Renaissance Man

26 February 2013

Do you think da Vinci knew

he was The Renaissance Man?

Did he know, in his time, the lines he drew,

the connections he made between disciplines were genius

far beyond his personal interest? Did he have a sense

of the greatness, the significance of his daily tasks?

Perhaps they struck him as mundane.

Personally, I think he lacked focus, constantly

flitting from one medium to another, attending

for moments to a discipline before rushing off

to discover a new facet of his work.

Sandals

26 February 2013

I dusted off my sandals yesterday. It's early

but, I reasoned, I'm willing the warm weather out.

My sweater boots are on the floor, baiting

my bone-chilled feet. I was holding out,

putting them off, postponing the inescapable

until I realized I'm wearing three layers,

a scarf and leg warmers,

trying to retain the heat that's pouring out,

waning to luke-warmth through the soles of my feet,

weakly warming the cold, painted floor, 

the same concrete that will keep me cool

once summer finally comes.

Jack of All Trades

24 February 2013

I'd like to drop the sentimentality,

write something honest. I'd like to share the moment

when the baby was enjoying her bubble bath.

I was listening to Billy Joel, remembering

how it felt, years ago, to be a pianist--an amateur

as always, but a musician nonetheless.

It's very like being a carpenter,

a silversmith,

a seamstress for a moment,

though it's hard now to find a moment to decide

which point of interest to choose, where to excel.

I'm still a Jack of all the trades I encounter,

a master of none of them. Even this poem

comes haltingly, and I second guess the content,

the form,

the poet.