I just needed to hear something
soft like
yellow from the lamp or
my love because
I can't stand the haunting hum of waiting
the anxious, ancient hour under my bone
half bent, ticking
picking my flaws like a hurt bird;
it is my time i give away
& unlike my heart
sadly stuck with me
i cannot keep, cannot get
these minutes back

The very first thing a poet should do
Is throw that ego in the bin.
For being Great, or finding fame and fortune
Should hardly be your goal.

Just say whatever you have to say
With passionate heart and Voice.
Forget about Perfection
As all is relative:
And simply be Inspired.

Don’t be a slave to rigid forms:
Variety is the key.
Pulsing rhythms may match the heart
But missing beats have clout.

Be respectful to other poets at all times
And always return their praise, where you can.
Never criticise in a negative way:
Always be positive and supportive.

Keep out of inter-poet politics:
Such a waste of time!
Just write and write and write and write:
I simply cannot help it!

Paul Butters

Every day you **** me
Then send me to heaven

(for Peggy, with Alzheimer’s, 1996)*

Absent spirit:
Soothe our hunger for consolation
In the presence of this woman
Who asks for none.

May the colored shapes we have become
Stand apart from these walls--
Where sun after sun has tiled
A catacomb of days--
Distinctly enough to radiate our love.

Banish our loss.
Dissolve the bitter mystery of why.
Forgive our numb embrace
That enfolds this slumping body
Whose eyes reflect glass,
Whose mind quests beyond a dark door
Searching for a land of lost names.

Give words to her passage.
Resolve the twisted path she must follow alone,
The cratered wastes she calls across,
Seeking a land of kindred beings with cognate powers
That name her as their own and exult.

To all those who have never had a dog….you were never able to see the tilt of the head when a question was asked….        
To all those who never had a dog …you missed the peacefulness of a walk on a summer day with a companion of the highest order.
To all those who never had a dog…….having a head rest itself on your knee and look up in love is not for you.
To all those without a dog..... you will never get a lick or a nose bump of love.
To all those who have never had a dog…….the wag of a tail, signaling love and happiness will not be yours.
To all those who never had a dog…….you will not share an evening dinner with a most appreciative friend.
To all those without a dog….. you will never hear the bark of protection in the night.
To all those without a dog…..you must recognize that the warm loving dark eyes that look at you with respect and love will be a thrill for someone else.
To all those who are without a dog….do not squander the chance, do not look down another road for love and friendship…..it waits posed on four beautiful legs …staring and asking for your heart.

i love you my sweet friend
and will always
until all of my days end

while you explore the world
please stay safe
and may I still be your favorite girl

i pray you find what you search for
go far and wide
express your passion, be more

live your life the way you planned
just don't forget about me
you'll have my soul safe in your hand

i will be there when you marry
may it not be me?
yet in your arms, my heart, you carry

she will love you, much more than i
but please remember me
when struggles arise, for you i'll cry

explain to her, let her be understanding
about my love for you
our relationship long lasting

when we've both grown old
may you think of me
my friend not of silver, but gold

i love you my sweet friend
and will always
until all of my days end

I am
A freshly broken heart
Not yet grieving
the aftermath

Stuck
Holding my breath
On the edge of a cliff
Frozen in step

Looking out
At a million paths
With feet planted
In quicksand

Swimming
In a sea of thoughts
Of the days ahead
And the days past

Nowhere
And everywhere at once
Processing
As much as I can

Slowly
It starts to sink in
Everything I knew
Is spinning

We picked the seashells on the shore,
You hear them whisper in your ears,
I always love to hear you share what they speak,
Their words with different voices,
I always thought you just pretend,
So I pretended to understand,
Now you are far
Beyond the horizon that we see
Whenever we watch the sun wake and sleep,
I picked a seashell on the shore
And hear it whisper in my ear,
I hear your voice saying I love you.

How much do we do to keep our minds occupied?
How far do we go?
Where do we stop?
How much more can we do not feel the pain in our hearts?
When will be our lookinf away, our hiding the end of us?
How long can we keep living like this?
How much more can we take before our worlds finaky colaspe.
And we will have to think and feel.
I fear we can't keep going on like this forever.
keeping our minds occupied so we won't think about what truely matters.