hold still, my love!
let me freeze in time
that elusive essence
of all that you are!

let me pan from head to toe
all those fleeting memories
that envelope you like a halo!
--that heady mix of honey and cinnamon
as you say into the phone “hello!”
--that dainty dimple
and the happy curl of your ruby lips.

is it my breath that sways
those curls framing your cheeks?

for years have we shared,
for ages have we walked
the long road together,
stopping, but for mere moments,
to fight our little fights
and talk our little talks,
to press our hands together
and smile
at things small and beautiful,
at some rare memory.

hold still, don’t breathe!
don’t sway
those delicious mountains and valleys
where often our rivulets
joined in a torrent of frenzy!

where in the labyrinth
of time and space
did we first meet?
do you remember?

you are my memory
and I am yours.
but memories are ephemeral
and fleeting and deceptive.

so let me freeze them in time
before you and I
fade away.

click!

The West a glimmering lake of light,
A dream of pearly weather,
The first of stars is burning white--
The star we watch together.
Is April dead?  The unresting year
Will shape us our September,
And April's work is done, my dear--
Do you not remember?

O gracious eve!  O happy star,
Still-flashing, glowing, sinking!--
Who lives of lovers near or far
So glad as I in thinking?
The gallant world is warm and green,
For May fulfils November.
When lights and leaves and loves have been,
Sweet, will you remember?

O star benignant and serene,
I take the good to-morrow,
That fills from verge to verge my dream,
With all its joy and sorrow!
The old, sweet spell is unforgot
That turns to June December;
And, tho' the world remembered not,
Love, we would remember.

Zombie King
copyright me, 2007

soft-spoken because broken
amazed to still be here
louder and prouder than Lucifer
of nothing, for no reason
nothing more or less than a man
another man in a numberless land
done things to stay alive
compromised to survive
danced extremely closely to the flame
and stared into the fire
for as long as one could
longer than one should
stumble around now like a zombie king
numbly staring at a missing ring
like somebody stole the precious
just pushed along by drive
the only thing left
to seek pleasure
and avoid pain
beaten like a dog
just another turning cog
in the wheel of a machine
that he can't get off
but I can, man
saving grace
truth be told
is that you can achieve release
but you lose that right
if you leave the fight
to ****** the **** and jewels
while others go without
and so the zombie king
without his ring
stumbles around eventually to his grave
and there he may lie
for a million years
suffering no fears
concocting no plans
and avoiding the light of day
who can say
what would break the spell
and free him from
awareness without passion
easy style with no sense of fashion
and the spirits that he keeps alive
but not living
zombie king
missing his ring

I want to dance.
I want the rush of energy to spread through my spontaneous body.
I want to move the way she does.
To be able to sway with that coordination and elegance and vitality.
To hide from my inhibitions just long enough to be alive.
I want that confidence and that joy.
My heart beats fast as I spin around and my hands find a home somewhere in the sky.
Its all natural, its all right, and I am there.
I am the one experiencing.
Then when others see me, they want to dance too.
Why can’t I dance?

Written with unflinching honesty I resume
Although I still see this poignant death as an empty room
Yes, I will resume this empathy
I'll admit it's not well-crafted with superiority
This inevitable event deftly captures us all moving into a vagrancy
Confronting the abyss of what might be

Oh, Marcia,
I want your long blonde beauty
to be taught in high school,
so kids will learn that God
lives like music in the skin
and sounds like a sunshine harpsicord.
I want high school report cards
to look like this: