NOT MAJOR HOOPLES BOARDING HOUSE:

I just returned from a long mostly silent journey.
To discover I just inherited a twelve-room house.
It feels vaguely like the last house. 
But don’t ask me its location.
Exterior needs a little paint but don’t they all.
Remodeling seems to be a work in progress, just like so many of my paintings.
There are tenants occupying most of the rooms.
But even those that are currently empty one often hears the whispers of the past.
It’s rumored that Tiny Tim produced his best music in room number three.
The Venus room looks wonderful, but Saturn has done the decorating.
Surya shines bright and bold, but I find it too hot…Jim Morrison felt the same way.
A hell of a fight breaks out in room number six, Mars breaks a window or two.
The Moon is milky sweet but is afraid of Rahu’s shadow.
That snake scares me too.
Why oh why did they decide to be roommates!
Mercury is fast but sometimes outruns himself and forgets to lock the door.
Jupiter is gracious and our guiding light, watching over everyone like a sleepy owl.
In time they all will transit to other rooms.
Google maps says follow the neon sign shouting Color TV and Free Coffee!
Damage deposits and thirty days’ notice required.

SHADOWS:								

My dear departed wife collected dolls.

I am now collecting shadows.

Storage is not a problem.

This collection is not for sale.

I normally don’t play favorites but this one has all my attention.

Its exact location is hard to pinpoint.

Google maps does not help.

It often appears under a passing cloud or nestled beside me in the warmth of my shadow.

Often it shows up in a dream, wearing a blond wig and a t-shirt that says I love Cairn Terriers.

I even wrote a long and beautiful love letter to it, but it was too long and too beautiful.

Now it’s gone AWOL… was it stolen or just a runaway?

Is there an app for this?

Searching Frantically!

I might put on a milk carton… Have You Seen  Me?

My friend Jenny collects sentences.

Frankie Laufer is an oil painter and writer living in Walla Walla, WA. His paintings have been shown in both the SF Bay area and Eastern Washington state. His poems have recently appeared on Piker Press.

The expressive nature of both painting and writings creates the possibility of rediscovering lost or forgotten feelings and the possibility of new discovery.