hell writes a poem about

pistons, anyway? A died in the wool

mechanic would if he could, I suppose.

See your authorized piston dealer

today.

And don’t forget to check the oil level

before you engage.

Pistons, man. Don’t leave home without ‘em.

                                -30-

Chris Hanch 7-17-2022

Somewhere In Between

 

The blazing heat of summer makes me

wish for winter snow. When the bitter

cold sets in, I wish again for a warm

summer breeze. I have no wishes in

autumn and spring.

Seems midway between seasons are the

most suitable for me, not too hot, not too

cold, just right—The Goldilocks Zone,

you know.

Does this mean my preferences are to be

found somewhere in the middle then? Is it

so, that the satisfying permanence of per-

fection in the middle is impossible to be

achieved? Then indeed, variety must be

the spice of life.

One thing I somehow can appreciate that

which is, and the other remains the promise

of that which is yet to come.

Is the middle of a poem its best part or

should the beginning and the end be

considered the better?

I began this piece with the blazing heat

of summer. I’ll save it as a reminder as

to how that makes me feel when winter

plummets into the frozen below-zero

wasteland. Then, I’ll look forward to

the promise of spring.

The best and worst in life, as concerns

being somewhere in the middle, like the

weather are fluctuating and cyclical.

Good thing humans like you and I are

an adaptable species.

I’ll have to accept the fact that some

poems (including several of mine) are

considered pure crap. I suppose, to

begin with, one has to accept before

they can adapt.

                           -30-

Chris Hanch 7-16-2022