Bulk

By Michael Penny

It’s cheaper in bulk
and more than I need

except to accumulate,
the main aim of money.

I bring my own bags
and driven attitude

everything filling in both,
as knowing better

is never enough
when I’m after more.

I will never reach
a final level of full.

What’s Not Said Out Loud

My dentist says
my gums are OK
(for someone my age.)

The banks calculate
I have enough money
(for someone my age.)

The accountant says
I keep good records
(for someone my age.)

My doctor reassures
that I’m reasonably fit
(for someone my age.)

A neighbor on my daily walk
says I cover a fair distance
(for someone my age.)

Even the waste disposal guy
tells me my garbage is tidy
(for someone my age.)

I look up to the stars
still bright and persistent
(for something their age)

as they hold together galaxies
for everything they are
(for someone my age.)

Childish Song

I jammed a star
into a little box
and shook it.

Electrons scattered
helium and heat
as I sang.

At first, the sides
of the cube
held fast and dark

as I gripped it,
but the star shone on
with a light so loud

its bright banging
opened
everything.

Committee of the Whole

I am a meeting
with no set agenda
and participants who disagree.

The discussion
heats up, differences
apparent on the table

where nothing is tabled.
My committee must agree
before I can do anything.

The debate continues
with words said
exceeding facts known.

There is no Chair
for this unbalance
and it goes on

as I go on,
the time unminuted
and conclusions unreached.

About Time

I found my wild oats
in the bottom of the freezer
when spring cleaning got that deep.

The jar of seeds was sealed,
forgotten, but labelled in hope
the time would come.

The ice settled under the glass lid
suggested never, but the domesticity
that kept left-overs has merely delayed

and forty years on I will disturb
the crystal-perfect frost and let
the aging sun thaw and germinate.

BIO

Michael Penny lives on an island near Vancouver, BC. He pursues his interest in sustainable development as chair of the municipality’s Advisory Planning Commission. He has published five books and been in over forty journals.