he turns the corner in a slow shuffle
we watch him with persistent questions
mommy, mom, mother now, 'Juaquina'
crosses herself, and utters,”poor man”

poor men, poor women, with basketballs
hanging between legs and shoulders
who is to say what is natural or not
we still reflect and say, “poor old creature”

he walks by occasionally
but we never saw him disappear
dying asks us to relinquish the dark figure’s
corporeality, at the end of the street

-cec

furiously they appear like apparitions
straining their engines and wheels
belted steel, industrial rubber, woven demon fibers
crossing white broken lines in darkness
weaving frozen traffic in seconds
a nightmare of TV movies, ‘juegos de muerte’
while horror etches into glass faces, oblivion

this highway stretches across a city
concrete and metal ready to explode
into oil black, blood red, eighty-seven proof fire
arms, legs, torsos, leaning into death’s curves
steering too slow, certain motion’s end
gathering random unwilling victims
just for the fanatical flight of hellions

-cec

No, the sun radiates
this moon bathed in light
down to despair’s depths
life survives in city’s rubble
myriad hands digging hope
hearing cries for one more day
powdered wigs, faces, clothes
dry weeping in shadows
separated by earth’s broken back
sculpting a landscape of destruction
with miles of piled masonry
under a magnifying lens of tears
hearts and minds, bulwark
against each darkness found
a swarm of humanity tunnels
saving one more precious being
gently carried into distressed search lights
and the arms of a caring world

-cec

Andromeda --
parsecs of wandering gas clouds
******* infinity while giving birth to stars

Are galaxies conscious beings?

this other-verse would, yes, approve;
of this dust mote seen by giant’s eye,
all mighty light and gravitational darkness

spirals


-cec

the fog of war obscures the clouds
fire rains down from the sky above
headless poet recites haiku

everyone Atlas
burdens seeping from their womb
winter’s frozen mud

-cec

you come to this confessional
mouth full of contrition
sorry for him, sorry for her
longing for them
streaming your line of poetics
stringing syllables, a rosary

a lost sol in the ink of space
wanting somehow to replace
that feeling of having transgressed
bonds, promises, fingers crossed
now, typing out a stone ledger
atop the remains of the day

-cec

glass winds chime, small birds
mandolin, violin play
anticipate spring

-cec

Donny Clump took a dump in Okefenokee swamp
young possum and turtles had to hold up their nose
for descent of the “phew”, was allowed by broke pumps

many steered clear of the few, chewing their cut
as the congress-mum says, “Don’t be caught indisposed”
with the slime off the feet of those stirring up mud

this swamp, as all wetlands, was pristine, toy green,
beware of the snakes, vultures and all poison toads;
while a fat pachyderm is proceeding up stream

now the waters all tested by once EPA
here polluted and rancid by one parties’ sway
to bring final solution to democracy’s flow

-cec

evening remains of morning coffee
a gray day of rain's persistent mission
window's reveal: a diffused, wet world, paws muddy
two crows hunched over a neighbor's chimney
the birch, in distant slumber, 'Tube Man' waves
watching black clouds roll morning till night

a very orange cat drinks its puddle image
it disappears, a rusting red pickup remains
this storm's magic elixir casts a vail of stillness
light entwines on winter's mossy branch
dimming, as darkness erases another calendar square
city sodium vapors aloft steaming like stars glare

-cec

Rain upon this heart your love
a cloudburst of sighs and giggles
lifting up with windy kisses
wrapped in arms of thunderbolts

-cec

you asked what triggers the writing ─

lightning crackling across a roiling sky
a black, lumbering cloud bank spitting out seagulls
a meteor unwinding its tail before plunging into a lake
wet forest floors etched by countless pine needles
orb spider webs clinging, bolted bridge cables
high pitched whistles and chirps in singular silence
moss on fields of mountain boulders dripping beneath
a white fox leaping above snow covered burrow

fire engine red lurking down our street, stopping
food stained Styrofoam, pressed into a corner of refuse
wet blanket near a boarded up store front
rumbling jet howling its decent into a siren busy city
blood in a bag, teeth barred, too many scattered feathers
red robin armies raiding a plump red holly
cold rain, rain, rain, old siliconed gutters, ice shattered ***
a flickering porch light spelling out random Morse code

a twig breaks ...

-cec

write ting seems disjointed,
of late
let's do it together
old angst

flow wing out anointed,
late too
this next thought celebrate;
new year!

-cec

Pharaoh was genius ─
left all his ****, (treasures?)
for others to sort through
while he skated to after-life
free and stony of storage charges!

-cec

hearts suffer great loss
hummingbird's tongue drips nectar
wings muted beating

-cec

What are these bones, muscle?
this hairy torso alive with goose bumps
an animal grasp, shattering bone
ripping marionette's sinew and members
smelling of drying blood in day's follow
before diving deep into cave's bowls
there subsiding evening's howling
with monstrous heart, like forest embers,
          smoldering

worries crease and fold over shoulder's look
stone voices echo above, searching
smoke filled eyes blind and mined of light
guttural rumbling beneath their venomous anger
sustained by years of false demagogues
to scratch and pick among the ruined crops
violent brawls over morsels of industrial slop
driven to wield a popular myth of terror
         plots within plots

Nature revolts with amoebic precision
a cubic meter of water's hammer ******
a hurricane of wind, fury and destruction
preceding the padded footfalls of death's
dank breath and suffocating grip
this creature's birth and veracity
against a sea of troubled illusions
will tear realities fabric of flesh
         as pole from pole

-cec

All of us Americans ─

a tilted cowboy hat in a black & white photo
quoif, scarf, pins and a sprung natural look
flowered, dresses below the knees, short sleeve shirts
old clothes, flashy new and coal dust overalls
rouge color on pale cheeks below sad clay gaze
beards, no beards, eyebrows that come and go
smiles, leers, frowns, cheers, questioning mouths
kissed & kiss-less lips, painted, puckered, pouting
first picture, last, in-between, life and love
lonely portraits, family gatherings, couples cling
eyes peer at future viewers, wells into a soul
wallpaper thin stares, opaque glints at eternities
bursting happy faces radiating morning's first light
left right, left right profiles, marching off a stool
chair, log, fence, tree, minutes after mile markers
in a long chain of humanity migrating into frames
captured moments of agony and ecstasy flagged
absent red, white, blue in our film noir, still life, body

cec-

Death is taking a break here ─
arms of bone folded behind head
it looks comfortable with legs crossed
a smiley face mask would look good to wear
except for the show of ribs, cage like
where a tiny bird flutters, frightened

Dusk leaps in tall shadows
darkness steals away all forms
seeping in one great present void
where sings the sound of a faint warble

cec

do not speak of old, oak, trees
tell rather, of young saplings' iridescent green
living by water reflecting tall timber's leaves

leave out turbulent wind's, egg peak, waves
cast line upon the mist, listen to it drop
a solitary note, in the silence, plays

dew gathers for the morning fire wood
crackling limbs spitting from the ash
cinder comets fly through space to land crash

dawn's sun appears conjuring lake genies
casting spells in pines, bristle and moss
mushrooms, passing in the night, deliquesce

-cec

"The poets eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and name."

- A Midsummer Night's Dream (V.i)

...there were bigger fish to fry
while, in a Russian Interstellar War
dropped a pick into the Taylor's
mouth and had to figure out
how to get it back, out
while trying not to laugh so hard

-cec

peek a patch of pale blue
in white and grey sky
while dark masses brood

this ceiling of billowing sheets
carry a Pacific burden of rain
a meandering muddy creek

rung out in obscure wet curtains
from where the hidden sun stews
paper covers rock, wind cursory scissors

search lighting sea gull two tones
poised on their soaring sojourn
slender sails, as colossus strides blown

-cec

silly sung a soggy song
of tears wrapped in an envelope

years all tapped with angry raps
as neighbors' shades were drawn

scrawling bye 'n byes in flowing ink
all strung with notes of woe
postage licked with bitter spit
heart's bucket pours the soul

poets write to move the wind
lead like all Nantucket quilts
friendship and industry woven tight
too understand the cause to plight

today away from nay and sorrow
embrace the path to reach the 'morrow

-cec

grows more every year
birthed it and gave it nourishment
it likes to grow now, wants to grow
it feeds upon past memories
skeletons from previous years' lists
the burnt offerings of cards
in the fireplace
roasted chestnut traditions
in the open flame of hope
wishes for a better better year
while we char our meats black
on Friday instead of fish
or is that good Friday fry
either way the list is listing
as wet weather turns cold as ice
and white is the color on trimmed
red coats and roof tops

-cec

awake, awake, the time grows near
when winter casts its net

awake, awake, this time of fear
where tyrants rule and wreck

in town and village people bear
as mud runs in the streets

our city fathers slink to lair
while villains rage and reap

awake, awake, the time is here
to hand and raise alarm

call out to heroes brave with cheer
to save good ways from harm

awake, awake, the land does roar
will make this sphere complete

our children's calls must give us cause
regain this garden sweet

-cec

morning sun, glass sliced
spectre colors tinge curtains
autumn's complexion

-cec

joy sung to a rose
passions' herald red revelry
intoxication

-cec

No country for old people
brittle bones lack rest
lungs breath in toxic delusions
breath out a radical rust
white hair is phantasm's wage
as the dead won't SIT STILL
and the living stumble blind

-cec

Dear MIA─
are you all-together there
in the middle meadow?
or do your legs bob down-
stream on a turbulent current?
ball blown by cannon's snort
resounding echo at gathering
triangle's bar calls to family arms
embracing memories of the missing

the dog tags wine on distant shores
scratching in the mud of our before-father
mothers in their labor fear, and loath
each forgetful life added to the toll
fenced in by limp flags near stone mounds
buried with ritual lies of nationalist hounds
each border marking a resting place
for an unknown billeted body, not there

-cec

Mountain crevices and glacial cracking ice
top of this world, far from labor saving life
there, above clouds, swim lost spirits
seeking ship's anchor on iron chains
in hope of finding solid port sans storms

winds that whip, whistle and blind
blown from west to east's witchdom
moving chilling fingers of **** frost
drifting, ever drifting, on whirling backs
of howling hound's jaws of vaporous breath

crystalized by uncaring, sub-zero mercury
laid down in tomb's snow and ice layers
absent green grounded colors, now adrift
auroral curtains draped between darkness
casting spells over vast flat expanses

-cec

submerged beneath dark silty waves
feeling fingers probe bank's muddy scales
pluck taut cords holding carp's mouth
note by foot long muscled mandolin

-cec