Salvation ~ Saturday, July 30, 2022

It all falls apart when love goes south, we move on

try to forget years when things started, gathered speed

ask about the past, red wigglers kept in a can

left me for a stroke patient, is love just a con

like I should know, no...tried to act like nothing changed

fucked up from the start, marriage couldn't plant the seed

ask then what's the point, two people who don't like flan

little in common but our parents saw a match

like that's what matters, or hot sex, sometimes deranged

sex is good and love over the years can blossom

ask about the tears, histrionics, was she mad

probably no more than a poor, scared opossum

ask about divorce, separation made me sad

realization, paperwork signed, the real catch

then we were no more, free of each other, the past

worked, molded and cast, a sculpture nobody wants

handsome couples break their vows, move on, kick the can

even love dies twice, when all hope is lost, aghast

nothing hurt more than my reflection in windows

laughable sad sack, I saw an image that haunts

only pitiful believers in love to fan

violent heartbeats in waves on the beach and sand

each to their own faith, we all hide within shadows

given a stray cat, a tortoiseshell, I found hope

only redemption wasn't mine, I made mistakes

everyday this life challenges us as we grope

silence in the dark, none to advise, that's the breaks

suck it up, my man, you've been through worse, a backhand

or punches and kicks, why I trust next to no one

understand nothing, read between the lines, makes sense

terrified adults were just terrified children

how to find the truth, set the record straight, the sun

works without a rest but a man needs a moment

even the cat knew, knew more than me, nonsense

maybe this cat was in need of love, the cauldron

of metaphysics cannot explain this event

virtue in a cat rose up in me, I was spent

every ounce wrung out, I was my worst opponent

of course, I grew old, a tortoiseshell cat, so sweet

now seven months gone, my favorite, she was a treat

Extemporaneous ~ Friday, July 29, 2022

At a loss for words, the poet speaks off the cuff

troubled by events she witnessed at a nightclub

a murder backstage, nobody could hear the noise

loud music playing covered over his voice, gruff

off of cigar smoke, whiskey and a baritone

singing pitch, chorus since a child within the pub

soprano at first, alto, tenor, then his voice

forever now lost, a quarrel and then a fight

over in seconds, strangled to death for a phone

remember Tyrone, he was no boxer, no sound

worked its way on stage, the poet remained hidden

of course, she confessed to what she saw, her voice drowned

re-imagining the struggle, all so sudden

despite the quiet interrogation room, might

she have mistaken the details of the killer

there, backstage, was dark, she was hidden in shadows

here things get murky, everyone was dressed in white

even the man's face was a blur, a salt pillar

possibly, Lot's wife, no, she was confused, as time

obeyed other rules, distracting thoughts, black widows

enter deep inside her consciousness, to invite

the least suspicion, the capitan let her go home

suffering trauma, distress, the scene of a crime

poets connect words as ideas within a net

each time she looked back, her memory went blank, lame

accusations rose, the district attorney set

keepers to observe her movements, as if a game

should elicit her to remember, a poem

of murder and rage, she felt trapped within a cage

forgotten her words, her strange talent to describe

forgotten the scene, reenacted by police

tranquility lost, terror kept her off the stage

how she waited there, in the shadows, the concert

exactly why then was she backstage, to imbibe

cognac with the band, she appeared with the deceased

under a white lie, an all-access pass, as press

for some strange reason, she went backstage to report

for the foreign press, what she saw, under duress

Sooner or Later, We Always Forget the Past ~ Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The point of Sein is not a question to pose

how we seek meaning in order to understand

ethics in a world devoid of morality

point to animal as political, a rose

organic or not, smells as sweet on the first try

insolent poet, shelved books are ready-to-hand

nothing of the sort, genius is banality

transformed, made mundane, malicious, malevolent

order prisoners to face the truth, the blue sky

forget the armbands, the ghettos, trains and tattoos

Sein und Zeit is what, a precursor to death camps

enter fully clothed, remove all clothes, socks and shoes

institute meaning, a system of lies with stamps

nothing official, work appears impermanent

insolent poet, disrespect the dead, to face

shame within hubris, Orestes broke the chain

negate the shackles, a tradition without sense

objectively real, see my two hands, laugh braincase

tranquility drowns in an eponymous sea

attain the greatest achievement, nothing to gain

question the mission, conspiracy as defense

undermine the facts, the truth as present-at-hand

enter the Cold War, the Holocaust ends a plea

suddenly, mercy seems inappropriate, no

trust authority, what a joke, even parents

instruct their children with lies, Kant had no kids, so

obviously truth uncovers the appearance

not of arguments, the weight of a grain of sand

transparency finds no one willing to see past

obscene works of art as decadent in the eye

projecting speech acts as mirrors, a language game

once the beholder sees beyond the self to cast

sculptures exquisite as corpses, the smoke-filled sky

exit the death camp, as breath, soul, the way we came

Sarajevo ~ Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Thirteen, not a king, nor a queen, still just a kid

however, a knave at heart, a villain, a rogue

if I could not be held back by kids in high school

remember, this is only a test, al-Sayyid

turn the page, this book bores holes in my frontal lobe

each day, I look back when I was three, English brogue

entitled as fuck but then we moved, how uncool

not my lot in life, the States, a giant prison

noblesse oblige, act generous, kind, span the globe

order direction in a world without vision

trapped in precision, how could I be like others

aspects of the self, the mirror in derision

kills with broken shards impermanence my brothers

institute the truth, unseen for none arisen

nothing but the sun, work neither rises nor sets

given I'm thirteen, adolescence is my king

nothing but the moon, guardian to my garden

obscene as Shakespeare in the park with no regrets

remember Yorick, memento mori, a skull

aspects of the soul, the eternal lies, I sing

queer songs, the oilsheet smelled of piss, beg your pardon

understand the flight of angels like bats at night

elegiac tunes, mourn the beautiful dead, dull

empty gestures, float across the room in a dream

no more emperors of ice cream, sorry, my queen

sycophantic youth suck on crawfish heads, I scream

transformed, a crab boil, I melt with Baudelaire's spleen

instantaneous shock to the system, my plight

like Gregor Samsa, to die alone, or unknown

like Kafka himself, my wealth invested in rhyme

just back off, buddy, I'm thirteen and in eighth grade

understand, capeesh, sheesh, who found the boy all grown

suffer the brown skin, better than with a brown nose

turbulent jet stream, my father knows, it's your dime

aspects of weather forecasts predict if his trade

killing mosquitoes is lucrative, no one knows

if insect murder bears consequences, karma

drowns, a pool of blood, ask Franz, such was his dharma

Window on a Movie Set ~ Sunday, July 24, 2022

They had broken in. The house was across the street

honestly, from her own parent's house, where she lived

exactly why had they broken in was unclear

honestly, they were kids and kids will be kids [beat]

after they had got in through an open window

despite it being on the second floor, they gived

boredom all access to an empty house, their fear

rippled each moment, a pool table in summer

only source of fun, escapades they could follow

kiss the dream goodbye, someone came home, their escape

ended the mission, a house for sale, no one cared

no worries, move on, next project, get stoned, their scrape

in breaking the law, no big whoop, been there, she stared

no crystal ball, no...no fortune teller, bummer

Their past, their future, actions held consequences

however, privilege and entitlement get by

exactly because people like stupidity

honestly, the house was just one antic, fences

obviously meant nothing, Cali kids prevail

under the worst lies, alcoholism, blue sky

schemes to get rich fast, next to no humidity

endlessly their dreams imagined though through blocked pipes

work, their obstacle, under age, they couldn't fail

as their dreams sailed on without them, nobody cared

still they had sunshine, Disneyland and Hollywood

aspects of the lie surrounded them, no one dared

cast aspersions on their lifestyle, except the good

run dry, wells empty, a country of stars and stripes

only for how long, Cali kids in the desert

soaked up the sunshine, along the coast, at the beach

summertime dog days, sunset at the pier, the Bear

trapped in nostalgia, renovate downtown, white shirt

hung to dry with tie, stiff collars, dry cleaned and starched

ended small beach town, USA, not within reach

street urchins, not quite, dysfunctional homes, unfair

treatment, sun and surf, nothing appears what it is

realizing this, that they were constantly parched

endlessly lacking meaning, nothing understood

exactly when did she wake up, this dream, their hood

that was not the hood, laughable but that's show biz

For the Love of Oil and Pilotless Drone Warfare ~ Thursday, July 21, 2022

Muscle memory remembers twitch as motion

yesterday rats strayed, fled from the ship while at dock

Shock and awe to storm the desert, turn sand to glass

intense heat to melt white candles of devotion

secondary waves blast tectonic plates, seismic

thrusts from flanks and hips, Baghdad quakes all of Iraq

enters the struggle, overwhelmed without the brass

reserved for tactics by followers of Sun Tzu

Sinister warfare, for what reason, strategic

muscle memory, to flex the might of the sword

insanity drives leaders to believe their grief

transcends all distress, suffer a dissonant chord

euphony of bombs, explosions with no relief

sounds and a felt-sense, gestalt shapes the old one-two

Gigantic fists punch holes with rockets through the air

instantaneous, unmerciful stealth fighters

attack from Palmdale, Plant 42 for design

neurotic generals demand the best for their share

tactical pilots carpet bomb the capital

suck it up, D.C., politicians and writers

itch to make it big like the Kennedys, they pine

not for happiness but for notoriety

apple pies wave flags, jingoistic cannibal

Stung by the proud boys, shock and awe in the Senate

tickle the right keys, the ivories, white makes right

institutional racism proves a tenet

notable for lies, from Bush to Trump, faceless might

give me Socrates, his death for impiety

The Invention of the Unknown ~ Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Troubles follow orbs, from wolf to wool, fowl to flow

honor binds dim bulbs, murderers and thieves, not bright

each invalid laid to rest, yet to rise, in vain

Sinister sister inserts tritones to no-show

insist to resist, irises stir the teaspoon

singularity, insularity, changes

tomorrow to cast a wider net, with no room

every corner hides, clutter abides to rewrite

rules for residents, no horseplay without champagne

I swallow a stream and dream scents of her perfume

Never say never, meet again over the moon

ecstasy unseats, the Senate rearranges

virtue riveted to their seats, nowhere to go

excellence arrests aretḗ in its tracks, stop

reverse direction, backwards towards the river

Had I known her name, her face, her voice, I would know

against my desire, my sister passed with hard-bop

despite being born, her demise makes me shiver

An Obol for Charon ~ Friday, July 15, 2022

To reach not to grasp nor to arrive but to wait

only how long now, how long is now, a moment

reachable or not, why try again and again

each time failure found, slow down, touch her hair, her plait

as fold folds into fold follow tales of the tail

cover not the ears but the eyes, now nearly spent

how long before now, soon, never, nevermind zen

now listen for what, the circus calliope

only for how long, how long before others fail

to reach the country, which country, the other shore

train for months, for what, to run, where, how fast and when

only how far now, not far, marathon, no more

gentle, gentle now, go slow, slower still, a hen

rests atop a nest, inside a henhouse, wolves three

await silently, not a howl, nor a yawp, wait

silence, the moon red, crimson, now to get the joke

particularly cosmic, between abysses

neither time nor stars, not before nor after, fate

obeys the spoken, speak not, hear the unspoken

remain true to what, word is born, word is bond, broke

to damage the bond, withstand all analyses

order ships to sail, planes to take flight without wind

arrive not on time, not even timely, broken

ridiculed since birth, the point being to arrive

rivers confluence before the sea, swept out, dust

inside and outside, within the external drive

vitreous humor, nothing to laugh at, distrust

every supporter, word is born, word is bond, find

brotherhood in truth, invisible, the unknown

underneath the waves, the ocean, constant motion

the sea, to sail whence, but where, always on the go

to and fro, nowhere, stuck within the overgrown

objectified field, nowhere to go, but to stay

wait just a minute, why stay here with no ocean

absolutely stuck, no exit, a dead end, slow

in the head, screwy but methodical, to think

the stars overhead, to navigate matters grey

only how long now, exile, banishment, reprieve

nowhere to be found, the governor doesn't care

little does it take, a fulcrum shift to retrieve

yesterday again, again and again, the fare

how an obol sits atop the tongue once so pink

obol for Charon, the ferryman of dead souls

wicked, innocent, no matter, the dead are dead

linger here a while, but this place, so cold and dark

only how long now, that strange noise called singing bowls

nothing but stardust, trillions of years pass, no light

gentle now gentle, turn up the heat, eat flatbread

now shut up and drink, forget the past, lose the spark

only for how long, eternity lasts how long

wonders never cease, wake up, wake up, empty night

how long, until when, timelessness without release

only for how long, repeat the sequence again

wait just a minute, how many times with no peace

little else is known, well-placed mirrors, to refrain

only for a while, a moment, to hear a gong

no escape, just drugs to destroy body and mind

guaranteed twelve years, maximum, all is over

indeed forgotten by most, a few remember

sitting in a bank, on marble floors, sacks to blind

no bank robbery, a ruse, some other reason

only how long now, at the bus stop, recover

what was lost last night, a wallet in the embers

articulate joy, a barbaric yawp, a howl

moment by moment, start again, a new season

objectified field, baseball diamond, clean-cut grass

missing from the pitch, interpretation, crickets

each blade has meaning in the sunshine, for to pass

not just once but twice through all of time, two tickets

ten trillion years, poof, to return with such a scowl

Augmented Fourths ~ Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Are we not worn out by fatigue and love and work

Rest is for the dead, for the wicked, the devil

Even the living must sleep but for a moment

Work for idle hands, in the workshop, children smirk

Even the devil must rest and sleep for three days

Nothing makes much sense, nothing is on the level

Only the eyes see what they believe, a stick bent

Trouble is the truth, it contradicts what is seen

Water everywhere, the devil accepts the praise

Object to Descartes, for to disavow genius

Recognize the face in the mirror as other

Never let water to become arsenious

Other than mother, the poison is my brother

Ugly to grow up in a maze, labyrinthine

Trapped inside my brain, how could I know, I was stuck

But who gives a fuck, a child destroyed, the soul dies

Yesterday, I woke in Bombay as yet unborn

Form is emptiness, inconceivable, my luck

Atrocious, this world, forgive and forget, move on

Tired of fruitless love, children, spoiled brats, full of lies

Ingenious ingrates, I describe myself with scorn

Generosity for the poverty-stricken

Understanding warps the fun house mirrors, bygone

Everyone lets go in their own good time, my crime

Ancestry noble or depraved, mediocre

Nibble on my ear, tell me you love me, my prime

Diminished fifths play the tritone, sulfur, ochre

Leach in the water, the devil cries, grief-stricken

Only the devil remembers his angel face

Vengeance is not mine but nemesis for God sets

Equal the balance, what a joke, should I believe

Argue pro or con, nonplussed, I live without grace

Never without faith but not in the Church of Lies

Despite the cards thrown on the table, place your bets

Worried about death, the Afterlife, I take leave

Our metaphysics is uncertain, do we know

Remarkable lives step in the river, sunrise

Keeps time in motion, remembers to let love grow

Nemesis ~ Sunday, July 3, 2022

Is there anything in this life worth living for

sacrifice is not an option, the point is time

thieves the best decades with stupidity and growth

hitch on negligence, violence and so much more

each celebration, an inane gesture of hope

ridiculous faith in blind corners, it's your dime

even a phone booth for Superman makes me loath

as I must admit high crimes and misdemeanors

nothing grandiose but at the end of my rope

yes, I may ask you why I could never be free

the land of the free made me prisoner of work

how I must escape exile from reality

if you don't get it, dear reader, a soda jerk

not only looked back to catch my eyes, the cleaners

guaranteed to hang dirty laundry out to dry

initiated charges to press against me

nothing more than lies and calumny, or slander

to wring out the truth, a recipe for stir fry

how woke is a wok, only the chef feels the heat

if I ask again, why am I in this city

still not another, to whom must I now pander

left to suck and fuck like a prostitute, my pimp

is God Almighty, blasphemy you say, get beat

for the dog from Hell, or Hades, Cerberus barks

each of his three heads, gnashing and growling, I dare

worry that he is underfed, my dead soul sparks

obvious debate, but I'm still alive, oh Claire

remember Japan, konnichi wa, left me limp

treasure our friendship, a moment lost, the wind blows

how my eyes rolled back, you watched, you mischievous minx

living is dying slowly like the little death

if the French were right, we wait while the river flows

vindicated, cleared and set free where I reside

in a prison cell, solitary, sings the jynx

nothing but this hell, I pet Cerberus, the breadth

given for a tank at Tiananmen Square, bet

forget the future, the ghost of the clam is bride

or groom, transgender, since three years old, I died, fact

remember brother, as you burn in Hell, no sweat

The Paradox of the Arrow of Time ~ Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Forty years ago, I turned thirteen years of age

of course, no one says "of age" anymore but "old"

really, I feel old today, forty years later

truly relative, at ninety-three, will this rage

yet to imagine, hormones disappear with age

yes, that word, again but not the same phrase, to fold

exit this cold world, where no one is kind, greater

acts of decency occur but justice is blind

recently, I woke to find myself in a cage

stranger things happen, I am not concerned, for here

am I no longer there, always pushing forward

greater things occur, though I must not live in fear

or disappointment, and I must not seek reward

I must remain sage, for wisdom reflects the mind

Teenage dreams smeared red in a punk band in high school

under all the stress, I could never understand

rebellion made sense, a way to cope with sorrow

not until later, when the infinity pool

emerged in my mind, I woke up to reflection

down the rabbit hole, after we broke up the band

thirteen to nineteen, my life had become hollow

how the lyrics spoke to how I felt as a child

inside, hollow hills, hollow inside, trisection

resolve the challenge, a geometric angle

try to fail better, butcher the master playwright

even then I wrote, poetry helped untangle

everyday events, trapped in my head, lid on tight

no one knew why I went from wild to quite mild

years become decades, the wheel of karma joy ride

eventually drugs made me seek out where the truth

actually hid, I found Buddha and meetings

really, my mind hid from everyone, when I hide

speech stops in my brain, actively, I was silent

of course, I wanted to talk but I was a sleuth

figure out puzzle, slow, methodical, greetings

as I learned to think, logic cleared the violent

generated thoughts, I accepted I was strange

even though I try, un ange won't rhyme with orange

Obstacles Block Mindfulness ~ Monday, June 27, 2022

I am unaware of what it means to be Black

give me a moment to collect my thoughts, to speak

nobly of noble people, those I know and love

of course, I'm a fool, as a poet, I talk smack

rant about nothing but people being held back

as if by the man but actually by those weak

niggardly forces, money in a leather glove

tightly gripped, released only when the time is right

Nations rise and fall, the Roman Empire was whack

as who can make sense of its history, its schemes

turns of events, strange but true to their avarice

if I am confused about our nation, our dreams

of course, set me straight, if I fly like Icarus

nowhere to safety but towards the sun, alright

Bottoms Up! ~ Saturday, June 25, 2022

Foreign in a land of unread books on a shelf

Légion est mon nom, plusieurs, la fleur de sel

Evolve, in a word, draw water to overcome

Sonnez les grosses cloches, les étagères à livres

Read until words bleed on the page as letters blur

Une femme sans vertu pour retrouver l'homme perdu

Obtain with a sieve where a lost man cannot go

Yeux bleus comme la femme, un vol à Paris-Orly

Kiss the girls goodbye, make them cry, the world is sick

Cauchemar sous le lit, là-dessous, où est le duc

Underneath the bed, hides a prince without virtù

Frelon brun, tout de suite, chaque ligne, un changement de clef

Original songs of public-domain make do

Guignol ne sait pas parce qu'il n'entend que du sang

Election Day ~ Friday, June 24, 2022

Time to vote again. Vote early and vote often

if to be on time meant something in this country

may I vote against my co-workers who arrive

especially late to work as is their fashion

to bad mouth the tribe is a joke inside a joke

of course they are Black and with a capital B

virtue is a joke, to work is a joke, the hive

often fails on time but their failure arrives late

to vote against Black, one accepts the tribe is broke

especially broke with their dim bulbs and dull blades

accept the broken with the young, gifted and Black

gifted, sharp and bright, this portion of the tribe fades

accept the hidden along with those who talk smack

industry: a joke, a joke within a joke, great

nobody works here but rejects, lifetime failures

virtue is unknown but the virtual is real

only cyberspace is a quick game for dimwits

the bulb isn't bright, how and why this world endures

especially now with climate change in the works

especially since no one thinks it's a big deal

arguments arise in Congressional panels

read politicians and lobbyists stonewalling

legislation since the 70s as the perks

yes, the benefits don't benefit lobbyists

accept the mindless with the dim and dull, regress

neither to the past where women wear bobby socks

drunken with clenched fists, the foresight of our Congress

victory declared by Dubya, the world stalling

only to declare Mission Accomplished, halfwits

technically brilliant, subtle to ignore crises

especially when the world is on fire, not yet

ongoing crises, inflation, climbing prices

forget the markets, fill up a tank of gas, bet

time waits for no one, if I quit, the little shits

especially late, take charge of the reins, all good

no one cares, no one minds job loss within the hood

The Last King of the Konkani People ~ Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Fake Ass Friends ain't hard to find, we're ubiquitous

Ask anyone, yeah? People pretend to be friends

Kiss and make up, nah? At work, at school, on the street

Even at the crib . . . Babies, so iniquitous

Ask me a question, I'll tell you no lies. I lie

Simply to test love. Faithlessness, she who defends

Shiftless while neutral people, no fear but defeat

For fuck's sake, the point? Moot yet again, pointless lives

Remind me to leave, to walk away, I may cry

Indeed, who sheds tears over people who don't care

Ever so worthless, dissimulation at best

Never trust pretense, root out truffles like a bear

Despite a pig's nose, some trotters are left at rest

Shank me in prison, this life of the mind, all knives

Access the mirror, for the self is all that counts

If I insult you, the mirror says it's not true

Not true about you but about myself, my thoughts

Thoughts as opinions, worthless as Franklin amounts

Historically, nah? Cash rules . . . the mirror still speaks

As if you don't care, you're feelings hurt, you feel blue

Ricochet bullets, unintended, the red dots

Despite their speed, missed. Such velocity careens

Tragically, a child, hospitalized for twelve weeks

Objective Zero . . . Collateral Damage . . . Not Good

For fuck's sake, who needs Fake Ass Friends who miss

If the child dies, then . . . murder hides out in the hood

Nowhere else to go. Can't go out. As snakes will hiss

Damn near stuck inside. Everyone knows, movie screens

Welcome to the past, when life was easy, money

Equal to wages, never worked a day, triggers

Remember those days, on bikes or backseats of cars

Everyday waiting . . . to grow taller, some honey

Underneath my chest, breathing hard on the grass, kiss

Bites my neck, her pawn, like a queen but gold diggers

In my face, honey, she makes new friends in the bars

Quit the rat race, yeah? Never had a chance, held down

Under my breath, words . . . escape, they reflect my bliss

If only honey, but the dripper loves to feed

Take a break, let go, let the past remain the past

Only honey speaks inside my mind full of greed

Underneath my chest, a moment, nothing can last

See, when the kid died, so did I, without my crown

What We Don't Talk about When We Don't Talk about the Family to Others ~ Sunday, June 19, 2022

Walter Lusio, my dad, suffered as a child

having lost his dad, an older man with three kids

a young wife widowed in Nairobi, Kenya, there

there, my dear Mumma, we weren't born yet, free and wild

We being us two, my older brother and me

except, I don't count, after being on the skids

Don't make excuses, my brother, he doesn't care

of course, about dad, his best friend until he died

nobody denies Terence was dad's favorite, see

talk about privilege and entitlement, first born

To see the Rolex go to my brother, say less

alcoholics stick together, ever forlorn

likelihood unknown as to cause or reason, guess

kin will stick to kin, I never fit in, to hide

aspects of the truth, under rugs, behind closed doors

because a disease destroys families from within

obey the house rules until you have your own house

understand nothing, context and perspective floors

the grounded nature of hindsight in reflection

We don't talk about the family to others, sin

however you want but never betray a louse

even if a mouse or rat carried the plague, fleas

never were to blame, The Very Reverend John Donne

Well known for "The Flea", Donne blamed neither mouse nor rat

even his brother died of the bubonic plague

Don't talk, don't trust, and don't feel as if a cat

overly feral in a home had the ague

not malaria but from eggshells, ill at ease

the alcoholics faced no consequences but death

To talk, trust, or feel came easily to the brutes

as a sensitive, observant child, I was not

liked by my parents, I could never hold my breath

kiss the world goodbye, in hope of love, an outcast

a pariah, still, I don't go home to my roots

but I wait my turn for my brother to die, caught

off-guard, off-balance, Koyaanisqatsi, this life

understood as lies, as an actor is miscast

the disillusion comes after years of seeking

truth for delusion, alcoholism, the games

how my parents played by their rules, I was freaking

eighteen, lost my mind, starving myself in the flames

Fire burn off the dross, the excess, I found a wife

and lost to divorce, twenties, thirties, forties gone

maybe at fifty, I no longer cared at all

illness is sickness, I was sick of being sick

literally mad, angry at their inane con

yet, we never talk to others about the rules

terrible to live like this for so long, the fall

of Adam and Eve was nothing to this farce, Kick

Out the Jams, Mother Fuckers, I won't sing the Blues

tragedy is real, the only thing taught in schools

how playground bullies make no one talk, trust or feel

end analogy, a house of bullies, no home

remember to breathe, the eternal return, peel

slowly and see, art recognizes the sea foam

I witness Venus, naked and must pay my dues

Bilge Blather ~ Thursday, June 16, 2022

Burn in lame game each burn leaves a thread, heaves edge rust

Reach in game hand test, rise up best by ice sheet heat

At rise give up each, give age, rank, but at game edge

Note in game hand test, words aim time crime how each risk

Drives rust edge at most, down, right in vine, each line short

If game leaves out orbs, game leaves out words in no gleam

Swim west, each lap lane ships help in view, each ripe sedge

Helps out old edge, yes, hold on gleam, wait as sedge heaves

Words reach in sedge trove, if not jive, up... root... yard

Each vine, each ripe, yet true rung in vine if at last

Art not grant leave each, ask not, give up, let art rot

Praise art, still, take each praise as praise, ask vine, each rest

Odd rhyme, dust, each rest, twist wrist, ask dust, does loop eat

Not orbs, burn like each, dust rests in bowls, burns loose eaves

Sober Sobbing ~ Thursday, June 16, 2022

Drag in real terms, yes, sets time right as night grind ends

As light orb nears each, sight eyes search space in out-nerve

Noise ears age reach stage, show prey each change in arc last

Curls urge rest lest sick, strange to ask rank lest age bends

Ebbs most odd to ear, false lost orbs aid trance ends rage

Real eels stalk trace stakes, float light on weeds, edge reeds swerve

Drown rest orbs with night, swish trains aid roast larks, alms blast

Aim near ghosts each lapse, shoot true roots ask no ghost eyes

No orbs blast left eye, swear in sweat, treat each right sage

Ground ice vents each nose, dry rye ice vents each rose scent

Each drop grows each space, not out where hues edge real ewes

Rest orbs, yes, aim light, chords heave each deep dank age rent

Tank rage ebbs at truth, stage trains at reeds, last asp blues

Arc rests, ghosts urge eggs, up please, wait, as reeds doubt spies

Noise ebbs, vents each rise, so oil boils each rise like yes

Grind rest eyes each night, graze or blaze leaves in neat sheets

Oil reeds dose each rest, cast help as orbs take in cheats

Such oil bleeds each reed, such oil bleeds blue if nerves guess

Get Me Out of Here ~ Tuesday, June 7, 2022

I've known booksellers (but not in that way, eww gross)

vicious with their jokes, their culture, their lack of tact

even if I laugh, with them, hanging out's no fun

kill me, their hang-ups, their humor far too morose

not that they get out, see sunlight, walk in the park

only in the shade, under an ash tree, in fact

wonders never cease, I find them reading, the sun

needles their pale skin, of European descent

boredom to describe, but what is the point, a mark

on the bridge, each nose, signifies their readership

or their spectacles, reading glasses, what a bore

kill me, somebody, they drink wine at such a clip

say, who can keep pace, they fall asleep, then they snore

even take offense at meatballs, not to frequent

literary types too frequently in person

like they like to hide inside a computer screen

exactly as if their imagination fit

really, really well hidden in fits that worsen

sitting there for hours, as if in meditation

burning with desire to write a novel, obscene

under some standards, why not go to a bar, sit

talk to anyone who frequents their bartender

nope, nose in a book, searching for ideas, nations

order nuclear first-strike capability

taunting their neighbors, but the bookseller won't know

if, by chance, they read the news, their facility

not to use the theme in a short story may grow

tremendously, if they can see past the splendor

(heaven knows, the end) of our annihilation

annihilation, five syllables, twelve letters

total destruction, wait let's go back to the bar

whiskey on the rocks, no neat, that's better, ration

amounts of liquid based on the flow of the crowd

yellow, too yellow to chat about what, sweaters

especially if the weather permits, bizarre

weather, Chicago, cold even in June, they wear

warm-up track outfits with brand names as if they're proud

give me a break, please, so bored with the USA

really, can I leave and never come back, the blues

obeys a blackguard, a scoundrel, a Hemingway

save the bookseller from wasting their lives, the news

sends word of missiles launched in East Asia, I swear