Peace Love Happiness

Peace Love and Happiness

In the face of so much danger

A little bit of sadness

You could never rearrange

(Chorus)

Peace and calmness

Love a bit of tenderness

Find the Joy and rest

A little bit of Happiness

The warmth in your space

Rhythm and Blues giving  

Cocoa by the fireplace

In a family home living

                                    (Chorus)

Hot Hot Hot food for thought

Laughing and Sledding in real time

Too many Toys - all that you bought

But what we got is yours and mine

                                    (Chorus)

Give a little of what you have most

Peace Love and Happiness

The more you give the more you receive

In this simple truth - you gotta believe

Haunted House Party

The cauldron bubbles,

The guest list doubles,

The full moon rising,

The results are surprising.

Someone screams.

Myles smiles at a Vampire Bat.

Bones rattle in the dungeon downstairs.

A black crow lands on a mummy’s head.

Luke, Charlie, John-Paul, Eli

Are pondering the the living dead.

It’s All Hallow’s eve,

A big pumpkin pie...

A witch’s brew,

and a vampire stew.

A candy corn dish at the door.

Frankenstein monster on the dance floor.

Ghosts, goblins,

skeletons evermore.

This is the time of freight,

Scary monsters in the night.

The haunted house rattling bones,

Consolation – they are not alone.

Pumpkin light on with a switch,

Spider lands - causes a twitch.

In flew a Vampire Bat,

Freightening Diamond’s skittish black cat.

John-Paul’s mummy was there too,

As were Lily, Kass, Luke and Lou.

A bash of the season,

Without any reason.

Gobbling Goblins Ghosts.

Trip’s party is always the most.

To an angel’s baby boy

Remember this little man:

The world may revolve around you;

But there is just so much you need to know;

Appropriate as you learn and grow.

Welcome to the world, and…

Eat, sleep and do what you do.

But for now, you simply must understand;

Mommy law is the law of the land.

You will listen. You will learn;

Boy, you know it from the start;

She cares for you every step of the way;.

She’ll goes to bat for you every single day;

Baby, toddler, tween, teen, adult…

She learned from the best before you got your start.

Look out teachers, tutors, coaches, potential bullys!

Toes to your nose --- your mom loves you so so so fully.

In the End He Must Begin

Special circumstance. A unique breed.

On the cusp of adulthood, a child at heart.

He is independent but he has a need.

On the edge looking for a place to start.

He is wondering if he will ever be freed.

Here he is, but for a greater good;

But for grace of God goes he.

Each day a bus comes to his Neighborhood;

Drops him at school as anyone can see.

Bricks, mortar, glass, touches of wood.

Safely with teachers, staff, others who care;

Educators in a job they were chosen to do;

Instruction with every intention of being more than fair.

Will he succeed?  Every challenge is new.

In a context of years of training, alert and aware.

Earnest , committed, tried and true,

Learning math, science, language and art;

It is a gamble---not easy to do.

The real test begins when he departs,

Commencement comes out of the blue.

Son Dance

He’s got unlimited potential;

So say Mary and James --- expectations parental.

Saint Ignatius Jesuit Justice influential;

The boy quarterback standing tall.

Leader of men, master debater too;

Ask not what your country can do.

Give him some time --- he’ll prove it to you;

With vigor and conviction in a blazer blue.

Who shot Liberty Valance?

On his back with a bendy straw --- a broken collar bone;

Unsettling, uncertain, a world off balance;

With one hit the future is unknown.                                                                                                    

Two rounds at Georgetown --- an expatriate in France;

In monogrammed shirts, he’s made of finer clay;

He enters a room in suit, tie, clean pressed pants;

The young man has arrived --- has no plans to stay.

Open: naval gentlemen agree to discharge.

Cut wide to: beach, palms, and Piccadilly. 

Fade to tracking shot: gritty Bourbon Street, a man at large.

Cue sound: the saints go marching in, lagniappe, fleur de lis.

Pegasus flies ---  he emotes and confides;

Inner Tennis, mid city character, the dude abides;

Considering head shots, scripts and sides;

One day at a time --- by and by he presides.

The play is the thing, performance and Modern Art;

Method acting --- you’re tearing me apart;

James Bond double-o seven --- a shot in the dark;

A faith in fate, as Noah laboring in the rain with his ark.

Wiser and seasoned --- for all it means;

Brother like no other --- one from another time;

Younger or older --- be that as it seems;

Live and learn --- in retrospect just fine.

If we are here only for a while and that time has a limit;

I know this for certain --- I know this in my heart;

When the end comes like it or not – dread nor fear in it;

I will forfeit my place in line to the man more ready for the part.

A View from the Cox Cardinals Box

Wainwright is on the mound and the Cox family evening at the ballpark includes me. What an awesome break (for me) that Dave has four tickets and two of his three daughters are unwilling or unable to join Dave and Joyce for this contest between the American League Houston Astros and the National League St. Louis Cardinals. The oldest,  Sammy (Samantha),  is home from college and is enjoying quality family time with the P’s and me (as the fourth wheel) at the game.

  

Creighton University, located in Omaha, Nebraska, offers a top-ranked education in the Jesuit tradition for people who, no doubt, want to contribute something meaningful to the world. Sammy is majoring in English. (A win for all of us who champion the pursuit of liberal arts). She missed out on the dream Summer job and reluctantly works for her father’s design firm. Dave is delighted to step up her role from routine filing and errands to proofreading and acting as a copy chief. Dave cannot contain his pride as he reports that Sammy is ridding his marketing communications of split infinitives, double negatives and maybe an inadvertent inappropriate double entendre. The literary purist would probably not like my assertion that: Without Marketing; Nothing Happens! She might not concur with copywriters who insist on writing in the language people use (as confirmed by extensive verbatims from focus groups in major markets).

I wonder how Sammy would responds to sports broadcaster talk. “Well I’ll tell you what… Wain-o has brilliantly thrown 7 shutout innings…I cannot imagine Matheny not making the call to the bull pen soon…’cause you cannot afford not getting the ace some relief from this hot humid St. Louis Summer heat…in June”

Sammy has been to Paris and the home of Claude Monet in Giverny (about 50 miles from Paris). Monet lived there from 1883 until his death in 1926. I am so jealous and she confirmed that it is beautiful and memorable place. I cannot help but suggest she visit the home of Ernest Hemmingway in Key West. (I’ll leave it to her to figure out why such a trip stateside makes sense for an English major.)

Parochial as our town is, Sammy reminds me that the world is really a small place. So, in spite of Wainwright, the Cards fall to the Astros. We are among the 44,000+ fans to leave Busch Stadium on a Thursday night thinking the Redbirds will win the next time. 

Band of Brothers

Fall in. Park your bicycles in a row.

Breezeway leaf sweeper, shovels and a hoe.

Pay attention to the yard you must mow.

Weekly allowance – I don’t think so.

Burgers all around. Soft drinks on the side.

Anna’s baloney is best when it is fried.

Cupboard bakery snack cakes, cookies, all twist-tied..

Enough to nosh --- to be somewhat satisfied.

Cosmetic affluence --- A bit of a show.

Nothing ever as it seems you know.  
Live, love, laugh, rolling in the dough.

Color coded - Red, Blue, Green, Yellow.

Push down, pull up, roller-coaster Sandusky

Breakers, squall lines - Chicken of the Sea

Life jackets, half hitch, all aboard - bow and stern lights,

Dockside cabin cruiser – safe, clear, starry nights

You wanted to be with your friends this week.

You wanted to hang on the corner or the tracks.

You wanted to call that girl late and sneak out back.

You wanted to break some rules, smuggle a beer, relax.

Instead you are on a family trip in close quarters.

Towing the line, swabbing the deck, following orders.

And yet - All these years later I wouldn’t trade a minute

All those times I shared with my brothers in it.

Note: Our family of six children included an older brother and an older sister too. Mom often referred to me as the oldest of the four boys denying me any claim to middle child syndrome. I have fond and vivid memories of growing up at a time when a Kennedy-esque Camelot seemed attainable even in Northeast Ohio. Dad was captain of the Leprechaun – a 29’ Chris Craft with a flying bridge.       

The Attic of my Being

Reflections on May 20 – the anniversary of my birth

Tiddlywinks, Lincoln Logs, Tonka Trucks, footballs, baseballs, whiffle bats;

Superman, Batman, Robin, Tony the Tiger, Felix the Cat;

Lawn mowers, Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Monopoly Money, Cracker Jacks;

Slinky, man on the moon, Tang, Rock n Roll, Photomat.

Kodak Moments --- Ektacrome, Kodachrome, Plus X;

Summit, Elbur, Lake, Manor Park, Andrews, Bird Town, the Flats;

East Side, West Side, North, South, right and wrong side of the tracks;

Ohio Bell Land Lines, Cleveland Museum of Art, May Show, Shakespeare, Peter Max;

Running, 10 speed, CYC, Valley Hike, Touch Football Passes;

Downtown Cathedral, Hegwig, Malachy, St.  Luke Masses;

Browns, Indians, Crusaders, Rangers and Hurricanes;

Madison, Lakewood Park, Sandusky, Cedar Point, weather vane;

Winterhurst, Agora, The Brass Bell, Mistake on the lake, Erie sailboat race;

Hair on fire Ralph J. Perk, Carl B. Stokes, Dennis the Menace, Face to face;

War on the nightly news, Kent State, Twist of fate, checkmate;

Ed Sullivan really big show, JFK Nixon debate, The Selling of the president in 68;

Captain Penny, Barnaby, Romper Room, Wrestling on TV;

Party in the Park, Bandstand, July Parade, Let it Be;

Manners Big Boy, Perkins Pancakes, Bearden’s Burgers, Holy Name;

NFL Football Canton and Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cut and paste, lost and found, dusty records, scrapbooks, ticket stubs, hello, goodbye;

Renaissance, rebirth, the circle of life, a baby cries, an old man sighs;

The ephemeral overwhelms but was never meant to last;

The future looks bright --- have a blast.

Springtime Visit to CAM

I entered the gallery as I walked through the Contemporaty Art Museum, located in the Grand Center arts and entertainment district, in the center of St. Louis one morning in March (the first week of Spring 2016) without knowing anything about the exhibit Not Human by Italian artist Arcangelo Sassolino. The stark space seemed harmless enough. But out of the silence I was startled by sculptures that breath, explode, punch and crush threatened my solitude. FIGURANTE 2010 is a menacing metallic head of a beast mounted on the wall. The pointy teeth of this creature spread to reveal a big bone in its mouth that seemed to drip blood to the ground in front of it. The curious piece could not be pondered too long before the menacing mechanical robotics took me from a feeling of quiet peaceful feelings to sudden terror. The room is alive in the way horror films jar you with shock when a seeming tranquility is broken with unexpected computer generated image roars into your space.

The paintings over a 25 year period by acclaimed artist Lisa Yuskavage are at CAM too. The Brood is not so much a comprehensive survey as an account of her development and identity as a painter. The artist presents the female body as a site of defiance and decadence. 

Tehran born, Los Angeles-based Tala Madala First Light is a presentation of playful yet provocative paintings and animation. Peter Sutherland Forest and Fires is made of images printed on perforated vinyl and manipulated by this Michigan-born, New York based artist. The courtyard in plain view of café patrons displays Sutherland rocks that appear to be bursting into flames. I enjoyed my coffee thinking it was the best $2.00 investment I’d made in quite some time.

Note to self: I must return to this place. Art Matters. Contemporary Art Matters today. Visit CAM. It's FREE and maybe, just maybe, you will see or hear something that startles you.  

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Exhibitions, programs, and general operations are privately funded through contributions from generous individuals, corporations, public funders, and foundations.

Stress Recipe

Stress Recipe

By Wesley A. Morgan

Wronged. No medication, no potion, no cure.

In disarray you want to run away. But you stay and fight.

Physical and emotional pain. Disbelief --- No relief. Simple and pure.

You were tossing and turning throughout night.

Stressed out, over-ruled, overwhelmed, ill prepared, undermined.

Daylight comes, coping, adjusting, breathing, pleasing.   

Over-rated, twist of fate, under appreciated you find;

The situation is bad --- getting worse. It is wrong and unfair. Uneasy.    

Misstep, mistake, miss the boat, misinterpret, miss the mark, unkind.

Doubting Thomas --- you hesitate. You second guess.

You didn’t measure up. You’ve been cheated. Be smart.

You feel the haters mitigated by those who love best.

That’s when you see what you have and realize a need to restart

While you are a mortal --- flawed and imperfect;

You move to the plus side --- proactively, perform.

Don’t judge, lest you be judged, Let it go;

So many prayers from and for you --- Have faith

Do what is right. You know in your heart. You know.

You are down but you are not out

Reach for calm and a moment of Zen

Wake up, dust off, dance, smile, laugh out loud

Stand and bounce back as you have --- again and again.

From: Kiso, Debra S
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 8:22 AM
To: Mcdonald, Megan K; Morgan, Wesley A
Subject: RE: STRESS RECIPE

Wes,

I am deeply touched by your heartfelt poem. I can see that you are comfortable being uncomfortable, you have the courage to be the person you know you are meant to be, and embrace the value of sharing. Truly, you are a gifted and talented person. Thank you for your vulnerability and sharing your strength. With your permission, I would like to share this poem with Ilene Knobler, Special School District's Director of Insurance and Benefits, and many others for that matter.

Sincerely,
Debbie

Debbie Kiso M.Ed., H.C.
Wellness Account Consultant for Special School District
Coventry Health Care an Aetna Company

-----Original Message-----
From: Mcdonald, Megan K  Neuwoehner School Nurse

Wes, this poem is so powerful! You are a very talented poet! I am glad you were able to take so much away from Debbie's talk. She is very good at what she does! :)

Debbie- I have had many great responses to your talk Friday and heard it was a great turn out! Thanks so much for all your help making this week very successful for many!

Have a great week!

-----Original Message-----
Debbie -

After putting my feet up against the wall and letting the blood rush to my head, I proceeded to complete the attached poem. You see, that is what I wrote down on my little note after your session on stress Friday at Neuwoehner. I wanted to share it with you along with a note of thanks. I really appreciated the atmosphere and tone you set with such an important topic.