the sea
the bay
now thickened with gray
from the death of the northern wind
reveals his soul
with heartless roll
and the foam
on his grizzled chin
Jan 23, 2023
Jan 23, 2023 at 2:09 PM UTC
Pity the wolf that hungers after unattainable flesh
and the man who hem-haws excuses
to a boss, a wife, or a critic with a tapping foot
and a walrus mustache beneath a gin-blossomed schnozz
and above a smoke-coffee breath
just waiting to jump in with a negative judgment
and superior attitude
Pity the lamb that encounters the wolf
with a last hoof-dance of submission before dying
in choked and bleeding silence
to be wolfed down -
or the haughty judge or the humble sojourner
one on the high bench
and the other on the low flame
remaining in the tepid zone
never hot enough to burn away the betrayals of "friends"
who giggle and smirk
the minute he leaves a room
because of jealous burrs beneath
their burdensome self-imposed saddles
Evict the aching heart of "might be love"
but also beware of the heart of "just for now"
in spite of a flirt at the punch bowl
or a punch at the Super Bowl -
(they are the same thing in a way)
so
if you enter the competition
remember
the trophy doesn't have a palpitating heart
but the loser does
and so does the winner in anticipation of the judgments;
bad, good, or best in show
or even the gray-skinned badge of
"also-ran"
~~~
Envy the poor without schedule or purse
and no merciless fear of competition
nor door key to hunt-up under the dusty mat
in the dark, alone
nor houseplant to **** with the over-kindness of drowning
nor hinge to mend with duct tape and false hope
but he who flits away to nothing important
whenever
having no one to object
Envy the friendless who can storm off from a spat
without compunction or a "maybe I should have"
trailing like toilet paper
stuck on the heel
of a shoe
Envy the humiliated caterpillar
who finds himself to be a moth
instead of the monarch butterfly
he thought he would be
when he emerges from his cocoon
thinking it was a chrysalis
because the responsibilities end
when the burden of beauty is lost
and the new moth will soon forget
what might have been
in the constant effort of plain existence
Evict the housefly posing as a harmless spot
and throw away his home
that rotting plumb
because the fruit of deceit is worse
than the deceit of fruit gone bad
on the hidden side
to feed the filthy insect in secret
Does a raven learn to speak on his own?
Never
Does a raven learn to steal on his own?
Always
Where there is darkness, there is learning
where there is light, there is teaching
and always resentment or boasting
so learn to keep your mouth shut in the dark
until you learn a secret or two
then you can chat like a hairdresser
until you trip up a braggart trying to outdo everyone
because an unmasked lie is like water cast on a single flame
stifling a forest fire before its first real heartbeat
Envy the tiny grains of sand on the shores
for they hold back the mighty seas
with their tiny hands
and are flattered by the lapping waves
like slaves with ostrich-plume-fans
worshipping in genuflections and kowtows
endlessly
and all in the most genuine humility
that sand can muster in a crowd
~~~
Envy the coils of the brain
for they are there to provide more surface
and those folds have no scintillating hue like blood
for the elephant is gray and the ladybug is red
one can think and **** with a step
but the other can fly but must soon perish
the brain can reason
but blood turns black and dies
when it comes into light and air
Evict the vivid for it will give up the ghost
and
envy the drab for it will inherit the girth
~~~
Pity your own resolve
for you administer promises to your pillow each night
and swear oaths to the mirror each morning
like a child in detention
or an old soul in self-deception
each with good intention
but neither with gray-matter retention
Envy the broken heart
for reality has breakage and sorrow
but healing always follows
and the truth
when faced
can never be truly denied
and the mended bone is stronger than at first
~~~
Eviction is that final stance
at the cliff's edge
having come to the sea of eternity
with all the summoned bravery possible
holding the rubble of broken imaginings
and self-deceptions
wrapped in the ****** garb of new determination
after the battle
to be thrown into the deep
weighted with the stones of broken promises
Therefore
do the right thing
Cast your lies
into the draught
EVICT
and begin new-faced in the world
Oct 27, 2022
Oct 27, 2022 at 12:02 PM UTC
When you love
You break a heart
It is your own
Right from the start
Sep 1, 2022
Sep 1, 2022 at 7:51 AM UTC
In the midst of the Garden
was the Tree of Knowledge
of Good
and Evil
and the fruit thereof
was beauteous ---
but it meant
Death it
to all of
who partook
Sep 1, 2022
Sep 1, 2022 at 7:09 AM UTC
To live is more than breathing
It is more than movement
or gesture
To live is more than routine
It is more than setting goals
or placing limits
To live is more than simple reasoning
It is more than can be quickly understood
or accomplished
To really live is a rare effort
It must be carefully encountered
and wisely negotiated
To really live is to act
It is taking and giving
accepting and sacrificing
To live is joy and pain
To live is to do more than just exist
To live is to stand up and actually
LIVE
Aug 9, 2022
Aug 9, 2022 at 12:30 PM UTC
List to the green light, little boat
Always toward my Starboard Home
Home in my fevered brain
Away from tomorrow's surgery
In this blue liquid dream of escape
Where the end of the story is many shiny days
And not possible death on a table
A table serving open hearts
And scalpels in gleaming chrome
Sponges and stitches of blackened catgut
That may or may not promise tomorrows
Float me to survival . . . my tiny green light of hope
Help me arrive at my Starboard Home
Aug 9, 2022
Aug 9, 2022 at 12:20 PM UTC
O
speak
one word
in poetic form
and I will melt with
the joy of hearing that
singular sound
for an artful
word is
more
than
a
sound.
It
is
the
touch
of an
artist's
brush
on the
canvas
of my
being
and my soul
drinks that word
to its healing
as though
it is the
oil
of
hope.
Jul 11, 2022
Jul 11, 2022 at 5:09 PM UTC
Lonely comes in three sizes
The pint is light and floats near you
The quart you must hold in your lap
But, the gallon is unliftable
and it blocks all sunny paths
Mar 3, 2022
Mar 3, 2022 at 2:15 AM UTC
He wondered
Will Darcy be surprised by the flowers
and the beaded purse I'm giving her?
I don't think so.
He wondered
Were the opera tickets or pearls
unexpected?
I don't think so.
He wondered
Was Darcy ever caught off guard
at any of my efforts?
I don't think so.
He speculated
Maybe she'll be surprised on Tuesday
when I leave her.
I think so.
Feb 7, 2022
Feb 7, 2022 at 11:21 AM UTC
The sea
the bay
now thickened with gray
from the death of the northern wind
reveals his soul
with heartless roll
and the foam on his grizzled chin
Jan 17, 2022
Jan 17, 2022 at 8:18 AM UTC