I wish you were here,
Cherishing with me the beautiful view,
And I could tell you my dear,
I am so blessed to have you.

I enjoy the way the light
shines on your forehead
like the sun scattering
arrows across the plains
of a desert

your unwashed hair
polishes it just right,

greasy and mirror-like

Your eyes are open
wide when you scrub
your crooked teeth
with the Hot Wheels
toothbrush;

I suddenly imagine
a navy blue 76 Chevrolet Camaro
speeding through
a busy-body city
with empty shoddy buildings
like it's the end of the world

Then there's the sound
of liquid crashing like
waves inside a tiny
tunnel

You turn off the light
and lay in bed next to me

'Your breath stinks,'

you say as you push
me to the side to make space

Groggy old me agrees;

you're just
as bad when it's
that time of the month

but I don't say anything

because I know how bad
it can be

I take my hand out of my pants
and bring it to my nose. I take
a whiff of the goodness
that is a hard day's work;
something is working hard
and it's got my girl's name on it;

My crotch and I are close
we've named each other after
the stoic philosophers,

I am Zeno of Cilium

and it goes by the name
Marcus Aurelius,

pompous *******, I know,

right?

We get along, some might
say we get along
too well

because we hardly
if ever, say goodbye
to one another

and instead bask in our
own joy, as though
God himself
erected such a
work of art

At night
it pulls me closer, and
whispers to my ear
it's almost time to release
the Kracken,

I say, that was before your time,
sir,

you got it all wrong.

Don't you mean,

liberate the sea men?

there are days
when you experience
a one, or two
second delay,

life is a little
on the laggy side;
the movements
follow alongside
sluggish, and
desperate for
rest;

days when you
tell your fellow
teammate to hold
back, but they continue
onward

determined
to attack

and when they're
dead from such
recklessness

aren't we allowed
to sigh off the
woes of the entire
universe?

am i,

your humble
speck

not given

at
least a say

in the matter?

you can bend my leaves
until they crack; inflict
creases upon my skin
until i'm no longer
readable

tear my spine
into a thousand
pieces and scatter
them across the bay;

where the sad girl
goes to lose
herself in thought,
'it's shallow' she thinks
as she stares deeply
into the pond

only the crushing
of gravel can be
heard beneath the
bridge

her feet pacing
back and forth,
traveling
like light
between choice
and decision

i throw empty
plastic bottles into
the water, making a
wish as they descend
towards their hell

i empty my shell,
or what's left of it;
break each
bone in half,
let my breath
hang in the air
like the death
of the sun

'it's worth it'
she says,

drawing lines
in the sand,--

only boundaries

the half-shattered

can see

hell:

i know it's a silly thought,
but one day i'm going to die

have i broken my
heart enough?

what's loss,
but another reason
to experience
more profound
joy?

if the arms cross out
the chest, who will
welcome the inevitable
snowstorm for me?

there will be a time
and place,

when i'm the
one to be buried six
feet deep
under this holy
joke of Yours;

alaska:**

the long lost strangers
will pass along
stories as though
they were fresh drunken
bodies on prom night

the skin peels, falls
to the floor and rots
there for all
the children to see

and they poke at it,
spit out a giggle or two
and then kick it to the side,
run back to their
mommies and daddies

and talk about it,--

the first footnote
to their long day

it was
another saturday night
they stood by the door
like vultures above
the carcass
hungry, their feathers
ablaze,
their tongues
swaying
church bells

the ring
so loud
it destroyed
the glass walls

they poured in,
their bodies
crashing
into each other
like waves

when one went
down, another
took it's place

after it was
all said and done

there were no words
to share, no memories
to be had

it was as if
they were born from
zeros, and went
back to zeros

where no
concept could
be formed