four molecules

adenine

thymine

guanine

cytosine

four molecules

that's all

just four

repeated in

infinite combinations

four molecules

joined together

forming two helixes

that interlock

and form the basis

for life

how can this be?

how can everything depend

on just

four molecules?

©2009-Art Belliveau

black holes

In the heart of
the Milky Way Galaxy
lies a gigantic
black hole
created by
a collapsing star
heavy
and sucking
all the light away
forever

In the heart of
my body
lies a gigantic
black hole
created by
a collapsing love
heavy
and sucking
all the light away
forever

©2009-Art Belliveau

Be Your Self

It's more than okay to be your self,
Sometimes it's even thrilly.
So be original, be creative,
And never fear looking silly.

©2009-Art Belliveau

Chase

I'll run,
And hide,
And run some more--
And then pick up the pace.
I bet that Momma's sorry now
She went and named me Chase!


©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 10/28/09

the warmth of the sun
combines with gentle breezes
the perfect combo

©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 10/27/09

drenching rain persists
if this keeps up I'll have to
look for gopher wood

©2009-Art Belliveau

ebb tide

ebb tide

slowly the passions recede
exposing reason and clarity
the tide inexorably moving out
for now
but soon
the tide will rise again
perhaps in tsunami strength
and what will we do then?

©2009-Art Belliveau

harsh

harsh

more devastating
than
your harshest word
is
your silence

more painful
than
your hardest blow
is
your absence

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/24/09

the temperature drops
the night is longer than day
yet i'm still sleepless

©2009-Art Belliveau

night music

attempting to sleep
sick
and exhausted
loud music
keeps me awake
as the neighbors insist
on sharing their tunes
with
the whole wide world
the beat is strong
rock and roll
lives on
but
could it maybe wait
until tomorrow?

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/22/09

trav'ling through a fog
even though the day is clear--
damn these allergies!

©2009-Art Belliveau

resurrection

i lay buried
in the daily grind
of day to day existence
zombie-ing back and forth
completing my assigned tasks
doing what needs to be done
as if from miles away

and then your touch
brings me back
to life

©2009-Art Belliveau

before you

before you
i thought i knew
what love was all about
i had experienced it
i had lived it
i had it down pat

but then you arrived
and from the first glimpse of you
when you looked into my eyes
when i held you tightly to me
i knew i was wrong

i felt the other half
of my heart
blossom open in the light
of your love

six years so far
and it has only gotten better
as i watch you grow
see you develop into
your own person
from the tiny baby
who taught this old man
what love really is

©2009-Art Belliveau

extraordinary

sitting together in a car
driving nowhere in particular
hanging out in the house
doing the cleaning together
you dealing mockingly
with my grumpiness
at the necessity of it
going out to a nice dinner
after seeing a movie
holding hands
while taking a walk
watching tv
reading books together
the mundane
the ordinary
there is a magic there
a growing together
that i want to experience with you
forever

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/18/09

a beautiful day
combined with a sick stomach
sort of cancels out

©2009-Art Belliveau

haiku 10/17/09

first cold day arrives
Alabama October
it won't last for long

©2009-Art Belliveau

what a difference

what a difference
the old cliche goes
a day makes

and
worst of all
it is correct

i hate it when cliches do that

to go from one emotional extreme
to the other
to go from the wightless joy of free fall
to the crushing depths of the deep dark
in less than 24 hours

so hard to breathe
hard to move
hard to be heard through
the darkness around me

please God--let tomorrow
be different

again

©2009-Art Belliveau

he came back again 10/15/09

he came back again
just like he promised
but when he spoke
he didn;t say the things
they expected him to say
even though he and letterman
had a lot of laughs
(and wasn’t Leno jealous?)
he didn’t validate their prejudices
he didn’t say that
not only was what they felt right
it was righteous
so they tuned him out
he couldn’t get get booked
on anymore talk shows
so he wandered the streets
homeless
penniless
his heart full as he talked
to others like him
and told them his ideas
and helped them
however he could
finally back at home again
with the people he knew best

©2009-Art Belliveau

Telling the Truth

Tellling the truth
Takes no skill
Open your mouth
And let out what you will
The chips may fall
(And fall on you)
But being honest
Is the best thing to do.

©2009-Art Belliveau

Nebulous Connections

Nebulous Connections

nebulae
giant clouds of
floating cosmic dust
in time
the individual particles of dust
will be pulled together
through the magic of gravity's
mutual attraction
they will come closer
and closer
and coalesce into
a new star
burning hot and bright
for all to see

two individuals
floating through life
amid giant crowds
of the earth's population
in time
these two
will be pulled together
through the magic of their personalities'
mutual attraction
they will come closer
and closer
and join together
to become one
a new life
burning hot and bright
for all to see

©2009-Art Belliveau

the years go by

the years go by
and the calendar says
each one is the same length
but
from my point of view
each one shorter than the last
could both measures be right?

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/11/09

even on Sunday
run from one thing to the next
where's the time to rest?

©2009-Art Belliveau

A Day in the Life 10/10/09

A Day in the Life

Wake up late and rush about
Head to work today without
Taking time to think or pray
It's another busy day

First block starts and I'm not there
I'm dropping off Molly, but I'm aware
The school day started without me
So many places I need to be

I get to school, to class, to start
Grading papers, trying not to lose heart
Checking my email, preparing to teach
Being caught up always just out of reach

The bell goes off as first block ends
All the work left ungraded nearly sends
Me into a panic, but I've no time for that
It's time to wear my instructor's hat

I push, I pull, I motivate
Put out fires that just can't wait
Running around like a cat on fire
Blood sugar lower, blood pressure higher

It often seems they just don't care
And that we're not getting anywhere
I deeply hope that I'm not right
And I keep on struggling-keep up the fight

In what seems like minutes and nothing more
The bell again rings and they're out the door
Third block enters--it's their turn now
I'll do better this block, I vow

It seems we've barely gotten a start
When the lunch bell rings and they depart
My time sense must be greatly wrong--
A class can't be less than five minutes long

I open my lunchbox, start to eat
The bell goes off--time for fourth block to meet
They all come in, sit down, and then
The last bell rings--the day's at an end

Somehow in classes that went by in a blink
I've new piles to grade but still I think
I'll take a minute to unwind and to rest
Today has surely been a test

I check the time and get a shock
I start to hate that stupid clock
I've barely had time to stretch and yawn
Yet somehow two hours have come and gone

I run and get Molly, we go eat at BK
We still aren't done with this busy day
We head for karate--she has a class--
While she blocks and kicks, I grade one more set real fast

Then home and homework and bath and snack
I read to her, she reads to me back
She falls asleep and I chat with my wife
For just a few minutes relief from the strife

She heads for bed (she's smarter than me)
I sit on the couch and watch news on TV
I open the computer and go online
Play games and chat and try to unwind

I blink my eyes twice and it's past midnight
The freaking clock just can't be right
I head for bed and just plain pass out
Then wake up late and rush about...


©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/09/09

i love tomorrow
so fresh and full of promise
not unlike today

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/08/09

another morning
get out of bed, go to work
make a difference

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/07/09

waiting all my life
hoping it will someday start
so much time wasted

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/06/09

hamster in a wheel
solving the same damn problems
ev’ry single day

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/05/09

a tide of sewage
rising up and drowning me
no more nightly news

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/04/09

you’re like a puzzle
i find myself intrigued with
the final picture

©2009-Art Belliveau

Surprise? 10/03/09

“You mean we have a test today?”
Several kids, in wonder, say.
“You didn’t tell us! We didn’t know!”
Oh my, how they put on a show.
It’s been up there on the board all week,
For anyone who cared to take a peek.
But they try to convince me that to them this is news.
And now on to the test, while they feel the blues.

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/02/09

i hear blood thunder
temple veins throb painfully
another headache

©2009-Art Belliveau

senryu 10/01/09

a moment of ire
let loose rather than controlled--
how much harm was done?

©2009-Art Belliveau