heavenly signal
as his wife's car left
and the church pastress,
a lurch of sad grace
which struck a dead horse.
"don't go, please don't go!"
but the whip came to bone,
the horse wailed alone.

to stand over the moon
paramaribo muscle man
i just want to encapsulate
every flavor like a good
one bite sushi roll
to paint a word picture at once
and make the fountain now
flow with understanding

stereo guelphs
parallel mussel shore
i just want to endeavor
a kind soulfoul bristol
currant curacao courland
shiai windring lastun
the most poetic wyrm

finding myself forgotten
wishing i could sit like grogu
burning furrows of blood
shoes in a daydream
little veinthickets delicate
will we ever go together

i'm not going to last
i'm not going
i'm not to last
i'm not

tears well in my eyes
pools bleached from never draining
i make no sound when i cry
but i cry all the same

in the morning i wait for your buzz
i hear just a forlorn signal
the sound of occasional responsibility
purple's the color farthest from me

death is coming to us all
cossack or rocket
it's indecipherable
what and why we must lie
how and shall we go die
doon by wackblatterside

dark the children sing
dyer maker in the spring
wonce i go fallenform
ne'er i come back to mourn

one king one crown for the dark
pull you in
much ado about you
sweet perfection who was not
sadness and thoughts not of me
i can't remain or maintain
failure is all that i am
shall i end it now

la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la

la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la

la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la
la la la la la la

have you left yet
have i left yet

think of the fear my father feels
and why
drum last

sing hum
back
out
lullaby

can't we be sweet
can't we cuddle
hold me
please

I live in a nation called America,
and, today, I am human.

branching out into the universe
a solitary butterfly learns that
pestering God won't turn him
back into a caterpillar.

Who can tame the winds of the sea?
None but ******, Wind-Keeper, he,
Who keeps both the savior and scourge of the sail
Fastened away in a mountainous jail,
And from that bronze fortress escapes not a wail.

Who can tame the winds of the soul?
A man with more mirth than mad Aeol.

A friendly word is wise:
It bears no silken string,
And everyone is glad
To hear it echoing.

A cautious word is prey
To will’s supreme intent;
And lacking any strength,
It makes a man relent.

The emblem of your heart
Is blazoned on your smile;
The wretch and dissolute
Have vanished for a while.

So freely give good will
To friend and stranger each;
Then virtuous reward
Will be within your reach.

and he lays down again
after raging and slamming his brain into a bed
something muted, absent observant words
objective words, perspective words
can never quite encapsulate

that raw emotion all feel always
intangible
like the jaw-taste of vaughan
the van jazz neon net
(an album his father kept)

young hearts and their dreams
exhausted muscles at their seams
scream
scream
scream
into the wake of venus
and still bleed even with the advent of therapy

and he lays down again

A graceful girl combs my heart,
And skillfully plucks my harp.
It's more difficult to breathe
Than to let myself love her.

there is nothing but despair
in this heart of mine
only a cold breeze
from the fans of time

the beat of missing, longing
pounds on my skull like waves
an insurrection in my mind

but you, through all your troubles
still press on, with beauty
and it gives me hope

as the smile on your face
brings kindness to this place
somehow it gives me strength to cope

you're as rare
as a hill in denmark
i found you here
in my hometown
you close your eyes
and a bright star goes dark
breathe a sigh
and the tide rolls down

there is loneliness and anger
in this wailing world
people blaze like torches
but inside their hearts are cold

a dead horse, beset
by enemies unreal
the prison wardens
poisoned my last meal

but you, through every upset
still fight on, resilient
and it brings me hope

through this tragedy called life
you swing your hunting knife
and slice the fibers
of the hangman's rope

you're as rare
as a hill in denmark
and yet you're here
in my hometown
you close your eyes
and the whole sky goes dark
take a sigh
and the tide rolls down

My brain is a bowl of hot steaming stew
Never decided on what it shall do:
Boil this moment, pop in the next
Outline an opus or spew scattered wrecks
Catch on a small thought, stubborn as steel
Caring not for what its owner might feel
Ruin a party, clothesline a dream
Embrace a stranger, mend a torn seam
Lead me to valleys ahead of the wind
With constant recalling of how I have sinned

oh speckled albatross
purveyor of stacked rocks
when you float
how a worthy note
issues from your auburn throat
golden's the cap
on your pope hat of brass

oh gallant albatross
eleven feet across
when you glide
how your wingside
sweeps beats with the swollen tide
proud is the wash
wind that keeps you aloft

in my crown dream
i am a captain
i sail the seas
from age to age

blindly i wait
for't all to happen
still i am just
an icthiophage

aftermorrow i can see my fate
to rot in a cell or burn at the stake
the fruits that i ate were paltry and poor
an' i won't grow above five-foot-four

i've been way out, way far
over the top and across the line
paris, dubrovnik, leningrad
drop the pictureframe and let us unwind

mother can you tell me
how am i to carry on?
life is a jungle
entangled as the amazon

living in a coma
sheltered thoughts and faltered dreams
life as a loner
ain't much use in questioning....

on top of old smokey
eagles fly up and sing me to sleep
on top of the beat, the world is complete
the fire dies down and dark jupiter frowns

singing way out, beyond the stars
reaching the limits of venus and mars
half-glazed, half-mad
trying is lying the dying i've had

As everything bright must transition to night,
so too comes the evening of all my graces:
the sands, the salts, the waxing wine;
the hunt-and-pecks in diverse places.

Pour me another cup of almonds, then,
only this time make them into milk....
...why bear the texture of harsh fabric,
when your lips could be gliding over silk?

A mangled mess of Clover,
Sitting softly in setting Sun,
Brushes upon its grass-bed,
As Brook starts to run.
Calmly, she calls to Meadow,
Likewise, Meadow to Tree;
Tree converses with Flower,
And Flower embraces Bee.

and should the mountains, flush with royal haze
be scornèd by the choosy pauper's gaze
then i would look without critique or qualm
upon those soft-brushed lazy hills of calm
with beauty shown in shades from teal to rose
how elegant the slopes lie in repose
not wanting to shrug off their foggy cloaks
but wrap those blankets tight round pines and oaks
in safety from the world i lie alone
among the green immortal mounts of home
a wanderer above the sea of fog
a pilgrim knelt before the seat of God

cup your hands and receive the worlds blossoms:
wealth, warmth, and wisdom
i pray you will hold them

i would like
to take
a shuttle to the moon:
a dear rocket through the blue!

as i cling to the wing
of the rickety thing,
i would sing a little
faring daring tune

if the moon were bright,
brighter than night,
and made of the stuff
that we covet and lust,

i would like
to take home
a piece of it for you.

How I wish for a song to sing:
A perfect melody,
A taste of spring.
I want a tune to reach my ears
And make my eyes
Well up with tears.

On rain-soaked streets,
I'd spend my days,
And I'd rattle through
The morning haze;
From the bouncing dream
Of a comforting song,
I'd turn my gaze skyward
As I walked along.

But now, it seems
I often can count
The streams that amount
To a deafening, dull sensation,
And whenever a song should reach my lips,
Its worth is lost from my imagination.

Oh, give me a mellow little tune;
A soothing chorus of flowers in bloom.
Or offer an epic romantic chantey,
The kind of a rhythm to suit my fancy.

Sing me a song of summertimes gone,
And give me the voice to carry it along.
Bring to my heart,
Wherever I may be,
A warm air,
A rousing melody,
In perfect harmony,
Grant me my wish,
It's all I ask,
Give me a song to sing!

crickets chirp
tree mist in valley
fall glow farm

In sorrow, failure, tragedy or wist,
'Tis comfort that makes me a *******.
My neck hurts from the tics I do,
My eyes resent the strain I put them through,
My brain, at war, breaks down the hopeful side,
Discouraged that it ever had such pride.
I miss the one-days I found happiness,
Before my mind decided to regress,
Before the glooming days, like this;
Before the pain made me a *******.

O angels calling all around me, hail them!
No doubt they know the diverse ways I fail them.
Myself I fail, and all the world. It floods
Like Barbary in Noah's time, when bloods
From angels' ***** became extinct, and then
The land once ruled by giants fell to men.
Since men are giants now, they cannot stand
The presence of a pest upon their land,
Producing naught but tearful sorrows pall.
They fear my rise, that I might doom them all.

water trembles on black lily night,
rainshowers' sudden splash wakes me.
looking from a faint orange glass,
a single star shines atop the city.
my heart sails across the stream
to the street where you live.
rain has stopped, air is clear,
I am walking on a sunlit day.
alone, I meet you; curious
we are to see each other,
like two well-met bluejays.

how is life?
well, it's good
so is mine

water trembles on black lily night,
my hands slip down the pane.
I wring the hang-down curtain,
and welcome in the summer rain.

Who calls the rains
over black mountains?
Who will tell
the wanderers to stay?
On summer air,
I count thirty clouds....
have they no cause to release?

So happily
they drift on by
in the vast immaterial sky....
Humming a tune
of a life without gloom;
Backs always warm,
gaily, they soar,
thinking, "I could pass
another day
without dropping my rains
on black mountain way."

And so it has been,
and even today,
they spare not a thought;
not a drop falls upon the peaks.
And so it shall be:
Not a drop shall fall on black mountains....
And so it shall be.

Bold Captain Gray comes down
To islands warm,
Where tawny men are chattel;
Sees brightly Patrick Spens
Survive a storm,
And wants to win the battle!

But when the cannon
Shots roar all 'round them
And punch a hole in th' aft deck;
Laments that Spens was found
A man too "holey"
Murmur around the carrack!

What were his last words,
Tell them to me boys,
Or I'll get raw with fury!
For Patrick owed your
Weight in Spanish coin;
God stablished I his jury!

But when the men had
Still not loosed their lips,
E'en under pain or menace;
Says Gray, what senators
Be these lads who still
Possess no fear of penance?

Then comes the lookout boy
From up above,
Where long the mast had held him;
Says, Patrick Spens just
Gave me his last word;
See here, it's writ on vellum!

Then up the captain roars...
And makes to burn the stores...
For tricks the crew had played...
With rage, the captain said:
     Beehive the rightless dogs, to hell ‘em,
     Give me the answer scrawled on vellum!

bubbling,
babbling,
brookling,
i'm charting a course
for your sundries.
take it upon me --
no --
take it upon yourself
to watch me glide,
and fall,
and smack into a tree-
Ow! (watch out, George!)
that jungle stung,
but a tree's like
a ladder rung
as a tambourine
is just a drum.
now by my preaching
don't get irate;
we're not supposed
to gyrate.

Can ebon wings ever quell
The mockers' cry over hell?
The thunder of their wrath?
And starry things, other worlds,
The rent, sour universe,
Which seldom halts their path?

thinkers champion
Viennese democracy;
students not impressed

scorched railroad
hammers clang, boss shouts
blue men moan

my legs daily grow stiffer
as i descend deeper into
philosophy
which is a kind of madness

maybe by the end i'll have it all figured out
but this i doubt

Chalkstone paved
        The unceremonious call
        Of a yellow machine
Dry craters where forests once grew....
        If the moon is out,
        And my hunger is sated,
They may grow anew.

Dancing down the argent lane,
Splashing graceless cares away;
Whirling round in youthful bliss,
Halting night to board my dreamship.
As the song beats "murasaki",
The sidewalk gleams, and I am happy.

I am the lion, the wolf, and the horse,
Rainbow and *** of gold, river and source.
I am a windstorm of passion and rain,
Thresher of tangleweed, drummer of pain.

Flocks of the autumn air dance on my wing,
Soldiers and statesmen both bow heads and sing,
Fireflies synchronize hearts to my beat,
Churchimes clap triumphal rings down the street.

I am an echo in dancehalls of old,
I am the fever that comes with the cold,
I am the soul of the goodness of Earth,
Guardian and blesser of every new birth.

I am the mother bird, high in her nest,
All of the creatures are under my breast.
I am the white dove that flies from the strife,
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

bluebird, blackbird
sailor, sun
multi-star, hegemon
chariot, gun
tree-perched wings
sea breeze cloud
laughing, crying
dying out loud

composition: epileptic epistle
philosophic peruvian piper
coronation: kibbutz tzitzimitl

I am a courier
I carry a letter
I'm bringing it to
my love, she hails
from far-off lands
her eyes are like
the sun, it sets
beyond the trees
it stabs me with
its gaze, so rare
and ne'er to be found
again, I must
retrace my steps
for, lost in thought
I seem to have passed
her house, all made
of crimson tile
a-dripping down
the lane, where garden paths
converge, to build
in essence, a friendship
as they do in Kyoto.

Meet me by the fluttering pond,
Where fishermen silently linger,
And birds swim in its pale fragrance,
And all nature commands you,
To eschew violence.

Crestfallen, cantering
down stumble avenue,
my lucky fountain was
outpouring youth.
About-face! I crafted
a curious inquiry,
endeavoring slyly
the avoidance of truth.
And then I walked on by.
Was it my worthless wince
that made you
hardly deign to reply?

My stomach oft knotted,
ink blotted, but you are
faultless and guiltless of
waxing and waning my
hopeless forlorn hope, my
bellowing attrition,
glazed over in glory,
trampled delicately
with innocent fashion.
Swordsmen leaping over
your bright scarlet ramparts;
wordsmen, in a white gift
resonating outward;
they hinted that my dream,
laced up in slack linen,
was daring enough for
your showered attentions.
...But only for a while.

In Scandinavia's oceanbound counterpart,
a sickly vested boy grafted his life into yours;
now empathetic reminiscence recalls
dry desert days 'neath a cloudless sphere,
as war ripped apart your homeland.
Among all the hubbub of upheaval unfamiliar,
tell me, you who are more worldly,
if I mean anything to you?

your face speaks more
than a million heartfelt adages;

travailing, you
compel stone-cold statesmen to grieve.

was it debu-
-ssy who softened my heart to say that?

a cypress dies
when it touches your tear-snuffing sleeve.

So the eagle
bold commands the plain,
and the king of
the jungle is the lion,
but one King alone
can tell the moon to wane,
or send the tempest
winds to India flyin'.

Not for honor,
men have carved the badge
of the flaming
cross upon their shields,
but to strike and go
where God hath shown,
and die among the
favored in the fields.

metamorphoses unfolded today
at 5am the death dragons slay
without my knowing, hope and faith

drugs and chance, circumstance
wasted fellowship
the death dragons dance

i did not know, i could not know.
i wish the truth had been my worst
and hell froze oer with snow

I ride through the birkwood,
Passing snowbanks on every corner.
Day's end light blinds me.
Holiday joy turns bittersweet in my eyes,
And my lips are as dry as the air.
A fellow stranger sits by me....
Does he know he shares my name?
...Oh well, I hear a cawing:
From the window I see a hundred crows,
Circling the frozen river....
Friends laugh in the courtyard,
But I will be lonely tomorrow.

Upon these shores lie wrecks of then and gone,
When once an emperor ruled a land so rich.
The sea-hope of a nation under dawn
Beheld the continent of the western witch.
The sarsen of this land of gold was lost;
By tide, the blood-flagged vessels overturned.
Uneven marks from history's page were glossed,
And all the native flowerbeds were burned.

do hold me
do love me
don't say die while
thinking of me
take me in
as i am
as you have
it's all i wanted

you're my rock
i'm your ledge
i'll lift you
over the edge
but don't look back
you'll tumble down
stay on track
keep me around

take me on
your sweet way
as you have
it's all i wanted
make the difference
anyway
save my world
from being haunted

oo-oo-oo-oo

deep
is the death
i discovered
in your room
and deep
is the breath
that i take
before my doom

i know it could be so far away
but fate is up to you
i wanna believe i'm more today
i don't know what is true

so i just have faith in the things you do
i just have faith in the things you do
i just have faith
in the things
you do

anything that i do
running without assurance
i'm riding, riding
on my own

all the faces i see
caught up in the currents
they're gliding, gliding
all alone

this train is pulling south
and i guess it's best
to let me go

don't come and get me
don't come and get me
oh no

so far away
the land is cold and hot
i can't believe
what i see

this is the culmination
of all those restless thoughts
i'm stranded here
goodbye tears

this train is going south
and i guess it's best
to let me go

don't come and get me
don't come and get me
oh no

...

i have to say
i'm having second thoughts
this place is not
so friendly

i felt so sure
the truth is i forgot
what happiness
you bring me

this train is going south
and i guessed it best
to let me go
but you said you
still love me so

come and get me oh
come and get me oh-oh
come and get me oh
come and get me oh-oh
(please!) come and get me oh
come and get me oh no
i can't go

anything that i do
running without assurance
i'm riding, riding
on my own

so come and get me
please come and get me
oh-oh

poppies and ponies
time twirling woven blanket
plum-blossom undershade

i long to fall down in the shadow of you
to be paralyzed by your secondhand chill
my heart stolen by your unconscious banditry

careful glance
sun shadows my plate
hope rush by

eleventh letter
tin pan alley raindance blues
sorrowful sister