Dave Kiffer - Alaskan Poet, Historian, Humorist

  FIFTY SIX YEARS   (Copyright 2015 by Dave Kiffer)   Fifty six years is not much Geologically, not enough To carve a river in a plain, Not enough to evolve a bird From a flightless lizard, It is barely enough to turn A pond into a marsh, or to Grow a tree from a seedling   And yet, that is the time which You have always been there, Standing tall, rooted against The October storms that have Shook, bending us back against Our always protruding selves Where you were always going To inhabit the present tense   And so it has been a month Since you rattled off ahead Once again clearing the path Once again moving forward Once again breaking trail Across that relentless muskeg, That darkening field where Nothing is solid to the touch   I stand here waiting, not sure If it is safe, if it is prudent To follow your fading steps, This is no fairy tale, there are No flavored bread crumbs, There is no blank check To cache along side the bank of this river char...

  SPEAKING ILL   (copyright 2014, by Dave Kiffer)    You wouldn’t have been so crass  To have patted the empty seat  And beckoned me to sit, alas  We were more subtle in our treat.   We had to find the right moments  To sidle together and share info  That I was always first to sense  And you were first to want to know.    Such dirt was always so slyly groomed  The subjects of our gossip clearly doomed    

  RELATIVE TIME   (Copyright 2022, by Dave Kiffer)   My uncle Who told me many things That may or may not Have been true, Once told me to imagine That life was a day And that each hour Was three years.   He died at 6 pm. His wife died at 7:45. A cousin died at 3 pm But this assumed a life Of about 72 years And most everyone else Is long past that, Which adds more years To the day.   Even though my uncle Always said there Were never enough Time in the day.

  ROOM 410   (Copyright 2022, by Dave Kiffer)   I never saw my father grow old, Even though he certainly was.   But his hair was only thinning And his skin was still ruddy.   Which is why I now see my grandfather Looking back from the mirror.   The watery eyes, a 3 am beard More snow, than shadow.   The cheeks hanging, Uncertainly.   Not sure how farther They have to go.

  THE WALLED GARDENS   (Copyright 2022, by Dave Kiffer)   It was a friendly town Where people would greet you In the line at the take away Whether they knew you, or not.   They would smile and hoist one When you came into the pub And nod as you passed While cracking on to the Gaff.   But they never called you to come over. The walled gardens were always there. Not to keep the predators at bay, But to keep the fears inside.

  " Not So Dirty Dancing Days" Recently one of my friends reminded me of that time honored tradition, having to square dance in elementary/junior high school. Looking back, I'm not sure there was anyone in my sixth-grade class in Houghtaling Elementary School really wanted to square dance. Our teachers. of course, couched it as "physical exercise." But we knew better. It was all part of the " so cialization" process. Prior to about fourth grade or so , there wasn't much difference between boys and girls. Sure, so me girls did really girly things and so me boys tried desperately to be "he men. " But for the most part, kids were kids. Now, of course, fourth graders are about as "mature" as high school seniors were in my day. Which is to say, not really that mature in the grand scheme of things. But they are expected to be able to file taxes, drive a car and operate the TV unsupervised. In my day (t...

  Better Living Through Chemicals     Now that I have survived another "circle round the sun" as some people refer to birthdays, it's time to take stock once again.    I've often thought "circle round the sun" was one of those odd little cliches. While it is true that I - and some 7 billion other people - are indeed "circling round the sun" it seems an odd way to describe such a passive journey.    To say I am "circling round the sun" makes it sound like I am the hero in some grand adventure, say riding the "solar winds" in a three-masted Caravel shouting "argh" and "aye matey" into space.     In reality, I am just a passenger on what amounts to a giant cruise ship sailing through the heavens, trying not to contract a virus while at the same time supping endlessly at the midnight buffet table. But I did not choose this trip, nor do I have any real influence over it. So, my actions a...

  SOUTHEAST LOG 4-30-22 Remains found, project delayed HAINES - Work on a section of the Haines Highway project has been halted after the discovery of possible human remains. Officials say they are consulting with local tribes on the situation. THE CHILKAT VALLEY NEWS Masks back #1 SKAGWAY - A jump in COVID cases amongst students and staff has brought masks back out at the Skagway school. Officials will reassess the situation in the next week. THE SKAGWAY NEWS Hatchery reopens to public   JUNEAU - Douglas Island Pink and Chum Inc is reopening the Macauley Salmon Hathery to the public for the first time in two years. The facility had more than 90,000 visitors in 2019. THE JUNEAU EMPIRE Papke's Landing improvements planned PETERSBURG - There is a plan to make significant changes to Papke's Landing. Being considered are a new boat ramp, a new float dock and expanded parking. THE PETERSBURG PILOT Boatyard business booming WRANGELL - The ...

  SOUTHEAST LOG 4-23-22 Flood season coming    WHITEHORSE - With warmer weather coming, flood season is also nearing. Officials say that eight of the 11 area mountain basins have the highest snowpacks ever recorded and that the other three are also well above normal. The runoff that is created will have to go somewhere. THE WHITEHORSE DAILY STAR    Kitkatla triumphs    PRINCE RUPERT - Kitkatla won its third senior title in the past four years at the All Native Basketball Tournament. It defeated Metlakatla (the Alaska one) 85-70 in the finale. THE PRINCE RUPERT NORTHERN VIEW    Dyea road still bumpy    SKAGWAY - The Dyea road has finally been "graded" to remove some of the potholes. But residents say the grading is not getting an "A" grade. THE SKAGWAY NEWS    Open fires doused    TERRACE - Open fires are banned in the region for the foreseeable future. The ban is to prevent wildfires from starting. T...