.

I.               I drank from the well
                 on the road to forever

II.             Juggled a leaf to
                 a forest refrain

III.           Picked up a stone with
                “believe” written on it

IV.           Challenged the sun
                to a dance in the rain

V.             Inhaled a breeze
                 that was lavender scented

VI.             Sat near a stream
                  flowing summertime blue

VII.           Woke up and realized
                  that I had been dreaming  

VIII.         Looked out the window
                 and wished it were true

.

Look at you cowering, haunted by fiction
Shapes at the window of menacing tone
Tearing your hope into shreds as you lie there
Gazing at ceilings and feeling alone

Afraid to put both of your feet on the carpet
Hands neath the bed will be slicing your skin
Each tiny noise a volcanic eruption
Stalking your mind, it’s about to begin

Puddles of stench line the gutters of nowhere
Terror the class that has taken a seat
Staring at clocks on the faces of buildings
Waiting for dark so their bellies may feast

Appetites strung on a line made of nightmares
Low in the middle from gathering weight
Clouds overhead cast a blanket of secrets
Hiding the moon in its delicate state

Claws on the ground carry wings carved of leather
Eyes crimson red dripping stares at the door
Paint if you like for an X tells them nothing
Only when feeding they’ll even the score

Shadows on avenues lurk past the railings
Low tenor moaning their late evening song
Hide in the corners, but still they will find you
Cry if you must for it won’t be too long

Peer from the covers, your fears they are waiting
Calling your name in an echoed refrain
Lapping reflections from water so stagnant
Remnants of filth tossed about in the rain

Know this my friend, in a term used defiant
Answers aren’t penned in some book on a shelf
No fancy title with gold colored letters
All that you need can be found in yourself

Break free these chains that are holding you tightly
Open your eyes, there is so much to see
Breathe in the air for the sun it is shining
Shake off the rust and be all you can be

Always there’ll be someone bending the darkness
Pulling and dragging each star from the sky
Show them your wings spun of pride woven fabric
Give them a smile it is your turn to fly

You can beat anything you set your mind to
No matter what someone else has to say
Hold your head high, watch the monsters now fleeing
This is your time and today is your day

.

Beyond the border of withering dreams,
blue skies and ribbons played as
poolside wishes slept in the cabana

Winter followed the guards
while north of here braced for another
stranger to walk through the gate

Beauty sat on the rim waiting for
dark features of sun tanned wisdom
to sing sonnets of warmer climates

But the intense glare of a protective sun
blinded her ability to see as her pina colada
melted and ice formed in her eyes

Nothing left now but a shadow walking
beneath the umbrella shading her fading smile
as summer came and went without even a wink

.

It’s better than chocolate cake
drenched in whipped cream
A day off to sleep in
almost until noon
A warm summer day
near a slow moving stream
The stars in the sky
and a smiling moon

The juiciest steak
prepared medium rare
Seeing your team
win the championship
Watching a kite
as it floats in the air
Making a milkshake
and taking a sip

A trip to the beach
with a cooler of beer
Skiing the slopes
on a fresh coat of snow
Expecting rain
but then finding it clear
It’s so much better
I want you know

In case you wonder
what all of this means
What you now see
in the phrases above
Nothing, not even
my wildest dreams
Could ever be better
than feeling her love

.

Raising his hand
moving from the desk
as spitballs fly
and notes are passed

Chasing his tale
in make believe endings
with a princess in pink
draped on his arm

snickers and snorts bellow
his train of thought
traveling off track temporarily,
temporarily  

Dancing at midnight
drifting the seasons
on a feather boa mattress
pearlescent skin and fingers

silence gathers around
heavy breaths float
eyes squint, trying to focus
not his, theirs

Drawbridge openings explored
present tense heartbeats
sundown desires drip
saturating the scabbard

Homework is sidelined
jealous boys, intrigued girls
as curiosity peaks and biology
is not just a subject anymore

at the front of the classroom
writing in black chalk
so the rest of the class
cannot see

but he can

*oh he can

Melodious tides serenade along a foam dipped coast line,
we drift as a single composed symphony,
seduced by a pounding surf, its sensuous rhythm pulsates
flooding our hearts, aching to collide
in the tempo of a lone torrent’s embrace

Scorching August passions seize the moonlit sand,
palm tree shadows dance atop sultry weathered dunes
of lemongrass and saw palmetto,
on saltwater breezes moaning our names, mellifluously
from a distant cantata's horizon

Warm dark *** skin intoxicates, I stagger,
lost in hypnotic topaz eyes, reflective pleadings
of deeper desires sought, fingertips probe sun softened locks,
nightshade tresses, mingling with a rippled surf
as stardust illumines moist swollen lips, parted  

Harmonic waves wash atop entwined silhouettes
nearing a crescendo, a pinnacle of pleasure,
where secrets are revealed in half swallowed sighs  
on this coastal haven when voices sing in
throaty whispers of impassioned ecstasy

Now as heated breaths hover beneath the moon’s glowing stare
we too build and recede, feeding our amorous desires
as the fading night relinquishes its hold and dawn cracks the sky
Our tide becomes one, our union remains unbroken,
our love, eternally bound by the melody of the sea

.

I flipped a quarter and called heads,
then watched as it hit the ground
and rolled through the grate,
staring at me from the bottom of the drain
like a charm seeking its bracelet,
still crying because the clasp broke.
Taking a seat on the curb as the sun
began setting at the west end of the block,
I felt long shadows gathering at my feet,
swallowing me in darkness,
but still the coin glistened, mocking me.

The next morning I was awakened
by the sound of your alarm clock
through the open window two floors up,
when I heard him say “good morning”
and you closed the blinds.
Then glancing down into the sewer again
I saw a note where the coin had rested
in your handwriting that told me
something I had already figured out,
“It was tails, you lost.”

Camp Johnson Crossing
Tire swings and cattails
Tall grass and oak trees
Chasing rabbits and picking flowers
Lily pads and orange soda
Pigtails and slingshots
Rolled up jeans and her hand
Wet toes and sunshine
Bubblegum and promises
First kiss and moonlight
Worn paths and carved initials
Fingers and buttons
Love and life
Teardrops and good-byes
Moments and memories
Camp Johnson Crossing

.

Carolina blues
Drunk again on a Wednesday night
Brown paper bag caressing lips
Liquid courage, seeing double
Four feet
Slouched on a red brick façade
Dumpster diner close by
Rented flat leased to another cockroach
Slurred stanzas
Closed curtains watching
Pathetic shouted from passing cars
Worthless has zero value
Begging pennies
Goodwill socks smell bad
Preaching lies of belief
***** creates colorful puddles
Like poetry
Written in liquor store neon
Fading streetlights glow yellow
Shining down on green with envy
Carolina blues

.

I choose to breathe for every breath is free
Calmly bound of tempted drizzled fears
Slow dancing on the desperate dying wind
Placing endless hope against the flow

This does come
beyond iron gates of broken trances
to sing
undying wishes upon deaf ears

Fractured in meanings and senses known,
these wrinkles form a favored mask
Donned in apprehension of a wilted feeling
Sleek and slender, along a poisoned vine they grow

Challenging
in endless streams of sorted need
Stead fast
with chains of charmed tethered truth

Cartoon headstones with scribbled crayon names
cast darker shadows beneath the edges of sanity
Ripped and tattered these empty voices scream
my name in echoes bearing nothing more than seen

As I cry
my tears sprout wings and flee from my face
I fall to my knees
finding only the jagged earth to rest

Desires cling to the massive arbors of life
Dreams falter along a winding creviced cliff
Nothing laughs like the air upon my sorrowed face
and I choose to breathe for every breath is free

I slipped on the ***** of mistaken disorders
Whispered my love in the palm of her hand
Watched as she waved from the ship born to meet her
Standing alone in a cavern of sand

I can’t stand the thought of
sitting on a street corner,
writing on the curb
with white chalk in the rain

Outlining puddles
in runoff contaminants,
bleeding into the asphalt,
following cracks and crevices

of the last poem I wrote
in permanent ink,
when the sun danced
across her smile

and my words
brought blue skies
to the pages of
my heart’s desire

I hate chalk…..

.

I stood at the crossroads, staring at
directions collected to confuse me
Seeking a shadow that was not my own
Finding street signs pointing towards my dreams,
where my new life might lead
and with closed eyes I move forward

Heard the *** holes laughing
Paused for a passing thought
Felt the sun on my shoulders
Sang a song in my mind without words

Then walked towards the future (let the potholes laugh)
My head held high, one step at a time

Alone, I think not,
as a face appears on the horizon, and she is smiling,
waving me on, challenging me to the tape
Reminding me that the finish line,
is just the beginning

.

Here on this plain
where my footprints leave
outlines of past travels
and predict forecasts of coming attractions,
I change directions...

I head towards the horizon,
a straight line along this
wayward life,
that imaginary boundary between
then and now,
one foot after the other
seeking...

a different path’s calling,
beckoning my stride,
leading where
shadows disperse and
sunlight fulfills promises
of all that this
life, our destiny has to
offer...

.

Words from perforated ceiling tiles squawk
as megaphone filters blare
in crackled sequence
around missing stations
and call letters that aren’t acronyms

I hear these words, but shake my head
I know they are for me,
sent by well wishing advisors
wearing t-shirts imprinted
“I’m with stupid”

(and the arrows point at me)

Still I don’t heed the warnings,
I can’t, for dreams require reaching,
top shelf visions waving with
hope filled coupons
offering no discount for the heart

“Don’t want what you can not have,” they shout
As I continue to climb the frozen escalator,
cleaning my shoes on the bristles,
then checking my appearance in the sunglass
reflection of a mannequin missing one arm

(and I feel happy for this plastic person)

For it has no idea how it feels
to be out of style, yesterday’s sleeves
Worn of worried first impressions,
heart beat delusions and needs
at the end of the line…to check out

and yet, until the time comes for me to “check out”
I will not give up on that dream, regardless of
invisible sales clerks on their eternal breaks,
because I will reach that register and I will ask that question
to which she just might say yes,

(and then who will be wearing the t-shirt)

I stood there staring at the thick drapes
as my cat sharpened his claws
pulling at the fabric, exposing some light,
knowing full well I should just walk away

But I could hear a loud commotion
coming from just the other side

And as I reached for the split
a little voice in my head said,
“You really don’t want to
know what’s going on out there”

But my cat meowed, “Oh go ahead,
curiosity never hurt me!”

So I opened them

Now I wish I hadn’t
God I hate that **** cat

.

Shadows preach unending nightmares,
bent fingers probe the minds of the innocent
Scratching beneath surface rust, corroded meanings
Torches burn long faded eyes staring
into an inferno of expected fears

As I crawl, slowly, silently
along a night shrouded path
of sharp pebble and dried blood
caked existences snuffed out
ash and dew mix, a’stew in deep dish demons

My silhouette, outlined grey thread weavings
trap the fumes and stench
of last night’s vanity in pockets
filled with good versus evil
and tiny lint fragments of hope  

The horned one, painted in crimson glare
Standing tall, this breathless beast
jagged teeth, rotted flesh clings
like goat cloth on twisted branch,
thorns gouge, children weep endless

I raise my bow, shoring my aim
Straight this arrow of my lone chance
To quell this deadly dreamscape,  
slay the evil that forces men to their knees,
women to pieces of discarded disgrace

With one closed eye, I find the heart,
if blackened charred remains can be a heart
My hand trembles slight, release, flight – hit
The creature wails an unholy noise, echoing despair
through countryside canyons ablaze, collected back to hell

And clouds part, clear skies appear
Grimaced faces re-gather smiles
warmed by sun beams dancing on daisy fields once more
Stealthily I take my leave, due west
My task has only just begun

.

Blinded by a
Lack of leadership
Alone on a silent
Corner watching
Kindness take
A back seat as
Needless prejudice
Drives hate
Why does it always
Have to be
Insisted that we
Take sides,
Either…or

Quintessential fabrications
Reinforced insanity
Skyscraper accusations
Clouded upper floors
Overhead distortion
Inhaling tainted mist
Waving at cranes
Searching for headlines
Threatening to jump
Once the elevator
Reaches ground level

=

Chaliced of dreams in a drunken condition
Staggering phrases now leak from my pen
Courage is spilt from a bottled delusion
One hundred proof as all time does suspend

Kissing the floor in a faceless direction
Slurring each word that does tumble my page
Combing the gray, forceful discrimination
Cursing a mirror that challenges age

Lips painted fire, poetic her features
Low cut and staring, a phrase slips my tongue
Desired conclusions in walk away stanzas
Pour me another, the night is still young

I carved my existence
from the bark of an old oak tree
while squirrels gawked and
carpenter ants ate my lunch
in a fevered frenzy of
crisscrossing lines
that to some would
appear poetic

.

*Cross water stories
beckon with pictures of auras,
glowing symbols of that dream
cast aside long ago
on a wayward stone,
flushed of soft banks
and cattails swaying
in synchronized movements

Winding down some unforgotten stream
where rivers meet oceans
and waves conjure thoughts
of rhythmic bystanders
wishing you well
as you float to that island,
where days last forever
and heart shaped seashells
bloom amidst the sand

Where the footprints you follow
are hers leading toward you
beneath a Mardi Gras sun
beading sweat on glistening bodies,
sun tanned symphonies
wallow in the warm breezes
while aquamarine desires
coming with the tide,
drench you with love