Storm Brothers

The clouds that zapped each other clapped
And each accused the other
Of being better favored by
Their legendary mother

Great insults blew and brothers bragged
As each one puffed up more
While hailstones flew and lightning zagged
To settle up the score

But as they grew the thundering two
Were locked into a spin
That made them move and rain as one
And drew more water in

Till tumbling round in vengeance bound
They roared above the sea
Engulfing everything around
In furied energy

So fast they fought in struggle caught
It led them to perspire
Till almost all their rain was gone
And they began to tire

They never settled who it was
Their mother favored best
But put it off and called a truce
Till both have had a rest.

Name

A word can hold one's character
In infamy or fame
A connotation that assures
Of whom we try to name.

Though most escape a single word
The least we do is try
To coin a sound that can be heard
To mention someone by.

I find that when I know a friend
Arises two or three
Associating words to pen
Whom they appear to be.

My dog, for instance (rest his soul)
Heard Hero, Snap, or Sniffy,
(Or dog or come or here's your bowl)
Which brought him in a jiffy.

And though our names be multiplied
They still can't fully claim
To capture all we are inside--
So little in a name.

The Desk

If a desk is just for writing,
A garage is just for cars.
The true evidence of glory:
Coffee stains and candy bars!

Shoes

New shoes can pinch the toe or heel
Look good, but that's not how they feel
The old ones frayed, or had a hole,
Or separated from the sole.
God bless the one who now invents
The shoes that make more perfect sense,
That keep out rocks and rain and cold
While looking new, and feeling old.