A Perilous Adventure

Mt. Everest, that rock has its reputation.

It has claimed the lives of scores of

climbers. It has become known as a stone

cold killer, although it never held malice

or intent to do harm. Nothing personal

but...

There is no fortune, no gold, emeralds or

diamonds to be had by scaling its granite

face, only fame to be claimed by planting

a symbolic flag of victory at its summit.

Many souls have frozen, fallen or other-

wise expired in an attempt to achieve

those dizzying, near invincible heights.

Quietly, that famed rock of supreme

grandeur and solitude shall forever hold

the names of both victors and losers who

have stared death in the face in order

to make that perilous trek to the top of

the world.

I for one, being neither a mountain goat,

Sherpa nor adventurer, would rather extol

my admiration and praise from a safe dis-

tance and at a lower altitude. Preferably, I’d

feel most secure taking the more ecconom-

ically prudent tour from home in my living

room while casually flipping through the

full-color pages of a National Geographic

Magazine cradled firmly in my lap.

Given my aversion to the perils of moun-

tain climbing, you may be wondering

what on Earth possessed me to invoke

the imagery of climbing Mt. Everest

today? Well, I got to thinking about my

aching arthritic hips and the two flights

of stairs it takes to negotiate this afternoon

in order just to get my mail. And for what,

goddamn bills?

Chris Hanch 5-9-17

A Vision

Out beyond the patio of my apartment, I’d say twenty

Or thirty yards or so, there is a grassy berm. It is a fine,

well-groomed and steep climb, probably forty or so feet

High, high enough to block my view of everything beyond,

Except for leafy tree tops and blue sky. Having previously

Established my location here in this place on Earth, I know,

Even though that berm hides the horizon from me, the

Direction I face happens to be West, the West were Kansas

Begins and continues on to the Rocky Mountains, and then

Eventually to the Pacific... and on and on till the West, circum-

Navigated, becomes the East. And should I turn around a com-

Plete 180 degrees, I would then for certain be facing the East

Where buildings and trees there interfere with my sight of that

Other horizon, where every day the sun arises several hours

Before in another time zone far away, where I’m sure it is now

Approaching nighttime in Mumbai. Imagine the Earth from

My apartment patio in Kansas City on a clear day, a vision all

The way to Mumbai which was previously known as Bombay.

And in either direction it's another day and half a world away.

Chris Hanch 5-8-17

Magic

We’ve all seen it with our own eyes,

The magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

How did that happen? “It’s magic,” the

Prestidigitator grins wily to explain.

We never cease to be amazed that the

Elephant is made to disappear live on

Stage. Magic, indeed, many believe.

Those in the profession of deception

Are sworn to secrecy. They know how

It is done, but to the perplexed laymen

Their lips are sealed. From the Dark

Ages, from Black Magic to the Slight

Of hand today, folks are often deceived

Into believing the unbelievable. Every-

One wishes they could someday learn

How to levitate or disappear, a handy

And jaw-dropping way of avoiding the

The dangers of confrontation. In my life

As an artist and writer, I have often been

Asked how I can draw, sculpt, paint or

Come up with such creative renderings?

The real mystery to me is that I have no

Clue as to how I can summon the ability

To do what I do. As far as I’m concerned

It’s magic, something I am pre-disposed by

Nature to do. It has got to be a magical gift

Given to me. What magic lies untapped

Waiting to emerge from you?

I’m waiting...Show me what you’ve got.

I can see that nothing is up your sleeve;

Go ahead, amaze me!

Chris Hanch 5-8-17

Lessons Learned

From father’s facial expressions and

manner of speaking,

my brothers and I learned.

From the way he shaved and combed

his hair,

to the perfect Windsor knot he tied,

we learned.

From his promises to our mother for

a better life which he

struggled and failed to achieve,

from the paper airplanes he made us

to fly on weekends,

we learned.

From the way he lit his cigarette and

the smoke rings hew blew

to the crushing of expended butts

into the ashtray,

my brothers and I paid attention

and we learned.

From the holding of a hammer,

the pounding nails

to the accidental smashing of his thumb,

to the yelling of curse words

we heard,

my brothers and I learned.

From the toothy smiles,

the glad-handing and thank yous he gave

to the impatient rage

for our disobedience he gave,

we learned.

From the way he hung his head

devoutly in church to pray

to the disappointed scowl

frozen to his face

he wore up until his last days,

oh, how we learned.

When distressed or perturbed,

Mother used to tell my

brothers and me individually,

that we three boys were

just like our father.

We have always done so well what

we were taught to do.

How could it have been otherwise?

We learned.

Chris Hanch 5-7-17 

Only Today

It’s 8:14 in the morning. You have finished

Your first cup of coffee. It could be any morning,

Bright and sunny to begin. But this morning a

Thought—You have been given an assignment.

It comes without warning, there is something

Meant for you to do. And today is the day. It

Could be the first day or the last. Yes, the day

Begins this way, numbered, yet how many,

Or few, who can say? Shower and shave, trim

The beard should facial hair be the style you

Wear. Women may take a bit more time to

Prepare. Select clothing suitable for the task

At hand. Be prepared, this day should be un-

Like any other. Disregard previous procedures

And routines, the ho-hum ordinary does not

Apply. Remember, today is the day, and a

Major change awaits you. Strength and deter-

Mination are a must to face and successfully

Complete that which you have been assigned

And recognize. And today is the day,

Bright and sunny.

You have had your cup of coffee.

You know what needs to be done.

It’s 9:00 AM. You may begin.

Chris Hanch 5-6-17

What to Expect from Today

What to do, what to say, what to expect from today?

I expect water in the river shall continue to run downstream,

that the mourning dove shall sing from the tree.

It is a given (not necessarily a guarantee) that the farmer shall

plow his field, that Wall Street shall ring the opening bell, that

the student shall learn a valuable lesson at school.

I expect that the train shall run it’s route, steel wheels faithfully

following the rail, that the horse gallops leaving hoof print

impressions in the mud, that McDonald's, Walmart,

Mitsubishi and Boeing shall continue to sell and build. I expect

much will happen to disturb, enlighten and peek the curiosity.

And that so much more will pass which we fail to see.

I expect gravity will continue its hold on me, that youth must grow

old inevitably. The mourning dove cooing in the tree could be the

progeny of the one perched there yesterday.

Mostly, whether driven blindly by our beliefs or sighted with eyes

open wide to reality, wait for it…

I expect, as we live and breathe, we shall see.

Chris Hanch 5-3-17

Perhaps You Have Made It

The car won’t start on the day you need to be somewhere.

Your spine fails you when heavy lifting is required. Your

Vote went for naught, and the snake-oil candidate was elected

President. There were many who had their life’s savings

Invested the day the stock market crashed. The tsunami hit

Without warning and tens of thousands lost their lives.

The last match failed to ignite when a fire was required to

survive. Indeed there are those unsettling times it seems you

Haven’t got a prayer. Likewise, it may be the day you can either

Thank your lucky stars, or be immersed in gratitude that the god

Of your choosing wasn’t looking the other way. In any case, by

Wit, fate of faith, you have somehow managed to make it this far.

Congratulations! At your own risk, you may proceed…

Chris Hanch 5-1-17