october ramapo river lake henry

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sundial time

Imprecise but nice enough to tell the hour

Nice to have this sundial reconstructed

Placed to advantage in the midday sun

Aligned with the north star at night

Wide copper band parallel to the equator

Numerals cut out to display highlighted

Gliding across the reading surface

Silently crossing the center line axis

Marking high noon moving up and down

As the seasons turn, following the analemma curve

Adjusting sundial time to match clock time

As the day-over-day duration changes

Constructed with a geocentric understanding

When the sun revolved around the earth

As out of place in our digital world as a slide rule

An analog approximation, an ancient awareness.

franklin lakes early october

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moving day

I comment wearily “My life in a box.”

As I see yet another wheeled towards me

By the worker unloading the truck on moving day.

He hears me say this and replies

“Mi vida en una caja.” translating for me.

English is his second language.

My move is local in the same county.

His move is long distance from another country

To another language and discrimination.

I am moving a few miles further away

Planning to enjoy senior citizen free time.

I will unpack and settle into my easy life.

He is an immigrant seeking work

Hoping to make a decent living here.

Today our lives cross in passing.