It’s the holes in your heart that **** you
Not the heart in your body
But the one in your soul
The one that makes you drive all night never knowing why
Searching for something you can never find
Maybe little pieces left in a life behind
Pieces that can fill those holes
And make you whole
But there’s a smile somewhere
In the back of your mind
That will always shine
Through the darkest of memories
Black and white photographs
Strewn across the floor of your head
She lies there laughing beautiful in bed
Naked as the truth that pinches the tip of your nose
In the frozen intersection of winter
Now expressionless
Wondering why the love ran out
But you know it never did
It just moved away
And forgot to write
Time is terrible
It loses track of itself
As do all great birds in flight
The wind becomes their clock
Hands broken
Only wings
It leaves only flying and landing
Even she
In all her broken loveliness
Understands this

The birth of a new year
Labored through the canal of time
A naked canvas waiting to be dressed
So many decisions
A minority of choices
A ubiquitous melody hangs in the air
As life and death dance
Forbidden lovers subdued by nature
Forced to turn the world
Without thought or reason
Continuous cycling
Laughter and crying
Two eyes close
A journey ends
Two more open
A journey begins
The Universal balancing beam
Walking a thread of time
No safety net below
In the arena of the mind

So this is goodbye again
My fickle friend
You were hard to live in
At times
Others like the moon
Surrounded by stars
people and cars
Everywhere
A hum hanging
In the air
A chaotic symphony
Swooping like blind spirits
Through streets and hair
And I left you there
Behind me
Staring eagerly after me
As if a toy
Fled your playpen
And you want it back
To parade me around
Manipulate, twist and bend
Toss playfully into the wind
Caring not
Where I land
Just another speck of sand
On your overcrowded beach
Yet still within reach
A pawn without a Queen
Just a wasteful tyrant King
Waiting for the East to bring
Your next crop
Of starry eyes
And hungry hearts
Actors hands out for their parts
But I’ll sneak out in the dark
As the ghetto birds hover
Over dogs that love to bark
And then I’ll finally be free
And when your highways
Wake you in the morning
I find it funny
You won’t even miss me

- Jack Piatt

Love takes no prisoners
save one
locked alone
uncharted waters
floating fortress
non-penetrable walls
inescapable island
scribbling on the floors
undecipherable language
coded in pain
signed in bloodstain
a story of loss
of great regret
never to be freed
a sentence of life
without the arms
of my lover
no lips
kisses
or eyes
seeping into mine
none of that now
... just time

A smoking barrel hangs loose in my hand
Fallen butterflies at my feet
As her eyes beckoned mine
Pushing hard to get inside
A familiar yet forgotten feeling
Bubbled quietly within
My stomach felt wings begin
First only slowly ...
And then
A rush of wind
My heart pounding
Like after a child’s first kiss
A second or two of bliss
Then confusion and tumbling
Like a dryer full of cotton candy
Loss of vision and thought
Momentarily
And then it hits me
Butterflies
Oh, no
Butterflies!
Out of fear
And half swallowed desperation
I draw my pistol and fire
Bullet after bullet
As beauty and innocence
Fall lifeless to the ground
Until there is no sound
Just a muffled beat
Still on my feet
My heart safe
From the imminent attack
A close call
As her tears fall
I walk away
And live to love
Another day

light of the sun, bursts
through the youthful green of leaves
my heart stops breathing

A wintry wedding with pain
Till happiness do us part
Lifeless sentence without bail
Future repossessed
Heart for sale
Chance of rain
And it did

Every day

Of every summer
The sun landed a better gig
Left without notice
Days of grey
Sad
Cold
Wet
Nothing left

But retrospect

My hindsight is blind
A bat would do better to find
A way out of here
a place without fear
a mirror
without angry eyes
glaring back
wanting answers
reasons for lack
of luster
or failure to muster
a real charge
a shot at least
a stab
at even a glimpse
of glory
a different ending
story
a sky that doesn’t
look so stormy
just a brand new
life
waiting for me

Your contribution to romantic exchange
Is sipping cold coffee
Neither satisfying nor stimulating
Your unwillingness to invest
May be reluctance at best
Yet I fail to find the charm in that
Poetry doesn’t exist there
Passion blew through this town
Along with the hope of settling here
Building a castle to protect us both
With the labor of love
But no labor came from you
Your womb is empty
And I am left to wonder about your heart
And where to start
Walking from here
Guess you were just passing through
But I found home in you
I would’ve lived in a box outside your door
If you could’ve just given a little more
I resigned from life as I knew it for awhile
Because of a smile
A look …
Mistook
Misunderstanding?
I miss …
Understanding
But there is no reason here
I’ve had my last beer with fear
Shared my last embrace
With that look on your face
The one that kept me captive
For so long
Lost in the lines of a Tod Weidner song
Slowly sedating myself awake
Curious what it is you didn’t take
Pointless to consider when there’s nothing at stake
No more plans to make
Nothing left of a heart to break
Just a tattoo of you
Etched into my soul
A piercing reminder
I will never be whole
Again

There's a curve at the end of the drive
   where decisions must be made
  culture walks away from the table
  and the antagonist of our lives pulls
   up a chair and let's down the hair
   that distracts you as it falls
    in that moment you lose it all
    every word you wanted to say
    finds its way down an endless drain
    then the eternal stare
    the fiery glare
    that singes the very hair
    above your eyes
    and then and only then
    do you realize
    how deep you're in
    below the stare grows
    an evil grin
    shouting non-verbally
    "you'll never win"
      
     and then ...
    
   The alarm goes off
   your eyes find the ceiling
   your legs and arms
   regain feeling
   sweat drip-dropping
   onto a pillow now sopping
   long, labored breaths
   turn into a sigh
   shake your head
   a time or two
   look around
    to ensure it's true
   it was just a dream
   a lucid night trip
   jump in the shower
  and get a grip
   off to work
  with purpose
   and coffee
  as the antagonist
grins
  a grim
effigy

These days pass
         at Zeppelin pace
         I wonder about the sea
         what's down deep beneath
          have you ever looked at a tree
         an old, almost ancient tree
         and thought of roots ...
         followed the roots down
         until you are above ground
        somewhere far more foreign
         than anywhere here
         and what blossoms
        opposite the roots
         confounds you
         you wake up sweaty
         a hundred years older
         but not a day
         shows on your face
         not a single trace
         of travel
         yet you know
         you've gone
         Moving on is hard
         at first
         cause you cling
         cling, to the dream
         or what you surrender
         to your mind is a dream
         and you're back
         back to the task
          whatever it may be
         but 20 leagues below
        the sea of your soul
        you remain confounded
        at what blossoms
         below the roots we
         see as trees
         and for a second
         here where we
         capture time
         and make it march
        we see ourselves
        scattered like atoms
        on a cosmic beach
        winking at stars
        who watch us shine
         below

       By: Jack Piatt

And everything I knew
Flew
Out the window
In with the new
A student again
Chalkboards and recess
A mighty mess
Indeed
A brain weighed down
With eternity
A tomorrow I don’t live in
Because I am here
A tiny town
Not far from the moon
A big heart
With lots of scars
Kindred spirits are few
Though I smile as I walk
Down these streets
These ***** streets
In need of rain
Come on down
Wash it all away
Take it to my innocence
As my inner child
Peddles by
Smiling hard
Against the sun
Country road
Welcoming me within
But that was then
Another lifetime
Almost alien
To this world
I’ve landed in
Much to my chagrin
Left only to close my eyes
And hope for a dream
I can escape into
A doorway to another place
Hoping to find a familiar face
Some clue, some memory
To help
guide me home

Milk pouring slowly into my lap,
Helpless, with peculiar invitation
My hands begin the charge,
Breaking your ranks, combining armies

Happiness was gone from me like the grandmother I never knew
The ceiling at night taunted me with loneliness
I kept you close in my dreams, alive, shining
An angel glowing light into my gray lit world

Bitterness bullies me, but my heart holds for you
Your body as if a mound of sugar and I am the spoon
How your eyes speak! Oh, the fire inside my lungs!
My God I am shaken! My soul is a tornado, twisting

          Twisted

My hands find home on your warming body
My lips find sustenance in your kiss
The darkest dreams still find you, shining
Though I wake and feel as though I haven’t eaten in weeks

Deep in the caverns of my polluted mind,
Shadows cover thoughts that linger, waiting
My desire is immeasurable, it bleeds in me
I have nothing but rocks in my belly,
Stones strewn across an old battlefield

A field of flesh and insides where feelings were slain
The heart sustained several attacks, but bears scars of war
I am tired, beaten, without the strength to raise my flag
I will lay upon this ground, close my eyes and submit to die,

              Inside

the singing
(sing ing)
the laughing
(laugh ing)

the life

These scars
Are my bars
   My brains
   are chains
   My heart

    broken

When in history we find, ceaseless aches of wanting
Even sleep cannot smother fear coupled with pain
The walls tighten, their pictures almost taunting
A tyrannical storm threatening to spit rain
Dreams bring images, some that linger with the morning
As light splinters through the cracks in the blinds
These dreams are lost, and with them the warning
A caution of things that lie ahead, slithering as it winds
A world waiting in disguise, a shadow clinging to the ground
Anticipating blending with the night, waiting for the day to pass
Tiptoeing over beams of starlight, dancing without sound
The dream flashes, as she lies smiling in the grass
A wild mix of wanton innocence in her eyes
Nothing is more powerful than this moment in time

Driving away ... leaving miles of broken pavement behind
Thoughts and rearview mirror collide as my mind ventures
You are constant ... waves of gray rolling ahead of me
Your eyes were the beginning and will be the end for me
Memories melt together as time tears on through eternity
Two years become two centuries in this empire of emotion
The pilots of fall fly their orange and browns to the ground
As my heart in turn falls from every tree
This love suffers the seasons along with everything earth
My heart finds summer as my body sweats for you
Your body dances in my mind as we danced
Face to face, eyes locked ... bodies soaking into each other
Autumn brings your smell and a solemn reminder of change
Longer looks ... the sanctuary of embrace
Everything is open ... honesty kisses our foreheads
Life is raining down upon us as we dance between the leaves
The stars seem to polish their shine when the snow lies quietly beneath
Everything stiffens ... silence reigns supreme over the night
Rivers fight desperately to continue on course
As love fights the ominous freeze that threatens the life of the flame
Just as a depressing wind falls upon my soul
The birds of spring send a hopeful note to my ears
Even as the world seemed to pass below
My eyes adjust to the life overcoming the frigid grip of winter
With one exchange ... our eyes beckon the suns arrival
One embrace gives life to loves gasping flame
When all seemed lost ... my ship tattered by the tide
The light of love reflected off your sails in the horizon

Nice to meet you
Even though we have met
Many times before
This time I could really see you
And you’ve left me
Wanting more

What is to be
            done
          when the fun
              runs dry?

I don’t deal with probably
Only certainty
I roll deep with clarity
Vision inspires me
A full scope
I carry knot-free rope
Soft undertones
Whispered into wanting ears
Come here
Let’s get near and dear
Eject fear
From this plane
Flying through a mountain-less range
Strange
But sane is in
So we pretend
To recommend
This life
Curiously prescribed
Time after time
Subconscious suicide
Don’t **** on my passion
I’m vice versatile
Naked is the only fashion
True to itself
Time and again
Retrosexual
Easy to fit in skin
One size fits all
Short or tall
Spring or fall
Tis the season
To be happy
Don’t need a reason
If I did then slap me
Look around
One million reasons why
Staring us right in the eye
Every morning
Afternoon
And night
Calmly declaring
Everything is right
Everything is right

At night
When my part of the world sleeps
Eyes open
Heart closed
Not open for business
Since you left town
I lie
Like an orphan baby
In a lifeless room
A cold bed
With no comfort for my soul

Remembering …

Is where I find
Something to warm my hands

In memory you live in me
And sleep is good there

The lake shines
Lying on the dock
Clouds illuminated above
A splash below
A faint echo
Of a bark
Or bird
How peaceful
The wind
Tastes my face
I kiss back
With a small
Laugh
Smiling
With eyes closed
The day’s events
Forgotten
As one foot
Rubs the other’s toes
All is right
On this night
As the moon
Stretches out
Across the water
I believe again

Pick it up
The off
Where you left it

Pick up where you left off

Walk behind yourself for one day
See what you see
Watch how you see it
You’ll be taken aback

Back before you left off

Close your eyes
Breathe quietly
Inward quiet
Not just outward
Now …

Pick up where you left off

There’s a secret
Living inside you
A bit of a paradox
Being it’s not a secret
If you already know
But that’s …

Back before you left off

The sky still looks the same
Thousands of years later
As you look up again
Same grin, new chin
Eager as ever, ready to …

*Pick up where you left off

What is that burn?
Crawling all over me
Wanting out
Needing distance
Release
Cell mates with fear
Born in the same well
My name
An image floating in the mirror
Keeping me from the three things I seek
Love
Moderation
Humility

She’s beginning to fade
On her end of the line
Drifting sleepily away
As I lay her down
Another night closed
with spread out breaths
An occasional ...
“Hey ...
You still there
Okay ... I’ll let you go -
Goodnight sweet dreams
Dream of me”
To her reply
“No”
actually more of an
“unnah” ...
a little mumble
and stirring
then back to her breath
happy and content
to close her eyes
knowing I am still there
even if only in voice
I have no choice
I’m hooked
On the line
Until I finally
Hear
A quiet
Goodnight

First time I saw you
A glimpse of a heaven
I don’t even believe in
But I did then
How extraordinary
you are
You left a scar
On my heart
Reminding me
With every beat
How sweet
This world
Can be
With you
In it

My brain and heart
Would fist fight
Night after night
If they had fists
As they lobby
For this
And that
One wears
A hat
The other
Lives on a sleeve
One wants
The other needs
It’s rare they agree
Or so it seems
Even though one
Affects the other
Can’t have the lightning
Without the thunder
So they say anyway
Probably in a country song
But whether they get along
Or not
Matters not
Because I need them both
They create balance
a new found necessity
As I am continually
Walking the high beam
Living dangerously
But with that comes
Possibility
And dwelling there
I am free
To see
Opportunity
Staring back at me
coyly
with a “come get me”
grin
that says
“where have you been
for so long?
Let's you and I write a song”
One that will be here
long after I'm gone
As the wind blows on
and on and on

I wear my heart up my sleeve
Where most can’t see
Just far enough away
To give it some reprieve
From the beatings it takes
beyond the beats
it makes
and those hands that
just want to take
instead of give
**** instead of let live
so I hide it away
from the unsuited
hearts so convoluted
reaching and grabbing
poking and stabbing
leaving scars
instead of love
in their passing
piles of pain
amassing
an ache left
everlasting
waiting for the one
who brings peace
instead of taking
a piece
so up my sleeve
the waiting
and the wanting
hide beneath clothes
both daunting
and haunting
for that one
soft and lovely
boundless sweetness
floating above me
patiently anticipating
the kiss that brings
an end to this
waiting
for my wish
to grow into
fruition
my soul’s mission
accomplished

When in doubt,
I turn to me,
the rest -
history

I look at that clock with a loathing
  growing
  climbing my ribs like a ladder
to my brain
right past my heart
aggressively approaching
the place where it
will inevitably explode
killing the notion of time
and with it
the need for a clock

Oh my,
the focus
of humanity
on me
Please
Oh please
take it easy
Please
take it easy
baby
let me tell
my story

Somehow it is now
no need for the wow
or vow
to do better
next time
breathing
slower
would
be
fine

Boundless beginnings
     bursting into my
       Parnassian periphery
        present endless
      possibilities

Only in memory
Does your smile
Beat back darker times

How do I feel?  No more questions please.
Next question ...

How’s your heart my dear?
Can we even start from here
I’m not sure if you’re even real
But willing to deal …
I am
If you throw in your hand
We can make this stand
As one
We can beat this drum
As we walk away from
Every bad day
Piled and burning like stacks of hay
Behind us

It’s true Bob
The times are changing
And we have to put it into perspective
Or become a weathered stone
With no purpose
But to sit beneath the sun
Change is the universe’s closet
Full of new clothes to try on
Some we like more than others
others will never be worn again
But revisited often in memory