Gaping holes from ripped heart,
love no longer contained,
seeping into pools of pain,
taped body outline as I drain.

Emotion fueled accelerants
ignite and melts neurons,
no longer firing in the fire,
melted like an electric wire.

The numbness sets in
as the painkiller takes hold,
and memories fade to the now
lost in the past but moving on, how?

The monsters dwell inside my thoughts,
on some occasions, we have fought,
the say up, while I say down,
I try to smile but they just frown.

I know not from where they came,
but they are masters of the game,
insane they are driving me,
but I will never let them see.

I worship at her honeyed gate,
I long to taste and to tempt fate,
the glistening petals of desire,
could never ever douse my fire.

No holds barred, nothing held back
I go in on full attack
shed the blocker, I see his back
He feels me but now he's sacked

Back in the day,
memories made,
stored on film rolls
in their canisters shade.

Stamped dated and timed,
gps location stored,
we go back and look,
and quickly ignore.

No more waiting
for the pics that we took,
now simply post them,
straight to Facebook.

The nostalgia of old times,
rarely looked back,
nothing like those old photos
at moms, in books in a stack.

The memories remain,
yet little they mean,
stored in the cloud,
it's almost obscene.

Ancient drawings on the wall
come sentient in flickering firelight,
the bow draws and arrows fly in carvings,
taking down long extinct prey.

Imagination runs rampant,
inside of granite caves,
hearing ancient drums
bah ***, *** ***, bah ***.

Pebbles roll, jerking eyes
searching out the origin,
nothing moves in the night,
feet of the long dead perchance.

A howl, or a scream?
from the mouth of the cave
sends hair standing,
and triggers fight or flight feelings.

Temperatures drop undeterred
adding more wood to the fire,
the energy absorbed by phantoms
that move on the edges of vision.

Liquid shadows flow toward me
touching me, eyes turn obsidian
encased in burning fires
fading down.

Headdressed dark wrinkled men
wearing furs of different creatures
surround me in a circle
eyes glowing.

I hear nothing, but see afflictions,
dying peoples, falling trees,
rabid animals, and raging conflagrations,
followed by icy glaciers, creeping across the land.

A spear pierces my side drawing crimson,
several feather fletched arrows impact me,
phosphorescent blade, cuts into my carotid
discharging a torrent.

Soaked in sweat as daylight breaks,
a scream is coming from my throat,
as my hands reach, staunching wounds that are not there,
I search out understanding in the madness, as breathing slows.

The things you could never say
arranged in flowing verse and rhyme,
interpretation is up to the reader,
but your feelings out, prevent crime.

Release the demons
on to the page,
ink their blood
on center stage.

Give them life
inside of verse,
bottled up inside,
they are far worse.

Cathartic feelings,
with stroke of pen,
The poem's lines,
contain all of them.

Blackbirds fly
from the pie,
just like thoughts
flee the mind.

Sometimes they stray
like Bo Peep's sheep,
lost along the way.

Residing inside
the life you give,
glass houses shatter
if hard words thrown,
love is work to maintain,
I am a carpenter of words.

Simmering summer sun beams,
magical mischevious mirage gleams,
wavering, wistful, wandering dreams,
slowly sliding slippery sweat streams.

Cool caffeinated colas chill,
monitoring Mayan mountains still,
crackling cubes coalesce till,
groups gathered garner goodwill.

Addicted, now I am,
I need to feel you soon,
I have become your stalking wolf,
no need have I for the moon.

Since our encounter,
love thirsty have I become,
on every breeze, I smell your scent,
to your will, I have succumbed.

With searching eyes, I watch for you,
around every corner and bend,
though you don't hide from me,
I need the sight of you to mend.

With you in view, I need to howl,
to release this feeling inside of me,
I am transformed into something new,
even others around can see.

Like a curse broken, I am free
to love all of you, it is my need,
like a dose of coke or ****,
upon your love is how I feed.

In the falling evening light,
the radio plays by wire,
Billy Joel swears the truth,
We didn't start the fire.

It's in the air tonight,
as Phil Collins plays the drums,
the melancholy melody,
drives us deeper into glum.

But suddenly a knowing lick,
the riff it, does begin,
Steve Perry doesn't stop believing,
we break into a grin.

Sunfish, koi, and angels,
swimming in the sun,
copper glinting reflections,
watching them is fun.

The shadows and reflections,
chase each other on the wall,
much like their wet cousins,
chasing baitfish in the fall.

Apparitions floating,
in a saline sea,
glowing hyper-color,
simply adrift and free.

Armed tentacles,
search and reach and twist,
seeking out a meal,
to **** with nematocysts.

Dangerous beauty,
floating free,
somewhere in,
the deep blue sea.

Crossed the state line,
playing the radio,
out of Texas,
into New Mexico.

From Sargent beach
we came and went,
the house was nice,
I paid the rent.

The beach was empty,
the fishing ******,
the water was hot,
we had no luck.

But fun times were had,
me, the kids and wife,
one last vacation,
before new life.

The son now drives,
the daughter about to go,
off to college,
our life's new flow.

Curtains fall,
the crowd goes home,
but we must still play a part,
our character changing,
with our locations.

In our death
run out of breath
we become souls of stars
burn in space near and far
lighting the night
with our fires burning bright

myself I have shattered
destroyed all that mattered

in the maelstrom, I spin and spin
wallowing in thoughts of my own sin

when the singularity swallows me
at least then I will be free.

The light I was following
was simply ripped away
pursuing the end of time
and then I heard 'clear'
and felt an electric shock
then my heart restarted
and was ticking like a clock.

A Coriolis storm of loathing,
smothering my thoughts,
the aches and pain of life,
painting annoyance on my face.

Jaded beyond repair,
the human experience,
wasted on imbeciles and idiots,
pushing the sane over the edge.

Pink and purple prose,
written and posted,
but never read,
unless on the phone screen.

Gender, transgender, confusion,
binary systems multiplied,
pronoun confusion and deletion,
along with the rewriting of history.

Snowballs rolling downhill,
growing so large, no longer containable,
begin to fly apart, as the sun goes nova,
celestial rage impending doom.

The once beautiful face,
now smeared with tears,
as rivers of makeup trail,
like icicles in winter.

Oh the pain and the strain,
of a man who knows not,
how to love his beautiful girl,
let his heart just rot.

All alone he'll spend his days,
wasted love gone by,
but he doesn't even notice,
the tear run from his eyes.

Oh to lose a love,
anger denial blame,
searching for the reasons,
finding none,
moving on, hopefully.

But faded love never truly fades away,
it hangs on like a cloud on a sunny day,
climbs upon your back, and never lets go,
It becomes a part of you neverending flow.

Fresh and tender,
gangly limbs grow,
young leaves flap,
in the wind.

Young buds form,
longing to blossom,
unspoiled petals,
contained within.

With impatience I wait,
longing for spring,
and the warmth of the sun,
to open the blooms.

I hum in anticipation,
flitting back and forth,
checking on the progress,
of the future nectar.

Graphite words shade the corners,
as the picture comes to life,
the poem begins to take shape,
in the darkness of my mind.

Long piles of scallop and small sea shells
Searching sharks teeth between the swells
a newer place today, different back then
I reminisce and I begin to grin

Summer fun on an islands beach,
Its namesake takes a plane to reach,
from cities north, drive 45 to the south,
until you run out of road, at the gulfs mouth.

61st street, turn to the right,
sparkling waves, at midday, is bright,
A giant crab, with an Italian name,
a fixture for years, it remains the same.

Memories made through the summers of youth,
family reunions, we met as a group,
The water is muddy, but it was always fun,
soaking up the Texas summer sun.

Flat planes trap my ideas,
there is simply no place to go,
out of the box, I cannot.
trapped within the opaque cube.

The winds of change always blow,
in a neverending zephyric flow,
sometimes less and sometimes more,
you never know just what's in store.

Sometimes rains comes on with,
or hurricane's forces surpassing myth,
snow occasionally whites out blind,
then the sun comes and we're all fine.

From the mud grasses bloom,
and colors us away from gloom,
opportunities now abound,
pick and choose from all around.

Heat picks up and everything dries,
the only moisture is from our cries,
but this is short and seasons change,
life is cyclical, nothing strange.

Everpresent wind increases,
canceling all the leaves leases,
blowing them into pyres,
we ignite them with sparks of fire.

Questions flood!
Where?
Why?
Who?
How?

My name eludes me

I recognize nothing
landscape
location
faces
buildings


All alone
in a crowd
on a busy street


I read the signs
and understand the words
but they tell me nothing

Breathing hard
dripping sweat
I look for a place to retreat

Dark alley
off the street
all alone

The questions flood again
Who?
Where?
How?
Why?

Fingerprints of others,
are the memories,
good times, trips, fun,
sadness, helping, hoping,
forensic evidence of life,
that can never be collected.

Morning light filters,
through layers of fog,
as the mockingbird sings,
and ducks quack.

Southerly breeze,
ripples lake water,
crystal flashes,
from the sun.

Coffee smells,
from inside,
as the blue heron,
patrols the shore.

Fox squirrels,
chase each other,
through cypress knees,
this Christmas eve 2016

Opiod other worlds,
narcotic neverlands,
LSD laserlight shows,
pharmaceutical fantasies.

Acid adventures,
mushroom magic,
****** euphoria,
THC travels.

Freedom isn't always free,
a prisoner you become of yourself,
loneliness as steel cage bars,
looking for a friend with a key.

The highway long since reclaimed,
in the years after man,
we never leave a permanent. mark,
though we think we can.

Asphalt returns to dirt,
glass returns to sand,
eventually even steel oxidzes,
returning iron to the land.

iIn the years after man,
much healing will endure,
despite. our thoughts contrary,
humans were but a virus to be cured.

In the blink of an eye,
the earth returns to it's original. state,
another species comes along,
to draw on a blank slate.

An air of wit, held with poise,
she rose above the noise,
shone like a beacon in a crowd,
to her, my heart is vowed.

Entangled conversations,
hearts and minds align.
energetic interjections
send shivers up my spine.

Synced up synapses,
stimulate my flow.
from within,
I begin to feel a glow.

Shared laughter,
whispered feelings,
pressed lips,
have me reeling.

Time spent together,
mental fusion forming,
I am enamored
as feelings are warming,

Touching my brain,
I am aroused.
penetrating friction,
my love now espoused.

Finally physically touching,
we become complete.
souls, bodies and minds, entangled,
we are now replete.

dry and brown desert
temperatures climbing high
cool lake calling me

The raven transforms,
in a beauteous flow
Stark blackness,
against creamy snow.

Her lover
is trapped
forever
in bird form

Gems of light reflect,
in yellow, gold and blues,
off long green blades of grass,
covered in tiny globs of dew.

The flashlight slices the darkness,
letting me see the other dimension,
I'm not sure why most people,
view the night with suspicion.

The stars above smile,
shining beacons from history,
light years away, but right here,
I understand their mystery.

Nocturnal communing with nature,
as I continue to walk,
my ears are filled with murmurs,
as the night begins to talk.

The leaves rustle in the wind,
the bats click as the whoosh by,
crickets sing and coyotes howl,
nothing likes the silence, I understand why.

The cold empty beach,
seeping sand into my soul,
the cold crashing waves,
longing for swimmers.

The undisturbed *****,
raid tide pools, brazen,
while green leaves blow,
across silent silicate.

Spring flowers can be pressed
and stored in perpetuity,
collected for perusal
every year.

Summers trips to the beach
gathered memories with seashells
and vials of sand
a beach always in reach.

Falls leaves and color
gathered and trapped under
clear epoxy, a paper weight,
to hold down notes against the wind.

Winters beauty is fleeting,
the white blanket of snow and ice,
can never be collected,
it simply melts away.

Clink, clink, clink,
ice on glass,
glug, glug, glug
clear fluids rise.

Splash and fizz,
as the color changes,
a green sour squeeze,
hang another on the side.

A red fingernail stirs
the mixtures in a circle
and a taste and smile
as she hands it to me.

Half drain the glass,
followed by a satisfied ahh,
and an order for another,
this time a double.

Friday night let's have some beer,
all my rowdy friends are here,
blondes, brunettes, and redheads too,
tight blue jeans, what a view.

Sawdust covers up the floor,
let's do some shots, who wants one more?
Blake Shelton sings some drinking songs,
smiles and laughter didn't take long.

Let the work week drain away,
hit the dancefloor, come on lets play,
belly rubbin' and boot scootin'
woo's and hollers and some hootin'.

Chris Ledoux sings "County Fair"
I kiss the redhead on a dare,
she's all in and kisses back,
all my buddies jaws hang slack.

The rest of the night we dance away,
and then watch the sun come up on the day,
breakfast anyone? my buddy screams,
and so we live the weekend dream.

From the bottle to the cup
pour the wine and fill it up
the blood red liquid swirls
and the edge of lips curl
into smiles and filled with guile
we may be here for a while

blacksmiths forge,
red hot rod,
hammered,
on her anvil.

quenched in oils
to hardness,
a rising flame
spatters.

pounding,
pounding,
taking shape,
the anvil quivers.

drenched in sweat,
from the effort,
it is finally done,
quickly cooled in fluids.

cooled now,
but still hard,
to the grinder,
to refine.

sharpening,
to an edge,
ready to cut,
smooth.

the anvil waits,
the testing cut,
through the tender flesh,
like velvet.

the blade glints,
as it enters the anvil,
all the way to the hilt,
here to stay.

till drawn
and wielded,
with an audible sigh,
by the king.

Carmine curtains pulled from the window,
wrapped around her while wrestling,
***** lashings from my tongue ensue,
both of us submitting to the other's passions.

The Lambada lasts into the night,
lovers swirl and bounce,
crawling and jumping,
until the music winds down into ecstasy.

We say goodbye today
but we are glad to know
that you will make a new life
out in Broken Bow

A new place and new things
to discover and explore
hopefully having worked here
will help you open doors

Life has many paths
that you must wander down
hopefully for the better
as you walk new ground

No matter where you are
you know that you have friends
keep in touch no matter
where your road may end

So good bye and good luck
safe travels on the way
we will love you always
will meet again someday

Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
today ride in tanks and jets,
bringing the same,
death incarnate.

Flashing eyelashes,
seconds in time,
surprisingly passed,
a life lived fast.

Pain and sorrow,
can heal or pass,
but there is no cure,
for death.

A coins two sides,
reside in duality,
just like day and night,
and life and death.

The shadows of the future,
are our constant companions from birth,
becoming longer and darker as the year's pass,
until solidifies as the grim reaper,
on your final day.

Heaven or Hell,
energy in the cosmos,
freed of all burdens,
by times scythe.

As we all must,
eventually, cast off
flesh and blood,
and embrace wings.

scary clowns
makeup streaming
in acid rain
laughter screaming

The hatch slides across turquoise waters
hungry eyes watch from underneath
a swishing tail and a surface explosion
causes a flight of glinting wings and yellow bodies.

Chuckling water laughs at me,
as it rushes by through the rocks,
up ahead a cobalt pool waits
deep and smooth as glass.

The mirrored sky reflection
on the still morning's flat water,
reveals to me the teal Kingfisher
watching from the brush.

Silver swirls haunt the shallows,
ghosting motion catches the eye,
green and brown scales suddenly revealed
by the morning sun between the rocks.

Gray green willow branches
dangle in the pristine river,
the Hyperborean water from mountain tops
steam as the sun glints off the surface.

Rufous wings flash in flight
yellow hues are seen through the underbrush
the raucous call of the kiskadee
echoes off the water.

Caught in beauties trap
I felt it around my heart go snap
when you raised your dripping face
It began to beat and race

The thunder clapped and lightning flashed

The rain poured down, but my spirits rose
I remember the moment in poets prose
we were wet, but didn't feel a thing
I felt the need to go buy a ring.

Ensconced on memories wall,
a vision wrapped in a bikini,
pink, blue and red stripes,
on top of summer bronzed skin.

The beige gold sand,
burns my feet even now,
the smell of coconut oil,
washes over my nose.

Her red hair burns me,
like the first sunburn of spring,
blowing in the wind,
of my remembered past.

Some of us hunt,
some drink and chew,
there isn't much,
these boys can't do.

We can weld on metal,
we build with wood,
we try only to do,
the things that we should.

Our collar is blue,
skin bronze from the sun,
we work really hard,
and so is our fun.

During the day,
driving nails and screws,
fixing fences and feeders,
but Friday night barbecues.

The field needs plowing,
hay needs to be made,
a sandwich and tea,
at lunch in the shade.

Our collar is blue,
skin bronze from the sun,
we work really hard,
and so is our fun.

Our hands are hard,
our ethic is pure,
our women at night,
we know is the cure.

Dinner and drinks,
some hugging and kissing,
working all day,
but they're who we're missing.

Our collar is blue,
skin bronze from the sun,
we work really hard,
and so is our fun.

The clarion sounds in my head,
as I observe all eyes on her.
Heel toe walk across the floor,
a rhythmic sway hits the room.

A bit of jealousy turns me green,
as they steal bits of her from me,
one blink at a time,
with covetous stares.

Shoulder length, red hair, curled,
an emerald green tank dress,
revealing tan arms and legs,
twinkling blue eyes catch the light.

She reaches our table and sits,
places her hand in mine,
my security system relaxes a bit,
an unfulfilled sigh is released by the room.

A glass of wine she lifts,
its color matches her lips,
ruby redness swallowed,
her sweetness taming the ****.

I lean in for a kiss,
I can feel the heat from eyes,
and I can hear the lyrics to Jessie's Girl,
playing in their heads.