Ike writes

Before Dawn

I am standing on the pier
looking west into the blackness of night
in the distance there are two
tiny lights shining on the river
to show the way for ships.

Looking east the sky is deep black
through the darkness I can see
tiny lights from the town are scattered
as if an angel sprinkled them.

Tiny fingers of silver and gold extend
from the river bank
toward me like fingers from the
Hand of God.

The Hand of God --  Yongsung Kim

Ike writes

It Hurts

I thought I had a problem with my brain  
it was causing me all kinds of problems
but I've lived with it for 74 years with no problem
it was really causing me to dwell on it
on Monday my wife and I went to the doctor
for her to have a bone marrow test
on Tuesday we went back to the doctor
boy, what he told us we were not expecting
it hit us like a ten ton truck
he told my wife you have leukemia and it is not curable
right there I forgot all about my brain problem
I am crying now  
I can't write any more about it
It hurts too much
It hurts  
It hurts
It hurts too much  
Wanda, I love you so much




Devastated --  Ceino Rey Quimintan

Ike writes

Before and After the Internet

What do we have now ... computers and internet
We have little or no retirement
We send a lot of jobs overseas
So big corporations make bigger profits
Somebody puts a lie on the internet
It stays there forever and you can't do anything about it
What did we have before the computers and the internet
We had strong unions that gave us a strong middle class
Who could buy homes they worked so hard for
Hope is gone now
Oh yeah, now we have a lot more pain

 
 

Ike writes

BEYOND MY CONTROL

My income is disappearing
Like a train whistle in the night
My expenses are rising
Like the sun rises at dawn
Beyond my control
 -- Mike Danneman

Ike writes

AT MY DESK

I am sitting at my desk
I sit here to write
But nothing comes to mind
It is hard to sit here
And nothing comes to mind
No matter how long I sit here
Nothing comes to mind
I guess I can't write anymore
Oh wait a minute I have written
Something
Haven't I!!

Joseph Smith Translating the Gold Plates -- Del Parson

Ike writes

PONYTAIL

She is standing there,
Her hair pulled back in a ponytail,
With a smile on her face,
And a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
When she turns her head,
The ponytail stands out like a golden paintbrush,
Ponytail, you brighten my every morning.



 Sylvette -- Pablo Picasso


Portrait of Sylvette David -- Pablo Picasso


Portrait of Sylvette David on Red -- Pablo Picasso


 

 Portrait of Sylvette David -- Pablo Picasso



Bust of Sylvette, New York University -- Carl Nesjär (enlargement of Picasso sculpture)







Sylvette and Lydia -- Lydia Corbett

Ike writes

A Lonely Boy

How lonely can a boy be.
Standing in the middle of the 
playground alone.
He stands alone.
He throws a rock at a 
Coke can.
The sound echoes through
the junglegym.
He plays alone.
So lonely he is invisible.
How lonely can a boy be?

Jungle Gym -- Ozeki Ritsuko

Ike writes

A Dream

One night I dreamt
It was of you
And the love you give to me
Suddenly I woke up
You were not here
I had tears streaming
Down my cheeks
Like rivers
Then the phone rang
You said you would be
Home in the morning
I smiled and went back
To sleep ... z z z
 
 Crying Man --  Christian Hiadzi

Ike writes

The Flight

I am looking at pictures of an old man with a gray beard and proudly wearing a red cap with a flag and an eagle on it. He is sitting in the cockpit of a WWII fighter.

He looks confident and in control. His heart is beating 100 miles per hour. He is apprehensive. He had never done this before.

Ike has dreamed of flying all of his 69 years. The plane started taxiing down the runway. The pilot asked Ike if he would like to fly the plane. Ike gasped and said YES!!!

He got very calm as they took off. He pulled the landing gear up. Time seemed to stand still as he took the stick and climbed to 2,000 feet.

It was the longest 30 minutes and the shortest 30 minutes and the best 30 minutes in his life. One he would never forget.

A dream come true.

Can't Offer Me Escape -- David Padworny

Ike writes

54 Years

I am 54 years old.
I never thought I could write,
But here I am writing.
I have so much bottled up
inside me, 54 years.
I could not express myself
until now.
I am writing all the time.
If some of it is good, 
I will be happy.

 
Quelques animaux dont un illettré (Some animals are illiterate) -- Max Ernst





 

Ike writes

1 A.M.

My mind comes alive
At 1 A.M.
I empty my mind
Of all troubles of the day
1 A.M. brings a calm
My mind
Fills with all kinds
Of beautiful thoughts
Like scarlet sunsets
Rivers that run
Deep blue
And train whistles
In the darkest
Of the night
This is when
I am the most content

 Night Train -- Robert Bissett

Ike writes

I Wonder (My First Poem)

I wonder about the sea,
the life in the sea,
the depth of the sea.
What wonders does it hold?

I wonder about the sky,
the life in the sky.
How high can I go?
Can I go to the edge of the sky?
What can I see on high?

I wonder about the mountains,
the life in the mountains.
What secret the mountains hold,
the beauty of the mountains, 
the color of the mountains.

I wonder about the winds,
the north winds,
the south wnds, the swirling winds.
Where do they come from?
Where do they go?
Why do we need them?

I wonder about the river
as I stand here looking
into its deep blue pools.
I hear a muffled sound.
I look around, it's the river
rushing over the rocks,
rushing to the sea. 

Landscape -- Hillary Wilson

Ike writes

Gram’s Bread

In 1951 we moved from San Francisco to Concord

It was the middle of July, it was hot

When Gram’s store was baking bread

You could smell the bread fresh out of the oven

Mom would open the kitchen window and the air was full

Of the aroma of baking bread

She said, Ike, go get a loaf of bread from Gram’s store

Mom gave me 15 cents and off I went

It was 2 blocks to the store

The closer I got to the store the hungrier I got

When I got to Gram’s there was a line around the corner of the store

On the way home the smell got to me

I tore a hunk off the loaf and ate it

When I got home. . . I was in trouble

After that I learned to take an extra 20 cents

And buy two loaves of bread and a cube of butter

The butter would melt into the bread

And I had a smile on my face all the way home

I never got into trouble . . . again

 -- Avrom Yanovsky

Ike writes

My Ride Home on a Motorcycle

After work I walked to my truck

It would not start

When I went back into the shop

Everybody was gone but Jim

I didn’t know what to do

Jim said he would take me home

I said no (under my breath) because he had his Harley

I am scared to death of motorcycles

But it was the only way I had to get home

And it was getting late so I said yes

We got on the bike

Jim said just lean with me and everything will be all right

I buried my head in Jim’s back and put my arms around him

And locked my fingers together until my knuckles were white

And squeezed as hard as I could

And off we went

Jim got me home in one piece

I got off the bike and thanked Jim and went into the house

Where I shook for ten minutes

 

Harley Hound -- Ed "Big Daddy" Roth

Ike writes

A Smart Dad

When my sons were young

I taught them how to drive a forklift and drive cars

I taught them how to treat people

How to be on their own

I tried to do the best I could

After they got out on their own

About 10 years later on my birthday

My youngest son called me to wish me “Happy Birthday”

We talked for a while

As we were saying goodbye

He said, Dad, the older I get the smarter you get

A couple of days later my older son called to wish me “Happy Birthday”

We talked for a long time

Then he said

Dad, the older I get the smarter you get

That meant so much to me

That was the best birthday gift I had in my life
 


"Philosopher in Meditation" -- Rembrandt 

Ike writes

My Aunt Mae

My Aunt Mae was a wiry 110 pounds
She had 3 boys
I would go and stay with her and Uncle Biss
For 2 weeks in the summer
We said we could pin her down -- she said OK
Then she tossed us around the living room
Like paper dolls
One day my cousin Darrel
Got a Red Ryder B.B. gun that Aunt Mae told him not
To take out around other kids
She came outside and grabbed the gun
Darrel ran -- Aunt Mae pulled the trigger by accident
Away went a B.B. into Darrel's shirtless back
It left a little round dent in his back and he fell down
Aunt Mae dropped the gun and started to cry
We ran over to him, he was laughing, she hugged him
And then she hit him in the shoulder and hugged him again
We all laughed
Aunt Mae went back in the house
We went on playing, without the gun 

 

Ike writes

My Tenth Christmas

It was my tenth Christmas
I wanted a bike so bad for Christmas
My Mom told me we could not afford a new bike
But Mom and dad would try to get a used bike for me
Christmas Eve I saw a key hanging on the Christmas tree
With a string tied to it
I kept eying the key until all the presents were opened
My Dad said you have to roll the string up on this
And handed me a 2 foot long stick
I rolled up all the string, three and 1/2 long blocks
As I rounded the second block I saw a bike in a service station window
But the door was around the corner, a block and 1/2 away
I started to run
My Dad stopped me and said you have to roll up the rest of the
String
With a big sigh I did
When I got to the bioke, it was not a used bike
It was a brand new Schwinn!
The Cadillac of bikes, it had a horn and a headlight
I rode the bike all the way home
It felt like I was flying!!!
I was the happiest kid in the world!!!

Ike writes

I Told You Not To Change It

I would write in my bedroom at my desk
Sometime until 2 or 3 A.M.
And when I finished a story
I would run into Wanda's bedroom
And say, "Honey, are you awake"
She would say, "I am now" with  a smile
I would read the story to her
She would say, "Don't change it, it's good"
The next day when I would go to the library
And meet Helen to put the story on the computer
I would change it a little
When I brought it home and Wanda would read it
She would say, "I told you not to change it,
But it is better," and would hug and kiss me
I miss that
You see I lost Wanda 3 years ago
And now I have no one
To run and read the story to
Boy, I miss her!!