photo (above): Morro Bay, California by the author
Have you hugged your whale today?
Willing a Whale
Someone once told me if I hugged a whale The oceans would calm and the sea beasts prevail But my arms were too short and I knew I would fail Even when I tried it down by his tail
So using a technique I learned in Madrid Forehead to forehead I hugged with my Id That was the weirdest thing I ever did The whale was surprised melding minds with a kid
I thought ‘Do you like me?’ The whale pictured, ‘Yes,’ and showed me where Blackbeard had buried a chest ‘Now, do run along boy, I’m needing of rest’ And that’s when I hugged him for being the best
That was the last time I saw Mr. Whale To this day, nobody believes in this tale But sure as a sunset, the sea did prevail So call it a fluke and I’ll call it his tail
Joseph John Racano
Nature Class
Roll me down the flower carpet Gentle sloping green escarpment Push my nose into the grass Mother Nature’s nature class
Tour the hillside using gravity No more john deere lawn depravity Let the growing flowers grow Intermittent showers flow
Vital is the hornet’s sting Bumblebee is on the wing The tears we shed last but a minute This his field and we are in it
At the bottom, vernal pool Welcome to eternal school Tiger salamander’s lair Roll on down and meet me there!
Joseph John Racano
Twenty Days
It’s twenty days ‘till Earth Day I hope you’ve got a plan To benefit the planet for The betterment of man
It soon will be upon us That altruistic day One complete rotation when Our tribe holds hands to pray
The day to give shell necklaces Back to hermit crabs Time to make real progress No more dribs and drabs
The children of the future Have everything to lose Are we going to rescue them? The time has come to choose
What mechanic spent his days On his back inventing ways
Bigger, faster Fuller, better Giant rock enviro-shredder
Stacks the ore in sky-high piles Turns around in two square miles
Open pit Carbide bit Windshield drips tobacco spit
Whistle blows Night crew shows Day shift goes until who knows
Digs a gash From here to Klamath I think we struck another Mammoth
Call the boss Total loss Operator’s on the sauce
Broken helmet Dirty face But you can see this hole from space
Excavator Dig that mine We only have a little time
Move those hills They block the view I’ve got another job for you
JR 12/28/14
Guardian of Flora
Deep inside the forest where the air is sweet I came upon a woman in her two bare feet A spirit of the wood and she was quite un-tame Dancing in her palm was an eternal flame
On either side a loyal Canis Lupus strode Warning me to stay a distance off the road Something in her aura spoke an ancient good Guardian of flora in the neighborhood
All along the trail I saw the bones of men Forest cutters never more to log again Hunters having hunted in the sacred place Meeting their demise within her dark embrace
Traveler in the trees I suffered no such fate Tried to snap a photograph a bit too late Maybe I imagined her in soft chiffon When I turned to see her she and wolves were gone
Deep in the woods where the autumn leaves blow An ancient black magic rides the wings of a crow And lands on the shoulder of a beautiful witch It’s talons draw blood that is blacker than pitch
The witch is Illusia she dwells in the trees Calling the creatures below from her knees Casting her spell from a candlelight circle Sparkling flames burning blue hot and purple
Speaking a language forgotten in time Chanting with cadence and whispering in rhyme Conjuring ancestors buried beneath Her delicate moccasined sorcerine feet
Lovely Illusia witching the wood Protecting the forest her magic is good Call in the ancestral spirits and crows To seek out the demons and neutralize those
There once was a birdy who lived all alone She spoke once a day with her moms ringing phone "Who's that?" I inquired, at seeing the cage "That's Birty" her mom said while flipping a page
"Her real owner died and they left her to me- but I don't have time, as you clearly can see." "Well, why don't you let me try finding a home- it doesn't seem right she should be so alone."
So it was decided that she'd come with me I called up a friend with an aviary And when we got Birty-bird out in the light Her colors were awesome, resplendent and brite!
And Birty-bird moved in with other cute birds Chip-chippy chirping a lot of bird words After getting married and raising a child The Birty-bird family was released to the wild
Joseph John Racano (Birty at center)
Blade of Grass
I came upon a blade of grass I struggled by but could not pass The smooth green tone and emerald skin Held me fast and pulled me in
I listened to its whispers on deeply bended knee And asked if it aspired to grow into a tree
It chuckled with a laugh that seemed to come from deep within Bending in the wind its body formed a mirthful grin
Then the sky grew dusk and purple amaranth took hold I found myself enchanted with this ribbon heart of gold
The blade of grass invited me to stay until the light Would I be her shadow through dark perils of the night
She sang about the soil into which she dug her toes We saw a shooting star She said we get a lot of those
I took off both my sandals and I rooted in the ground Stayed a hundred years beside the blade of grass I found
On trek through the jungle I cut through deep bush Machete in hand came around with a whoosh The minutes turned ever so slowly to hours Chopping my way through a riot of flowers
Finally I arrived home in my shell Off of the beaten path too far to sell Daily routine after work at the plant Such is the life and travails of a Mant
Mants are the aftermath of a great comet Aliens sent to our planet to bomb it Terraform shortcut thought up by a genius Rarely however is genius that heinous
Wanting to nurture and cultivate man They wiped out the dinosaurs that was their plan With no one for light years to tell them ‘you can’t’ Freed tiny shrew which evolved into Mant
Mant didn’t grow up as large as was hoped Comet-borne chemicals got the shrews doped Affected our growth and affected our brains Mants are so short that we drown when it rains
Up in the morning Mant back to work goes Having to watch out for dive bombing crows We need a genius to help us with that One thing for sure is, we can’t get a cat
Joseph John Racano Art: jorge jacinto
Photo (above): Joseph John Racano at Humboldt Monastery, California
The Tree
May I explain my tall love for the tree Sheltered from rain when I stand next to thee Boughs bend around me as rainfall gets harder Here’s to those who would defend him with ardor
May I go into the intoxication How you ignite in my heart conflagration How I caress you by placing my hands Soft on your trunk as a partner in dance
From whence you come and where thither ye go Nothing can change this love I’ve come to know Hardly a moments regret to rescind Standing here watching you sway in the wind
A masterful artist has sprinkled you down A home for the creatures already a towne No need to harvest or harm or degrade Feast on his beauty but spare him the blade
Joseph John Racano
Time and Spirit
Tell me the story of the big bad man Who tossed Mother Nature in a garbage can Arrived on shore at Plymouth Rock And all he could envision was a city block
Did it all really happen – is that really our history? So hard to believe it in this field of playful mystery How could all those cities disappear without a trace? Everywhere I look I just don’t see a human race
What about migrations of the elk and caribou Did cities close up shop when all the giant herds came through? What about the people when they looked up in the sky- How could they not miss 100 million geese flying by?
Perhaps because the people had the honking of the cars And everywhere the lights that served to obscure the stars Anyway never mind - I don’t really want to hear it It’s in the past, the world recast -she never lost her spirit
Joseph John Racano *Another installment from the 2020 'Pandemic Poetry' Series by J.J.Racano
Pandemic Moon
Now savor sweet Pandemic Moon The hardships will be over soon Floating flower of the night Guardian of love and light
Oh had I but been born sooner Cradled in the arms of Luna Knowing all the Earth’s delight See her creatures sans the fright
To the land before Leukemia Turn the wall clock back Pandemia Let the traffic noise come settle Hear the whistle of the kettle
Illuminate the path back home Grass expanse where Bison roam When you abscond with my soul Leave behind an Earth that’s whole
Longing to wander ‘mongst bunny and ‘possum I boarded the happy train touring faire Bliss-blossom The weather was mild, the day made for outside Clouds rolled like tumbleweeds, one was our guide
As we pulled slowly into the first station There spoke a preacher to his congregation Some kind of Sunday school it must have been Giggling children with chocolate on chin
Next came the chugging of Happy Train’s pull Colorful outfits and every car full Toot went the whistle a bird on the tracks All watched him fly as we munched on our snacks
Engineer wiped the front windows of dew Just as faire Bliss-blossom came into view Where large waiting crowds let go colored balloons And ladies held bottle-fed baby raccoons
This was the scene as we pulled in the station What a great way to wind up a vacation
I find myself wondering more and more About the colorful patterns of the dinosaur Bigger than a bread box smaller than a whale I love to imagine the stripes on his tail
Dorsal fin glowing with blue incandescence Translucent dermis revealing his essence Serpentine wetness protruding from a lake Writhing gargantuan primordial snake
Skin print impressions we see more and more As Paleontologists open the door Tall rhythmic banding as seen on a bus Millions of years before nature made us
Bright breeding plumage and sweet baby green Sixty five million years since they were seen Lateral checker spots light on the belly Far more creative than seen on the tele
Eyes with chatoyancy girth offered buoyancy Brains in the hip may have been for clairvoyance Less like a lizard and with a bird’s gizzard But trying to color him in takes a wizard
Artists renditions can be quite heroic But only a poet can grasp Mesozoic And so I will have to continue to wonder What did you look like, great lizard of thunder?
Joseph John Racano
Summer Come Home
Thirty degrees a creak in the knees Nary a leaf upon the trees Icy windows, frigid wind blows Hurry home to snuggle in those
Woolen blankets, stocking anklets Steaming chicken soup pot banquets Autumn left me all alone Summer won’t you please come home
Icicles thriving, storms arriving Howling wolves and wind conniving Children sneezing, lake-tops freezing Yetis dancing, mothers wheezing
Barometers dropping, thermometers stopping Cupboards bare but can’t go shopping Spotty service on the phone Summer won’t you please come home
Children home from school in droves Adding logs to pot-belly stoves Bring the dog inside the house Try to keep him off the couch
Watch the dropping mercury Spring is where I’d rather be Autumn left me all alone Summer won’t you please come home
Joseph John Racano
Christmas Eve Ballet
Something happened Christmas Eve Many people won’t believe Whale boat Captain Steven Plantz Got to watch an offshore dance
Two Gray Whales did make amore’ Here’s a poem to tell the story Forty-nine from amidships Saw them kissing on the lips
In from starboard swam the male Lady twirled her flukey tail Flashed her hazel eyes at him Made him smile a four-foot grin
That’s when in from either side Pacific Dolphins joined the ride Then came lions of the sea There to usher, apparently
Captain Plantz thought ‘this is crazy!’ One whale watcher tossed a daisy No one could believe their eyes Marveled at the whale’s great size
Breaching left then breaching right Each one holding flippers tight Dolphins leaping sea gulls laughing In between a Gray Whale halfling
Riding shotgun down the coast Captain Plantz and Gray Whale hosts Footage taken from above Did confirm the whales in love
Baby Gray was safe and warm And thought, ‘This is how I was born’ Dolphins gathered mile by mile Father gave a knowing smile
Seals went under, gulls went over Choir sung by Snowy Plover People watching, celebrating Two in-love Gray Whales were mating
As they finally swam away Captain Plantz was heard to say ‘Folks it’s time for us to leave- How’s that for a Christmas Eve!
Joseph John Racano video footage: Graydon Fanning
Dancing Birds
Out among the grasses I saw the Dancing Birds Snowy ballerinas Defying all my words
Ghostly apparitions Whose sweep of graceful wings Held me rapt as they flapped To the song a wetland sings
One wing up, one wing down Two steps back and turn around Now fly away- but not too far So partner knows just where you are
You are the Dancing Birds The tall white Dancing Birds
Males in white tuxedos Bowed with handsome grace To lady birds with feathered caps That obscured their face
Necks entwined like serpents Two hearts beat as one Cheek to cheek and beak to beak Until the dance was done
One wing up, one wing down Two steps back, and turn around Now fly away, but not too far So partner knows just where you are
You are the dancing Birds The graceful Dancing Birds
Snowy Dancing Birds The lovely Dancing Birds
Joseph John Racano Copyright@JosephJohnRacano
The Squeezel
Deep in the woods I met with a Squeezel Bounced like a squirrel And shaped like a weasel
Spoke with a chit Laughed with a chatter Personality split Mad as a hatter
I and my dog Behind the old tree A view of the Squeezel Was quite plain to see
Up on his head Two tree-like protrusions That blended so well They looked like illusions
The fur on his back Was that of an otter He lived in the part Where the forest was hotter
Many a time I went back to see him Thinking his kind Could be in a museum
With spots on his coat Half leopard half measle I came to dote On this creature the Squeezel
Not sure my fellow men Would understand him I kept him a secret Lest some catch and brand him
And lock him in irons For all of his days Sad, but my people Treat creatures these ways
Best that the Squeezel Stay will o' the wisp Where tree trunks are mossy And forest air crisp
Poem: Joseph John Racano December 28, 2019 Artwork: Under the Gaze of the Glorious; Andy Kehoe Art—Oil on wood ( 2011)
African Sun
His name was Johnny, her name was Sal Working at the circus each their only pal No one ever asked them what a zebra likes Too many years wearing prison stripes
Run Zebra run, for the African sun Only four directions and you have to choose one As I see the odds are one in three Head for the highway and you’re gonna be free
Johnny was a pony Sal was a mare Johnny loved the fancy way she braided her hair Shared their first kiss over sauce and spaghetti Then they were trapped on the Serengeti
Just after closing when the tents shut down Johnny gave his money to a circus clown Gate swung open and the race was on Sal woke up and saw her Johnny was gone
Run Zebra run, for the African sun Only four directions and you have to choose one As I see the odds are one in three Head for the highway and you’re gonna be free
Wrong way autobahn rush hour traffic Sal tasted freedom and it felt fantastic Poetry in motion running side by side Then she heard a rifle and her Johnny died
Now when circus people come to town Stable boys remember and lay flowers down Say a little prayer by the highway side In honor of the zebras on their one last ride
Run Zebra run, for the African sun Only four directions and you have to choose one As I see the odds are one in three Head for the highway and you’re gonna be free
Joseph John Racano
Tale of the Spotted Lantern Fly (Prisoner 5524251)
Born on the poor side of the railroad tracks A nice little bug who just slipped through the cracks Saw the lights heard the sirens and decided to run Now he’s five- five two forty-two fifty-one
He’s poor but good From a bad neighborhood So misunderstood Real good bug from a bad neighborhood
The trouble all started when he hijacked a rock All the way from Asia to the Liberty Clock Many would correct him, ‘You mean Liberty Bell” To those who did he always said ‘Go to hell”
His wings were a carnival a peppered potpourri Even with them closed he was a sight to see Never had a problem with the lady bugs, please But everything went sideways when it came to police
He’s poor but good From a bad neighborhood So misunderstood Real good bug from a bad neighborhood
He arrived in the states on a load of rocks Bright red carapace and polka dot socks He never looked for trouble never carried a gun But he’s five-five two forty-two fifty-one
Agriculture says he cost them 18 billion Bug said he was framed just for being vermillion That his favorite fruit target was the Tree of Heaven But the bug replied simply, ‘turn that eight to a seven”
Wanted in a dozen states for two dozen crimes Dancing underage and across state lines Chewing boll-weevil through the grapes and vines Boring like a beetle through the bark of pines
He finally met his waterloo in old P.A. When he met a little cutie and decided to stay They caught him in the morning but the night was fun After a jail-break, he’s out on the run (There’s more to the story but this tale is done)
The tale of prisoner 55242-fifty one!
Joseph John Racano
Monarch Child
I’m a brand new father and I couldn’t be more proud Just observed a Monarch child emerging from his shroud I simply planted milkweed and I saw the flowers grow Watching with unbridled joy the mothers come and go
Nearby to a chrysalis a butterfly was still Seemingly quite vulnerable to predatory kill Then I came to realize this newborn was my son Through traffic jams and land use scams the butterflies had won
All along the picket fence were chrysalis aligned The spread of black and orange wings enough to blow my mind The Mother Mary Monarch just continued floating by Casting me a wary sideways look out of her eye
We’ve had an understanding now for 50 million years Stretching from the Eocene to modern logging tears A symbiotic breed of people know the monarch’s worth And gallantly endeavor keeping butterflies on Earth
Joseph John Racano
The Ocean Reception
The ocean returned from a voyage at sea Frothy and tired but bubbling with glee Sandy, her lover held open his arms The surf zone delighted to mingle their charms
Seagulls and seabirds called out from above Hearts on the wing celebrating the love Offshore anchovies were swirling tornadoes Newly arrived from their homes in Barbados
Deep underwater sea cucumbers danced Fond of the nudibranchs holding their hands Cuttlefish cuddled and lit up the sea Octopus clapping shown eight times the glee
Angler fish traveled from Marianas Trench Sturgeon brought caviar and learned to speak French Flying fish flew and the basking sharks basked Great Barracuda did all they were asked
Oh, but the circumstance, pageantry, pomp Guests at long tables went chompity-chomp One urchin got sick from eating so much In swam a nurse shark who brought him a crutch
All-in-all everything turned out quite swimmingly Ocean said, “Sandy, look what guests are bringing me!” Soon it was over, as quick as began And Japanese swordfish swam back to Japan
Joseph John Racano Watercolor by: Traci ‘Bear’ Thiele
Spiny Red Reef Lobster
Diving in a catacomb of underwater caves A conservation activist who photos what he braves Was on a special mission out to document a reef And came upon a creature with couture beyond belief
His fortunes went from good to unbelievable at once He set up lights and camera; was prepared to wait for months There upon the wall he saw half-coral and half-kraken A red kaleidoscope who asked to have his picture taken
His mustache shown in orange; the socks he wore were red His pincer colored white and blue made sure his maw was fed He soon brought out his family- a wife a girl a boy Photographic rainbows thrice as colorful as koi
‘Thank you for cooperating, this is so amazing’ Said our hero to the spiny one with colors blazing ‘In all my dives I’ve only seen but one like you before’ He snapped another picture with his elbows on the floor
The ocean has it’s treasures of but few that have been seen Sometimes it’s the pressured depths, or water that’s too green Often it’s the tiger shark too close or too aggressive Swimming by with tiger stripes resplendent and impressive
But this time was a perfect storm a hurricane of color No one could invent a knob to make the camera duller Brighter than the octopus of deadly blue-ringed fame The envelope was opened and the judges called your name
Joseph John Racano Photography: Terry Lilley
Half Blood Thunder Moon
‘Tuesday it shall rise and ye are granted little choice’ I was taken by surprise at this unearthly gravelly voice Standing at the forests’ edge I cowered ‘neath the trees Out here all alone with just the knocking of my knees
‘And as ye watch her climb’ this voice of mystery continued ‘You’ll feel a strange upwelling of the wild beast within you’ ‘Your hands will twist and form a fist your nails will grow and curl like this’ And now I saw the shriveled man, ornately carved wooden staff in hand
‘I cannot guess who you may be or what in hell you want with me My wife awaits, with griddle cakes, her table set with nuts and grapes And lo, I know she expects me soon, before the Half-Blood Thunder Moon’ I spoke my piece and told the man, then turned about; away I ran
But as I left that haunted wood, running swiftly as I could His voice rang out above the trees ‘Yes, take your leave and with ye these!’ And sure enough I heard the wings of owls and bats and night-time things They chased me right up to my door, my lungs were hot my dogs were sore
The door cracked open not a moment too soon- ‘Good nite ye Half-Blood Thunder Moon!’
Joseph John Racano
Beware the Cassowary
Be very wary of the cassowary He's like an ape but not as hairy Pretty as a peacock, claws like iron Colorful as poetry from old Lord Byron
Do have a care 'round the cassowary Quite large bird and his moods may vary Please stand back or learn such wisdom With one good swipe to the vascular system
Cassowary throwback to the giant moa Prone to large eruptions like an angry krakatoa Decidedly unsuitable for 'polly-want-a-cracker' Cassowary likes to be a violent attacker
So if you come across one on vacation to New Guinea He can change your naval from an outie to an innie Gather pretty flowers and such shells as you can carry But consciously decide to leave behind the cassowary
Joseph John Racano 4/14/19
Full Red Blood Wolf Moon
T’was still as a funerary sepulcher on the Full Red Blood Wolf Moon The beast wore matted neck nape fur and howled a mournful tune
A sky above devoid of love Chilled by winters’ wind Frostbite stung right through the glove Surely I had sinned
On snowshoe paws four canid claws made tracks in soft white powder Growling jaws and scowling maws made pounding temples louder
The stealthy hunting Wolf came running I froze in place with all my cunning Lips pursed tight with all my might One steamy breath could mean my death
Despite deep snow Red Wolf ran fast I held my breath he ran right past He pounced the ground and turned around And offered me a hare he’d found!
I shook my head I had to smile Red Wolf had seen me all the while I showed palms up and took that hare Red Wolf became my friend right there
He turned three circles in the snow I gathered twigs and began to blow No more than comfort to desire We curled around a warming fire
Daylight came the storm broke up Rich hot coffee filled my cup I looked down and at my side Red Wolf stretched himself out wide
The rest of the day was hunt and play I asked his name but he would not say Our time then ended much too soon I and Full Red Blood Wolf Moon Joseph John Racano In honor of the Full Red Blood Wolf Moon, January 19th, 2019
In Autumn
Upon equinox departure, summer hands her leaves to a riotous Autumn on a still-warm breeze Southbound birds flash the plumage of fall With a tailfeather spectrum and a bon voyage call
The Cicada lays buried, the squirrel goes nuts Native people celebrate snug in their huts Streams run cold in a babble of foam Mother leads fawn on a tour of their home
Brown bear shakes, water flies from her mane Salmon leap forward at the first torrential rain Hikers go a-crunching on a red and yellow carpet Poets turn the pages of a calendar and mark it
Scarecrow cheers and summer grieves Windy devils spin the leaves Some are caught beneath the eaves of cabins nestled in the trees
Autumn sunset starts to glow Moon rides high and the sun dips low Blue sky now relents to gray Autumn evening steals the day
Quiet falls upon the land Autumn takes us by the hand Light the fire, close the door Summer we shall see no more
Joseph John Racano
9/22/18
Robot to the Rescue
On the late wanes of August, 'twas robot complete The shiny machine lay there at my feet Compiling the target in glowing red eye Those reef-killing Lionfish were all soon to die
I wound up the battery and pulled on the lever Thinking myself and my team to be clever Then robot moved slowly and entered the water Descending eight fathoms engaging in slaughter
But round about seventeen Lionfish in The robot slowed down and it started to spin It seemed that the robot's swift calculate brain Digested its info, re-booted again
Before we could stop it, or hit the kill switch The robot made landfall, refocused its nitch The Lionfish, our new A.I. had deduced Was only a sympton of who'd be reduced
And so it was clear to our good team of science The robot re-targeted where to use violence It went for the problem, the problem was people Although they were smart, their spirits were feeble
So off to the city our robot did go Easily culling (the humans were slow) And soon population was under control The people were gone, we saved the atoll
Joseph John Racano 8/28/18
Blood Red Moon
A fire on the blackness, I craned my neck and head Like someone took a cannon and fired a ball of red A glow was on the window panes Shining like the summer rains
Higher than the highest planes I rubbed my neck to quell the pains Rolling like a crimson boulder headed 'cross the sky Rounded ruby fit for gods, bedazzling the eye
Once upon a century Rare as it was meant to be Soaring high and over me An infrared dichotomy
Perhaps it is a Moon of cheese Adorned in cashmere sweater Celestial but well-dressed man Made up of fresh red cheddar
Laying nations under siege I'll take mine with cottage cheese Don't forget tomatoes, please Rare are nights so strange as these
Off into the atmosphere Big and round and red and queer Into the Ionosphere Returning every hundredth year
Joseph John Racano
Hold those Goldfish
Goodness gracious, hold your Goldfish Cute while young but not when old fish If they ram you they can bruise hips Ten feet long and they sink cruise ships
Please kind friend don't get me wrong You can still sing Salmon song Dump the Rainbow though non-native Sporting men are legislative
Show of hands, who was about When Tahoe still had Cutthroat Trout? Now our lakes are full of transplants Wiping out the native lake plants
Spread the Lake Trout, Brook and Brown But don't you spread Goldfish around Management has set the rules Ecosystems run by fools
Joseph John Racano
How Do You Please a Plesiasaur
Here's something no one's ever seen before It washed up on a beach around a quarter to four A former dino-child it rocked me to the core An excellent example of a Plesiasaur
Reports are coming in all over the Earth What's a mesazoic creature like that worth No one can agree on length or height or its girth Let alone its origin or place of birth
It seemed a little soggy much the worse for wear A hundred million years ago no one would care But 2018 and on a Georgia beach With serpentine flippers and a long-neck reach
The scientists have questions and the press have more Are they still alive or did it slip through a door I guess that as a layman I can ask one more- Just how exactly do you please a Plesiasaur?
Perhaps by helping him go back through time Or maybe with a rag to help remove some slime I'm too afraid to touch him, it may be a crime For now I'll be content to write a Plesiasaur rhyme:
1-2-3-4, -How do you please a Plesiasaur Salted fish? Granted wish? Push him back through the time-trap door?
5-6-7-8, -I wonder what the Plesiasaur ate Lot's of fish? Potato Knish? What powered that tails swish swish swish?
Alas, some mysteries must endure But one thing that we know for sure The burning question at the core, is 'How do you please a Plesiasaur?'
In the end a wave swooped in Returned him to the sea again When the rangers arrived it already had dived They said 'go home and get some sleep my friend'
Now I often stare to sea, and sometimes he stares back at me Beak to peck, thin of neck, goo-goo eyes and scaly as heck
It's raised many questions, so I ask once more: 'Just how - how indeed- does one please, and I ask you please please please How do you please a Plesiasaur!'
Joseph John Racano
God of the Jungle
God of the jungle Lord of the night To meet you is knowing The meaning of fright
A beautiful stallion of feline persuasion Voted best dressed for most any occasion
The sight of your paw prints Fills giants with terror The gash on the tree Marks the travelers error
The Unicorn pales when compared to your beauty You don't kill for sport It's simply your duty
A pause on your quest Your claws for to sharpen Your maw opens wide For to Pleistocene harkin
God of the Jungle So light on your feet Live long and prosper and I hope we don't meet
Joseph John Racano
Cockerel Crows
Listen by the window Are those footfalls that I hear? Could it be my old good friend A hungry little deer
And though he's maybe grown in size I'm still the apple of his eyes Waiting at the window sill With treats to comfort winter's chill
With musky breath of rising steam He's come for cookies bread and cream Some forgotten fawn I've mended Or just a wild stag befriended
Return Aurora Borealis Begone, be spared the hunter's malice Returning as the cockerel crows I'll hide your tracks so no one knows
Joseph John Racano
Petrified Eye
In a long ago forest the swamp mist rose Primordial mud squished through dinosaur toes Dragonflies buzzed twice as big as crows But nothing lasts forever every good man knows
The swamps dried up and the ferns fell down Dragonflies downsized but still hung 'round Lightning gave face to thunders booming sound And trees began to harden, sprawled on the ground
A hundred million years came and went, rolled by Sediment became cement, a fossilized pie None still lived who'd heard a dinosaurs cry The only thing remaining was the Petrified Eye
It wasn't any more than just a horizontal log Turned to solid stone along with petrified bog Somewhere deep inside perhaps it still contained a frog In the context of forever, just a planetary cog
The Petrified Eye was the watcher in the wisp Always trained on everything that everybody missed I stumbled up upon it so close I could have kissed The eye was solid rock confirmed by banging with my fist
There wasn't time for gloating just a snapshot on the run The eye had captured many and now even I was one But just where in the whole of time would my own chapter come We'd have to wait and see when they tally up the sum
The eye of early turbulence the eye of coming storms The eye of Arizona came from anyplace but norms The eye of early oceans within which swam many forms Eventually to graduate like scholars from their dorms
The dinosaur, the Minotaur, the eye of what will be The eye of what will come to pass though not yet ours to see The eye of history, veiled in mystery, once a living tree Petrified Eye 'neath a desert sky, I will myself to thee
Joseph John Racano
photo: Racano
Diabolical Orchid
Through the mists of time there is much to uncover From mundane to sublime Many things we discover
If we take a close look At a field or a brook We may there see the face Of a king or a crook
Mother Nature's University Teaching endless diversity A dragon-shaped cloud Relents to dispersity
Rainbows and Moonbows Dinosaur elbows Mind-bending mushrooms Crystalline ice flows
Force five tornadoes Storms of ball lightning Rising Volcanoes Avalanche whitening
Traveling spiders floating six miles high Water-walking Water-striders striding on by Fifty-legged Centipedes wholly outdone By niftier Millipedes with one hundred and one
Sunset skies, such a treat for the eyes Endlessly Nature provides us surprise And just when you thought that there couldn't be more, kid Behold the newly discovered Diabolical Orchid
Joseph John Racano 5/30/17
photos: Nancy Bast
February Rain
February Rain on Carrizzo Plain Brought pastel flowers through a chalky membrane
A formerly dusty no-flower town Bursting colors all around Milky blues and other soft hues Beckoning one to remove their shoes
If you know the Soda Lake You know this looks almost fake As if a Garden Fairy wielded magic shovel and enchanted rake
I want to get to know them Every single stem Nibble like a rabbit And call each one of them my friend
Rolling over on my back making flower angels Being part of something Ethereal and ageless
See them from the bottom Know them from all angles Get their scent into my hair Entwine them in my tangles
Colors massing at the border Anything but law and order Floral disobedience from San Andreas problem daughter
Though March has brought a month of clearing Still the flowers stay endearing Singing far above our hearing April soon will be appearing
Trying hard to thank you February Rain For it may be a hundred years Before we meet again
Joseph John Racano 3/28/17
Lady in the Feathered Dress
'I'm not impressed' said the girl in the feathered dress 'What you say I bet you say to all the rest Now it's time for me to get undressed so Fly on home with your handsome feathered crest'
'Now wait a minute Albatross I've built a lovely bed of moss I'm sorry if I've made you cross How 'bout fish- you catch, I'll toss!'
'How can you woo me if you can't even dance? You move like you're awash in ants I need more cans and no more can'ts You should have worn your big boy pants'
He placed a wing on his beating heart For fear it would break or fall apart 'I had the horse before the cart And respectfully request a brand new start'
'Granted' said the lady of the hour And believe me she was a delicious flower So he drew himself up like a tower Love coursed through his veins with power
'I love you Lady Al-bee-tross Love you like the sun loves the sky And if you'll just let me have this dance I'll be true until we die'
She huffed and such and crossed her arms Crossed them cross her breast In response the young man danced While puffing out his chest
No longer was the man a boy No use had he for shiny toy The only shine he now required Was in the eye of his hearts desired
Before his love he deeply bowed His love was now officially vowed And she, the bird of feathered dress Curtsied as she answered 'yes'
And off they flew, still fly today All skies turned blue that once were gray One hundred years and more at sea He still loves her as she does he
Joseph John Racano
The Last Fish of the Hopeful Hearted
The sea was warm with a southerly current Perhaps they were hiding, as a last ditch deterrent They used to be here but now they weren't This lack of marine life, I found it abhorrent
I searched and I sought, for there were none to be bought Apparently everyone else had been caught Was I really that smart or had I just been lucky There wasn't a fish between here and Kentucky
I swished to the left and I whooshed to the right Swam deep in the daytime and surfaced at night At times I would see what I thought was a Bass That turned out to be a big globular mass
A mass of entangled encrusted rope vine Barnacles happy but smelling like brine Hooks line and sinkers with lures still a-shine But most of it just monofilament line
I called to the depths in my fishiest voice 'Hello down there' after all, what was my choice This was the ocean's one last bit of noise If doom was a car, this was a Rolls Royce
Come Wahoo and Yahoo and Grouper and Vixen What will the natives hence forth be a-fixen Where is the seafood chefs need for the kitchen I'd better get back to my search and stop bitchin'
I swam passed Hawaii the water was warm But lacking the usual migration swarm There were tons of big squid lots of jellyfish too But dammit, what was a fish lover to do
I stopped at the bottom and sat on an anchor A squid made me room and I wanted to thank her But I don't speak squiddish and I dont speak yiddish I just shook my head and said, 'Looks like we're finished'
But just when it looked like the bad guys had won Over-fished left me as the very last one I heard something over my right starboard shoulder A meek little voice that grew bolder and bolder
Clownfish! exclaimed my new best old ex girlfriend Are you for real or a sign of the world's end? I'm real, and it's me, and to you the same question Is this really happening or just indigestion?
And soon came the swoon and the fins all entwined By nightfall he had the girl all wined and dined And the two of them swam off to parts yet uncharted Leaving new hope in the now hopeful hearted
Joseph John Racano 2/20/17
Dedicated to this poor Wahoo, fastest fish in the water
Forty Thousand Homes
Long ago our neighborhood stretched as far as the eye could see Savannah and grassland, the home of the free
When we 'herd' a rumble, we knew where to go Down into safety, from the passing buffalo
When the sky boomed with rolling thunder We never were afraid; the open prairie caught the rain and drank it in like minute maid
But one day came the rumbling of man and his machines Bulldozers and backhoes causing havoc ridden scenes They didn't even notice we were trampled underfoot And just like that the prairie life was gone, fini, kaput
Forty thousand homes, forty thousand homes Now cement and asphalt lays where once were prairie gnomes Forty thousand families, Prairie dogs and grass Great Black footed ferrets watched as it all came to pass
Farms gave way to cities, cities turned to slums Everywhere a park had benches, benches had their bums City slicker oil men who didn't give a care Walked right by ignoring them with noses in the air
Then came twenty seventeen the oil came home to roost The stocks went up, the rain came down Houston caught the juice
All that Donald Trump could do was give cops back the arms the ones the army didn't need could now be used for harms
Harvey killed the same amount as waters breached the ridge As cops shot people in Katrina trying to cross a bridge
Forty thousand homes forty thousand homes Now cement and asphalt lays where once were prairie gnomes
Forty thousand families, Prairie dogs and grass Great Black footed ferrets watched as it all came to pass
Now we hear complaining as people have to leave But what about the Prairie dog? Who for him shall grieve?
Time to call development by the name of its true mission: Evil profiteers who terraform without permission
Forty thousand homes forty thousand homes Now cement and asphalt lays where once were prairie gnomes
Forty thousand families Prairie dogs and grass Great Black footed ferrets watched as it all came to pass
Joseph John Racano
Salt of the Earth
In the Tonto Forest on the Great Salt River A mighty old stallion narrowed eyes to a sliver For there in the rapids was a filly in distress A dangerous situation only he could address
The old wild west as we knew it is gone But in a few secret places, the magic goes on In the wilds of Arizona, the Salt River Herd Is led by stallions running free as a bird
The big bad men in the stiff dark suits Stripping back the land among other pursuits Staked a claim on the herd, Mustangs and all All would be rounded up and gone by fall
But the people of the town are the salt of the earth Every single one knew what the horses were worth They strategized, organized, wore their hearts on their sleeves Soon became as numerous as chest high leaves
The Salt River Horses got a bill of their own The leaders called them treasure and said 'leave them alone' Now and for the future you can go and see First-hand how the land used to be
And as for the stallion and the drowning filly He grabbed her by the mane (it was wet and chilly) He pulled her from the current she was up and gone Her shaky legs took her on a bee-line to her mom
All the horses celebrated, shouting 'neigh!' Dancing on two legs beneath the river spray Wild as the wind and free as a bird The Tonto National Forest Salt River Herd
Joseph John Racano
One Shot at Freedom
Courageous Lion in a brave new world Rarely smiles when his lips are curled King of the jungle with no place to be In a land that wants security
Gone are the spaces where the big cats roam People painting faces in their jungle home Buffalo are slaughtered leaving Yellowstone park There can be no safety meeting lions in the dark
Every mountain has its tiger said the wise Han-Shan In a world of safety they will soon be gone Tax dollars poison yet another wolf pup We've fallen out of balance and we can't stand up
Holding back the darkness with security lights Trading in the sequins of our starriest nights How safe and how secure should people want to be What value has a world where lions can't run free
Joseph John Racano
The Beginning (a poem for Easter)
The Last stone has fallen No more division Through cracks in the pavement The Spirit has risen
Abaddon and friends Have been kicked in the keister The gray sidewalk ends On the day we call Easter
The last wall of Jericho Has fallen to dust Exxon of Babylon Now only rust
The nave it was cold The grasses are soft Come pick yellow roses And hold them aloft
The seedling long trampled By uncaring feet Breaks through to the sunlight His lover to meet
Her tears of joy Come showering down The delicate seedling Grows tall from the ground
And stands not alone But in university Every one calling in Biodiversity
-The Beginning
Joseph John Racano
Watch the Rain
Now bring on the rain A sweeping, weeping rain Wake the sleeping rivers Wash the grizzly’s mane
Singing frogs foretell of flood Warning crawfish in the mud Launch the logs to points downstream Complete the busy beaver’s dream
Move ye fishers off the bank There where General Jackson sank Rafters lift your oars to steer No Mark Twain to be found here
Bring the rain, cascading rain Gusting winds on weather vane El Nino’ come to ease our pain Who knows when he will again
Crank the handles charge the phones Fill the sand bags, set the cones Check the wipers, change the diapers Wear tall boots to fend off vipers
Din is in, drought is out Rainbow prism water spout Leaky roof without a plumber Fill the barrels for the summer
Whistling teapot, cream and sugar Blow that nose and wipe that booger Gather at the window pane Let’s sit back and watch the rain!
Joseph John Racano 3/4/16
Los Osos Gray Fox
On the evening of Christmas I lay flush on my bed At the new day’s fourth hour And so in he sped
A shadow of sorts With graceful aplomb I watched in dark silence From there in my room
A cat was less cunning Coyote too large More dancing than running Yet in did he barge
I left him a silhouette My porch light too bold Some type of puppy One not very old
He stood for a moment Full Moon fully profiled Moving like Anna Pavlova But gone wild
My eyes drank him in And my soul slaked its thirst A Los Osos Gray Fox And he was my first
He didn’t stay long Never saw me directly Watching a Fox Requires acting correctly
I blended as he did With shadows and light I felt like a Fox And perhaps I was right
And so for those moments I bathed in his riches I left him alone Never turned on the switches
And then off he went Just as quick as he’d come With more of a dance
More of a prance
More a Gray Fox romance
than a run
Joseph John Racano 12/26/15
Return of the Spirit-Wolf
Return of the Wolf Return of the spirit Howl at the moon and creator will hear it
Ninety one years Western stars have rung hollow With no Wolf to lead there are no wolves to follow
Back in the plan with Green fire-eyed fury To hunt by the light of the Alpha Centauri
Healer of woods Of Great plains and prairie Trophic cascade Elk are once again wary
The stones have cried out California receives you Our land has dried out and it desperately needs you
Joseph John Racano
Secret at Dawn
In that part of day that comes just before morning When curtain of mist is thrown back for the dawning There without fail is my friend on a quest He gives my heart reason to beat in my chest
Ghost in the fog, a wraithe in the bog Spectre, a vision, a hunter at jog Hound of the Baskervilles, weaver of many skills Changeling, a strange thing in hollow of log
Our spirits are crossed as two thieves in the night To be more specific just wouldn’t be right When speaking of him I need always be vague For some want to see him wiped out like a plague
The blood of the canine runs deep in my veins A stray dog myself I feel all of his pains When I hear the howling my hairs stand on end And all of the pain in the world starts to mend
Ghost in the fog, wraithe in the bog Spectre, a vision, a hunter at jog Hound of the Baskervilles, weaver of many skills Changeling, a strange thing in hollow of log
If life was a mystery writ in the skies I know it would start in the coals of your eyes And use them to burn away shadows and veils At campfire dots in a valley of tales
Connecting the ancient, the old and the new Peace when I finally lay down in the dew Your prints on the meadow the manuscript of Earth We must learn to read them for clues to our birth
Ghost in the fog, a wraithe in the bog Spectre, a vision, a hunter at jog Hound of the Baskervilles, weaver of many skills Changeling, a strange thing in hollow of log
Remove all illusion in a world of confusion Your blood is the wild and we need a transfusion Ember eyes glowing, shaggy tail flowing Long loping gait at the gate of all knowing
Hound of the Baskervilles Proof of the Master’s skills Howling on top of hills
Backlit by moonlight Meet before daylight
Joseph John Racano 7/6/15
The Painted People
Don't call us, we'll call you Your flying thing brings the Hong Kong Flu Don't come here, we'll come there We don't want your underwear
Drop us things and we'll just burn 'em Your words suck and we won't learn 'em You've got crosses, we've got orchids Don't teach us what you taught your kids
Don't fly down, we'll climb up We mate for life with no pre-nup You've got cars, we've got fronds Wash our babes in clean clear ponds
Don't send planes in by the dozen It's not a fire, I'm talking with my cousin Even if it was, don't salvage logs Hollow ones are home to frogs
Don't bring housing roads and dams Father Forest wants no plans Let the Painted people play In our old ancestral way
Joseph John Racano
Sandra and Trinka
Land of the Skunk
Welcome, my friend to the land of the skunk Where things stink much worse than you’ve ever known stunk Alas, I must warn it’s no place for a punk Quite often it ends with a bathtub ker-plunk
But worse than a 3 a.m. bath in commode Is when they’re mistaken for stripes in the road A sniper with teargas in defensive mode Up goes his tail when he’s set to explode
In skunk land not everything’s just black and white A smell doesn’t tell if you’re wrong or you’re right Sometimes we cry in the dark of the night At what makes us laugh in the new morning light
So try to be patient in skunk land, my friend Use common sense and avoid that rear end But if you are hit with that liquid they send A tomato juice bath will put you on the mend
photo: Sandra and Trinka, 3:00 a.m. (special thanx to my Sandra for being a good sport and letting me use this picture)
Birdseed Man
Can please somebody help me? I'm stuck inside a feeder Never been a meater no I've always been a seeder
Climbed in through a little hole And now I can't get out Ate up all the birdseed And my belly's gotten stout
True I'm not a genius IQ of 64 But why the heck can I not use The hole I used before?
My brother is embarrassed My sister wants to cry The glass is getting foggy and Our mouths are getting dry
Someone call the birdseed man He and I are stable Once I stole his walnut but Left something on the table
Get up on my shoulders Or I'll get up on yours Sometimes fancy feeders have A couple extra doors
Pretty cool invention Until it traps your ass Try to draw attention He can see us through the glass
This time we were lucky Birdseed man is cool Everybody jump and run We're late as hell for school!
Joseph John Racano 5/10/15
My Favorite Marlin
Out in the sea lives a family of fish Who carry a sword 'cause they know they're delish At first unassuming, they're humble as sand Easy to fit in the palm of your hand
But then they start growing and some learn to sail Believe me you don't want to piss off the male Striped like a tiger defending his darlin' This is the story of one such Black Marlin
Beautiful, graceful, a giant was he But never aggressive, just wild and free One day he decided to sunbathe and float Completely ignoring three men in a boat
They came from the city with bright colored shirts Sharpened their hooks, never mind how it hurts Chumming the water and baiting a line One strapped in a chair thinking 'everything's fine'
Chugging bud lite, the men started to dribble That's when the lady-fish took her first nibble 'No!' said Black Marlin, and pushed her away He chomped on the bait saying, 'you wanna play?'
'Got one!' the businessman said to his charter Then the Black Marlin swam harder and harder Fishing reel screamed and the smoke started rising One shook his head and said, 'that is surprising'
Fisherman came to the end of his line His reel was a blur and continued to whine Heavy gauge fishing pole started to bend Somehow Black Marlin knew it was the end
Mrs. Black Marlin just marvelled in awe Realizing what in advance he had saw Here she was nursing a Black Marlin pup And almost a photo of her hanging up
The fish came about, swimming straight for their boat The crew started gathering things that would float Mr. Black Marlin would teach them a lesson His sword was the judge and court now was in session
At 51 miles an hour and closing Businessman stopped all his fishing and posing Last photographed with his legs in the air Unbuckling out of his big fighting chair
Marlin went airborne with swivel and link Over the stern as it started to sink Two thousand pounds, 50 miles per hour Fishing boats just weren't built for such power
The boat is now sitting in Davey Jones' Locker Never again would a fishing crew dock 'er The pole was removed from the anglers behind And Mr. and Mrs. Black Marlin are fine
Joseph John Racano 5/8/15
Lady Widow Walking
Lady Widow Walking Halfway ‘cross the street Prone to passing tire or The sole of someone’s feet
Out here in the sunshine Where you do not belong I use my cup to scoop you up Or you would not last long
Lady widow glistening Shiny as the stars Let me overcome my fear And save you from the cars
Legs like Betty Grable Bodice black as night Hourglass tattoo counts down The time ‘till deadly bite
But I won’t hurt a lady Such Arachnid royalty Lady widow spider To the woodpile I give thee
Joseph John Racano
Fragile Blue Earth
Spin through the cosmos, oh Fragile Blue Earth Strangely benevolent world of my birth If it would heal your great seas and your lands I’d offer my heart while it beat in my hands
When my lifeless body melts into your musk To lay beside Mammoth and spoon with his tusk So gladly I die knowing every last morsel Returns to the fold, perhaps somebody’s dorsal
To Fragile Blue Earth do I swear my allegiance And I will defend you against evil legions Who look at the beauty but see only malls I promise to answer those meekest of calls
I suckle your breast never taking for granted The life-giving trees you so kindly have planted And if I must suffer the fools who would rape you Please take my tears that they might irrigate you
So spin through the cosmos, oh Fragile Blue Earth I thank you for being my planet of birth And when you disperse and your sun fades away Know that our love in the cosmos will stay
Joseph John Racano
Ravens watch over Carrizo Plain
Ravens watch over Carrizo Plain Dry Soda Lake hasn’t had any rain A timeless and beautiful chalky expanse Where Rattlesnakes teach all the Pronghorn to dance
Every ear rings from a silence so strange As sunrise comes over the Temblor Range Air is as sweet as the Meadowlark's song A valley concerto, fifty miles long
Colored like orcas, the Loggerhead Shrikes Impale the poor lizards on barbed wire spikes And doey-eyed squirrels named after San Jo Watch tumbleweeds circle above in a blow
Ravens watch out over Carrizo Plain To make sure it isn’t assaulted again The wrong place for solar, the right place for snakes San Andreas Fault standing ready with quakes
Squeezing the Temblor Range up toward the sky Though all is quite still to the temporal eye Somewhere through eons may the rock record show For one instant of time we were part of the flow
Joseph John Racano 4/17/15
The New York Tigers
Nothing was left in the jungle The Tigers were stripes over bones So they came to New York to eat people already consumed by their phones
The ocean was barren of fishes The maritime cupboard was bare The Sea Lions had empty dishes But greedy old man did not care
Then nature struck back with a vengeance The predators learned how to fish By finding a boat beneath which to float And stealing whatever they wish
Even the Sperm Whales began it Took Codfish right off of the hook But unlike great Moby who'd ram it Swam off to find somewhere to cook
The gentle turned into the cunning Killer became all the bees The folks for their lives were all running No climbing, they cut all the trees
Dog catchers ran out of bullets And elephants stomped them to death Lions moved into Manhattan People from Queens on their breath
Sea Lions in San Diego Started a campaign of bites Decided they wouldn't let fish go To people who dangled from kites
The whole operation world over Had left all the animals thin and when they all realized their peril said, "let the eating of humans begin!"
The Tigers cleaned out the five boroughs New York was just never the same In something like Edgar Rice Burroughs The cities drew moths to the flame
Now here we are many years later The balance again has been struck The swimming pools all have a gator The Garden of Eden unstuck
Joseph John Racano
One True Maharaja
Great and Mighty Elephant Your long curved tusk So like Woolly Mammoth In his Pleistocene musk
Smarter than a sophist Wiser than a sage Trunk so full of wisdom No one knows your age
Olifant remembers Myriad Septembers Logging ancient forest Wearing caterpillar fenders
Uno grande de La Raza Take me to the Casbah Great and mighty Gajah The One True Maharaja
Joseph John Racano
Coyote in Chicago
Mister Trickster in the city Moved in right next door Please skooch over just a bit I'm trying to mop the floor
Cousin Wiley, you're so smiley Sniff the bake shop baking Ride the bus along with us Now what are you taking
You're so cute in that gray suit I could never hurt you I'd rather die than see you cry and no I won't desert you
I'm so glad that you moved in Now you're my favorite neighbor Don't be shy just stop on by For sugar or a favor
Joseph John Racano
Happy Trickster
Happy trickster, that's Coyote Saw him when I dropped peyote Laying there in bed with me Sound asleep and dreaming free
Toes were twitching, he was running Some fool redneck out there gunning Left his paw prints on the track Walked on leaves and doubled back
Happy trickster ears akimbo Living life in constant limbo Hunted trapped reviled and hated So under appreciated
Watch him prance amid the grasses Sneak amid the sleeping masses Got Coyote? I say thank it Let him use your favorite blanket
Joseph John Racano
Feathered Royalty
Feathered Jaguar of the skies Eats his lunch when something dies Talons like a sharpened needle High notes like a sharp-shinned Beatle
Flying Leopard of the air Captured lightning in his stare Wearing Aztec serpent plumes Sends unwary to their tombs
Like Jupiter, the son of Saturn Accipiter wears a tigers pattern Clutching prey in mortal embrace Kiss of death from a terminal face
But for gloves, you strafe my hand But for size, the promised land Terrible beauty, o'er head screams Awake -I leave you in my dreams
Joseph John Racano
*Stuck in the chicken coop, released as royalty (Accipiter Striatus)
Kiss of the Wolf
On the coldest of days in a valley of frost My weakness of spirit was finally lost When Lobo allowed me a glimpse at the cost Of living a life without he who was boss
Allowed for a moment return to the land Great wolf left his track on the snow covered sand Unleashing a torrent of trees with his brand In turn, bringing birdsong, the forests' own band
He met with the elk and he laid out the rules Travel in herds or you all die like fools Trees held the soil who used them like tools Even the rivers were straightened with pools
Lobo looked out on the landscape he made Suddenly healed in a trophic cascade Hunt with me brothers, to others he bade Just as the winters' day started to fade
After the kill they all howled at the moon Singing together an old fashioned tune Applauded discreetly by rabbit and 'coon They slept through the day, they would hunt again soon
Kiss of the Wolf is the salve we all need A shortcut back home to a world without greed Where hunters kill only to live or to feed And species are seamless in word and in deed
Joseph John Racano
a-Whooooooo!
Hummingbird Sage
Hummingbird Sage, you're all the rage In the book of my life, you're on the very first page Is that sugar or honey- you smell so funny! As long as you're around it doesn't matter if it's sunny
Hummingbird Sage, 'gainst a Silver Lupine backdrop Magic of the Mage, you conquer all surrounding blacktop Your perfume-scented flower takes me on a sacred journey With sweet unbridled power to unstrap us from our gurney
Waterfall of sunshine raining down as fuchsia pink Hummingbird adores you, so much smarter than we think Many days your nectar fuels his wing-beats by the mile Hence I come to understand the Hummers knowing smile
Blossom, washed-out scarlet, 'till your flowers match the sky Throw your shadow on the garden, make the roses cry Never has a scent like yours bewitched me from the start Thrust your neon flower like a dagger in my heart
Joseph John Racano photo (above): Racano
photo: Racano
Woody the Woodpecker
Woody was a Woodpecker Fresh out of the nest Clinging to an oak tree branch he held against his chest
With siblings flying everywhere Crows chasing them around Woody stayed as still as stone staring at the ground
His cammo was protection- he looked just like the trees I took my little camera and I asked him to say 'cheese!'
Woody was a shy one He never made a sound He wouldn't even look at me quite mad that he'd been found
But I would not betray him A bird like that is rare Before too long I turned away It's just too rude to stare!
Joseph John Racano
photo: Racano
Silver Lupine
Lupine, sweet Lupine, you comfort the dunes Velvety, fragrant blue flower festoons Deeply your tap root communes with the Earth Butterfly twin separated at birth
Silver Dune Lupine, couture of the sands Reaching for fawns with your silvery hands Friend to the doe and you will be forever Cotton ball nursery hiding her treasure
Steely blue butterflies dance in your arms Coastal salt breezes abscond with your charms Thriving in climes where most others would fail Long may our Silver Dune Lupine prevail
Joseph John Racano
Sacred Unions
The year of the horse runs its course through valleys filled with snow Distant cries fill Northern skies and Borealis begins to glow
A hunters moon sheds its gold cocoon and wolves begin to howl The equinox opens up its box for the solar winds to growl
Aurora slashes and her light storm flashes taming a dark expanse Her twin down south uses a fiery mouth to encapsulate the worlds romance
Far below in the land of snow the gathering of the pack A timeless game that always ends the same when the wolves begin to track
A signal here and a silence there Hooves slow in a powdery snow The quiet turns to din as the pack closes in Led above by the raven and crow
Auroura Borealis entwines with the Australis Sunlight making love in the ionosphere A Wolf in his palace, kills without malice Behold these Sacred Unions of the Atmosphere
Joseph John Racano
Redwood Soul
Deep inside the forest on the River Mattole I got the deepest feeling in the depths of my soul Where the Redwoods were kissed by an old growth mist that struck me to the quick like an Earthfirst! fist
My dogs turned to wolves, my heart into a salmon It must have been the spirit of the monks in the cabin And a Monastery there, that made such honey impossible to duplicate, no matter what the money
An overwhelming freshness delivered on a breeze Clinging like the moss to the Redwood trees The water was swift, the trees were a gift Everything about it was a welcome lift
Thank you, Father Forest; thank you Mother Earth, I promise to protect you, for I know your worth You don't belong to me, but rather, I belong to you Someday I will return, as I long to do
Joseph John Racano State Central Committee Delegate California Democratic Party Author, Heritage Tree State Resolution California Democratic State Convention Accepted by the Delegation, March 17, 2003
Thank you Mr. Snake
Thank you Thank you Mr Snake The longest thinnest friend they make
I like your eyes I love your tongue I've known your scent since I was young
You hide from hawk you eat a frog We met today at willow bog
I read your markings, black on tan We left at peace, both snake and man
Joseph John Racano
Bear Shit
Bear Shit Bear shit, it’s a very fair shit Bear Shit where shit some right over there shit Is it filled with berries? It looks just like a pie Call up Ben & Jerry's- I think they oughta try
Bear Shit Bear shit- they don't wear underwear it wouldn't be conducive, their scat is so exclusive Bear Shit Bear shit, 'I don't have a care' shit Poop scat cocky doo- what's a mamma bear to do? Every time she cleans it up, she finds another pile of goo!
Crap Shit, lot's of it- never get a chance to sit There's the proof- got the goods- A Bear most certainly does shit in the woods Bear Shit Bear shit- there's another pile of it
Never comes in pear shit Don't do it in the lair shit One last chance to defecate Now it's time to (yawn)
hibernate
Joseph John Racano
The Amazing Mr. Stickbug
Dear Mr Stickbug You're not a very thick bug But you're better than a Tick bug who is really quite an 'ick' bug
No I'll never hurt you when the leaves and twigs desert you and I won't hurt ticky either Even he deserves a breather
Go on now Mr Stickbug amazing Mr Trick bug I thought you were a stick! And please take your friend, the tick!
Joseph John Racano
The Fluffy Bandito
The Fluffy Bandito who comes out at four brought five fluffy presents to my sliding glass door I let down my guard; my defenses apart allowed five furry cuteballs to abscond with my heart
"Banditos wearing masks!" was all I could report and five of the six were still too young for court So they stood in a lineup, and I recognized one- their sweet loving mama, by the crook in her thumb
"Why did you do it?" I asked She said, "Dude, you started it all when you put out the food." I knew she was right, but it didn't seem fair No heart is a match for striped puff balls of hair
When the detective asked me if that was the one, I simply said "No- I can tell by the thumb" And they say to this day, when the moon is on high and clouds shaped like stallions stampede through the sky
that the Fluffy Bandito comes to my back door
comes 'round about four
comes crunching comes crunching comes munching
Joseph John Racano
Consider the Butterfly
Consider the Butterfly The Morro Blue Butterfly when next her steely blue wings chance to flutter by
Likewise the Lupine, the Silver Dune Lupine Mother Blue Butterfly raises her troupe in
Also the dune-scape Morro Bay dune-scape Where Morro Blue Butterflies float on a moon-scape Don't forget flowers, perennial flowers Lovely in bloom, awaiting cool showers And finally, the fortune, the very good fortune there is such a place to sit on your porch in So, do thank the butterfly, the Morro Blue Butterfly Thank her for being a good friend and coming by
Joseph John Racano
photo: Racano
Blue Jay
Blue Jay yak-chatter Blue Jay fly Dive-bomb a cat from an azure sky
East coast uniform Scrub Jay, west Crest of a Stellar Jay I like best
Blue Jay fly over Blue Jay Pond Once, twice, thrice and the Blue Jay's gone!
Joseph John Racano
Chance Meeting with a Red-Legged Frog
Tired of dancing the Bristol Stomp I decided to saunter into the swamp Taking refuge by a hollow log I had a chance meeting with a Red-legged Frog
who shared with me his stein of grog of which I drank 'till in a fog He helped me back into the street but I kept on stepping on his big webbed feet
He got so mad he started to cry but stopped long enough to tongue a fly "Remind me never to ask you for a dance" said the frog as he helped pull up my sagging pants
"Oh dear" said I as he gulped another fly “It’s not too often that I get this high!" "Cheerio" said the frog, my new amphibian friend "This is a silly poem that's about to end"
"We're about to part, but before we do let me leave these words of wisdom with you When the ozone's through and the frogs are gone man will have a tough go carrying on
And when salamanders grow three extra legs humans will find themselves deep in dreggs It's not too late but theres a lot to do to return the lakes sea and skies to blue
So lets make a pact to begin right here and we'll meet to renew it every year at the Tiger Salamanders vernal pool where the sun is hot but the water's cool”
"Its a deal!" said I
as I leap-frogged home
"Very well," said the Frog,
"Here, take this poem!"
Joseph John Racano
The Time is Now
Calling every boy and girl Now it’s time to save the world Pick your clothes up clean your rooms Pack a lunch and bring your brooms
You can start right where you are Show mom an electric car Let her know they don’t need gas Tell your dad they’re really fast
At the bus stop have some fun Tell your bus to run on sun When at school don’t act aloof Lobby for a solar roof
Use less plastic use less bags Save at thrift stores check the tags When you leave your phones at home 5-G leaves our bees alone
Help your neighbors always smile Keep the heat low on the dial Eat organic don’t waste food Help improve somebody’s mood
Feed the birds be nice to trees Volunteer to clean the seas Don’t be wasteful sew your pants When you can don’t step on ants
As the weeks go by you’ll see Other people saying, ‘gee- Maybe I should be like you’ Soon they’re out there saving too
Anyone who says we can’t Probably never had a plant Buy them one for any reason Watch them change within a season
Write a letter to the press Sure to use the right address Grow in knowledge use the facts Say it matters how one acts
It’s not hard to change the world Just stay upbeat boys and girls Make new friends and show them how The time to save the world is now
Joseph John Racano
Photo: Racano
Black Powder on Red
Black Powder on Red Now I’ll never get to bed Without visions of your flutter-bys Dancing in my head
Did you have to be so fancy So delicate, demure Designed by The Great Artist To be the embodiment of pure
Solar powered wraith Tiny sun on the wing Any fool could listen And hear the cosmos sing
Enflap me with your cotton embrace Let your colored powders decorate my face When you’re ready and at your own pace Let me share it with the human race
Black Powder on Ruby red Coconuts and cream I’ll wait for you beside my bed Tonight you’ll be my dream
I’ll await your gentle landing I’ll listen for your wings If this is too demanding I am prone to foolish things
I only ask you stay the night And help me count the sheep Stay as long as is polite ‘till I fall off to sleep
And when the day awakens And sunshine brings the dawn I won’t look beside me I will know that you are gone
Joseph John Racano
Photography by Rosemarie S. Herrera
Ancient Message in the Painted Desert
Ancient message in the Painted Desert It sure strikes home when a petroglyph says it I checked the e mails and I checked the phone But it was a thousand years later when I checked the stone
I pored over the rock for marks and clues It seemed to be an alien singing the blues A galaxy spiraled off to one side of a stick figure wedding where the girl stick cried
A moon hung over this very same valley as an artist carved figures, a numeric tally A thousand years later I could only imagine The stars shining down in a primitive fashion
With a palm frond brush and a stash of ochre The figures of a person, an alien and a joker Were painted on the boulder at the bottom of a wash That now grew only cactus but perhaps once, squash
I finally took a picture so I later might decipher The message in the rock from a previous lifer Intended for a futuristic man like me To come along with smart phone and with eyes to see
And high atop the mountain stood the Eagle of Gold Watching far below the short encounter unfold Then to fly away and bring my message back Carried with his talons in a gunny sack
Joseph John Racano
Nature Class
Roll me down the flower carpet Gentle sloping green escarpment Push my nose into the grass Mother Nature’s nature class
Tour the hillside using gravity No more john deere lawn depravity Let the growing flowers grow Intermittent showers flow
Vital is the hornet’s sting Bumblebee is on the wing The tears we shed last but a minute This his field and we are in it
At the bottom, vernal pool Welcome to eternal school Tiger salamander’s lair Roll on down and meet me there
Joseph John Racano
Cool Banana Slug
Walking through the forest cushioned like a rug I came upon a yellow fellow Please don't call him bug
Chomping and recycling matter Never staying put Giant redwoods like it when He's tickling their foot
Sure the guy's a little odd Because he is a gastropod But very much like you and me Originated in the sea
He isn't much for racing He's always far behind But forest creatures love him He treats everybody kind
Watch out where you're stepping He's soft and moist and squishy Protects himself by using foam That smells a little fishy
Don't put him on corn flakes He really isn't fruit He's just cool Banana Slug Inside his yellow suit
Joseph John Racano Photo: Reese Halter
Great Grandfather Tree
A parent tree teetered and fell to the ground Crashing like thunder with no storm around A seedling come sprout at the same time as Stonehenge When camels in Egypt were first ridden by men
Born in the dawn of soft Aegean bronze Now visible from Mars atop Arsia Mons Three hundred hundreds of years as a tree A hundred generations have knelt before thee
We in our childhood sophomoric stage Now just beginning to work through our rage Craning our necks to adore scented boughs Here before greatness we offer our vows
Great tree forgive us the fires we start Know that the brightest one burns in our heart In spite of our failings we still come to see Our gnarled dinosaurian grandfather tree
Under every fallen leaf is a memory of Spring A long and slender earwig a bug without a sting And if I turn you over your colors all aflame I can breathe in deeply and anticipate the rain
Under every sodden eave I hear the croaking of a frog On his way to slumber ‘neath a fallen hollow log When I see a tadpole I’ll know the Summer’s here But right now I exult in this Autumnal time of year
Under every fireplace the warm brick of the hearth Incubating everybody gathered in the dark When the evening falls and light illuminates the room Leaves outside await tomorrow’s sweeping of the broom
In the boughs of every tree the squirrels share a nest Leaves of every color pad the twigs on which they rest And while the Winter snows outside we’ll cuddle from the storm Snuggled up together drinking tea and keeping warm
Presenting the first blushing flower of Spring A floral in coral such joy does it bring Like the matted pastel of a pink butterfly Priceless in value and even can fly
A hardy rain-dancer of garden variety Ready to be introduced to society Pink topaz singer and her green-leaf band Tendrils and roots planted dank in the land
Watch her befriend and then bend for the frog Welcome the noon come to shoo way the fog Kind Mother Nature has tickets for everyone Sit on the grass as clouds part for the sun
Up until Summer the show will continue Take a deep breath let the crisp morning in you Try to imagine the birds and the bees Their love for the world, the thoughts of the trees
Squirrel of shadows Dance your ballet Your arrival at midnight I await through the day
Coyote your cousin Wolf as your kin Soft are your movements Let the dancing begin
Lighter than air Mysterious as night You float like a snowflake Darting in and out of sight
Squirrel of shadows I must tell you true I have naught to offer One so perfect as you
But draw nigh the cabin And whisper your name A fox- or has Venus Estranged from her flame
Squirrel of shadows So fair and so frail Conducting a symphony With the tip of your tail
Your ballet of shadows Now ends with the light But meet me tomorrow 'till then, out of sight!
Joseph John Racano
King of the Sky
Some say a Tiger cannot change his stripes But I say a Tiger can do as he likes Especially when he’s a Monarch specifically Changing is something he does and terrifically
First comes the egg that looks quite like a cactus Monarchs need milkweed and whole lots of practice Then comes the long fellow, born to eat poison Hatched in a batch with both girls and some boys in
Soon comes thereafter a strange metamorphosis This is a chrysalis and there will be more of this The Tiger in stripes sleeps inside, remains dormant Until natural processes act as informant
Then does the Tiger continue his story Spreading his wings and unfurling their glory Much like the griffin of mythical tales Off on a journey our butterfly sails
Reverent dignified beautiful changeling The tale of the Tiger in stripes is a strange thing Three generations ‘cross flyway and borders Child of the universe following orders
Tiger in stripes on a stoop back in Brooklyn My eyes changed forever when you overtook them Danaus Plexippus, long may you fly Colorful Monarch, the King of the Sky
Joseph John Racano photo: Racano
Blue Flower
Pretty little flower in pastel blue It always make me giddy when I look at you Growing in the garden just outside my door Soft and wavy pedals from a tropic shore
Epitome of gentleness, color of a bow Pistoleros at the ready should a kind wind blow I’d love to take you by the hand and walk you in the morn But how am I to guarantee your pedals won’t be torn
If by some unlikely chance I freed you from your moor I’d take you to a ballroom dance and spin you on the floor I’d steer you to a balcony to watch as moonlight settles Tell you that you’re beautiful adorned in violet pedals
I’d clap my hands and make demands for servants to come pour And fill your glass so fast some bubbly spills out on the floor Then propose a toast to us, and point out the big dipper Casting downward glances for a small tell-tale glass slipper
When the evening ended I’d walk you to your carriage Conceal my wildly beating heart And forego talk of marriage Pretty little flower in pastel blue An autumn breeze now blows Far and wide may your seedlings ride To sleep beneath the snows Joseph John Racano
photo by: Jacqueline Smay
Come Save the World
You may not know me I’m the creature in the bush My cousin is a salmon whom our rivers give a push
We’re always out here somewhere Trying to get by The whale shark vacuums plankton The Frigate has to fly
The world is always changing We’re trying to keep up But change is coming faster It’s tough to be a pup
The ocean level’s rising So says my uncle manta Who hangs out at the beachfront That’s about to reach Atlanta
They cut the eucalyptus Because it isn’t native But now that all the pines have died We’ve got to get creative
The planet is a paradise For one extended family The time has come to save the world The question now is, 'can we'
In the morning mist on the River Matole Stood a pack of dogs on paw patrol Out from the city with a chance at long last To connect with the scents sights and sounds of the past
The salmon were running and the rapids were loud Dogs of the heart making dad so proud Eyes once tame now a bright red glow The stream took a T neck, which way do we go?
Muddy misadventures from the morning to dark Everybody wet and making nary a bark Never would this pack ever be the same The hunting lamp was lit inside the furnace of the brain
Later at the fire now a thousand years regressed Muddy with the wolf pack picking brambles from my chest There our feral journey came full circle to its end The mighty wolf arose and dog would not be seen again
Joseph John Racano
poem and photo: Racano
Mr. Gopher
Dear Mr. Gopher come get your seeds I'm glad you came over I'll help with your needs While the James Webb images show outer space Nothing could be cuter than your squishy little face
Dear Mr. Gopher those beady little eyes Don't leave room for tears when one of you cries I do confess however that for seven inches tall Your little buck teeth are the chompiest of all
So eat until your cheeks puff out, you're a demon of the seeds I'm going to the store to buy a larger bag of these When people wish you ill I know they just don't understand Your little holes are filters as the water drains through sand
I'll see you on the morrow may your day be ever brite I love to hear you snoring at my window side at night Maybe I will put a cob of corn beside your den I'm sure you will have eaten all the carrot tops by then
JJR
Another Infinite Sunset
Infinite Sunset dance your ballet Your arrival at moonlight I await through the day Calling young lovers to come out and play You capture me in a mysterious way
Infinite Sunset how do I deserve Your contrasting colors, vitality, verve I find it amazing a thousand years on That you will remain long after I'm gone
JJR
Infinite Sunset #5
Infinite Sunset my thanks five times over I open my prayerful hands for the Plover The master chef serves us a masterful sunset For whom was it meant this fantastical inlet
Infinite Sunset both timeless and brutal Against whose chill currents all swimming is futile Forgive us the hermit crab shells we may steal Spare us the wrath of the Elephant Seal
Up in the ether the laughing gulls call Into brisk headwinds they slow to a stall No buzzing drones ever owned such a vista Land and sea joined in a dance of calista
Here on the beach in the ankle-deep foam The sun offers warmth to the chill in my bone The sky fades to red and the first star has come Infinite Sunset another day done
Joseph John Racano
Wildflower
Today I want to talk about the Wildflower Humble beauty sprouted after morning shower Pedals soft and delicate, blue as the sky in June Others white as clouds on a Sunday afternoon
Graceful as a dancer swaying in the breeze Bending to the music of the happy buzzing bees Welcoming the damselflies who’ve come to you to heal Bathing in the sunlight of an open endless field
Viridescent paradise of waist-high living emerald Relishing my role as part of something so ephemeral Searching for a perfect place to spread a picnic blanket Chewing on a stem of wheat and making sure to thank it
And even when a sudden shower made us leave in haste Not a crumb or morsel could have ever gone to waste Waiting in the underbrush the meek enjoy the food Wildflower please accept my heartfelt gratitude!