The Evolution

To begin with,

as far back as

2,500 years ago,

similar thoughts

were mulled over

by the people, or

the 'mob' if you will;

popular opinion is that

five times five centuries later, 

the English have yet

to answer for colonialism

and the genocide perpetrated on Indigenous Peoples.

                                 K.J.W.

                                          May 2024

The Economics of Sports

The bribes that

drive a sports league

generate tens of millions of dollars

every season.

Contracts mean nothing

to professional betters

and the viewer

looking for an earning

loses fast.

To trust sports is

naive and costly.

                       K.J.W.

                           March 2024

In This New Age

In another time,

haters would be routed

down a tunnel and into sewers;

but in this new age, haters

have built internet trolls,

the future of soap boxes,

and pack discussion boards,

or churches, and whisper

at the back of the bus.

K.J.W.

November 2022

Dismantling from the Inside

Blue lines drawn by

a ballpoint

pen on maps does not

a definition of a country make

but the colonists think it does.

              K.J.W.

                February 2021

I Need a Piece of This

There is metal in the hills.

I share my business card;

it's 90 mm long.

I share my business card;

it's 50 mm high.

They stood there looking at it.

We stared at each other.

"What's that in inches?"

            K.J.W.

           December 2020

Learning Takes Years

Learning takes years

and you need an assistant -

I  learn from family, friends, and strangers,

each of them become my principals,

training me on life.

Each year a new level

of understanding -

life is a school that never ends,

a good belief to have.

                           K.J.W.

                           November 2020

A Town Portait

"Hello Mr. Saint-Denys."

"Greetings Mr. Dudek."

Funny how they talk,

a small town thing for

already old friends.

You've got to try it -

seek a small town

just once.

Don't be loud,

just find a quiet corner.

He's not going to notice.

Only smile

with your eyes.

Watch where they go -

this guy shuffles.

She has groceries,

he has a briefcase,

he has his mail,

and she's in a rush.

It's a life -

you're going to love it.

        K.J.W.

       October 2020

Take My Garbage

Josephs Trucking

Bears are attracted to garbage

but Joe is our man,

who comes once each week,

sways a little,

seems created by a cartoonist,

and has a plapable odour.

Is not his fault.

The burning stench

of the offal in

the trash is the

reason we wait inside.

He rolls up, 

hero of the hood

and we cheer him.

He is loved by kids.

His career choice

bears fruit.

        K.J.W.

        October 2020

Your Turn

Richard was looking for a horse...

I don't think I would do that,

nor go seek a catfish,

when the scaffolds give out

on the life I live.

Were I to know my death

      to within one lunar cycle,

what was it I wanted to do?

Sit in the dark?

Try to travel there,

      where my heart dreams of?

It's quiet times by

the pond, talking

       to those that loved me.

Would you be there

friend? I have

you in mind and how

you would find

     peace with my passing.

Yourself, you're busy

so if you're not there

this I understand,

a guy can die alone.

         K.J.W.

        October 2020

Teacher Develop....

In the new normal

photography sees no smiles,

cash can't pay bills,

and most spontaneity is gone.

He is a teacher

and a new school year 

marks year eight of his career,

though that doesn't mean a lot

while Covid protoccols

slit the throat of good pedagogy.

His students are his concern

as they play out scenes

from a 1950s horror film.

John knows how it ends.

                       K.J.W.

                       September 2020

He died there in the street

He died there in the street that night,

Just before the morning light,

An old man, terribly young inside,

A young man, with a soul of fire.

                        Kajawa            

                        1985

Impact

In the end

many of us look into our

past and wonder why we

acted the way we did;

cannot we settle on

the fact that we change?

                   K.J.W.

                   Nov. 2016

Unmistakable

Unity is

not necessarily conformity;

more over it

is like a flock of birds

swimming across

the sky

attempting to alter course.

Kingdoms do not decree

adherence if they are to survive,

but embrace tolerance and

leverage

each one's strengths.

                              K.J.W.

                               Nov. 2016

Dali must have painted it

I stuck my tongue out

to touch the sun and

burned it to a crisp.

I reached my hand out 

to greet a friend;

instead I found a gun.

My world is topsy-turvy,

What is going on?

Dali must have painted it...

What happened to my lawn?

Kajawa

June 1994

Welcome

We come together

every other week

leaving behind our other friends

commuting through towns and

over rivers to 

meet secretly with 

each other.

                        K.J.W.

                        Oct. 2009

Under Sunny Skies

Under sunny October skies,

people rush to the park,

dogs in tow,

and soak up the sunlight like

turtles on logs in the summer.

Every day they swarm under the sun and then

scamper away at night.

                            K.J.W.

                            Oct. 2009

It's a Sea Shell Hunt

I wonder at

times why I

sit quietly.

All the world's a stage:

Sometimes I should 

engage more with it, bring

action and adventure to life.

Silence, though, can be

heavenly.

Each moment is

lovely in its quietness - 

long and uneventful.

Here I am

Unable to find shells,

not caring.

Tomorrow I'll get up on stage.

                            K.J.W.

Come home, Sonya

Come home, Sonya

only, don't be late.

Late means trouble,

late means grounding.

Everyone knows late

girls are in trouble;

indiscretions, indescribable things happen

at

twelve a.m. Don't

even be late.

            K.J.W.

I Won the Race

I won the race,

not you.

So don't 

try to make excuses.

I won the race.

Talk all you want, but

understand I grow

tired of your

excuses.

                K.J.W.

Go To School

Go to school

and

learn

to escape.

                K.J.W.

Run

Run, they tell me;

everything depends on it.

Nothing will live

and

individuals will die.

So I ran

so hard

and so fast.

No one could catch me

cause I ran fast;

everyone knows it.

Run, they told me;

understand,

be brave;

run they told me.

Individuals did not die,

cause I ran.

                    K.J.W.

                    2009

Awake at Night

I wonder why, at night I

think about why I'm awake. Later that day,

the will to sleep is so strong, I miss what the

speaker has to say. None

of this matters to you.

This is why you don't write a 

poem for me to read.

Is life about following the clock, 

about the machine on the wall.

To earthly rhythms I

try to live

going against nature, going

over bars on a swing set

like I don't care.

The thing is, I do. Do I have any

other choice? I'm just a

kid.

                K.J.W.

Can't Do It

A swing set sets me free when I'm a

boy who wants to fly. If I let go and

went higher than anyone, if I went 

over-bars, would anyone care?

No, I can't do it. No

use trying. I

can't let go. Maybe I can't fly.

Get

over it.

            K.J.W.

Blindness

Blindness envelopes the world and

leaves us hesitant,

insecure, and doubtful.

New senses awaken;

dependence upon sight

now shows how narrow

everyone's view has been.

Shadows mean nothing,

silence means everything.

                K.J.W.

                June 2009

Benjamin Button

Before I was born,

even before I died,

nothing existed.

July was hot

and I

made my way

into the world as

nothing.

Before I am born,

undo it all;

touch the sky,

touch the earth.

Only I know

nothing.

                K.J.W.

Benjamin Button

Before I stop crying,

every tear must be felt.

Note to self -

July is a hot month

and

May

is 

not.

Before I sleep,

unwind.

Today's

thought,

only I know

nothing.

                K.J.W.

But what can I do?

But what can I do?

How can I help?

Can I cause change?

I am only one guy.

Ever feel alone? I mean actually

stop and feel? The

feeling is scary,

like you are empty.

Nothing feels worse. Nothing

is more likely to kill you;

good job so few of us go there,

enough don't come back.

                    K.J.W.

                    2009

Artemis Fowl

Are you

ready?

Time is wasting.

Enter the

mind of the criminally

insane and

stay awhile.

"Follow my adventures

or not, 

whatever. Just

leave your money."

                K.J.W.

Eoin Colfer

Every writer wants fame

or at least to be heard.

Ireland, as a setting,

needs no introduction.

Colfer milks the Irish island

or at least prostitutes

it

for

earnings:

redundant.

            K.J.W.

Can I write?

Can I write for

you to listen?

Crack my brain open and

the puss will emit a

code that you'll understand.

            K.J.W.

The World of Literature

The word on the page is a

code

that the reader races over,

runs over with eyes

along typewriter paths.

The world created shows us the

bottom of the soul

of a writer,

the plot of a

book is a race to a climax, which

has been predetermined to be where it has always 

been - at the end - more

specifically located where I, the writer,

created it,

by contract with a publisher.

The world of literature is one where the

author serves the publisher. Nothing new.

                        K.J.W.

Readers Desire So Much

Readers search for new meaning;

Can I give it to them?

Crack open my soul and reveal

the darkness, the

code to success.

To stimulate I have to 

reveal more than

the last guy. But here's my

secret: I have no

message.

        K.J.W.

How can I say this?

How can I do it?

Does it look easy?

One can't write what comes to mind,

describe whatever I see.

Artemis was a boy genius. I'm no

Fowl; I'm me.

                    K.J.W.

Knowing

Knowing when I'll die is

not the knowledge I,

or anyone, would

want. Too much

information still does

not make me a 

god.

                K.J.W.

Word Search 2

Words have power.

or we give them that.

Read the message wrongly and

dire are the results.

Send me a message,

either state your love or

answer my questions;

run to me or away,

claim me or reject me,

hug me or hit me.

2+1 = family, not a couple.

                    K.J.W.

Advertisers: Beware

Advertisers beware of us; we

may fight back. We may

choose to draw a line, 

to stop listening to you, to

use our intellectual capacities to stop your

campaign of destruction

that robs us of our self-respect. We

consist of more than needs,

of more than desires; we have

subtle critical thinking skills which have been victims of

sales, or promotions, of

messages, and assaults.

As far as I am concerned I'm

opposed to your purpose,

to your continuous

knocking at our door.

You tell us we're ugly.

over and over, until

the message drowns us and we're over our

head in a sea of doubt. "What would I be

with just a little more moisturizer?"

The victims are our children, the

product of your war;

they buy and buy, seeking happiness.

"Are we happy?" I'm

trying to destroy you, I just need

to get my message out, to

promote it.

                            K.J.W.

                               July 2009

The Golden Compass

There is no way to find your

home.

Everywhere is home.

Go out and look,

only don't be surprised, you won't be

lucky.

Dozens have tried, and

even more have failed -

no exceptions.

Compasses point directions,

only you have to be somewhere first.

More likely you'll die searching.

Paradise, Shangri-La, Utopia

are not places you go.

Search your

soul, you fool.

                        K.J.W.

                        july 2009

Philip Pullman

Phillip Pullman's daemon,

his spirit embodiment,

I imagine to be a

leopard,

instead of a 

peacock.

Pullman, I

understand,

likes animals,

likes controversy, and

maybe I am wrong, but

any leopard or peacock I know,

needs attention.

                    K.J.W.

                    Aug. 2009

George: When Childhood Is Over

Dinky cars discarded.

Teletubbie movie thrown out.

Doodlebops turned off.

The childhood show is over.

    Now for the News,

    a file of despair

    crafted for the wealthy.

    Show them poverty

    but only the miracles;

    Dr. Fraiser Crane to the rescue.

What a farce life is not.

The Simpsons are not real:

Worldwide development is not

occurring now; what we

see is a roadshow,

a street of lights,

and gags.

The farce we call the U.N.

is a comedy, an

exercise of intelligence,

avoiding the pain

felt every hour

by those not experiencing development.

These are not gags,

the rich vs. poor.

We are strange creatures not to care,

we never open the file, but we could

now,

this hour,

and save four children a second;

Poko, Amanda,

Arthur, and George.

                K.J.W.

A Word by Colbert

I visit TMZ.com

and did eTalk,

and checked out the TV,

checked the TV,

checked the TV,

checked the TV,

checked the TV,

checked the TV,

checked the TV;

I had no life.

The News taught me,

CTV entertained me,

Breakfast TV fed me,

and Canada protected me.

Kelly left,

as did Sue;

The view out my

hospital window was

of a Degrassi like school

filled with bold

Oprah watchers.

The Dr.

told me to live,

to stop the CTV,

and the gossip

and begin pushing back,

fight the law

which says I must learn with

the News

twice daily.

                K.J.W.

Home for the Reunion

Hey hometown!

Greetings from a

returning son.

Nothing's changed I see

except things are bigger,

except people are older,

except the kids are strangers.

Useless to leave, you

quietly call me everyday,

"Return, return."

Am I to understand

maturity won't release 

your grip on me

or my mind?

                    K.J.W.

                    Aug. 2009

Sometimes You Haunt Me

Sometimes I remember you,

all of it unexpected.

    It rushes back,

    takes my breath away, and

    is haunting.

A day goes by and a 

simple memory is stirred by a

jungle, or smell,

or event, or

slogan.

    That you come back so easily,

    you scare me.

Just seems so unfair,

    can't forget,

    get over you -

    'out, out, damn memory.'

of this I'm sure -

your memories haunt my

head.

                        K.J.W.

                        Aug 2009

It Used To Be

What would have been

is different than they planned.

Chaos came on horseback,

knocked plates off tables

and in an interesting way

stopped all activities.

Not old history,

we need document

for future assessment.

       K.J.W.

      July 2020

The Prime Minister

At least he got

caught one time.

       K.J.W.

       July 2020

Sometimes I Cry

This poem is to say

a privileged life

is not a good life, so I ask

"Why was I born this way?"

        K.J.W.

       July 2020

Who Cares The Most?

Ambrotypes and tintypes

and continued progress

to wet collodion process

---the world of photographs

are an explosion of images.

Photographic evidence can spark a war

or at least a protest

and thousands of images capture it.

Often the guilty hate to

be seen there -- in the open

where communities see their illegal transactions.

        K.J.W.

        July 2020

Consultation Process

We used to think 

a collodian solution would

reveal all. It became

apparent not to be true.

And we changed.

What's better than progress?

Who was it said to use

old technology and glass plates? 

And we changed,

because the answer is nobody.

And we changed.

A statue to a racist stands

and we haven't changed

which begs the question, 'why'?

A consultation process

is not needed cause it smacks

of racism when progress

is called for. By delaying

the responsible choice you look

like you was from the past

---the Old Timer

with glass plates,

going to resist progress

like it was a threat.

You defending collodion solution

produced a toxic society

and developed animosity.

Could you let go of

the tintype and

come to our time?

The digital photo age is here

and the racist statues are for their time.

        K.J.W.

       July 2020

Jamieson's Thoughts

Rooms on a cruise ship,

the really fancy ones

containing suites,

are a sixth of a salary

when applied against

an author's income.

      K.J.W.

      July 2020

My First Pandemic

My first pandemic

has been a process.

If we document with photography,

and were to imagine a future,

what would they think of us?

That question bothers me -

could I be misrepresented?

He'll use a camera lucida

and his sketch of us 

will tell the story to others,

and silver haired memories 

lost in thought will

share directly with school children.

In the 1800s photography began

and we've been adapting since.

France fell first,

We have the photographic record.

Daguerre the conqueror created

me - a selfie.

     K.J.W.

     May 2020

An Idiot With A Gun

A gun kills people

but there is continued resistance

to banning this invention

made for destroying lives.

Arago signed the Eiffel Tower

but no inventor wants to die

in a hail of bullets 

on an academy floor:

guns and schools don't mix,

it's a disturbing image.

Instead of creating

delicate webs of knowledge, 

lives are wiped,

mind toning stops,

and brass plaques are erected.

What was society thinking?

Images of victims

are too common,

are too common.

As a society

a better effort is needed

cause our effort has yielded

nothing so far. By tomorrow

Isidore could be dead,

as well as Daguerr's partner,

without a thought

given

to what was.

"In the name of freedom,"

did England say that?

was not developed for idiots.

      K.J.W.

     May 2020

See

Seth can see

everything and

everyone.

He is a Seer, an

Old World

Wizard, who

quietly

utters his visions.

I am an apprentice,

careless, but with talent beyond my

ken.

Lucky for me,  Seth

yearns to share his secrets,

yearns to pass

on his skill, to be 

understood.

Churches preach

against our old ways,

nudge people away from us,

"Leave your

old ways," they

call to us.

And we answer,

"Teach

Equality."

K.J.W.

Word

What word

Or phrase describes

Reading? Is it

Dreaming?

Seeking?

Enlightenment?

Altered state?

Relaxing?

Carefree?

Heaven?

4 letters.

K.J.W.

2009

Six

Six years old

Incessantly noisy

Xylophone.

For her birthday

Ron gives her a doll,

Olive gives her a teddy bear;

My gift is a book of

Animals.

Tomorrow

Or later, she'll be a

Zoologist.

K.J.W.

2009

The Death of Me

The men died and went to

hell; at least that's what

every woman said.

"Good riddance!" was

often heard and they

laughed together and

dined and

enjoyed their women's 

niceties.

Common knowledge among 

only men is that  without

men women have nothing to

protest to one another

about and soon the women fall

silent - their souls

sucked dry by their own nattering.

K.J.W.

Aug 2009

An Unforgettable Realization

Antagonizing,

no?

Alzheimer is chasing,

leaps and bounds,

after my Dad.

Not sure what I can do,

or should do.

Tomorrow won't be

as good as

before. I'm

losing one guy but it feels like

everyone.

Before it's too late,

or before next week

or by now I should stop

kidding myself - I'm next.

K.J.W.

Aug 2009

The Ice Cycle

Thus it begins. Winter,

hanging over us from the North,

enters overnight, silently

invading us from the sky.

Cold winds, for weeks, bombarded our spirit,

establishing a beachhead for the white invasion.

Over the next five months

pine trees stand inspirationally tall on our

ice covered land while we huddle,

Neanderthal like, grunting in protest.

Incoherently we mutter, "not again"

-our hot summer made us forgetful and

naive; what hopeful fools we Canadians are.

K.J.W.

Awards for Devotion

Any false god

will demand loyalty

and service,

rather than permit free

devotion and

solitude.

Any false god

needs you for itself,

denying choice.

Please honour me,

remind me of why I

answered the call when

I could have

served anyone and 

everyone else.

False gods deceive -

or did I deceive myself?

Religion is not easy.

K.J.W.

2009

Winner Pearson

Winner Pearson was an

interesting  chap,

no one noticed him,

no one talked to him, but

everyone remembers him

right after he made the News.

Often I said, "Hi, Winner."

followed by a quick, "Bye."

Tuesday, Winner was announced missing,

he didn't come to work, and

everyone wondered what wasn't right.

Cops knocked on doors

and hung up posters.

Reporters talked to co-workers,

neighbours, and strangers.

Everyone said he kept to himself and

"good guy."

I said I saw him everyday, but

even I didn't really know him.

Maybe the most telling 

event was ten

days later when

a letter arrived for me from the now

legendary Winner Pearson,

(Here's what it said.)

"Ever wonder about portals?

Now I'm through,

gone to another world.

Like you to have my stuff

and books;

no need for them when fighting

dragons in Kasatawa.

K.J.W.