My Own Military

I learned how to be a distinguished
Academic and gentleman
You taught me to remain calm like The Roots
You gave me dreams of globetrotting
Papers to read
Test tubes to mix
Ions to merge
At times, you would lose the calm
Collect the rage
Leaving us with a divorce bill
It's been paid off now

I trimmed the shrubs and handled the dirty work
Seen and unacknowledged
For you, it was tough but heartfelt
Hard work was a lifetime credit for pride
You wait to reclaim the marriage card
But it has expired
No extension available

I learned how to stop worrying
and love playing the beautiful game
In the backyard, on the astroturf
Through the rain
Cutting Hoosier prairies
Now you laugh at my romances
I smile that your battle with the Millers
Light and Regular, are over

You were the stealthiest
At times borrowing, begging, and stealing
But when least expected
You arrived, standing
We have not spoken in a while
Since you borrow, beg, and steal
But time seals a crevice

You let us pray
Five times for five eternities
You de go walka na 'treet
You ask for my queen
I say, one day, you go meet 'am

I remember you visiting
The Jersey Windsor
With bags of candy
Kinetic, dogmatic, elliptic
It's you that I mimic
Unconsciously

Things happened
Our treasury notes sunk to zero
Another DC agent
Whose late growth bled late efficiency
A boom in courage
Busted the elephant
Ballooning the room
Summer ice cream memories
Columbia Road tag runs back and forth

We played sports
We would wrestle
You always hung out in your room
Or in the side den
Weird but folksy
Like a Land's End sweater
Pure with conviction
A loyal dude, you are

You would always test me
Really thinking that you could win
I'd get a busted lip
You would cry a busted yowl
Our broken nucleus broke your spirit
Which you don't care to admit
Using dirty wit as humor and pain
You broke academic tradition
For endless fraternal exhibition
All things end though
I can't wait for your new beginning

My own military
Expensive
Enduring
Versatile
Many
Proud

Barnard College

In good ole Indiana, I hit from downtown on the court
Once in awhile
In DC, I was a multiple All-Star
But the nation's capital started to finance
A priceless adjunct fellowship
The first term had a German mandate
We dominated the tennis circuit, four years straight
While you sprechen deutsche
You taught me generosity, sacrifice, and diligence
Bitte Schoen
Before retirement, I cultivated a bonzai garden with seeds of art, soul duets, and technology
In two years, it sprouted wisdom, motivation, and elegance
Arigato
The garden was blown away by steely Honduran winds
Cut with sunny, spiritual Tuesdays
Eight months of consistency paved a trail for railways
Gracias
Those cabooses hid for comfy Korean cirrusses
They glowed with grace and empathy
Nine months of clear days then turned into a heavy downpour
Soon after, a higher village beamed
Komawo
Six years stitched for a doctorate in romancology
Good for conquering society
Thank you, feminologists

Eastern Market

The streets tapped with looters
After Dr. King collapsed
U Street sizzled with Duke, then Lucifer
He sent his henchmen for the Invisibles
Lucifer had league championships
His team even beat the Yankees
He had it made. Fame. An Ethiopian girlfriend
A house in New Zealand
He made Jerry Jones jealous
And that’s hard to imagine
Or is it?
Then, one invisible man had colored visions
Ones of a transparent metropolis
He swept around K street, collecting blue chips for blueprints
Until his white lips stained his blue suit
Ben offered chili dogs, spicy on a toasted bun
High rises begot high tax brackets
Invisible hearts burn at the feet of Abe Lincoln
Four score and five years today