Dear feathered friend
what do you rend?
a worm from down low
or grub with no toes

Up 'fore dawn's porridge
you care for no storage
'cept to fill a small belly
with nutritious bug jelly

Quick in you flutter, by an' bye
tree's tea leaf readings, fool the eye
you twitter, tin whistle, and tweet
announcing your day's avian treats

-cec

You, now turn to ashes, still call my name
diminished and watery as rolling waves:
you were my heart, you were my same

telling me you are gone to Elysium's gate
fate, draws a line in sand and castle's breach
witnessed with hesitant eyes that uneasy wait

time has run its course from ocean deep
to find upon this land's end awash in sorrow
where creatures immemorial crawl and weep

You were my heart, you were my same
Your turned to ashes now and I have no name
"waves and waves good bye, down to the sea"

-cec

Fire, Water, Earth, Air
Suspended —
between red and black
arousing over horizon
as dusk sparks crimson dreams

-cec

Their faces distorted
while bodies contorted
soon are deported
transported to hell

Painted dysfunctional
classic untouchable
labeled as fractional
migrant they dwell

Pharaoh's adorn
pharos do warn
these masses forlorn
narrow politics swell

homogeneity
sprung from Greek deity
democracy with fealty
a perfect union knell

-cec

All of us Americans ─

a tilted cowboy hat in a black & white photo
quoif, scarf, pins and a sprung natural look
flowered, dresses below the knees, short sleeve shirts
old clothes, flashy new and coal dust overalls
rouge color on pale cheeks below sad clay gaze
beards, no beards, eyebrows that come and go
smiles, leers, frowns, cheers, questioning mouths
kissed & kiss-less lips, painted, puckered, pouting
first picture, last, in-between, life and love
lonely portraits, family gatherings, couples cling
eyes peer at future viewers, wells into a soul
wallpaper thin stares, opaque glints at eternities
bursting happy faces radiating morning's first light
left right, left right profiles, marching off a stool
chair, log, fence, tree, minutes after mile markers
in a long chain of humanity migrating into frames
captured moments of agony and ecstasy flagged
absent red, white, blue in our film noir, still life, body

cec-

Traveling in rising walking strings
you stretch out these soulful sinews
and tune your mandolins of song
of seasons and tall waves on deep
whaling, wailing a home longing
in lungs breathing for both of us
on traditional barks and harbor docks
wanting, waiting, wanting
pickity passion's dancing flocks
of ******'s doves to prompt
voices aimed at golden gates

-cec

Trolls don't yield their way
finding innocent creatures
to trample, ****, eat
dyes cast in shadows
paint lurid landscapes hidden
in ghastly form bets
poisoning our life waters
******* words of hate
waiting under blind bridges
Let truth find its level
streams of savoir-faire master
chasten, unto love's new day

-cec

A rat stood on his hinds, in grass
between sidewalk and street,
gazing up with one eye it asked:
"Should I run? Stay here, delay
and sacrifice my final breath to you?"

Surprised at this spectacle of nature
one can only think that it was sick
or stricken by fear at this chance encounter
though something in that static eye spoke
of many lives over millions of years.

Moving on, it stared at this passing
as though it was meant to happen
forever in just this way with little fanfare
and no interruption of the moment
as two fixed as one endured recognition.

-cec

as thoughts whirl round around
of days to come, when actions go to ground

in fields of unknown poppies
what lies ahead in mystery's Rockies

per chance to meet our buttered fate
or turn this wheel once more 'fore late

beat back raw monkey that clings to will
and spit slime's inertia in this blue pill

-cec

How it drags those old stones
this saddened exhalation
carved by mystery's familiar hand
throwing down ta represent
burning bushes, city, civilization
best and worst of ish
taled to young-lings and old **** alike
these glass towers of Batsi hype
all them homies Hallelujah-jah
that cancer eating up their bones

When the spirit grooves y'all
and its nature moves wrawl
take that animal for a stroll
down fifth avenue, crawl
black and blue for someone
let them know your lovelies
build a story told with heart
forget stark fable's Telly parts
live to breath in honest crest
counting coup eat up the rest

-cec

Here fair livery of word's content
escapes this ever mindful heart
which frets upon a laden lament
of sorrow's wheel pull obedient cart

As year hard-by this gated plot
seems to forget what time has not
and grasses grow soft brown and green
above hard ground and fading dreams

In Tundral rest flows glacial loss
in Northern light yields up to moss
and weeping tree eye epiphytes
that cling to life in spite this plight

- cec

A celestial charcoal, steel-blue line of evening, sets
as you, crescent eye, dip with a knowing mystery
over unbounded moss branches holding star buds' nest

this thin twig tree has shed its drifting leaves
and waits upon a midnight's sleep and dream
joyful tears of autumn giving winter bereaves

reaching out crooked fingers into solid night's depth
wanting to hold one more time knotty apotheosis
exploding in super novic streams of Vishnu's breath

-cec

she said it was a ***** Martini
a filmy liquid poured into clear glass
squeeze bottles of Worcestershire, for ******-Mary,
squirted octopus ink into bleeding crushed ice
millions of dancing limes approve
as Vodkas crash to internal shores

she let us smell its fragrance
in the bottle's bottom depths
we drank her beer in ounces
'till a swirling straw bumped ice
there a vision reared it's carnage
with its alcoholic swage

she hovers by her register as the numbers button down
while the room spins after-hours in this other part of town
music plays within this cavern dim where tunes of rue elute
a she and he, to they were friends, days can end in Absolute
from hearth and work's alarm to roam at power's will
uptown/downtown skid row's tribulations till

absorbed in sorrowful rags, tears of strangers
wiped from countertop gouged by time's knife
slices of stories, jokes and anecdotes suspended
on racks above this bar's mirrored memories
hang on entrance door and exit's green light
arriving early after to leave too late

-cec

waking morning comes home
arising to dawn's dimmer light
where curtained clouds roam
off maritime journey's might

rattles from tail's end of evening
penetrate this dreamer's calm
prompts morning's early weaning
from slumber acres balm

turn these covers open eyed
let soft fantasies vaporize
tuned to moment's assembling blocks
auguring dayspring's destined docks

-cec

Eos woke an Argus-eyed iris
to start this day in birdsong
that pierced a sleeping silence
then sang all risings long

Square window panes did brighten
with light's momentum strong
a symphony, wind heightened
in poltergeist chimes which hung

As cool breeze entered gently
to kiss on petal's lip
while wings buzzed intently
took drink of morning's dip

In jumbled greens and pigments
this garden's watercolors glow
in natural dance of prisms
sharp thorns yield up to rose

-cec

Opaque, this darker dream-
Curls smoke like in thought
migrating to wispy seems
seeping, accumulating aught
no exit, zero visibility, fog rock
rolling past and whether foul
Ideas escape into this chimeric night
hungover precipice looking out to see
Land **!, out on open main's might
till morning winds from tempest seas
sail our vessel clear, reef and rock
rolling in crested white, jet black waves
scrolls this lemniscus day's clock
feeling shivering cloud bank gray
as bell peal tolls a breaker's pull

-cec

A solo crow's morning flight spoke
of castaways and solitary nights
on its wing tip hurried flight
and its mid-air broken croak

Recounting storms as eagle talons
wet in feather drenching dreams
cuts and glide through current's seams
drops to land on earthen patterns

Seemed within its bird-brain canon
day's release from hunger's pang
a weary eye on sturm und drang
to covet worm and bolt on cannon

-cec

A little strip of paper-
Each Day is the First
telling of eons and hours
a moment's low pitch beat
stretched through years
to crumble open sweetness
and sun's horizon portals

-cec

pure waves undulate
in waters cling life's ripples
calm condensates all

-cec

Laying within the tallest grass field–
That yellow star's daddy long-legs
grazing with a warm solar breeze
playing shades of hide and seek
into a child's mind, full waxing
waking to an offset world
more than small discovery
that farms in grains of time and space
where ants prepare empire
beetles' carapace form beep their horn
navigating, root bound, primal paths
ignorant of overt oblivions to come
go with candy eyed curiosity
prostrate in solace on an altar of life
waiting to be found

-cec

It's been awhile since pregnant poem
as there was no one here to wear it
just two plane black and white fantasy
vaporized with day's chores and work

Now this is that in counterpoise
in arms embrace and kissing peaks
where clouds blush in morning sun
to wake upon your dawn

Hands that would cradle this heart
know its beat and volcanic weeping
holding even unto bone its love
there keeping pillow-lava whispers near

Then toss regret most play a fool
since evening's close behind
It takes a lifetime rise to heights
exquisitely to climb a starry sky

There moon light visions linger
as though internal fires pour
molten eyes have pierced this soul
to claim its flame and core

-cec

joy sung to a rose
passions' herald red revelry
intoxication

-cec

Jupiter is star-like tonight
lumbering in the darkness
throwing its gravity about
picking on moons and asteroids
while brewing storms and lightning

From afar it seems crystal
sharp, isosceles rays of light
an ornament in the cosmos
fingers point, faces uplifted amazement
in cold clear black silences

Io, knows its tyranny
stretched and pulled for millennia
calderas of lava rage and flow
blood blasts of internal strife
turning in unknown tranquility of space

-cec

We
howled and howl at the moon!
you did not condescend
or turn into a hairy wolf
you talked of life and love
and how to mend steel tendons
How
we will miss you, not eating
withering away like fall leaves
while the sky cries tears of rain
your voice getting faint in the wind
as your presence like mountains loom
Grandpa
we who love you cannot bear
our thoughts are past sad
our hearts are heavy with losing
though you have always born
and reborn us in you

-cec

Just heard about cookies with spam!
a full plate was offered with canned ham
baked for a birthday boy of eighty three
Who-said he felt much younger and with glee
They sat 'round a table eating these delicacies
each lauding the bake-tress with laughter, at ease
now give up that recipe and open that can
for it doesn't seem delicious to be just a fan

-cec