Hope In Pause

Day in and day out we

moved everywhere

everyday we went

where we wanted we

were transported in

every way as we

came and as we

went we had full

control we had the

full say whereas then

came the new dawn of

a new and different more

isolated day with much of

life living in a different

directed way we are more

planted in one or two or

just a few places to go.

 

We are attempting to

keep the hope of being

safe and sound establishing

about us a more solid

ground everyday our roots

are stronger in the soil

of our homes where we daily

plant our daily seeds tending

to the soils or our daily and

weekly needs of our living

foundation where we awaken

to execute our daily preparation

where we now work

where we now achieve

where we try to hold on to

hope for the near future

and for the longer run with

each new day with each

rising sun that there will be

the ability of a healthier

safer

next generation.

~Miguel

Bringing Our Best

We need to 

get on our feet

get our feet

moving and grooving

to the perpetual beat

of everyday life’s 

daily percussion

rolling with the 

changes as best

we can working

our best with every

woman or man

not giving everyone

a mental concussion

creating in our minds

a creative production

that can be dreamed

imagined

perceived

and finally realized 

as an actual

ideal

physical product

after shaking off

any toxic obstruction.

Are we tied in to 

those things we

can only think will

happen or can we

see past the borders

of red tape that wrap

many too tight

like skin on a grape

and be one who can

see things through 

and make things

happen

make things

work

instead of slumping in

the corner talking

smack looking over

the shoulder with a 

useless smirk waiting

for someone else to

take the lead while

sucking out everyone’s

energy with aimless

philosophical greed

 we should be the one

who can see the growth

in just planting one seed

that can bring out a 

flourish of goodness

overcoming every

hopeless weed

inspiring others to

see the vision and

feel the need to 

materialize a good 

product fathom a good

idea instigate a good

activity or enact a good

deed.

~Miguel

Tragedy In Fame

The Artist

creates 

a product for

others to

admire and 

enjoy as 

they rise in

popularity

and greater

visibility

to their 

audiences

to their

fans

everywhere they

want to give

so that they

remain significant

and that their

name will continue

to live

but the more The 

Artist gives the

more that many

want to take

eventually they

begin to take

The Artist’s 

pride so there

is hardly any

privacy and

no place to

hide while

slowly they

begin to

erode inside

as night after

night and each

day passes they

shake they are

sleepless 

feeling worthless

no matter how 

hard they have

tried

they desperately

attempt to keep

from the masses

just how much 

of who they 

truly are

has really

truly

tragically

died.

~Miguel

Weird Winter

The weirdest

winter but what

winter was there

actually a winter

it was hardly a

winter it was

maybe the total

of a week in the

cold the dark and

the bleak all the

wintry days were

actually split with 

rainy melting days

in between 

temperatures still

somewhat cold but

milder the ups and 

the downs of the

thermometer getting

wilder no inches upon

inches upon growing

banks of snow leaving

the day that the north

would once again see

green grass as

something we would 

not know for at least 

two to three months

not two to three days

but now it seems that

winter in the north

has transformed to

more frequently

radically changing

ways even the

warmer states of 

the south or the

west have experienced

weather that does not

give their environment

the ideally balance best

temperature tendencies 

are changing air streams

are changing with winter

and spring practically

side by side with

warmer and colder

constantly exchanging

from week to week

even day to day bringing

out milder air that was 

once never there until

April or early May it

leaves one to think

as to whether or not

we will ever experience

the former

longer

wintry way.

~Miguel

Just PLANE Ridiculous!

On a wintry day

many are on board

hoping to fly on a

getaway if not for

a crack

a crack in a safety

door turning the

trip into a nightmare

as the people were

horrified

 and terrified

up there everyone

on board being

given a life scare

thankfully just

things and no

people sucked out

in mid-air another

terrorizing experience

to make the corporate

circuit more aware

at least they are 

checking before they

let the same models

back up there let them

pay those who need to

check for cracks and

any other defects

because while maybe

their salaries may seem

like a challenge for the

CEOs to financially 

bare it is worth every

dollar instead of letting

it go because they need

to show that they truly

care for the lives of

passengers that they

ultimately need to

spare.

~Miguel

Change Anyone?

Can we change

our ways the

way we change 

our minds can 

we actually change

our longtime stubborn

thoughts or beliefs

to new enlightened

other kinds

we change our

clothes we change

our oil we change

our water from

cold to boil

but when it comes

to showing even a 

wisp of compassion

or flexibility we instead

slam our foot down

deep into the soil.

We change lightbulbs

we change shoes

when it comes to

changing attitudes

toward others

we suddenly refuse

we changed LPs 

to CDs and now

CDs back to the

LP turntable but

when it comes to

working out solutions

with others we are

dramatically unable

expounding that what

others stand for is a

completely fabricated

fable yet when they 

want US to give in 

THEY expect our best

to come to the table.

We change our blankets

we change our sheets

we changed personal

interaction to virtual

Google Meets

but when another opinion

comes near us we fight

it off like how fluoride

fights off sugar from 

eating too many sweets.

So many change so 

much but yet they 

actually change so

little and those who

try to change and work

with both sides are

unfortunately caught in

the middle trying to see

and think things through

from both sides of the

street only to find that

the bridge that links 

them while appearing

solid and secure is

actually shallow and

brittle.

~Miguel

Grateful For What I Have

No matter where I have

lived or in the days

when I was just 

visiting it has always

been amazing to step

outside on Christmas 

Morning and hear the

sounds of absolutely

nothing except the

beauty of nature be

it winter birds or a

nearby river no cars

or pickups in a hurry

no shipping trucks

with something more

to deliver just PEACE

Peace On Earth.

For this peace

at least in the world

as far as my ears can

hear and my eyes can

see I am extremely

grateful because I know

there are other parts

of the world where the

day is not so peaceful

where war and violence

are still of prominence

where guns are firing

 and many are dying

where children are

NOT joyful but

instead are crying

where life is sad and

every day is so tragic

and full of dispair 

that they even had to 

cancel Christmas in 

Bethlehem with no 

solemn beauty to be

experienced in the 

hearts of many in

Manger Square

and then there is 

The Ukraine where

I am sure sometime

soon there will be more

bombs dropped from a 

Russian plane

why can’t people work

out geographical

disputes with their

hearts instead of having

war and aggression fresh

on the brain?

May those in this

country experiencing

sadness

hunger

and violence too

find peace and are blest 

with what they need to

in order to live better

from the good that

others try to do 

may those recipients

who are constantly toxic

and resentful toward

everyone find some

degree of gratitude and 

eventually have a clue that

who they are and

what they have been

given are worlds more

fortunate than what

many others have

been dealt and what

they daily go through.

~Miguel

Daddy Yankee

I’m your Daddy
I’m a Yankee
I’m your Daddy
Yankee I was
born in The
North that makes
me a Yankee when
I lived in The South
I was still a Yankee
when I visit The
South I’m still a
Yankee with country
ham or cane patch
in my mouth I am
still an honest to
goodness Yankee
don’t give me drama
I’m not y’Momma on a
llama now don’t get all
cranky and don’t expect
me ta hand ya a hanky
don’t roll me those wide
eyes like Alfalfa or Spanky!

Now when I visit New York
I ain’t their Yankee
I ain’t Derek Jeter
I ain’t The Bambino
en El Barrio I’m a
genuine North Country
Latino whose In-laws
own an El Camino who
loves a good glass of
Spanish Vino but couldn’t
stand Quarterback Dan
Marino or couldn’t jump
high like Mike Foligno on
the links I liked Nicklaus
and Lee Trevino I have
kewl friends like Jen
and Michelle Aquino
while my name is Michael
I’m not Al Pacino I don’t
have brothers Fredo and
Santino I don’t have a
purple pet named Dino
nor have I ever gone to
Vegas or Reno but I’m
your Daddy Yankee I’m
the real padrino from
back East all the way
to San Bernardino!

-Miguel

Every Person Every Place Everything Everywhere

Every end of 

the day every 

star in the

sky every mile

on the road

every bird that

can fly every

knob on the

door every beach

on the shore every

song to be sung

every lion that

can roar every

mind that can

think every eel

with its ink every

river that can flow

over every stone

that can sink every

dog that can

bark every tag

that can mark

every price that

can go on

every car that 

can park every

gun that can

fire every bullet

that can kill every

life that can be

saved by every

strong moral will

every day that

we survive 

let our 

intellects arrive

as we awaken 

every morning

with the desire

to be alive.

~Miguel

Be Live And In Person

Get out there

and BE

be among the

people be out

and about not

locked to a

screen as your

church and its

steeple

everyday people

are out on these

streets they are

not out to beat 

you to bite you

and eat you

they are for 

real they might

even smile to

greet you so

let go of any

paranoia

toward some

way they

might treat you

afraid that they

may harass

you lie to

you or cheat

you so just

walk among

the people the

older and the

young resisting

the notion that

being out and

in person is

a long forgotten

song never

again to be

sung!

~Miguel

Remembering

We all have good

memories of good

times of good 

places of good 

smiles on good

faces of good

people who were

there in our past

when life was a 

little crazier when

summers were a

little lazier when

the object of every

day was to have

a blast and we

thought life in 

that way was a 

time that would 

forever last.

Why do we remember

something or someone

at one time or another

what triggers that

memory is an unanswered

mystery as to why a door

gets unlocked and opened

into our subliminal history

bringing out which was

long forgotten and left

for dead that now becomes

so hard to put back

into the storage of

our head because

it was a good memory

of one time or

another within the 

multitude of episodes 

of the good life 

we have

lead?

Sometimes we do not

know why we keep

such memories that

really should be 

stored down deep

and have no real

use or purpose once

they have risen back

up to our intellectual

surface they just seem

to pop suddenly

into our neurological

thread thus from there

it can be challenging 

to put them back to 

bed.

~Miguel