Cien poemas
     In less than a year
Muchas palabras
     Flowing line after line
Looking back now
     Digo con confianza
La poesía
     Is the best "waste of time"

is it important to rhyme?
do the cool kids care?
will they give me the time
if the 4th line ends in a different sound than line B?


the nature of poetry's changed
we've given up the rules
we allow a greater range
of thoughts and rhythms and forms and types and schemes and what not


you can even follow tradition
writing old-school poems
but make it special edition
by ******* with people's minds and changing one little structural thing mwahaha


will this trend stick?
can i name this new style?
or should i just pick
whatever words come to mind to wrap up this so-called-poem
and make people wonder what the hell they just read?

Fanatics fixed their eyes upon
The screen to cheer their team
The mood there in the air was tense
Tricolor seemed out of steam

The clock was counting down
The time was drawing nigh
Doomed to lose and head on home
Bid Russia their goodbye

An errant shot deflected out
Gave them one last chance
To score a goal and prance about
Show off their famous dance

From the corner, the ball soared in
A hero rose above
Mina smacked it with his head
And won his country's love

England shocked to see the win
Snatched right from their grasp
Colombia delirious
Successful at last gasp

And thus the game was sent along
Into the overtime
Two periods were played to nil
Two teams full in their prime

Penalties would now decide
Which team would advance
The locals glued to their tvs
The nation in a trance

Falcao scores! Kane as well!
Cuadrado, Rashford too!
Muriel then strikes one home
Tricolor up three to two!

Ospina blocks the next one
Hypes up the frenzied crowd
But Uribe hits the crossbar
And the silence echoes loud

Trippier knots it up again
We're down to final shots
Bacca fails to get his through
Past Pickford's valiant swat

Fate rests upon this final kick
Well placed with perfect spin
Just past Ospina's outstreched hands
Dier seals the win

The cafeteros reel from shock
No sign of jubilation
But still the crowd, crushed in defeat
Show their appreciation

Colombia eliminated
We give them all a hand
And though their World Cup here is done
I'm now their biggest fan

like all, I yearned to love
in spite of potential pain
but now this anti-love bites hard
agony and shock surge through my veins

an army of fury and contempt
rush forth, crown fear both queen and king
this anti-love marches on
attacking with rage-inducing sting

but I can't hate this anti-love, no
I confess when push comes to shove
I cherish the teensy bits of joy
I share with the little ant I love

What if I'd taken the other path?
Had chosen X instead of Y?
What if I'd turned left instead of right?
What if I'd been a girl instead of a guy?

What if I'd studied this or that?
Been born a king instead of a pawn?
What if I'd taken the other job?
What if I'd stayed instead of gone?

What if I hadn't lived this same life
Leading to here, now, this?
What if I'd never even thought
To ask all these what ifs?

so effing hot today

my skin melting
fat crackling
muscles sizzling
flesh evaporating
bones cracking
skeleton crumbling
burning down
to glowing embers

even my ashes echoing
lamenting the heat

I've witnessed a beauty
I can't describe
That speaks to my soul
As it swims through my eyes
The silent sounds
Sneak into my mind
The taste lingers on
Leaving sweetness behind
The scent creeps up
To slowly remind
Of the touch that once felt
Makes all else fade
Til only your beauty
Pure beauty remains

There's nothing else
Your beauty remains

Looks like somebody's got a case of
Something sinister, with not a trace of
That weekend high, like you just erased it
And filled up on Monday's existential dread

Nah, no way it's all just in your head
From the moment you dragged yourself out of bed
Leaving dreams behind, choosing real world instead
To face up to Monday's lack of appeal

No, I proclaim, this syndrome is real
It's something that some weeks all of us feel
As weekly the world attempts to steal
Our joy and our souls with its Mondays

if i write a million billion zillion words a day
will some sound nice?
will they work out right?
will my mind create a masterpiece some night?

or will brilliance elude me
like camoflauged prey?
can greatness be chanced upon
or do i have to beg for it?
do i have to pray?

can statistical likelihood produce
from sheer quantitative mass
some lyrical combination
to surpass mere mediocrity
rise straight to first class?

or do i gotta go back and ask
the teachers and mentors
i left in the past?

i took off too fast
ignored their words and advice
bout how to think
how to write
how to talk
how to act
how to not be enticed
by distractions in life

how to not roll the dice
when the odds are too stacked
how to work **** hard
to stay on track
how to make smart goals
if you're itching to rise
by hitchin your ride
to the business of guys
and girls with vision

that's what i was taught
what i heard
what i learned
what i forgot (then recalled)
what i once spurned
to spark my downfall

but i have returned
and rediscovered myself
remembered the others
who raised me
who made me
my parents
my brothers
all those who inspired
all those who required
daily sacrifice

to feed the fire
to push me higher
to bring on success
to make me my best
which proves to the rest
if you don't perspire
chance don't mean ****

now we gotta admit
we all need an assist
but if you want greatness
you gotta work for it

C8H10N4O2  so  softly  calling
Feel  my  energy  level  falling
I­t  faintly  whispers  my name (psss)
But now I'm just stuck stalling     (uh)
I  try but just can't break  free        (so)
"How about some herbal tea?"     (no)
Your  suggestion  is  appalling  (ugh)
But  coffee?  I'm  al­ways  keen
Need that daily hit of caffeine

A collision!
Everyone frantic
All worried about

The people
     Are they ok?

          The damages
               How much to fix that?

                    The traffic
                         How long is this gonna hold me up?


But maybe...


   C  ould we all just stop for a minute and
   R  ecalibrate our priorities to truly
   A  ppreciate the incredible variety of
   S  ounds joining together in perfect
   H  armony as the cars smash into one another?


Go ahead
Call me calloused
But listen:


Squeal Screech Honk Bam Boom Smash Bang Clank
Wham Crack Thwack Rattle Whoosh Hiss Gasp

But mostly
That unmistakable
Hauntingly mellifluous

CRASH!!!

I'm a Texas boy
Born and raised
In the greatest and the proudest
Of the United States
Grew up in the shadows
Of them loblolly pines
This oil boom town
Sweet home o' mine

But I left it behind
To see the world
Traveled the globe
Just me and my girl
Meeting new people
Trying new things
Embracing and facing
Whatever life brings

But no matter where I've been
'cross God's green earth
My blood's kept me rooted
To my place of birth
And if you ain't from 'round here
Maybe you don't understand
You can take the man outta Texas
Can't take Texas outta the man

Lost souls in the desert
In parched lands so dry
Raise hands in delight
As heavens open wide
Rain comes crashing down
Pouring from a heavy sky
Drenching the world
In echoing mournful cries
Of ocean's lament:

You pollute me

But why?

Do I not
Please your eyes?
Do I not also
Nurture
Provide?

I teem with life
Of infinite worth
I team with the wind
Sustain the earth

Yet you trash me
Without second thought
With countless byproducts
Of industrial rot
You don't relish my beauty
You don't savor my taste
You don't bask in my fragrance
No, you send me your waste

And still I give

As long as you live
I'll love you the same
I'll carry your boats
I'll feed you my fish
I'll send you the rain

So when the skies darken
Precipitation pours forth
Let it remind
Of how much you use me
Oh, please don't abuse me
No, please be kind
And treasure my worth

Suffocated by
Our pollution and greed
Our planet cries out
Please, people, take heed!
It's not too late!
There's still hope, indeed!
But please, act quickly
Here's what we need.

Engage (not judge) friends
With informative conversation

Secondly, go vote
For smart regulation

Next, please encourage
Responsible personal choice

And finally, take time
Stop and listen to earth's voice

Once is never
Or at least never enough
Life can be quite tough
But einmal ist keinmal

Let's try something new
See if it rings true
That despite what we do
Einmal ist keinmal

No inhibitions, no regrets
Do what we feel like
And never forget
Though einmal ist keinmal

Take risks, be bold
Don't harden your soul
Nor grow stale and old
Einmal ist keinmal

Live in the present
Be now, be here
Have no fear of the future
Cause einmal ist keinmal

Feel this lightness of being
As if nothing matters
Our significance shattered
Einmal ist keinmal

Sieze the moment
Give it your all
Live life to the fullest
Knowing full well
Einmal ist keinmal

What percentage of the time

do you lie in that bed?
     the rest a waste
          of the metal springs
                    forged by
                    factory workers
                    pouring in their
                    unpaid overtime
                    to meticulously
                    shape the steel
                    into just the right
                    comforting bounce
     a waste
          of the soft cotton cover
                    picked by
                    (slave-descended) hands
                    white fluff
                    still echoing centuries
                    of black oppression
                    spun on foreign looms
                    shipped back
                    across the seas
                    dyed, woven,
                    stretched taut
                    into just the right
                    soothing texture
     a waste
          of the foam stuffing
                    made from...
                    whatever goes into
                    foaminess...
     how many hours wasted?
     daily
     weekly


What percentage of the time

do you write with that ballpoint pen?
     the rest a waste
          of the clear plastic casing
                    melded from petroleum
                    by corporations
                    extracting black gold
                    in exchange
                    for greenhouse gases
     a waste
          of the tiny perfect sphere
                    rolling smoothly along
                    tungsten carbide surface
                    exquisitely crafted
                    for maximum efficiency
                    by man's finest machines
                    factories churning out
                    thousands by the hour
     a waste
          of the bright blue ink
                    the mysterious mixture
                    of dyes and pigments
                    and oils and surfactants
                    spilling onto the page
                    recording your
                    delicate thoughts
                    in desperate
                    existential hope
                    they won't be as oft ignored
                    as that device
                    from which they pour forth
     how many hours wasted?
     monthly
     yearly


What percentage of the time

do you sit in that reclining chair?
do you walk in those polished dress shoes?
do you eat with that bent spoon?
do you style your hair with that fine-toothed comb?
do you turn the pages of your favorite book?
do you see by lamp's light in the guest bedroom?

     how many hours
     sitting unused, wasted?
          in a life

He wants none of it
The unrelenting fame
Paparazzi's lights
Never out of sight
The crushing weight
Of a well-known name


He wants none of it
The life-******* fame
Endless demands
From legions of fans
Happiness funneling
Right down the drain


He wants none of it
The soul-deadening fame
Prestige a cruel mistress
All joys turned to business
Dousing his spirit
To extinguish its flame


No, he craves anonymity
For stardom to cease
To be happy with less
Freed from the stress
True glory found
In a life lived in peace

the words will come
just let them

the words will pour forth
without prior consideration of the meaning they'll produce

sometimes words have a tendency to do that
those fickle little things

little grunts and clicks and hisses and waaahs
that somehow collaborate
better than any set of politicians the world has seen

or sometimes create more chaos
more confusion
more discord

than if they'd never been uttered

so be careful with those words
those fickle little things

Toss myself out of bed
Peel myself off the floor
Drag myself out of the house
Push myself to the job I hate
Force myself to face the world
Command myself to not melt into a puddle that oozes through the pores of the couch cushions to become a useless incompetent waste of my own **** self

Demand more of myself
To keep myself myself

You can't say
What you wanna say
She said

But I just said what I wanted to say
(Or so I said in my head)

Again she said, no
You're saying
What you don't want to say
To say
What you really want to say

Say then
Whaddya say I go ahead and say
What I want to say
Though it's already been said
(Albeit in a way I didn't say)

And I daresay,
It will be said again one day
Perhaps when I learn to say

What I want to say

Got those early week blues
So please won't you grace
Me with something funny
To put a smile on my face

A feel-good story
Or a friendly life tip
Your best one-liner
Or a clever quip

I just want to laugh
I just want to grin
And against despondency
I just want a win

A cheerful heart is good medicine
Just what the Doctor prescribes
So let's help each other out
With some positive vibes

When I feel myself
Beginning to fret
When fear or depression
String me along
The best way to stop it
To jam up the angst
Is to set loose the hands
To break into song

Take note of my thoughts
Tune into my feelings
Pick out a rhythm
And let it ring true
I try but can't quite
Put my finger on why
But my hands 'round this neck
Sure cast out the blues

I don’t have to wake up too early
I get to

I don’t have to go to work
I get to

I don’t have to deal with my neighbors
I get to

I don’t have to eat a healthy dinner
I get to

I don’t have to call my parents
I get to

I don’t have to wash the dishes
sweep the floors
feed the pets
hang the laundry
scrub the toilet
I get to

I don’t have to pack her lunch
with a smile
and a lovely note
I get to

I don’t have to do
the things I dread
or the things I love
I get to

I don’t have to keep on living

I get to!

just so tired
of being mired
in the endless fatigue
that works in league
with the utter exhaustion
that makes me feel lost in
the ruthless lethargy
that keeps on charging


just need some shut eye
so desperately, but I
can't catch up on rest
settled into my nest
breathing slow and deep
still can't fall asleep
counting sheep in droves
but unable to doze


instead ironically
I lay here chronically
stuck wide awake
unable to shake
the conscious mind's grip
unable to slip
into the world of dreams
escaping what seems
the waking mind's prison
as insomnia, risen
to almighty omnipotence
flexing its eminence
wards off all the threats
that maybe would let
this body start healing
and this mind stop feeling

so tired
of being mired
in the endless fatigue
that works in league
with the utter exhaustion
that makes me feel lost in
the ruthless lethargy
that keeps on charging

without end

insomnia strikes again

**** the old year!
**** the old you!

****** it
Slaughter it
Toss it to the wolves
Watch it die slowly

Your pains and failures and sorrows and mistakes and regrets from the past year
Whimpering
Wheezing
Gasping for their last breath

Stand in triumph over your ****
And seize the new day
The new year
The new opportunities
That now stand before you

So when you look back
A year from now
You will know

You absolutely killed it

"Pretty boring sunset"
"Those colors aren't so bright"
"Not gonna waste my time with this"
"Not much to see tonight"

And as the crowds drifted off
Expressing their dismay
I sat and watched the last light fade
Perfect ending to my day

Not a scene you'd likely see
In any picture frame
Nor find for sale on postcards
Nor bring an artist fame

But as I stared in silence
Twilight rolled across the sky
Revelation rolled right through my mind
How miniature am I

Though others turned their gaze away
When the sky refused to preen
Twas among the most magnificent
My eyes had ever seen

Walked through a field full of llamas
Wooly babies, papas, and mamas
But these llamas were purists
And spat on this tourist
Turning excitement to trauma

Alpacas aren't llamas they say
Though they won't give details away
But I've got a hunch
So I'll-pack-a lunch
Head out for field research today

When one disappears
The world keeps on spinning
The saints keep on sainting
And the sinners keep on sinning

When one disappears
Some may stop to wonder
But only a chosen few
Feel their souls torn asunder

When one disappears
Most await new dawn
But some live an endless night
Once their soulmate's gone

Hola mi amiga
Let's talk 'bout what we had
The strongest bonds of friendship
Un fuerte amistad

Nothing came between us
No podían separarnos
We shared all our sueños
And hoped to alcanzarlos

Pero esa noche, it all changed
When once our lips did meet
Your touch became tan dulce
Tus palabras just as sweet

El amor exploded in our lives
Mi vida became yours
Y nuestra friendship grew still deeper
Con pasión y so much more

Y quién sabe qué hubiera pasado
Si we didn't break each other's hearts
Pero si pudiera salvar la amistad
I'd nix us 'fore the start

The moon's not a crescent
It doesn't glow
It doesn't shine
It doesn't hang in the air
It doesn't show your love
Or mine

Blood moons? Not ******
Blue moons? Not blue
Super moons? Not so super
New moons? Anything but new

Superstitious? Full moons
Don't fill the earth with fright
Don't induce labor
Nor raise werewolves
In the night

No man in the moon
Hate to break it to you
Moon's mysterious myths
Mere legends
All untrue


These unscientific lyrics
Carelessly thrown around
What a load of crock!

The moon is nothing more
Than a cold empty sphere
A pale lifeless rock

And this just in
From all the moonlight lovers:
So is my soul, what a shock!

Mar y montañas
What a great view del balcón
Mi alma en paz
---
Mountains, city, sea
The three meet: ¡Increíble!
Thrilled by what I'm shown

---

Mar y montañas
Mountains, city, sea
What a great view del balcón

The three meet: ¡Increíble!
Mi alma en paz
Thrilled by what I'm shown

Clock says 3:34, Friday afternoon
Waiting for the bell, but it rings too soon
My throat's too parched, butterflies in my stomach
I walk out of class, then I take off running
I hear my voice squeaking, I'm sweating bullets
My heartbeat's racing, I tell myself to cool it
Gotta get myself ready, I'm a nervous wreck
As I put myself out there, stick out my neck
I stroll to her locker, think I'm smooth as butter
Catch her bright gaze, involuntarily I shudder
Never done this before, ****'s scared outta me
So I open my mouth
What's it gonna be?
I squeak out the words
"Will you go out with me?"

No response as she turns back to the metal door
Spins the combination, flicks it back once more
The green rectangle swings open toward me
Now I start to wonder, do I have to repeat?
I quickly say her name, catch her nod from behind
I stare dumbfounded, wish I had a better line
Door slams shut, which way's this gonna go?
She spins then replies...
"Maybe. I don't know."

...Uh, wait, huh? What's that supposed to mean?
I just stare in shock, I feel like I'm turning green
I prepared for the yes, I prepared for the no
But after that answer what the hell do I know?
With a flippant little shrug she brushes right past
Says "I'll catch ya later", disappears into the mass
I'm standing alone, fingers nervously tapping
With a singular thought - What the hell just happened?
I didn't get the yes that I hoped for and expected
And she didn't say no, but I feel pretty **** dejected
Did I get rejected? Well, my ego got bruised
I'm bewildered and perplexed, downright confused
I'm frozen, mystified, as my buddies breeze by
One stops on a dime, spins and looks me in the eye
His expectant look asks a silent yes or no
I just give a little shrug...
"Maybe. I don't know."

They pester me with questions on our long walk home
But I'm totally distracted and I let my mind roam
What does Monday hold in store, will I get an answer?
I feel the panic rising so I join the friendly banter
The weekend creeps by, I'm consumed by my thoughts
Exhausted by the wondering, stomach still in knots
Early Monday morning, confidently stroll to school
But before I reach the door I feel like a **** fool
My eyes scan the grounds and I see where she stands
I spot her...
Another guy...
And their interlocked hands

My jaw drops a foot and I suddenly feel sick
Is she ruthlessly cruel or this a mean trick?
Internally I'm fuming nonstop all day
Externally I'm sweating and the world fades away
It feels like each class is progressively hotter
I ask my last teacher to leave to get some water
The class hears her reply and loses all control
Through the laughter comes her answer...

"Maybe. I don't know."

Wherever you are out there
Living your life so mindless
Of my inner agony
I hope you never find this

I hope you never see my lament
At how I dropped the ball
I hope you never see my confession
That I was the one
Who blew it all
Who threw it all away

I hope this bottle cast out to sea
Never finds you
Never floats up on your shore
Never reminds you
Of what our future held in store

Cause if it did
I would wallow in pity
I would wither in shame
I would shrivel from regret
I'd relive it the same

All over again

The pain
Would come flooding back
My heart under attack
The loneliness
Would overcome me again
As it did back then
I'd be paralyzed once more

All because you found this note
These words I wrote
With no intent to send
All my bottled up feelings
Released to the wind

I know deep down
You'll never see
This will never find you
As it floats across the sea


But -
Confession time -
I lied

Though it would destroy me
My hope rests in serendipity
And that one in a million chance
This message
Through its ocean dance
Somehow finds its way to you

And maybe even someday soon

Across this gulf
Beneath this moon

This prayer sent out o'er seven seas
Gently calls you back to me