Leather and oak
Whiskey and smoke
Exhaled in a languid defense
Of an evening that’s spent
In a mist of ferment
That eventually lifts all pretense

Quietly tight
As you sip through a night
Of forgetting the reason you came
Asking, no doubt
What your life is about
And then looking for someone to blame

Feeling at ease
‘Til the moment you seize
On a thought that you thought you had lost
Wondering why
You believed in the lie
And then categorizing the cost

Leaving a tip
Like a bargaining chip
To the sad patron saint of the waiting
Hoping to gain
Some relief from the pain
In the arms of sweet equivocating

On your way home
You’re no longer alone
As you walk about talk about trust
Like a moth to the flame
You dissolve in the shame
Of the heat and the light of your lust

In the morning once more
You have evened the score
And your ego’s exacted its price
So you say your goodbye
And you try not to cry

For the loneliest act of your life

~  Calm  ~
~   Cool  ~
~  Oasis ~

… of defeat!

Reflections of what might have been
Dissolving in a rippling grin
Engorged … with round … endeavors

÷ Unknowing ÷
÷ Uncaring ÷

Drawing to your sodden depths
The unripe fruit of duffer’s quest
With naught to mark this ovoid feast
But gentle … jesting … lapping

≠ Wet Nemesis ≠

I curse the void that clings to all that fail to mark your distant shore
And in distain, show no remorse
But Quick!
Return to mocking calm
To lurk beside the verdant way
Until the next unfortunate
Attends your … greedy call

I die … without a fight … yet not conceding
But gently, as the world around me ages
Rescinding gift of health, each sense receding
As life escapes me, in retreating stages

Perhaps beyond this chapter lies conclusion
Or if another chapter, maybe better
Yet maybe, this is but a Grand Illusion
If so, I’m glad we were deceived together

When I am gone I hope you will remember
That life became us and our time on earth
I know that I will keep one thought forever
That you … became the measure ... of my worth