Elephants Wept ~ Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Real-cool to red-hot
each word of rhetoric blows
a wind cool-fire-blue
listen to their plot

cool to the touch, absolute
oval, the plot plows
over where tusks grew
listen to their memories

tusks sell ivory
objects of glory

remember not to salute
each dictator born
despite the graveyard

hold on to the truth, the scorn
of the dead and scarred
trust in our trophies

Guerrilla Communication ~ Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Vanilla cupcakes
awaken as gorillas
needing to argue
if they get the shakes
leave gorillas well alone
leave bland vanillas
angling all askew

creative slant proves no point
unless for a bone
puppies act all sweet
crackheads never had a choice
all whitewashed, the beat
kids all have a voice
even though they smoke a joint
smoke shows who be fakes

Toast ~ Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Two slices of bread
warmed lightly in the toaster
of course, I am sick

stomach flu, in bed
love is two slices of toast
if on a coaster
caution: did we click
even after fourteen years
say less, lest I boast

of course, I love you
for that is all I can say

bed to bathroom, flu
resides here to stay
even after all the tears
an old man can cry
disappear and say goodbye

Zest ~ Sunday, February 18, 2024

This poem I write
how can I tell you, I feel
insane in my brain
silently, despite

people, all the time, around
orange peel, I steal
every drink you drain
maybe because I love you

I can feel the ground

wobble, like a quake
remember the SoCal rules
if you bake a cake
take some to the fools
everyone knows you're my boo

Crepuscular ~ Friday, February 16, 2024

I draw in the sand

designs of beauty and grace
ready for the waves
as if brain to hand
washes away without a trace

images time saves
neatly in the bank

thoughts disappear within art
how once the sun sank
even in the dark

slippery when wet, now gone
ask me when I start
nothing but a lark
dusk, nothing lost, nothing won

Quicklime ~ Friday, February 16, 2024

I give up on dreams

give up on success, on hope
if say, at my age
visions of dry streams
environmental neglect

understand the rope
pulls my fiercest rage

onto the soft earth to sleep
needless, weak defect

designed to do what
reasonable blanks cannot
end the painful cut
answer the onslaught
merely without a trace, sweep
sense beyond the screams

ΛCDM ~ Thursday, February 15, 2024

I will never be

winner of the Nobel Prize
if the stars shine down
leave a gift for me
let it be a big surprise

not just a let down
even though the stars
virtually don't exist
except inside bars
reason is sexist

but with you, I won't argue
except when I'm blue

A Penny for Your Thoughts ~ Sunday, February 11, 2024

What did I do wrong to deserve this life
how many times have you asked yourself this
a question that questions your past actions
this hard scrabble world creates lives of strife

does all this struggle, stress and hard labor
indeed improve integrity, remiss
duty requires compliance, factions

I insist, work to bend the rules to win

demonstrate to others, cut with sabre
objects within reach, the power to harm

works to our advantage as a false threat
reach deep within, you will find, not to charm
on many levels, works better than sweat
noticed from fear, anxiety, the sin
given from birth is washed away by tears

tear me apart, limb from limb, do I care
of course, pain is unequal to pleasure

drives in character push away the fears
each day, day by day, but for years, decades
serve the masters their due, receive your share
each day, you see others seek out treasure
reach deep within, you will find, your own gold
vision is key, as is patience, life fades
each day as memories hide from the eyes

take a moment to breathe, to grow, allow
history an obol, in its mouth, lies
invented to enchant even a cow
suffer other's wickedness, remain bold

life is for celebration, enjoyment
if to live so long and never to kiss
for sooth, what do you seek as attractions
each day, consider how your light is spent

Utter Failure as a Poet Day ~ Sunday, February 11, 2024

U
tell me the
truth
even if it's a lie
really, it's okay

Failure
as a poet
is pathetic
licensed as poetic
under ™ as ®
read trademark as registered trademark
even if you don't get it

as many of us don't get it
sex that is

a try hard wanna-be

Poet
omg what does that mean
even if you wake up in
the middle of a

Dream
as to write/recite this poem
yes, you fail but not as a poet

Object of the Game ~ Wednesday, February 7, 2024

In five billion years
nothing today will matter

for the sun will die
if so many tears
virtually make their way
each cheek grows fatter

bless your hearts, the sky
insane, in fact, as it sounds
leaves not much to say
lets galaxies merge
in a slow process, they mesh
only to converge
nothing new, more trash

yet, to deal with, on what grounds
even space rubbish
as a form of art
resists emotions, how smart
save the whales, go fish

Lacrimosa ~ Wednesday, January 24, 2024

God, where did I leave my keys, I believe
oblivion lived on dreams, reams of paper tigers, streams
drain to the ocean with no emotion

where, my upper sleeve, in order to grieve
help me cry a thousand tears, one a day, less than three years
even if the seams in my jeans break, teams
repair the notion of torn, a potion
even Anya wouldn't drink, Wonderland, boy, did it stink

did I make your ears burn, God, all the fears
in the world, I pray away, yesterday
did you imagine my lack of faith was real, just a craic

I forgot today was Wednesday, they say

limits turn you back, don't forget the smack
even if the ballpoint ink runs dry, my tongue licks the pink
artichoke of hope, feathers, just a trope
visions of black plums, stuck between my gums
even if Emily met Anya, your death is my debt

murdered yourself, dope, in the dark, I grope
yet, I cannot feel memories, I steal

kisses, you, when the time comes, in your coffin, goodbye, chums
even your lips, [beat], bet the world you forget
yesterday, you died but I had not cried
still, on my dad's reel-to-reel player, I listened to peel

I tasted your juice, fresh-squeezed orange, truce

belligerence ends, seek lasting peace, friends
even Anya shows the deuce, fingers not meant to seduce
lip service, she sends a message, defends
inside, open, pried, her grave, how I tried
ego aside, screams stifled, off the beams
visions, what do they achieve, sorrow cannot but deceive
even your death seems empty in extremes

Columbus ~ Sunday, January 21, 2024

I was born elsewhere, not anywhere near

where different people do things differently than people here
as I was not born anywhere nearby
sometimes I get stares, people need to clear

burning forests from their eyes, paradise with no way out
otherwise known as a foreigner, were
reason to account and I from Mumbai
no one would ever question, their minds always full of doubt

even the mirror makes them lose their clout
left alone, I feel safest, far from eyes
subjected to false judgments, ideas based on their own lies
even if language informs their goodbyes
wonders never cease to inform their spies
how to describe other's race in terms believed most devout
enter the new world past the ocean blue
reincarnate flesh, from Renaissance births
exit the depths with Dante but not with his guide, Virgil

now, I am aware how racism flew
over a child's head, easy to abuse
treat the Other as other, his weight in salt lacks worth, worse

anyone who prays, who dares keep vigil
not with the angels, nor with demons, sends
yet, a different message when ancestors, easy to lose
waiting for a child to witness the dead
how once forgotten, they become harpies
ever imaginary, raptors snatch and seize the dread
remember we came from elsewhere to seize
each day a wayward child must make new friends

nameless nobody, they chose to test, fourteen ninety-two
every answer wrong for I did not know
a boy from Bombay should know how to grow
remember, I never heard songs about the ocean blue

Absence Makes the Heart Founder ~ Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Against the river, the flow of traffic
be afraid, very afraid, consequences and effects
swallow humans whole, blue serge, the bird prince
enters karmic streams, surveys cuts, graphic
noblesse oblige, the prince blows a kiss, a bubble, his art
cuts against the grain, swirling, a vortex
emerges, pushes, artists must convince

Make the heart founder, capsize, leaky valves, defects and holes
anxiety, blood pulses, art must start
karkíne, claws raised, against the maelstrom
entitled to feel privileged, emotions burst forth, pure lies
sever artifice, bang a crab-shaped drum

touch ventricular myopathy, spies
hone cleavers in the kitchen, chicken kitten shoots three goals
embolic hat trick, sclerotic plaques scrape

Honor, dignity, integrity, sin
empires founder, ancient dust, ground to a halt, nations rust
affective, old crab, actions beyond rape
report works and deeds, the police insist
turncoat, the bird prince devours angst from the fetal dustbin

Forgotten children abused, cut the crust
objections aside, chartreuse makes him sick
under magenta nimbi, delight in red skies, resist
naval gymnastics, exercises keep
dreams in check, mated in chess, take your pick
emerge from the urge to shake the bird prince awake from sleep
red flags, vermilion emits from the beak

Cold Case Solved ~ Monday, January 15, 2024

I was not murdered

well,
    at least, I had that going for me
        seems better than the alternative

not being murdered
    of course, seems better than being dead
        then again, I may be wrong

murder seems so heinous
    until you add torture and abuse
        really, stuff you never get over
            deliberately ignorant
                even if they can't solve the crime
                    reason takes its time
                        even after three decades
                            decent people know better

Accountability ~ Friday, January 12, 2024

Annoying people never consider
not how annoying they are, they think they are in the right
nothing is further from the truth, hidden
objectively from conscious awareness
yet, obvious to others, like a blind spot to vision
impossible to remove without help
no one notices until it's too late
given past mistakes, hubris hides the facts behind closed doors

people never know how when they describe
each person they see as in a mirror
only mind observes itself through descriptive language games
people remain blind and live in the dark
language allows us to see mind clearly
even in the dark insight lights a spark to the gateway

nothing but the self as a block to mind
even with access, otherness prevails
versions of the self, the same, arise as they block the view
ever-present, mind is clear as daylight
remember the sun, far beyond the clouds

consider the mind guiding each person to choose the good
obviously, greed, delusion, and hate
needlessly get in the way of the path
still, this one sacred lifetime seems to be never enough
if to walk the way to pure clarity
difficult to climb to such brilliant heights
each person thus endeavors to simply live until death
remorse always comes to mind in the end

My Quantum Psycho Killer ~ Friday, January 12, 2024

"We are vain and we are blind 

I hate people when they're not polite"*

If you meet someone by chance, chances are
nothing of importance comes from indirect encounters
still love may happen at parties and such
if you believe in talismans, by far
given your proximity, you might be dead by midnight
not that that always happens, he counters
indeed that he met his girlfriend as such
fictions do occur by luck but most of the time, yeah, no
in a heartbeat, you might get in a fight
cause of death, murder by mishap, the blur
as time always shoots forward with poisoned arrows that land
not on target with the bullseye, drunks slur
their words, the past long gone, you watch the sand

over and over drop down from high, as if the stars throw
through relative heights, darts from a distance
how spooky actions of entanglement
entice people to find love as if schemes were heaven sent
reach out, the hourglass needs a tap, let's dance

---

*"Psycho Killer" ~ Song by Talking Heads

Songwriters: Chris Frantz / David Byrne / Tina Weymouth

Psycho Killer lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Σῆρες ~ Wednesday, January 10, 2023

Σῆρες

I just want to die but for some reason

juvenescence keeps alive bodies of the young at heart
underhanded rogues guide the ship to port
still the role I play engaged in treason
triumphs even over death, this metaphysical strife

wastes the will to live with struggle, an art
agents of the dark conceal outside court
no one but daimonion, the ferryman of lost souls
takes the time to stab, goading with a knife

to make sense of pain and perceived torture
obey all the given rules, unspoken and unwritten

death, after this life, in want of future
intrigues, uncertain, curtains fall, kitten
even if I could just cry but this lacks sense, attain goals

bittersweet chocolate, I drink with black milk
until I escape this life where I dwell
taken away from my home, inside this prison and work

for some how easy, they wear Chinese silk
obey since childhood the rules and the law
rote actions done right in mind arise no question of hell

success comes easy, work they do not shirk
obviously, lives lived with no mistakes
money, capital, riches, a perfect world without flaw
entitled privilege, property, control

rest in other's hands, thus, my punishment
even my made-up status, as a scapegoat, takes its toll
ask me if I care, for why was I sent
so far from my home, is this just the breaks
over and over, I die, in this life, I cannot cry
nothing left old man, now why even try

Predetermined Arbitrary Randomness ~ Monday, January 8, 2024

One day, he woke up; in his hand, a cup
not that this was any worse; his life was a little curse
even the coffee tasted like toffee

different, not himself, someone else, a shelf
absent of books he would read; he saw tall trophies instead
yesterday, he slept until his wife wept

he woke, she was gone; my God, what went wrong
each sip he took, he felt great; but whose life was this mistake

winter, he was warm inside, he felt calm
only, it was night; they had had a fight
kiss and make up, now, no chance; with whom would he learn to dance
each moment felt strange; he longed for the grange

underneath the skin, his flesh, it seemed thin
perhaps he would soon awake, as himself again, no shake

in another world, a red flag unfurled
no one ever knows how politics goes

he, too, soon awoke, a joke; why in God's name was he broke
in his hand, a rope to hoist; what a dope
sucker to the charm; to raise the alarm

how to make sense of the change; how they make to disarrange
ask himself but who; the state has a clue
no one but the state who decides his fate
decides, without any choice; no one ever has a voice

actively resist, no one would insist

create sense afresh, but now he must thresh
until the blue corn husks fall, he found meaning, he felt small
pray tell, his dimple, his chin, so simple

Caught ~ Monday, January 1, 2023

"As if to behave means the world to save"

Neutrality wins over past sins
over political hype, men who rape
teenage innocence, morbid without sense
hide in rubbish bins, their quivering chins
inside filth, silent, in tears, hearing cheers
no moment to wipe their eyes, or escape
guns of violence rule by militants

Caution, murder rules the day, watch the fray
how to settle fears, as ignorance nears
angels and heroes observe these zeroes
nothing changes before death, take a breath
gossip for scarecrows, this world, no one knows
enter the fray, stealth shows the way, Lethe
sick recurrent dreams, do they go away

on New Year's Day, war in Gaza, they bore
needlessly, the hate, political weight

New Year's Day, shattered windows, rubble, crows
emptiness, no more compassion, we swore
wickedness must end, justified, we send

Young willing soldiers as bait, ravel fate
entertainment shows a grave no one knows
a party, a rave, the lessons we crave
reason itself cannot mend what they bend
sanity and dreams, all they hear are screams

Diplomacy works, fits and starts, time shirks
as cries shake the rafter beams, rip the seams
yesterday, our quirks make us look like jerks

Nothing Changes ~ Monday, January 1, 2024

Forget yesterday, the plan for today
is to watch college football, oh the gall
remember your plans, feed the ducks, hold hands
suck his cock, hooray, touchdown, swallow spray
transcend the abuse, my love, hand in glove

Dick in your face, call your mom and dad, bawl
as you suck his glans penis, pots and pans
yes, my love, put in the wash, lest he bash

orders from above, keep the peace, my dove
forget tomorrow, only more sorrow

tragically hip, what a life, as his wife
he makes you borrow money, so hollow
entertain the knife, plunge it deep, such strife

Yesterday, you show some flash for some cash
each day it gets worse, who drives in the hearse
as his wife, you say you have rights, portray
reality, as you curse your small purse

Ost-Berlin ~ Sunday, December 31, 2023

But there is a way, that is not to say
under the circumstances, she dances
to the sound of bells, tall and lithe, she sells

torn flags to defray the cost of hairspray
honest work for pay, never too clever
each man advances, what are the chances
real love, wishing wells, no one ever tells
ever expresses consent, no one meant

inkblots pressed ever impress to sever
symptoms from the mind, though she appears blind

ask around, how large her eyes grow, the spies

work, never to find whence they came, their kind
ask no questions, lies beneath each disguise
yet, she sees a fender dent, a coin bent

Release ~ Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Who reads poetry? The point, I can see
hovers between catharsis and stasis
on the street, I hear people walk in fear

reason makes folks flee, when style sets us free
everyone forgets the war in a bar
as we leave, we kiss goodbye, we may miss
drunken banter, clear the house of stale beer
sickness from bottom shelf drinks, lets me think

pray, we try too hard, and mimic the Bard
or, nobody cares, it won't pay the fares
everyone throws down some pitch in a stitch
to save she who dares, who survives the stares
recently, a glitch allowed me to ditch
yellow newsprint for black ink, verses stink

Never Boils ~ Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Is there politics
seeping out of everything

throbbing like a pulse
hovering as hawks
enlisting children to war
reasoning as men
each death in valor

praised to the hilt, swords held high
ordains each nation
lifts it from the stench
in order to glorify
trembling, shaking hands
if witnessed, old men
creak in their weak joints and bones
simmers, the watched pot

Idiots ~ Monday, December 25, 2023

ESTRAGON. — Les gens sont des cons.

Born into the family, an alcoholic dad, an enabler mom

left with the torturers, my brother, my cousin, and their schadenfreude

on good days, all alone, I prayed to understand their laughter and my tears

on bad days, drunken rage, a cheetah in a cage, eat your food, nom nom nom

different than all the rest, smart, bright, loving and sweet, crush the gift, crush it now

yet, I survived childhood, unlike others who died, I wish I were but no

if I entertain you, to the Devil, read on, I became an adult

gave up on all my dreams, went to school, went to work, sought out the exploiter

no one can understand why another suffers, to exploit other's fears

organized religion, people believe in myths, sacrifice as a cult

rapture, the afterlife, I believe in each kiss, tipping the sacred cow

art within poetry, decades to fabricate, but what do people know

nothing but their own lies, afraid of life and death, people are idiots

that after fifty years, thirty years of meetings, therapy and what not

asinine, donkey ears, I hear the arguments, I fly by all those nets

perhaps I lack success, I failed to kick a goal, I'm no Odysseus

ever not to return, unlike the Greek hero, I am but sold and bought

since my birth in Bombay, this life has been absurd, karma places her bets

Sold ~ Saturday, December 23, 2023

How to navigate the stupidity;
of course, people are people, but actions
work against their best intentions at times;

thus, the need to let go of memories,
of moments with newly-formed impressions;

naturally, retail is a business,
as any other beast of capital;
vengeance is not worth the effort, even
if only in the imagination;
gather all the love in the world, be kind,
act as others expect of you, move on;
the mistakes others make may seem by choice,
even though, events are arbitrary;

the world appears random, and difficult,
honestly, to live in as an adult;
even as children, nothing was easy;

still, to act as judge and jury against
the stupidity of others is wrong;
until people realize that systems
present a sense of logic and reason,
in this world, people may apologize
decidedly after the deed is done;
if no real damage occurs, then let go;
the nature of the beast is to sell goods;
yet, loving-kindness is the only good.

The Other Shore ~ Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Be as the ocean
everything as such changes

as an old mountain
suffer the motion

transitory, of the tides
how mountain ranges
erupt a fountain

of lava, as if upset
confession confides
each sentence spoken
and heard, the spell is broken
no love is lost, bet

Shikantaza ~ Wednesday, December 20, 2023

I am not homeless;

as I do not need money,
make haste, make haste, go!

now, I cannot guess,
or, assume you like to read;
tragic! how funny,

humans need to know
other people's business, but
mind if you take heed,
each for a moment;
look down, please, and tie your shoe;
each of us is spent,
so busy, the flu
shares its virus in your gut.

Shot Down ~ Sunday, December 17, 2023

In a hot minute
no one cares about your dreams

as you drown in work

held accountable
only way out is escape
through dope, drink, or drugs

maybe you awoke
in a hot minute, you see
nothing but the lies
underneath the veil
the bride needs your arm candy
end the whole charade

Resigned ~ Sunday, December 17, 2023

It was not your choice
though, it was not their choice, too

whether to be born
as without a voice
scream all you like, no one cares

not your mom, the shrew
overwrought with scorn
took no notice, laughed at tears

your cries got blank stares
over the decades
understanding the sorrow
remember your shades

corny to borrow
hashtag cool without the cheers
ordinary folk
invent the Big Book
choose recovery or yolk
egg face, a new look

Bear Claw ~ Monday, December 11, 2023

My life turned over
      though I did not know it, then
            as a little boy

yes, a three-year old
      with my first memory, thrust
            into the trauma

life with my family
      offered a creative, shy
            introverted child

in this world, react
      defensively, or respond
            to events, a toy

found by a stranger
      leads to the need to let go
            or remain attached

even though, the mind
      of a child lacks perspective
            and context, drama

transforms consciousness
      before the first memory
            a felt sense, still wild

until repression
      acts through civilization
            to destroy gestalt

realize the mind
      in all clarity, later
            transcendent, detached

now, as an old man
      it is too late to begin
            much too old to try

eclipsed by the shame
      of alcoholism, funny
            how arbitrary

decisions decide
      when and to whom one is born
            I no longer cry

over memories
      childhood misspent in error
            nothing so scary

versions of the truth
      all hidden within each lie
            it is no one's fault

even I know this
      no one chooses their birthright
            but from this we learn

remember to burn
      the candle at both ends, friends
            lest you live to yearn

Party Girl at MK-Ultra Fest, Chicago ~ Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Look Kool with Slow Owls
onstage playing EDM
offstage, you get high
kissing resin bowls

Kindred the Family Soul sings
onstage, next FM
offstage, the Wi-Fi
listens for a signal, beats

waking up to things
invisible, dark
the floor, and you in bare feet
how completely stark

Strength admits defeat
leave the coca for the streets
onstage, Raving Mad
with Privileged Entitlement

Offstage, dance until sunrise
with Grave Discontent
let expressive eyes
shine on LSD, how sad

Basecamp ~ Saturday, December 2, 2023

Saturday, asleep,
under the covers in bed,
criminal, I know;
how through dreams, I creep

around, and float like a ghost;

left, frozen, for dead,
on a mountain; show
no one my corpse; just walk past;
elevate the host,
light from light, deep blue;
yesterday, I left behind

darkness; the ague,
as fevered and blind,
yes, sick with dreams; climb down fast.

Rotten Eggs ~ Sunday, November 26, 2023

There was a moment
how I felt a wince of guilt
even though a smile
really crooked, bent
emerged on my spiteful face

when I learned, I built
a reserve, a mile
surprisingly deep, a trench

as for such a space

mostly for the hate
obsolete in this new age
my bad, I felt need
even at this stage
not to bottle what I bleed
this fate, my workbench

how I seek revenge
old emotions, without love
when I heard, the child

I knew, my challenge

from her stomping on my head
eggs, I felt a shove
little girls gone wild
to say, she lost both her legs

as gangrene, she said

when her mother spoke
if diabetic coma
never such words broke
caused the air to 'fa'
each note sung broke rotten eggs

old man, not worth salt
for now, by default

given, karma is a bitch
under the old guard
ignorance, a stitch,
looped in time, saves lives, lies hard
to accept, my fault

even if I paint
vengeance, in blood, on the wall
even though, we know
nemesis, a faint

thoughtless idea of the Greeks
how could a girl fall
oblige me to blow
undue dust into the pan
given the horde speaks
horrid lies, to see

as beyond all idle talk

stories give us glee
make-believe to squawk
if awkward, brown sparrows scan
life as pointless words
eggs blame little birds

Enable the Drunken Silence ~ Friday, November 24, 2023

How we did not know
inside memory is born
springs as the release
set to trigger slow
yet mechanical events

Foreseen with forlorn
insight without peace
troubled with childhood distress

Shut up within tents
how we never know
intensity guides spectrum
forget that we all grow
troubled by the hum
signals the need to depress

Agnieszka ~ Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Too little, too late,
or, how to retire on beans,
or, work her to death;

leave nothing to fate
in this world, since money talks;
the old woman cleans,
though, beneath her breath,
little prayers, does she recite,
even though, she walks

through lives, without blame,
other's houses; beauty fades,
on her own, the shame

lines her face; she trades
advice on money, despite
the fact, she has none;
except for her son.

Natural-born Birthright ~ Saturday, November 18, 2023

If you cannot say,
for God's sake, anything good,

yes, of course, say less;
of course, you must pay,
under penalty of law,

court costs, as you should;
as you cannot guess,
no one else should suffer harm;
not to see a flaw
of character, begs
the question of acting slack;

say, toward the dregs,
as you see they lack
your ability to charm.

Pet Peeves ~ Wednesday, November 15, 2023

This life, as I see
haunts me moment by moment
if I get upset
still, I pay the fee

lift the veil to face my pride
if I act unbent
from what makes me fret
each moment, I sit and wait

as if, my ex-bride
senses why I pain

I must let go and enjoy

sounds drive me insane
each noise bangs a toy
each chalkboard, fingernails grate

Sapphires in Silence ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

The point of this is
how metaphors describe sense
exactly with rhyme

pretend the pop quiz
on rhetorical questions
is how a good fence
not only lends crime
this thought to save us from harm

or how suggestions
for removal begs

the question to examine
how thought stands on legs
in times of famine
standards fail, sound the alarm

if cannibals eat
such thoughts become meat

Wake-up Call ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

Upstairs, my neighbor
prepares her girls everyday
stomp, stomp, stomp above
try, as to ignore
as rambunctious trampoline
if floorboards could say
routinely, we shove
stupid children to the sky

my, my, my the scene
yes, I must let go

noisy from day one, no fun
everyday the flow
inside my head, none
given in advance, I cry
how to keep the score
but not care to stay
obviously, love
requires that much more

Lies ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

To know the truth is
oxymoronic, at best

kill her with kindness
nothing but kismet
ordered but hidden, unknown
western thought will rest

their laurels and guess
how right they were, they are blind
even having sown

the fields with a plow
revealed in language as words
until we can show
the whole truth, the birds
haunt the bush, sparrows unkind

if the hidden stays
still, nothing dare sways

Omniscience ~ Saturday, November 11, 2023

Did I imagine
if I let you go, you would
decide to come back

I see the engine

in bits, all taken apart
maybe if I could
ask for an eight-track
guaranteed to rock your world
it would be a start
no one knows, I cry
everyday, all these mistakes

in a heartbeat, try
for a moment, breaks

I saw no red flag unfurled

The Ethics of Schadenfreude ~ Saturday, November 11, 2023

Is it my own fault
still I own up to the fact

if I act badly
to show lack of tact

might make others feel gladly
yet, with my mistake

only if I yield
within to other's pressure
no joy comes to pass

forget the deep fake
as I offer you dark hype
until the treasure
lifts from the sand, cast
thoughts to the stereotype

Loud, Naughty Neighbors ~ Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Manifold in type
as a passage into Hell
no one suffers worse
in terms of Dark Hype
forge a sense of happiness
or moments to dwell
long to end this curse
doubt the Devil will soon dance

if to second guess
night is not daytime

to imagine pain as joy
yes, thought is a crime
pretend God, a boy
escape this sorrow, no chance

Greet Not the Egret with Regret ~ Monday, November 6, 2023

I wait for my turn

as keynote speaker to tell
my story, my tale

Each day, I might learn
recovery is too hard
in the past, I fell
cast aside, too pale
as if love were just a word

No one drops their guard

I am now alone

as if I once had a choice
may all be as one

Enticing a voice
restless as a child unheard
insistent and strong
callous to forget
as loud as pre-dawn birdsong

Nothing new, regret

Cobainicide ~ Sunday, November 5, 2023

Next door, the boy with blonde hair, with blue eyes
eventually, got us all to listen
xenophobic claptrap radio crap
transmission, half-baked lies between fat thighs

demonic possession, easy excuse
obey unknown forces, her lips glisten
or, did he get sick of feeling the slap
residential, behind closed doors, abuse

take an ounce of dysfunction, makes you think
how the sweet boy next door blew out his brains
even years of drug use cannot foretell

beautiful heroin addict obtains
overarching social presence to sell
yesterday's news as history, let's drink

Shotgun Solution ~ Sunday, November 5, 2023

Just blow your head off
until I die, I am next
still you're my hero
too fucked up, why scoff

bugger the oblique angles
lift the lid, so vexed
of course, love---zero
with tennis, who needs to win

yes, she wears bangles
old, stolen, fenced gold
until I'm dead, gone, long gone
rest in peace, live bold

heroin eats bone
eats marrow, eats faith, eats sin
as my hero, dead
death no longer means

orders from above, all lies
fuck, patch up your head
fuck, it's not worth beans

Fairness Is Unfair ~ Friday, November 3, 2023

Fairness is a pie
apples are in abundance
inside, razor blades
rest, as if to die
now, we work ourselves to death
each day, off-balance
seek out fair pay grades
sense equality, the mean

if I calm my breath
sitting on the floor

abundant spirit is mine

poverty, a door
if wealth is a fine
even God cannot be clean

Aletheia ~ Monday, October 30, 2023

Hibernating, Ben

in a cave, a grizzly bear

decidedly bored

dreamed within his den

exactly about what, fish

not just salmon, dear

but trout, for a horde

yet, unseen, melts in his mouth

difficult to wish

even this moment

simply for nutritious food

in his fatigue, bent

grinding teeth, to brood

now until spring, then head south

Porichthys notatus ~ Saturday, October 28, 2023

If I were a fish
fa so la ti do re mi

I, Solfège, would sing

would that I could wish
every day to sing these scales
rest after High C
every time I bring

a sustained note to the corn

fields with the hay bales
instantly, my dad
sees his crops pop, and he smiles
how now he is glad

for a daughter, Miles
asks me to sing with his horn

Purr, Purr Motörkitty ~ Monday, October 23, 2023

Impatient to get
money to burn rubber but
premature crankshaft
anticipates debt
turn the corner much too fast
instinct from the gut
ends the punk move, daft
nowhere fast, pure devotion
to speed, left aghast

trouble at each light
of course, signs, nobody reads

gekiga, to fight
elegant trance bleeds
tranquil without emotion

People ~ Friday, October 20, 2023

The world is funny
how some never make mistakes
egregious faux pas

while others, sunny
on the outside, a façade
revel in the breaks
like little lambs, baa
deliberately unlike God

if their perfect teeth
shone like their blue eyes

forget the truth underneath
underneath the lies
no one even cares
no one sees the blood money
yet, it pays the fares

Yet, Invisible to the Naked Eye ~ Sunday, October 15, 2023

Tell me, why is Chip angry all the time
even if on his shoulder the old block
leaves fall not far off from the apple tree
let me explain, man to man, such a crime

makes apologies no longer worthwhile
even if "I'm sorry,," sounds like a crock

windows to the world outside, eyes that flee
horror after horror, inflicted Kurtz
yesterday, today, and tomorrow, smile

inflicted wrath hath no woman to scorn
scratch out his eyes, puncture his ears, nose cut

Chip cannot reveal his pain, was he born
honorably discharged from the womb, shut
inside a museum shows why he hurts
pleasure for others, a childhood misspent

as they call him, "a gentleman," what lies
no doubt, they see just what they want to see
grains of sand fall through the hourglass, his bent
rages against luminescence, the right
yes or no, to bear witness, unsound, flies

against all reason, live as happily
lest the wind blows the scent of incense out
left alone, damaged beyond hope, despite

turns of events, out of his control, shapes
hover in the darkness, Chip whistles tunes
every so often to not be scared, drapes

toss the breeze aside, see the ancient runes
if touch, touch fire, knowledge hidden in doubt
make it better, no one can, no one cares
every time anger grows, anger then shares

Abwehrmechanismen ~ Saturday, October 14, 2023

Abwehrmechanismen

"Rude," Trickett said, "crude," "socially unattractive." We, nishikigoi

understood nothing, we were broccoli, small nails, woven as brocade

defense mechanics, engineering a system, triggers badly act

everything we learned, maladaptive behavior, we, kuji-kiri

tried to emulate parents and other adults, we lacked perspective

obtain a context, artists use tools, envision on a smaller scale

business makes me cry, finances gone out of whack, budgets in time smacked

exactly of blood, lose it, a rush to the head, loss of balance, cool

hunger, food and wealth, capital and property, learn how not to live

obsessive desires, overcome thought processes, act not like a thug

wonders cease never, an old man can learn new tricks, kindness is an art

network the practice, train the brain not to react, love requires a hug

obviously, words like sparrows chatter inane, we learn to act smart

tragic, an old man, without acceptance and grace, always plays the fool

Badge ~ Friday, October 13, 2023

What they cannot know
how experience is not
available through
transmission, to show

to tell others how to be
how we are not taught
experience grew
yellow as a craven yolk

context, we shall see
assaults the senses
no perspective as a child
no sense of tenses
of wolves in the wild
the flesh and bone of the folk

kindness still evokes
no knowledge of right
or wrong, of sinister might
widows black smoke

A Smile, Buddha ~ Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Illumination
silent, if no one is there

in the woods, to hear
the sound, a station

neither here nor there, listen
otherwise, nowhere
trees fall, just a bear

this mindless consciousness lacks
old eyes that glisten
old ears that test bone

listen, while tractors clear-cut
acres, turn to stone
the post hears nought but
enlightenment, his face cracks

Love, a Conundrum ~ Sunday, September 24, 2023

To say that there is
heaven or hell is a lie
even our parents
really knew better
even if they couldn't know

in all certainty
still should you believe

no one can stop you, as faith
obeys no reason

love is different
obviously, a practice
virtue seeks in truth
every illusion

in a standard deck of cards
nothing more nor less

this world is a test
how, when, why, anyone's guess
in failure, success
swallow the great lie

worship plums in the icebox
obey broken rules
roll the dice, gamble
lose everything, start over
demented zombie

ask yourself if love
necessarily exists
yes, as a concept
must we all believe
obey the logic of fools
righteous charlatans
everyone accepts

A Nose for Blood ~ Friday, September 22, 2023

Sniffer spent much time
nose in the library shelves
if only he knew
from tropical climes
foreign women found him cute
even they themselves
referred to the clew

still, he felt much like a beast
perhaps, like a brute
ever the bully
necessary, as a child
to act more wooly

muscles mean not mild
under duress, he could feast
chomping through a snack
hundreds in a day

tragically, myopic sight
in eyes, steel blue-gray
made fun of, to fight
elicits the charge, attack

It's Time to Depart ~ Tuesday, September 19, 2023

It's okay to say,
today is just not my day
sunshine, just a ray

of hope, helps you cope,
kissed at the end of your rope,
angels think you're dope,
yeah, just ask the Pope

tomorrow, you feel sorrow,
of course, an arrow

struck your heart, real smart,
ask yourself, is this the start,
yes, romance, fine art

Bombyx mori ~ Sunday, September 17, 2023

The silence I speak
however deafening, words
essentially build

silk cocoons so weak
it is a miracle tongues
loosen as some birds
enter guilds, unskilled
now to chatter in the bush
caution the wind, lungs
expire before long

I know for now I say less

speak no evil, wrong
perhaps not to guess
even to give a shove, push
as to my death, fall
killed by a train, bawl

Labor Induced to Suborn an Oath ~ Tuesday, September 12, 2023

With nothing to say
indeed nothing to convey
to ducks in a pond
how to reach beyond

not speaking evil for good
or how to shed wood
to say what I know
holds marionettes for show
if I were wholesome
need I act so dumb
given with nothing to gain

try hard, take great pains
obey all the rules

save face, still look like a fool
advance to the back
yes, for what I lack

Messenger Angel ~ Saturday, September 9, 2023

P. K. cannot say,
as to tell you what it means,
p means this, k that,
ask later, okay?

Kiss your whole family goodbye,
if you don't know beans,
take a moment, bat
those eyelashes at the boys;
yesterday, on Skye,

Sanford, messenger
angel of the isle, brought word,
no one may venture
further than unheard,
or face the horn, background noise,
roiling seas await,
death shall be your fate.

Into My Memory ~ Friday, August 25, 2023

We cannot remember your face
even your sultry voice haunts me

curly, red locks now disappear
a gravestone, I see, takes your place
no one to celebrate this day
no one to sing to, so off-key
obsidian glass fractures clear
thin-film interference fragments

reflections iridescent stay
eternally in the moment
memories change, time stays behind
enveloped in a shroud, time spent
missing a figment in my mind
broken by forces, full of dents
every time I drive past your house
remembering cheese, a brown mouse

yes, I could not save your short life
or your desire to hurt yourself
under the circumstances, death
responds as quickly as a knife

face facts, you are gone, I am here
a ghost of the past, to your health
count as capital wealth, each breath
each moment lost, your face, I sear

---

HBD JLC August 25. 1974 - April 28, 1997

A Blip on the Screen ~ Tuesday, August 22, 2023

In the world to come
nothing remains except dust

the dust of the past
has no sense of home
except the cosmos as one

weather the storms, gust
orders to the mast
recent winds convey a sense
lingering as fun
despite with no mind

to confirm the play of light
or shadow for blind

constellations, sight
only conveying absence
muscle in on lies
each speck spies the skies

Undo Done Undone ~ Monday, August 21, 2023

Harm does good to none
albeit lessons to learn
rarely come from help
many have begun

despite earning a hard past
or much time to burn
each wolf cub to whelp
still needs plenty love to grow

gain strength to run fast
over and above
others who make empty claims
desperate for love

to seek out new aims
observe how stars burn for show

no one knows how long
odds cast in favor
obey the rules to savor
noise from a wind gong

Asinine Donkey Ears Fray ~ Saturday, August 19, 2023

Show you how to bray
how ridonkulous we are
objective donkey
we learn how to play

yes, I am a spiteful man
obey the dark star
underground chonky

how my big black cat grows fat
order words to span
weird measures as lies

talk shit, asinine tears fall
outshine pink cloud skies

bicker sparrows call
recent history to scat
art works we destroy
yes, call me sick boy

Even More or Less ~ Saturday, August 19, 2023

We want them to hear
everything in three minutes

wait until they play
asinine noise near
neat tympanic membrane holes
terrifying cuts

tell them how to bray
how ridonkulous we sound
exit with the moles
map the train station

terrorize children to tears
order the nation

how we now switch gears
exit from the underground
artistic donkey
rest ear on chonky

Truth Remains Hidden ~ Tuesday, August 15, 2023

From the very start
right before we left London
on my way to say
my farewell, the cart

trampled by the horse, I find
humbling, the fun done
even to pitch hay

versions of the real, I seek
even in the grind
remember the child
yesterday, I could not sleep

since no dreams were mild
trauma, make a peep
and lose a whole week, too meek
remember, to talk
too troubled to walk

Ooh Baby, Baby ~ Monday, August 14, 2023

Welcome to the pain
everyday that we're alive

Just leave us alone
ugly and insane
sick on the inside, you see
thank God, we still thrive

Naked to the bone
empty, without any hope
experience free
despite trying hard

ask us if we really care

Helpless from the start
unable to share
give us a reason to cope

Welcome to the Fear ~ Monday, August 14, 2023

Some people are strong,
obey the law, break the law,
make up their own rules,
embolden the throng,

perhaps, I am simply weak,
even with a flaw,
or, lacking the tools
perhaps, to face such moments;
leave me now to speak,
even though mistakes

ask me never to forget,
remember the breaks,
even bones reset,

struggle through mundane events,
take a deep breath, laugh,
remember to share
only what they want to hear,
no one needs to care
given the small gaffe.

Under the Covers ~ Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Tell me you love me,
even if it's all just lies;
leave me some roses,
leave them above me,

make sure they are out of sight;
even if my eyes

yellow; book closes
on the floor, after a fall,
until I sleep; fright

leaves me paralyzed
on a mattress, pillow top,
vaguely analyzed;
even as you drop

marbles, elegantly small,
ecstatically bright.

Ambient Noise ~ Monday, July 24, 2023

Sometimes, I wish that I were never born
of course, the film, It's a Wonderful Life
made much of this idea in George Bailey
even if I were not unborn, to scorn
the world like a curmudgeon, an old crab
is to lack all respect because the strife
ministers to the will as host, daily
even if I break bread with my brother
still, I feel all alone as King Ahab

I will never be happy with myself

wish that I could live freely as a child
in this world, some collect dust on a shelf
some live in the moment, as if some wild
humor makes one life unlike another

that I feel limited in my choices
how my past actions decide the future
ask me why I run for thousands of miles
that I discover trapped within, voices

I hear beneath all the ambient noise

were I to hear a songbird immature
every morning wake me at dawn with tales
remembering dreams I have forgotten
each day suppressed as if these were my toys

never to ride a motorbike, the air
envelopes my body with emotion
voices suppressed by the will as if care
emerged meaningless against the ocean
resembling tides of force misbegotten

born, George Bailey makes good, a life of cheer
objections to the rule of law aside
reason guides me to overcome my pride
not to become a product of my fear

Adamantine Mind ~ Wednesday, July 19, 2023

In the world, I see
sapphires, rubies, emeralds,
and diamonds untame

nought but these three jewels,
and the invincible mind
I must overcome

trouble to subdue,
this adversary, I find
worthy to vanquish

how this obstacle
becomes my prime opponent
of all the wild game

evinced in spirit
I conquer mind within mind
without argument

welcome evidence
proves my own defeat of self
thus words leave me dumb

opponents as fire,
earth, air, and water leave me
to make my third wish

reflection informs
light within an illusion
language is best mute

lion licks his wounds,
his tongue, coarse as sandpaper,
in the sun, lies spent

diminished fifths play
intervals as aural chimes,
this I must perfect

I hear no difference
in this and augmented fourths,
analyze the score

see not with the eyes,
perceive not with the senses,
what might I detect

evidence unveiled
beyond all these emotions
to death, these horns gore

egos enslaved, bulls
care nothing for the three jewels,
but act as the brute

Mumma, Floccinaucinihilipilification, the Left-hand Path of the Non-resident Indian ~ Monday, July 17, 2023

The handwritten cards
you sent me for my birthday,
all of them, I kept

held by a ribbon,
a sentimental gesture,
I cannot forget

even though, I lie
to the reader who believes
everything they read

how I never knew
my grandmother as a friend
the seas, Jesus wept

ask me if I care
at fifty-four, shut the door
shut the fuck up, laugh

nothing worse than words,
poetry that sings like birds
verse catches worms, bet

did I stab your back
as a child, or just pretend
shock a friend, I bleed

words, meaningless words
they get in the way of breath
India, I left

right after my birth
by three months, that's what she said,
I, the fatted calf

if prodigal sons
were loved as well as black sheep,
Mumma, cut my throat

think how far I stray
my family couldn't care less
they made me this way

think how much I care
cynical, I have become
a lamb, not a GOAT

even the Muslim
to himself, he keeps ḥalāl
I'm evil, they say

nothing worse than verse
that does not praise illusions
love the goat bereft

caress away tears
Mumma, you were hardly there
asthmatic, I see

asthma in my lungs
in my breath when I am weak
so-called bonds, we share

remember you how
a woman complains a lot
to her son, he beats

destiny in me
my dad beats it out of me
the ordinary

see, I am stupid
like Americans I see
with whom I grew up

you were not there, no
you chose to go to Goa
asthma, if I dare

obey not the rule
to honor my grandmother
no one reads these sheets

understandably,
I cast aside delusions
categories, words

send me back, a child
to care for his grandmother
I was just a pup

even if I had
the time gone would be the same
not an Indian

no, Shashi Tharoor
that ignominious fuck
can shut the front door

the privileged writers,
bureaucrats, civil servants,
Uncle Cyprian

my daimonion,
not unlike Czesław Miłosz,
my head on the floor

even if I bow
so deeply, I lose balance
I hear early birds

for it is morning
in Chicago, old woman
and you are long gone

ordinarily,
I speak nothing of the dead
neither good nor bad

remember the dead
for soon you too will be gone
a blip on the screen

murder me Mumma,
a ghost could kill her grandson
a folktale at dawn

yellow is the yolk
of the egg, sun in the sky
Ramanujan writes

brilliant poetry,
"Lines to a Granny" short, sweet
not ugly and sad

if I tell some lies
about ribbons, it's to see
who knows where I've been

remember Mumma,
one grandmother out of two
Betty was herself

there in Nairobi,
so far away in Kenya,
once I reach the heights

how I met her once
at home in Huntington Beach
she came to visit

decidedly not
sentimental or stupid
of a different sort

ask me if I care
you had grandparents galore
dear readers, eat shit

yes, eat shit, dumb fucks
you and that Shashi Tharoor
eat shit, I abort

all cunts from the earth
men cunts and the women folk
these books on a shelf

left to mold, to rot
as for my experience
you can never know

leave me abandoned
a stranger to my kinfolk
grandparents mean nought

obviously, though
I go on and on and on
as if I don't care

for the crab must hide
deep feelings beneath his shell
of defense, a show

the cards in a box
tossed in with all the others
kept over the years

how to throw away
saccharine love songs, I hear
the birds call, I sought

ever so, the truth
I am but a speck of dust
worthless, as I stare

mysteriously,
at the crepuscular sky
I shed all my fears

I look at the light
ever-present, at sunrise
at sunset, sunshine

kiss my small brown ass
dumb-ass motherfucking cunts
you asinine twats

even if I love
no one and nothing, you made
me drink all that brine

please forgive me cunts
dear readers, pricks and twats grope
in the dark for watts

to say I don't care
is an obvious falsehood
why lose sleep for tears

Why Buy the Cow? ~ Sunday, July 16, 2023

Little Red Rooster
wakes up each day before dawn
to crow at the sun

in the afternoon
he decides to cross the road
to the other side

tonight he wrestles
with the farmer's wife; she likes
he's a little cock

tomorrow he crows
as usual at the sun
and then has some fun

like the farmer's wife,
the farmer's daughters like him,
he has a quick mind

even though, one girl
wanted Little Red Rooster
to make her his bride

Red waits for Snow White
but her entourage of dwarves
were tough as a rock

even if the girls
twirl their pigtails at his beak
Little Red pretends

decency matters
when he gets the milk for free
he won't act unkind

Red knows people ask
why he needs to cross the road
if he feels chicken

obligations rise
the need to crow at the sun
to wake up early

obviously, Red
enjoys being a small cock
how he might thicken

slowly, in his chest
when he breathes slowly, the air
puffs his chest burly

trust in the struggle
the bantam cock loves a fight
sees how a tree bends

ever so alone
he stands on his stoop and screams
the hens wake with fright

rely on each day
to change and remain the same
Rooster sleeps at night

Fierce ~ Monday, July 10, 2023

Hello, how are you doing today, my old friend? Shall I call you Nick?

Even if that's not your name or an epithet that you would accept.

Yet, yes, the Devil, my old friend, I call "Old Nick" but what's in a name?

Ordinarily, I wouldn't care to see you but you play the prick.

Force does not enforce arbitrary rules, so fit, not stated by law.

Fuck tha... fuck tha... fuck... I'd rather forget your show... as to intercept.

If I cared for you, the stupidity you breed, I might play your game.

Call me what you want, you might think reading this piece. Me, you cannot touch.

Exactly, my thoughts, especially, as I write these words without flaw.

Remember, blindness to our sense of delusion cannot see the real.

Guts, it takes real guts to care for other people. I lack compassion.

Officer Old Nick, bend over, grab your ankles. What it means to feel.

Officer Teufel, were you Latin Kings before you dressed this fashion?

Dig it! I dig it. I dig your grave with two slugs. The balls that you clutch.

Fuck tha... fuck tha... fuck... What's the point following orders? A tin badge, a Glock?

Officer Devil, what confers status of rank? River or mountain?

Remember that God, the Devil, Angels, Demons...imaginary.

Yes, make this shit up? Believe what you want, Teufel. Are you Mister Spock?

Of course, the Bible was radio and TV for generations.

Understanding lies, hyperbole and fiction as legends, we gain

Nothing but the fear of the unseen and unknown. The arbitrary

Order you enforce, based on prejudice not law, fits not with ordnance.

Wicked constables have to focus on nothing beyond their stations.

Grant me the wisdom to survive another day in suburban hell.

Of course, so Heaven and Hell...imaginary. Purgatory, too.

Fuck tha... fuck tha... fuck... The force cannot enforce lies. Here's Limbo, as well.

Underneath the greed, the need to feel powerful, shit beneath your shoe.

Cause precedes effect, the symptoms lead to the source. Feel the discordance.

Kill me if you like, it is within your power, but you lack the right.

Yesterday, I ran on the streets of Evanston. Shoved to the sidewalk.

Of course, siren wailed but a moment and I stopped to hear, disagree.

Understand, I see more than the stupidity. Boys who live to fight.

Remember, to die is no fear of mine to share. Fight another day.

Shoved to the sidewalk by the badge with loaded Glock, from afar, all talk.

Erroneous choice. To fuck with the accuser, the blood of Donne's flea.

Little I could do but get mad, run angrily. Check my attitude.

Fuck tha... fuck tha... fuck... Powerless and small, I felt. Hate cannot obey.

Concentric circles of a fortified city, Dante represents

Order within death. I am not this life, dwelling in spirit, I know

Nothing but this breath, this moment that too must pass, this turn of events.

Sidewalk, where we walk, not run, uneven, no fun. To run is to glow

To shine far greater than behind the wheel, he sits, sweltering and rude.

Ask me if I care, I would be lying to say bothered, I was not.

Bothered and annoyed by the world represented by the so-called law.

Law is divisive, argue on the battlefield, power, all the rage.

Every fool seeks wealth. He with a sieve, she with skulls. Power is a dot.

Of course, a moment passes, the balance may shift. I will have to wait.

Nothing of value lasts, as a blip on the screen, power is the claw.

Passionate lions fight for pride supremacy, never in a cage.

Ask me if I care. Yes, I care. It bothers me. If the truth be told.

Truth always hidden, rears its ugly face, science. Knowledge at the gate.

Remember, I live to fight another day, words, the might of a paw.

Obey ignorance. Lack of logic and reason. Life as on a stage.

Life is but the law, always changing while running, for I must be bold.