The Silent Subway

You wonder how deep your sorrow will be

When the first snow of the season falls?

It is November, the 11^th month of grieving

In yet another year growing old.

It is time to realize that even golden memories

Are not enough to sustain you till you’re done.

And springtime will never again bring back lilac

Blossomings of the past.

Yet, fragrant memories persist in the mind as

the Silent Subway runs beneath your feet.

Miles and miles of darkened earth pass all too

Swiftly between you and eternity.

Chris Hanch 11-14-16

What We Know and What We Don't

We know the sailors drank too much rum before

Their ship went down. Some of us contemplate

Why perfectly good athletic shoes swing by their

Strings from power lines.

Each of us has a grain of sand at the bottom of the

Sea on which our name is engraved. Half a nation

Grieves the loss of decency and civility after losing

The election.

It is okay for the meek and disenfranchised to weep

For the next hundred years. I have no idea why I was

Assigned a certain consciousness and ego to live in

Such a dangerous and unforgiving place.

Horseshoes and dice can get you through life should

You work in a factory which manufactures them. At

The risk of sounding morose and pathetically negative,

All of us in the end are in for one hell of a surprise.

Even pompous Trump will be humbled and hushed into dust.

Chris Hanch 11-11-16

A Vision Today

Hand me those rose-colored glasses, please.

After that Presidential Election of ours, I’m

Needing to see the world in an entirely different

Light today.

I tried listening to Beethoven for some soothing

Inspiration this morning; with a cup of sturdy brew,

I even turned to the pithy and sardonic wisdom of

Mark Twain before noon.

I thought of praying, but God has not been keen

On handling any of my requests before. As far as we

Humans are concerned, I understand there are

No hard and fast guarantees—

Given the best scientific calculations, pure

Unadulterated chance and unavoidable happen-

stance, the world will more than likely end some-

time between Now and Then.

Mankind has a tendency to place far too much

Credence on what the politicians say, instead of

Relying more upon the more skeptical instincts

Of our better nature.

So hand me those rose-colored glasses, please.

I ‘m neither enthralled nor trusting of the world

Color I see today. On second thought, some extra

Dark sunglasses may portray a better way.

Nope, sorry, my mistake! The vision I’m seeing here

Today sucks either way.

Chris Hanch 11-10-16

Presidential Election 2016

One candidate for President promises

he alone can fix it; the other pledges

that we’ll become stronger together.

The one candidate lies every time he

opens his mouth; the other has her

trust issues as well.

The polls are running neck and neck.

Folks, this election cycle does not look

promising for the little guy.

Given the world’s volatile state of affairs,

the stakes are exceedingly high. And wouldn’t

you know it…

(though the election could swing either way)

unlike the Director of the FBI, God in his

infinite wisdom has decided not to take sides.

And I am stuck in a Universe of Hapless Thought

where opposing galaxies collide.

Chris Hanch 11-1-16

That Which Longs to be Said

The bee is not burdened with indecision.

It does what it does, pollinating among the

Flowers with no doubt or hesitation, its

Honey, a gift to the world. The fox depends

Upon its stealth and cunning. Most of its

Business is done under the cover of darkness,

Receiving neither criticism nor praise for its

Failures or successes. Christopher, at day’s

End you empty your pockets to lie down with

More questions than answers. Dreams help

Some, but there is a great deal missing in the

Interpretation. You have come this far not by

Favor or merit, neither based upon your wit

Nor talent, but by a random avoidance of

The number assigned you at birth. The lottery

Of life is unfairly played with a short breath

And a scant heartbeat each second of every day.

Face the reality of it all, your hill climbing days

Are over. The limping and hunched shoulders,

The twisted scowl of pain indelibly etched into

Your face tell you that the past has a hefty and

Cumbersome weight. And here you are, neither

Fox nor bee, fortunate nonetheless, able to say

In abiding words that which longs to be said.

Chris Hanch 10-26-16

Choices and Chance

I don’t suppose my father ever saw it coming.

Had mother a clue, she may have stayed home

Instead of attending the dance. Everyone takes their

Chances, and is left to live with the consequences.

In the supermarket of life there are many choices:

Some prefer the generic; others will settle for

Nothing less than the brand-name best. The runaway

Train misses you by seconds and your best friend

Winds up at the wrong place in time. Father had his

Dreams; mother saw things completely differently.

There are no winners in that scenario. You buy a

Ticket expecting a lighthearted comedy and live

Through a wide-screen, 3D horror film instead. Shit

Happens, and you deal with it. Somehow I’ve managed

To make it this far heading into my seventieth year of

This fairytale. I too opted to attend the dance on a day

I would have been better off staying home. Today, I find

Myself eating dinner alone off a mishmash assortment

Of bowls and plates. Father lived into his eighty-ninth

Year, and my guess is he never saw it coming.

Chris Hanch 10-6-16

Some Sagacious Advise

Had you asked me when I was seventeen about

that which was central to my life at that time, I may

have discussed my views of the future—a job or

career, women, friendships, cars and the like.

Had you asked me the same, when as an adult in my

twenties or thirties, I would have included marriage,

children and a home for family. I certainly would have

maintained my concerns over job, career and cars.

Of course priorities change as we age. Topics such as

politics, cost of living, health, income, taxes and savings,

education, relationships and family, recycling and global

warming enter into the priorities which tend to become

more germane or weightier on the psyche.

At age 60, 70 or 80 many of the challenges and questions

we may have entertained in our more vital and productive

years have gone the way of muscle, mental acumen, physical

desires and dependence on the material. (It is now too late to

summit Mt. Everest, and the train to greatness has long ago

left the station.)

So, for many of us who have survived the rigorous tests of

time, it has come to this—most of our needs have either already

been met, spent or surrendered due to physical or mental

diminution. Some may look back at the sordid freak-show

profundity of their existence, and apply a more gracious and

sagacious tenor about life.

I have given a good deal of consideration about my particular

situation and personal experience. You may ask, is there any

sound advise I would impart to the young folks just beginning

their journey into the great unknown? Yes, indeed there is—

I would recommend trying peanut butter and the chocolate chip

ice cream before bed. Not together, of course, nor at the same

time. Oh, and consider getting rid of the car: Your eyesight and

reactions aren’t what they used to be; and the car has always

been a royal pain in the ass.

Chris Hanch 10-2-16