i have turned
to collect myself
to inspect myself
to inject myself
with an unknown matter
a random chatter
an endless ladder
i have skin
of an ancient breed
a visitors need
an implanted seed
a timeless fear
a broken gear
that leads me here
wondering what it is
i am missing

across the timeless
shimmering blindness
oceans of our love
we melt in mindless
liquid and spineless
dying in our love
drifting
floating
waves eroding
Sunlight of our love

in death we are freeing
the core of our being
transcending blood and bone
our bodies now rust
in a cosmic gold dust
as we dance upon sea
air
and stone

along these barren shores
of an unnamed land
the sea rages
as far as the mind's eye will go
it is a fruitless war I wage
against unseen enemies
I am old, weak and weary of the fight
to simply stand and face the elements
takes its toll
it seems I have walked this shoreline
for some time now
for some years now
all too familiar
the thunder cracks
lightning dances along the breaking waves
I see forms in the sand just ahead
footsteps walking in the same direction

drip upon a tired lake
bird sings out at an old man's wake
memory reborn for memory's sake
rumbles in a dormant soul
Sun peeks through a storm strewn sky
baby is sung a lullaby
heart holds a beat while it says goodbye
repent my prodigal son
None shall speak of this in lore
the end draws near this final war
the ripple shall never reach the shore
drip upon a tired lake

the invisible weight
of blind transition
climbs my back
sits upon my shoulders
laughter goes silent
colors once vibrant
turn black and grey
I move in slow motion
every thought enslaved
every dream a nightmare
my monster has returned

Rush
do not dawdle
into that working man's dream
fly by night to reach your destination
where the caress of steel melts like butter in your hands
the future
fly into 2112
where you bid farewell to kings and dragons
where all hemispheres are attainable
and waves are permanent
you will live and breathe moving pictures of art
your only signals will be your own
grace will not falter under pressure
there are no two way power windows
all is seen clearly and 'hold your fire'
is an ancient, unnecessary phrase
no magic potions
no presto
so, will you take the leap
roll the bones
and enter this new world where all beings
are your counterparts, not your enemy
no need to test for echo
no vapor trails
no feedback
leave these snakes and arrows behind
your clockwork angels await your arrival
Rush!

they scatter like klegetts when we turn our lights on
they see well in the Sun
this is why we wait for night’s cover
to begin the hunt
when they search for food

we note that they are beginning to feed on themselves
as their numbers diminish and their food supply wanes
we’re not sure when they started here
notations from the last visitors
reflect a pristine oasis
if we are to make this place our home
we must eliminate this useless species
after years of study they are shown to have
only negative impact on their surroundings

in the beginning I felt remorse for these creatures
however, after learning that they have caused the extinction
of numerous species
docile inhabitants
my remorse has turned to determination
to see them vanquished
and to clear a path for the return to the majestic beauty
that once thrived here


the humans are close to elimination
the cleansing is nearly complete

this same moon sits above the tree line
and with it’s light I can distinguish,
even in the bleakest of nights,
that line set against the pitch black sky

I grow cold
and my bones ache of age
as I languish here
drowning in this sea of irrelevance
this vile, slow torture
that awaits my every dawn

they look at me with a curious eye
that quickly turns to distant fear
those who sleep above their dreams
and question not their souls

I have risen above the storm
while other men succumb to less
no-one turns as I pass
or nods in respect
yet I have conquered foe
they shall never see in their lifetime
I have faced evil in the coldest of nights
pulled another from the reaper's clutch
where many accept
I resist
where many remain silent
I question
I shall pass into my eternal home
as I arrived in this one
identity my own
dignity intact
my soul clean
as falling snow

and in these bleakest of nights
when my self analysis
third person psychobabble
holds minimal sway
i run from the dark
into the black
into the pitch
where i am safe
from all light
all thought
until the passing
the silent storm that rages
will end only with time
or submission

the whispers that bring me out of sleep
leaving only echoes to mull in my awakened state
knowing he is there
lapping my fear
the shadows that follow at the edge of light
the invisible touch that stops my step cold
this cannot be
i plead within my sanity
and yet i know he is there
just outside looking in
his cold breath runs like dancing flies down my neck
he will haunt me
through this life and perhaps another
he talks not in words
but in the wind when the night is still
in the shadows that move and meld and breathe
in the pictures he leaves for me
lest I forget
the evil that awaits the coming night

this distance seems irrelevant
in the half light of a quarter turn
in the shaft of Sun that dances
through the cracked cloud
the rain teetering

i run to the corner
that is pitch
but never reach the end
the room expands into a desert
and I just keep
running

sad...
the elusiveness of time

the colors of love reside in you
i am black, gray and midnight blue
sun meets moon at daylights wake
yellow skips along ocean’s break
clouds of black soak waves of green
raise a rainbow briefly seen
my lover dreams in night’s caress
of flower petals and wedding dress
while in the shadows
i sleep content
the color of her love is meant…
for me

I hear her name
and a piece of my soul breaks away
and drifts into oblivion

I recall her face
and a twinge in my heart
sinks deep and takes root

I feel the one kiss
that sustained me as water
to a dying plant

Time can be cruel
it never forgets
true love

I have loved you these many years
As I love you now
As we sit quietly
Dancing along the guise of friendship

The stares that linger a second longer
Than a friend’s stare should
the soft laughter
that muffles the cry of a yearning heart

The torture
I fear
Of knowing I’ll never have you
May not equal
The torture
Of never sharing a smile
Daring a whisper
Or chasing a dream

In the chambers of this weathered mind
Memory seeps and pools
Like flooding streets

Ships of thought
Sail a blinding mist
On seas of no return

Hope is devoured
Like Suns in a black hole
Echoes in a dream
True love in this madness

the irrelevancy of this day
blots the Sun
with the suffocating light of indifference

the urge to scream is often there
just below that inane giggle
that maniacal grin

that ever recurring crystalline voice
whispering from the lips of a fading thought
'we are all undeniably
irrevocably
lost'

I am awakened by a dream
That slowly comes into view
From gray shadows to crystal clarity
Of both sight and sound
Distant fire crackles
The smell of burning wood stretches
These miles of open wilderness
The rolling water of the river
Behind me
I stand in thanks to the spirits
That have shown me the way
And the bounty I will share
A great storm erupts on the distant horizon
Sweeping across the plains
Relentless
Destructive
Thunder rolls and lightning strikes
The swirling winds gather us up
And take us away
The cries
Echo in my head
Then fade to black

It began its free fall from somewhere above 100
Bobbing and weaving
The white reflecting the sun
As it twisted and turned
On it’s long journey down
Amazing to watch really
Such a delicate sight amidst such chaos
I wondered what was written
Maybe it is just a page of a 200 page report
On the benefits of switching from rubber
To plastic door stops?
Or perhaps a blank sheet of copy paper
Ripped from it’s wrapping
Ripped from it’s family
Whatever it was
It was beautiful to see
I followed it all the way down
91,44,20,11,7.…
Until it came to rest gently in the dust

I must know
It is right there, so close
I must know before I join the others
Or I shall leave this earth with that question
Unanswered
A fate I wish on no-one

In the blinding, falling dust
I made my way to the paper
My eyes never leaving the spot
Past those faces that one can only imagine would look
In the balance of life and death
And I came upon it
I felt great relief in seeing letters
Beneath the fresh dust
I brushed it gently and began to read

Dear Mom & Dad,
We are learning to use e-mails on the computer today. Our first assignment is to write a letter to our Parents. We learned lots of cool stuff in class. We learned about President Kennedy who sounded like a great man. But then we learned that he was assassinated and everybody got real quiet. Why did that bad man **** President Kennedy? Why didn’t they stop him? Mr Turner didn't know why. Then we learned about the Empire State Building and other real tall buildings like the one you work in Daddy and how we can feel safe in them because they are built so strong. Well, it’s time for recess and Mr Turner is going to play touch football with us. See you after school!! I love you guys! Bye, Bobby

My first tear was eclipsed by a great shadow before it hit the ground

Promise after promise is broken
as she lay dormant for so many years
now we spill her blood once again
fouling the oceans

Her true children weep in silence
then wash upon her shores
in thousands
as we turn the channel

Unpunished and unchanged
the butchers laugh at our apathy
our leaders turn a blind eye
their hands open

God holds her crippled body
and asks for her forgiveness
that he would create such wretched creatures
who lay waste to this gift given them
their own
Mother Earth

The two young poets happened upon the old Library on the same day
When she arrived she noticed the young man off in the dark corner
Deep in thought
He noticed her as well but did not let on
She took her place near the window
Where the Sun washed that part of the room
She opened her notebook
And awaited a spark to send her on her rhyming way
She had vague ideas of a pristine palace that floated among the clouds
Atop a chunk of deep green earth


The young man was absorbed in a story of a young girl
Her life had been taken abruptly
She was halfway to the other side; the ‘in-between’
As I once heard it referenced
For she was not ready or willing to accept her death


The hours passed and as the Sun began to wane
The young girl departed


The following day she arrived to continue her work
And immediately noticed the mysterious boy in the corner
She returned to her spot by the window
In the Sun
And began working meticulously on her poem


After a short time she noticed that the poet across the room
Appeared to be finishing his work
And was preparing to leave
Her curiosity outweighed her apprehension
And she approached the fellow poet before he arose


“I couldn’t help but notice that you were working on something…
A poem perhaps?”
“Why yes;” he replied
“Would you care to read it?”
“Only if I’m not keeping you from being somewhere.
You looked about to leave.”
“I would rather be here.” he answered.
“Well, I’ll only be a minute.”


And with that she returned to her place by the window and began to read
He noticed that her beautiful smile quickly turned to a look of deep concern and discord
As she finished, she appeared shaken, almost frightened
She walked slowly back to the boy


“I didn’t care for your poem. It is much too sad. Poetry should not be sad, it should be beautiful and magical. What you see in your dreams. I’m sorry, I must be going.”
“Have you never had a nightmare?” he queried
“Yes, but I would never write a poem about it.”
“And why not? Shouldn’t something as deep and meaningful as poetry span all of our emotions, all of our fears as well as our joy? Like the perfect verse, should not our thoughts be balanced?
Would we not cheat ourselves and our audience if it were not?
Balance is the key
Sun and Moon
Day and Night
You and I"


With that she turned and left the boy
alone in the dark corner


For three days his words weighed on her
How dare he interrupt her perfect world
On the fourth day she returned to the old library
Not sure if she hoped he'd be there
Her feelings still hopelessly askew
She entered the room and felt both relief and sorrow
For the boy was not at his table
Off in that dark corner
'balance is the key...you and I'
she knows now
how those words moved her
As she turned to walk to her place near the window
She was stopped abruptly by the sight of him
Awash in Sunlight
Wearing a smile as bright as her own
Sitting, waiting at her table

it is cold here
frighteningly cold at this end of your dream
i stumble to the frigid peaks of this mountaintop
only to gaze in terror upon the same range before me once again
you awaken
and I remain
you dismiss
and I retain
the moments before sleep

I click the wasteland on
again
stumble out of bed
again
I need the comfort of the flickering lights against a dark wall
and the sound it makes
there's not enough despair in here
to be where I must be
a king has died of pain overdose
the story flashes from the screen
bounces off the hallway mirror and into my coffee
I sip without noticing a change
try to write of broken hopes and mended dreams
but the words are futile
weak
I seek the moon for vital signs
but a faceless cloud of shapeless form
holds nothing to inspire
there are faces of thousands
who offer their lives but for a taste of freedom
their screams float silently out of reach
come to rest in a candy dish
do I ponder the ultimate poetic gesture
suffer no more these sleepless nights
perhaps I will sleep on such thoughts

I once relished the night
as it took me in like a lost child
child that I was
it's shadows a source of comfort
curtain pulled across those shallow faces
'rest my son and do not fear the darkness
sleep to the hum of a thousand souls watching over you'
my protector

but I have lost my way in this solitude
that was once my salvation
this island I called home
and when I seek the warmth of my beloved
she turns away as if I am the demon of her dreams
why did you abandon me
my shadow
where does one turn when they have outlived the night

In the Winter of his 40th year
he looked upon the stones
and remembered their faces
when they were younger than he
he remembered how the essence of life
was in their smiles
sustained him through years of darkness
allowed him to survive it
he remembered when they first saw their Grandson
in his arms
as he once was in theirs
'these are your Grandparents kids
they are why you are here'

the wind blew and the leaves swirled
and the Sun was low
as I held them close to me
touched their names and gave them back their smiles

so, pay attention now
get your heads out your *****
these are facts you never learned on the news or in history classes
as one leads to the next you will come to understand
that the veil of lies and secrecy is a cancer in this land
if you have no time to read because you can't handle what is true
then here's the chance to turn away and I won't bother you
the history of 'our' nation could only see the light
if the residents currently occupying it were hidden from our sight
they were slaughtered, starved and herded
and minimized through the years
until the final, heartless march
along the Trail of Tears
now we had our land and prospered well
as we ravaged Mother Earth
the savagery and ungoverned progress
abandoned human worth
slavery and divided direction
led to civil war
******, ****, abuse and hate
spread from shore to shore
the travesty of Pearl Harbor
a wretched trade of patriotic lives
our entry into world war II
on the backs of weeping mothers and wives
then comes the ultimate nightmare
the mother of all blatant crime
the execution of the seeker of change
that forever altered the beautiful rhyme
he saw the power they recklessly flaunted
in the corridors and once sacred halls
and vowed to castrate the power mongers
the industrial and military *****
the result was their production
a badly written and acted plight
staged before the world to see
an execution in broad daylight
'we have control'
don't **** with us
is the message they convey
removing all witnesses,
then Bobby and Martin
all better souls than they
911 - don't get me started
the truth will soon be known
and all like I who speak the truth
may one day meet their drone
as a threat to this great nation
as a hater in their eyes
I will not deny conclusions
I will not support their lies
we must face the evil in these dark corners
we must come in from the blinding rain
if we are to save ourselves
we cannot live our lives in vain
search your heart and search the truth
it is there for you to find
our history resurrected
our future no longer blind

I am many men of many dreams
swarm of poets, spectrum of moods
relentless in my pursuit
of the perfectly articulated thought

Should I bore you
it will not be by repetition,
varying slants on a similar theme
I will lead you into my rage
allow you to taste your anger
then share with you
my most bittersweet tears

I am an open wound
lightning rod of emotion
who cherishes the human storm

I will never be in books
my history will end with my last breath
but what I give you will never be tainted
by that which comes with discovery

The footsteps come
and he knows
though his throat is dry as dust
and his body ravaged
he knows
it is his turn
eyes sunken and glazed
give no hint that this is welcomed knowledge
he clings to the energy of memories
that somehow remain clear
his life unfolds in thought
the cry of his firstborn
the warmth of his only love

the footsteps come to a stop
he wonders if this staunch, stone face of the soldier
that now stands before him has ever known such love
he is able to get to his feet and accepts no help
he nods to the living corpses that remain
vacant of hope
awaiting their turn
outside he manages to raise his eyes toward what little Sun
finds its way through the dense cloud of humanity
it seems to give him strength
he mutters 'vergeben ihre seelen' as he makes his way towards the showers
the soldier hears
pauses for just a moment
and continues on

I lose myself in 'View at Arles with Irises'
and wonder how close I am to seeing Vincent
standing in that field
fighting the wind
frustrated at never quite seeing the pure expression
in his head
realized on canvas
I would tell him I see it
I know it as he does
he looks pensively at the beauty he has created
slowly raises his head
and unseen in the portraits
there comes a smile
he sets the brush aside
lights his pipe
and begins to tell the story
of the smoking skull

it was somewhere within a nightmare
she appeared
quieting the storm
and sending black rolling clouds
into the Sea
the Sun returned while sounds of  nature magnified
and slowed
as they do in dreams
she turned and walked towards me
her white flowing gown
being slowly removed
we made love to a song I'd never heard
but knew
her blue eyes spoke in words of love I'd never heard
but remembered
while our bodies dripped with the colors of our dream
I fell asleep during a kiss
and awoke to the sounds of life
to the smell of reality
wondering if such beauty
could ever be realized

I lurk beneath the Sea
and hide among the sharks
when storms are fierce
and batter all who swim
against the waves
the blanket of the night
is home to my seclusion
fuel for my illusion
where I awake
when others pale
where I thrive
when others fail
to see the beauty
in silence

I am no longer the focus
of Victoria's view
the object in her direction
her sights now raised
above the dwindling light
of my affection

this dangerous game we play
like fire on ice
the closer we get
the more likely we are
to drown

They came by the hundreds
not thousands or millions
for millions had been vanquished
they came seeking some glimpse of hope
here at the shoreline
driven from their homes
by the fires that raged
seen even by those banished to Moon's Sector 9
airtight tears for those left to face certain genocide;
the cleansing
the great winged beast carried the Surveyor
to cross the Sea of Shadows
how many are left
he was to determine
how long before Earth is ours?
He delighted in their suffering
as he now hovered above them
just off the ocean's edge
'You can perish here or be taken to Sector 9
it is your choice
you are familiar with slavery
are you not?
So you shall adapt'
and with that he snorted and his beast whinnied maliciously
like some monstrous, hulking mule
while rearing it's hideous head
some tree limbs were moved where the beach front gave way to a patch of woods
revealing a crude catapult contraption constructed of wood planks,
rope and a leather pouch
it stood upon a wheeled platform with a handful of men surrounding it
one man held an ax
it had been adjusted and was now aligned with the beast
the Surveyor, upon seeing the weapon snorted louder in defiance
just as the ax came down to cut the rope
the boulder struck the beast just below it's long neck
it reared back violently, throwing the Surveyor into the Sea
then flailing and kicking as it screamed in agony
falling to it's death
One man stepped forward and pointed to the Surveyor
as he gasped for air, bobbing in and out of the waves
'This is our home and we will be staying' spoke Jodehon
a glimpse of hope

thus began the Battle of the Nines

Worm twists on a shimmering hook
and streaks towards it's deadly splash
backyard wedding, laughter echoes
on the wings of a camera flash
starlings find a telephone line
to rest, review the day
starlight prepares to greet the moon
born millenniums away
traveling whisper, undisturbed
a million years in flight
to catch the eye of desperate souls
to spark a dream this night
infants final cry is heard
above the halted wind
Stevie Nicks sends frozen love
through the silent, somber din
in a million years on a distant land
our final light is done
as the worm evades it's watery grave
at the edge of the second Sun

called to scour these transient shores
i am slammed against graffitti'd walls
by winds of hate
and waves of steel
in silent vigil
i caress the promise time has made
the place that fate holds for me
i can see
i can touch
i will find
at the end of this storm

Sorrow casts a lazy eye
through a passing cloud above
remorse has found a place to rest
longside my one true love
bitterness whispers
then fades gently
into the 'sea of truth be known'
she gave her soul to one unwilling
and fed that love alone
the color of the dream she knew
whilst I slept deep and blind
kept hampered by a governed heart
afraid to beat in kind
yet in the waking hour she shines
enduring light through great despair
I'd gladly trade the days I've left
to kiss her honey hair

i tire of the dense, wretched grip of the night
dry the **** of boredom from my skin
**** in the glow of the moon
and walk to the edge
where I am swallowed by the black
i peel back the stark
where the true light burns
where the breath of forced solace
is at least
visible

and when the last of the shadows climbed into his bucket
the little boy that no-one knew
whispered something to them and carried the bucket to the ocean's edge
he was seen by several setting the bucket in the water as a wave approached
then turning towards the other children along the beach
and motioning them to come
which they did, some 60 or 70 of them
suddenly drawn to this boy that no-one knew
he looked back to the sea
at the crest of the horizon
a dome shaped craft that dwarfed any vessel known to man
emerged from beneath the waves
suddenly hovered silently above the beach
darkening the skies
it was there but a moment
and was gone
when the astonished crowd turned their gaze towards the young boy
he was gone
as was their own
December 22nd, 2112
seventeen minutes and 21 seconds before the Sun died

Time, ever present
Fleeting ghost
Like a dream it will send you drifting
Floating like a whisper
Through a sky of echoes
Drowning like a thought
In seas of color
Adrift in sleepy detachment
Like an infant
Fixated on a clown mobile
Dangling above it's crib
Until a memory grabs you
Perhaps the smell of vanilla
Or the barely heard barking
Of a distant, restless dog
As you lay in the quiet moments before sleep
And you are back in the warmth, the comfort
The shadow
That is yours alone

Lips move silent to treated voice
technically altered in a vacant room
smiling clueless to clueless drones
their thoughts suppressed since mother's womb
manufactured superstars
dressed and fed by faceless greed
their lives a myth
a stagnant dream
without a truth on which to feed
resist with me
this vacuous realm
lifeless words and endless trite
follow closer to the heart
on vapor trails of tear's twilight

I have found my place
where I wish to return
again
and again
where the wind dances along the swells
then lands upon you with the gentle
yet powerful crash of the wave
again
and again
where the Sun says so much more upon it's departure

God knew that this is where we would come
to see him
to know him
to understand that beauty like this was intended
I am lost in my awakened dream
these outer thoughts
these outer visions
these Outer Banks

sharp as a razors edge
your tongue slices hearts and souls alike
I dare you to speak

when the fires truly begin
will you find yourself hesitant to depart
to begin anew...spirit cleansed

in the company of these
chosen ones
I felt the weight of cold stares
rein down like led sleet
tearing me away bit by bit
without a word spoken
their eyes
their hawkish eyes
and subtle feigns

in her company
I am transparent
an equal in her eyes
where all truth resides
where all that matters lives
and truth be known
they are beneath us

I see the varying yellows and reds
of leaves dancing to the ground
after a slight wind
I see bluejays, cardinals and robins
jockeying for position on the birdfeeder's step
I see deer walk across the field
as I peer from the kitchen window
they seem at home in their freedom
I see the distant mountaintops fading as the Sun yields
to the approaching night
I see the emerging stars and the glow of the moon
as it begins it's nightly watch
then I see you
secure in the maple frame
I gaze endless
until the call of sleep awakens me
my home is wrapped in beauty
but all the beauty I see
begins in this frame
in this face
so far away

on a clear cold night
came a streak of warm blue light
I awoke under the Sun

a fly landed on my shoulder and says;
'say Bro! put a spoonful of that mint chocolate-chip ice cream
to the side and I'll just chill and let you enjoy the rest of your bowl.
whattya say, my man?'
I pondered the offer for a minute
but flies ain't my favorite creature
so I smacked his *** and he did a tumble on the coffee table,
brushed off his wings and said;
'big mistake my man
big mistake!
I wanted to be friends but you gotta go bein' an ***-hole!
well, you'll regret the rejection of my offered friendship
and with that he buzzed off
that night at 3am I woke up and the fly was sittin' on my nose
'WAKE UP *****!
guess what! I just spent 20 minutes rollin' around in fresh dog dootie
and now I'm tap dancin' on your nose...ya like that!?
I think I'll spend some time in your fat neighbor's arm pit
before I say hello tomorrow night
okay...now you go back to sleep so I can wake you up'
and he woke me up 4 more times that night
he came the next night and did it all over again
he did this for weeks until I was on the verge of losing my job
and my sanity from lack of sleep
then one night he woke me up and said;
'Well, have you learned your lesson, ****** bag?
when someone offers their friendship for very little in return,
accept it with open arms and not a closed heart'
He was right
I admitted that I was wrong and shouldn't have rejected him
just because he was a fly
'Alright....now, you got any of that mint chocolate-chip ice cream?'
I'm afraid not little dude
'No problem...tell ya what...next time ya drop a deuce,
don't bother to flush'
and we laughed until the Sun came up.

when snow has settled
and Sun is high
when dark gives way
to familiar sky
centuries have passed
since the final cry
fell silent on deaf ears

life begins anew

it is only a poem to her I say
this young child's query who exhibits dismay
but daddy it's so sad
I don't like it this way
let me fix it to make you smile
to make you happy for just a while
you'll like it better
you'll like my style
I'll change dark to light and shadows to Sun
it will be much better by the time I'm done
you'll see daddy
I'll make it fun
you can read it when you're all alone
when the Sun has gone
and I have grown
then call me on the telephone
to tell me you love me
and I'll say
it's only a poem daddy

the essence of you remains
in thought
but you are fading from vibrant color
to etched gray lines
who I am now is measured by your time
away from me
the efforts of others now fruitless
and unrequitted
perhaps it is a slight to the giver of life
but I cannot stay here without at least
the whisper of you
and should I not find you
beyond my last breath
then I shall die with you
in my final thought