Beyond Tolerance!

Jimmy kissed Meghan,
Jimmy expelled from first grade
-zero tolerance.

Priest exhorts gospel,
Men kiss on the State House steps
-marriage contested.

Children in circle,
Taunt a child in the middle
-yelling dope! retard!

Before tribunal,
Professor defends his lecture
-lessons not p.c.

Jill slammed her book shut,
Jack was now clicking his pen
-again and again.....

Justice Served
By Edward S. Gault

In the courtroom
The old man sat in a wheelchair
Breathing through a nasal tube
Listening to the judge
Read a 21 page warrant
Charging him as being an accomplice
In the murder of 29,000 people
66 years earlier.

There are those who believe
The man is too old to stand trial
For atrocities committed so long ago.
Why wasn’t he brought to justice earlier?
They ask.

The prosecutor said
The rule of law must prevail
The that the number of years gone by
Must not determine whether justice is done.
The blood of those thousands
Cries out for justice.
We must demonstrate to those
Who commit such crimes
They will not walk away.

But from across the room
One can discern (albeit barely),
A smile come across the old man’s face;
He knows that
He has gotten to walk away from it.

Copyright©2009

One Single Impression: Tolerance

Farewells, Sad And Happy.

Married twenty years,
Each day a silent goodbye
-lovers, now strangers.

He stood by her grave,
Not believing she was gone
-her moist eyes and smile.

Lukas stood on deck,
Saw Statue Of Liberty
-goodbye poverty

Copyright 2009.

One Single Impression: Goodbyes

Happy Anniversary, Karen!

Light Through A Clearing
Photo: Edward S. Gault

Married seven years,

We travelled forest rivers

-to the open fields.

Copyright 2008

Weekend Snapshot

See also Forest River Creations

For Masha and Al

Renewing their vows
Of a lasting committment
-anniversary.

Copyright 2008

Thinking The Unthinkable

Sometimes-God help me,
I immagine that you've died!
Pure desolation.

Copyright 2008

Ah, The Morning Grind!

Coffee mates
By Edward S. Gault

First thing in the morning
I get out of bed and straight to the bathroom.
Then it‘s time to start on the coffee.
Many mornings my daughter wants to help-
So I go to the crib and get her out
I go through the whole procedure
Of grinding the beans and brewing them
-One handed, as she inspects the work;
Always wanting to reach
Into the bag, to get one bean
And drops it into the grinder,
Like a little Juanita Valdez
-And I’m her burro.
My wife says we’re coffee mates.
After my shower, I’m running late as usual
My wife pours coffee
Into both the travel mug and thermos
It should be just about enough
She complains that I don’t
Leave her enough first generation coffee
And that I overfill the tank
Spilling water all over the place.
On my way out, I grab a tie off the rack
And stuff it into my jacket pocket,
So that I can put it on
-once I am on the T.
I grab the books
Due at the library two days ago
(These fines are really cutting
Into the coffee budget!)
My daughter sets my shoes before me.
They’re half her size at twenty months,
Still, she manages to pick them up
And carry them over
And watches as I struggle to get them on
Without actually bending over
To untie them (In under 10 seconds).
I fly down the stairs, and then look up to see
My wife is holding her
as she opens and closes her hand.
When I get to the station
I realize-
I forgot the travel mug.



Copyright 2008

Ever Have One Of Those Nights?

Tirades
by Edward S. Gault

Every night was a trial
When the people upstairs got
Ticked off at each other-
Or their in-laws
Or their exes'
Or their exes' lawyers
Or the landlord
(I was actually tempted to go up
And join in on that one).
It scarcely mattered what the issue was-
The who or the what.
When they went into one of their tirades
Their hollering alone shook the foundations of the building-
Loosening the bricks
(even the ones just recently put in
with fresh cement),
Peeling the wallpaper,
And shattering the windows.
Then there were the things they threw-
I don't believe it was limited
To just the dishes.
There were thuds on the floor
That I was sure were going to bring down the ceiling.
Oh, and on those hot Summer nights (I mean really hot, wicked humid).......
I always thought
They might consider
recording these sessions
In a studio
On a C.D.
That way they wouldn't need to
Have the actual fight
Just enjoy it on C.D.
(With head phones).

Copyright 2007