nothing on earth
could brighten the dooryard
of my studio,
like your shining face....

i think about you all day long
no matter
how soft the thought
or dear sweet the song...

fear, loneliness, and anger lead to stress
stress leads to ulcers and anxiety
yelling and screaming absorbed like sponges
short tempers, curt responses, attitudes
nature fights nurture, there is no winner
highlighted things most hated of ourselves
inadvertent lessons learned by innocents
molded by fear, yet still guided by love
can't teach, "do as i say, not as i do"
they do what they see and learn what they live
blind to the effects of our own actions
responsibility belongs to all
more than a person, it takes a village
even more than a village it takes you
it takes you not ignoring what you see
it takes you to offer a helping hand
it takes every one of us to force change
in that change is found hope and strength and help
Community is not a neighborhood
it is not a town or its citizens
and it cannot be fostered in a word
it must grow in the hearts of the people
willingness to care and an open mind
baby steps toward each other today
and a sense of responsibility
tomorrow's flowers are planted today

She breaths octane
gas polluting my heart,
and paralyzes my emotions,
love straining to restart.

Blue blistering toes,
pneumonia-driven prose,
she aches the bone inside of me
delivering a cold.

Moving towards
my aching soul,
she finds my
emptiness, tenfold.

Gaseous toxic dust
confides within my lungs,
her selfish evil breath fills me,
permanent distrust.

She drinks blood through
my straw-thin veins,
detracts my serenity;
swallows it all the same.

Disfigured masterpiece discharged
and broken on a hospital cart,
you're jealousy tears me apart,
I wait for the autopsy chart...

Superhero heavyweights
Alter ego misfits
Scandalous fall from grace
Public pain and private parties
Golden idol ego trips
Wrath of God
Not wrath of Kahn
Read a book
Take a look around
Stop flying high
Indestructible
Too messed up to see
The damage done
Idolaters be dammed
First commandment
Godless society
Superhero wannabes
Glory and the fame
Microscopes
Expand the putrid that make-up cannot mask
Everybody’s business
Do as you say not as you do
Becomes, monkey see monkey do
Flying high without a net
Newbies falling from the sky
That is not empowerment
Luck is not strategy
And life is not a game
Find importance
Both within and without
Then dawn your cape
And fly away
To help your fellow man
Not just your selfish greed

hey, you
i love you
so
smile...

Uptown.
Because you can't ever feel down
Up
     Town.

Lights swirling around
and exotic colors become all
      at once
           neon bright.
Searing your eyes enough to give everything
that dim cloud whirling around it
      like an oversized trench coat.

But this is all overseen
    and somewhat out of place
by the people in
     fur coats.
And ladies who hold silken scarves
over their oddly high placed noses
as they pass my friend's cigarette smoke
     just before they enter the "hip" Latin restaurant
          to prove they're cultured.

And even though I laugh,
     and give my friend a knowing smile,
I hear them over the crowd
     incorrectly pronounce
           the phrase "dos cervezas",
and can't stop the cringe that appears on my face.

My friend walks away as if nothing is wrong,
      truth be told, there shouldn't be.
We both know how this works.
Who gets upset about a heritage they don't advertise?

We have all
        but bleached our skin
(because anything that isn't white is in)
We want out.

Because exotic
       animals
              are often admired
(as they are worn around the shoulders).

Moby ****
may have been
a
big
       BIG
fish
and Ishmael
didn't have it so easy
But I need, I dream
of the epitome
of a flawless
                        ideal
                        ­          piece of whitefish

A Succulent Bite
                        A Taste of Right
Hand battered
                              Deep fried
A
crunch
into heaven
Mouth-watering
                                   yet light

Next to
              crisp
                        oh-so
          ­                         crisp
                                             fries


Draft Rootbeer
Foam
              in a mug
of delight

Mmmm Mmmmm
Seafood
See, this food
                           tastes like hope

Up North
I salivate
thinking of its
                              taste
thinking of
                           perfection

Man
Oh, Man
They don't make it
like this
anymore

So
      so
             fresh

This piece
Creates a sense
of peace

Harmony
on your palate

It turns
you up-turned nose







down
to the aroma
of a fisherman's skill

Natural Salt
of this world
                                brings you to a world
                                                           ­                  of pleasure
                                                      ­                                                 in a nibble
A coming together
on my plate

Skin-lined
Red Skin
potatoes

Frothy
Quenching
Rootbeer

                     ­                       Whitefish.

Simple Things
I found this fine trip

Combined with waterfall air
to breathe deep

My taste buds
had
gone up in
                                smoke.

My tongue
realized with
surprise
                                 *the possibilities of life.

An intricate
web of limbs
Hey there Slim
Tall drink of water
Let's go farther
Blurry vision
Pants unzip
The point in the night
You don't give a ****
It's sorta ****** up
I like you so much
Gettin' crushed
by a crush
Make my heart mush
rooms got me high
Like a falling airplane
Balance is lost in the sky
Bye bye birdie
Have you heard the word
It's not sober
this love
I flew the coop
Doesn't take a sleuth
to see
I’m trippin'
my balance is shakin
I'm floating
on false realities
Fake hopes for
you and me
One night stands
What's your name again?
Mary Jane is all I can remember
Suddenly skin feels like December
Everything turned sour
A foggy wasted hour
One flew
Over the cuckoo’s nest
And She never came back again

It's a mental ******
Chase it
with some whiskey
wine and dine
on an alcoholic's appetite
A mental fight
It's wrong!
It's right!
My drink
A sanctuary
2 am and nothing means ****
I'm havin' a fit
Jim Beam, My main man
Kick with him
Catch it with nets I can
Worries disappear
With Captain's there's nothin' to fear
Can you hear
troubles fading away?
Problems that were
the rave of the day
No more
(No longer a do-right)
of what it's like to feel real
kneel at the uh-oh toilet
until upset subsides
All the pain of surprise
How can life be so unfair?
Do I care
anymore?
My loved ones turned to folklore
Bathe in the galore
of false realities
Am I me
or the person I chose to be?
After endless rounds of Jose Cuervo
Did I lose count? I count it
amongst my friends.
He's the only man
that's been there.
Are we square?
Tequila, my companion
of the day
Throw all your cares away
Hakuna Matata
what a wonderful stage
to come to
Kissin' the bottle
Lovin' the liquor
Runnin' down the throat
Tryin' to feel it quicker
Drunk and Happy
because life is a world away
Issues?
You don't need tissues
with beer as company
Lonely, doesn't mean a thing
and company is a closer fantasy
The smoke from a cigarette
the hit you can't quit
Bad habits
Carrots for rabbits
and nothin' feels as **** good
like ***** and nicotine
makes me lean and mean
ready for anything
Lickin' the sin off my chin
Party hardy
All fun with Bacardi
I can handle it
and down the rest of my ****
Until it's 11 a.m. the next day
late for work again
Maybe, I'm okay
It's meant to be, Eve
and her apple
Temptation's frustration
See? It's destiny
This poison and me
Crack, a poor man's coke
Jack, a poor girl's hope