The lamp's glow
Across his face
Brought out
The dimples
I hadn't noticed.

He whispered that
I was beautiful.
In those moments,
I almost believed him.

I almost believed the way
He kissed my shoulders.
Almost fell for his
Disheveled curly hair.
Almost wished I could
Watch him
Rub his eyes
And brew his coffee
Each morning.

Almost.
What a pathetic word.
It insinuates that we were
Close...
But not quite there.
Just didn't reach
The mark.

I said that
He was attractive,
And that his shirt
Didn't need to stay on.
He almost believed me.
Almost.

Who is this Ja
Sean Hunt did ask
So I will tell you
This is my task

He’s a silly little man
Without any hair
His teeth are all gone
But he doesn’t care

He wears tiny glasses
Because he can’t see
They make him look cute
If you ask me

He writes some BOEMS
And thinks he is funny
But that hasn’t made
Him, any money

He writes WIZDUMBs too
And feels he is wise
But he has not yet
Won any prize

He makes up songs
And composes the tune
But won’t be on radio
Any time soon

Ja is that poor
Odd foolish man
Who just runs around
Does what he can

He’s the Polish version
Of that old grandpa
Just in his case
He is the Ja

He is in name
An old Polish, Jadek
I’m spelling it wrong
But what the heck

So there you have it
He’s no one of note
He’s not even famous
He’s just, an old goat
BOEMS BY JA 79

I saw war machines between the clouds
and while the sky was burning
people on the ground were living carelessly,
ignoring the Apocalypse above.

I saw a madman hysterically laughing and dancing
amongst  people with bleeding smiles
and I, as one of them,
was wandering by the river,
watching, listening,
not knowing if anything was real.

(A stranger took a picture of me
and I felt pretty.)

Then finding myself in the middle of nowhere
I saw demons burning everything I owned
—a poem, a dress, and your picture—
My legs frightened running and running and running
until my body touched the ground.
Breathless, suffocating,
I knew then
that it was the end.

I exist in a
modern
       fortress
of houses &
    cars, stores
around the
corner to buy
      anything
I want &
       the sea
& dark trees
remain
mysteries,
   peripheral
things only
    experienced
in
           dreams
passing
     ships that
sail in to
erase names
& obligations,
      stretch weak
             lungs to
breaking,
reprogramming
genes to flee, 
to tease out the 
         wild seed
    from my
ancestors tree
& in the absence
of jungle
     ignite a fire
from
bits of wire,
     from you
& me
& our ancient
      heartbeat