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.

Sizzle and pop,
the griddle smokes,
flesh touches, sears,
lines burn in.

Time tells the tale,
how deep the damage,
blackened and charred,
or gorgeous marks and pink inside.

Simply ready for the trash,
or tossed into a compost heap,
or ready to be enjoyed,
with every mouthwatering morsel.

From high upon a terrace,
above the Mediterranean Sea,
the view steals your breath,
from the breadth that can be seen.

Like a from a spring a tear forms,
the various greens of grass and tree,
the blues in ocean waves,
sets bottled up emotions free.

Creamy canvas  puffed out sails,
pushing wooded chestnut hulls,
the silver wake following behind,
being chased by laughing gulls.

The tray on the table,
adds to the scene so well,
mouthwatering olives and feta cheese,
such a tasty a glorious smell.

The goblet of red wine,
reflecting golden beams,
I had to pinch myself,
is this vacation or a dream.

clones roam the land,
searching for nourishment,
in mon santo fields,
designed to starve.

lost in the Budweiser haze,
opening bottles and sniffing foam,
rocky mountain brownies,
zigzag smoked.

waterfalls of velveeta,
sear my skin,
sausage and ro-tel,
invade my mind.

crackers crumbled,
lost in the mix,
salt and the lime,
a tequila lick.

Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but from words I run and hide.
microaggressions and slights felt,
In my safe space, I want to cry.

I stick my fingers in my ears,
and say la-la-la-la-la,
if I start to feel offense,
I can not see, through another's lens.

My opinions and ideas,
I cannot justify,
because it's right,
is always my reply.

I cannot tolerate anything,
outside of my beliefs,
if I don't agree with you,
I'm calling the ACLU.

Whining and crying,
my skin is so thin,
I am pure in heart and mind,
contrary to me is full of sin.

In verdant viridian forests
dripping condensation
provides water
for plant and animal
allowing both to thrive
until destroyed
by man

Society
caught in the maelstrom
spinning ever closer
to falling into
the singularity

Avoid her across the bar,
though she lures you in,
her smoldering come hither stare,
promises pure sin.

In the morning you awake,
you have no idea where,
but your clothes and wallets gone,
and your heart is in despair.

Skimming rock
splashes times five
disturbing the stillness

Casting lines
telling lies
hoping for a nibble

As the leaves fall
the beach ball flattens, forgotten
winter winds cover it in snow

Fresh maple syrup
and the taste of wine,
my lover's kisses
all are divine.

The sweetness caresses,
my tongue and soul,
creating memories
and making me whole.

Snowberry and lace,
leather and clove,
an aromatic journey
into the senses.

What was the smell,
lemon or clove,
or was it mint sweet,
in your dark abode.

Jasmine spice,
lavender is nice,
but your pleasures
are my favorite vice.

I dip my tongue into the flower,
the sweet nectar, heavenly,
the exotic heady mixture
of perfumed spices
excite my senses.

Velvet purple clouds
in an amber liquid sky,
waterfalling glass, full
to make the day go by.

Crowns upon my tongue,
an icy squire by my side,
jousting in the evening,
for the love and pride.

The love within my bones
plays an organs song,
stronger than the stones
I felt when all alone.

Motion, like the
waves crashing,
pistoning, pounding,
feeding, injecting.

Moon spotlights the show,
silica, and skin,
sparkle in the glow,
sweat washed away,
by the ever-present flow.

Driftwood *****
as it floats by,
following a path,
constellations in the sky.

Love washed ashore,
as sand castles are made,
just as bikinis fall,
no need in the shade.

Footprints left,
and a line from dragging towels,
beach house path,
shadowed by the clouds.

Roaming through the neon lights,
a taxi ride after a flight,
drinks and smokes at the bar,
now I'm walking roaming far.

Dollars in a slot machine,
pull the arm, spinning things,
they all line up and lights flash,
now I have lots of cash.

Across the walk, I simply stare,
cowgirl floats up in the air,
I go in and the music starts,
the excited beating of my heart.

Drink induced hyper-feelings,
watching her leaves me reeling,
as she dances upon the table,
has me feeling fully unstable.

The bounce of breast and fling of hair,
and her twerking derriere,
beats of Jimmy's "Purple Haze",
cannot blink, my eye agaze.

Spinning movements dropping low,
liquid motions, music's flow,
the smell of jasmine and of  sweat,
suddenly I feel in debt.

Making dollars rain on her,
she is a  twisting, spinning blur,
help me, help me, my mind has flown,
and now all my money has been blown.

The music ends with money piles,
she waves at me and she smiles,
a wave of sadness rolls over me,
but just a fleeting moment, I hear a new beat.

I throw ideas into the wind
and watch them blow away
perhaps to be found again
someday in a far off place

Thoughts are like skipping silver dollars on the lake
they skim a few times from wave to wave
and then sink out of sight
to dive deep for someday

Other bits of craziness
are thrown into a furnace
become liquid and melt together
and poured into a mold

Solidifying into something
useful, maybe even profitable
but these, alas
are few and far between

Adrift in the vacant void,
inhibited ideas increase,
firing frightful formations,
neurons never-ending nonsense.

Meaningless mouthfuls,
spewed and sprayed,
verbose vocabulary,
meaningless mumbo-jumbo.

Brainwaves wander wearily,
bouncing from skull walls,
ping ponging, in the end,
amounting to nothing.

Lost in the city's sin,
despair pools into a pit,
as you slowly start to sink in,
you cannot stop it.

The vocalizations of pleasure and pain,
sound out into the silence of the night,
their steaming liquids fall like rain,
the pleasure overcoming fright.

As needles bite and inject,
and you sip the demons in a cup,
addictions, bacteria, and virus infect,
and all you hope to do is wake up.

Monochromatic moon rises,
black and white thoughts,
meteoric streaks,
in shades of gray.

A light house beam,
blinding white light,
awakens me,
as creeping darkness recedes.

A blood red glow,
hides its existence,
not seen but felt,
with a rhythmic beat.

Veinous blue pain,
pierces flesh,
penetrating and tearing,
turning me inside out.

The onyx fear,
spear in hand,
begins the chase,
as the forest closes in.

Country music and big buckles,
parking lots and pick up trucks,
pocket knives and brass knuckles,
muddy backroads to get stuck.

4x4's all jacked up high,
Jack Daniels, Beam, or coconut ***,
momma's fresh baked apple pie,
her kisses taste like big red gum.

Farmers tans and cut off jeans,
bailing hay and raising cows,
on the front porch shelling beans,
John Deer tractor, fields to plow.

Buzzing blood pumps,
ingesting essence,
itching remembrance.

Passionate purple prose,
wrapped in ruby red refrains,
silken similes like satin,
mixed with meteoric metaphors.

Riddled rhyming rhythms,
vexed by vital verses,
initiated introspective introductions,
excellent excited endings.

Pretty of body and face
Overtime fades without a trace

But the beauty of mind and soul
Rarely fades and keeps us whole

Time is rarely gentle and kind
So love the whole person, including mind

Then at the end when it too goes
Will the door finally close

The smell of saltwater
the stench of fish and seaweed,
all blown away by the everpresent breeze,
forming dunes yards from the shore.

Colorful clams burrow after every wave,
garnishing the brown sands
with hues of blue, yellow, red and green,
bleached white scallop shells tumble in the surf.

The sun Burns in on the east beach,
bronzing exposed skin
burning as midday hits
the glare cut with Costa's.

The evening cools and fires start,
bikinis wrap with blankets,
and drinks and stories are shared,
as the spume glows in moonlight.

tubes drain,
cerebrospinal fluid,
as the world rotates,
passing me by.

trapped in magic circles,
surrounded by pentagrams,
as magic spells are read,
off the labels of spaghettios.

lost in the pine smells,
as the plaid shirt and beard,
of the brawny man distract me,
his axe swings at my head.

secrets unspoken,
hidden,
meanings and pictures,
and waldo is apparent.

my crazy is showing,
I feel the breeze,
realizing I'm naked,
as my soul melts.

Shimmering scales underwater,
flashing rainbow colors,
jumping upstream,
caught in grizzly paws.

Taco Tuesday excitement
as the street vendor serves,
pico de gallo,
taco de Gato.

2 buck chuck,
or in a box,
it quenches some thirsts,
and ignites others.

Welcome to today,
get ready to pay,
with guaranteed pain,
and tears falling like rain.

Life is a struggle,
get ready to juggle,
people, bills, and rules to obey,
you can try but does no good to pray.

The lessons are hard and often,
no matter what they end in a coffin,
it's really just a question of time,
do you try to stay right, or just turn to crime?

These are the questions you face,
if you answer wrong, have a face full of mace,
or your hands raised up high in the air,
when the bullet is fired, ends in despair.

But the situations are yours to make,
they can be pleasant or coiled like a snake,
ready to strike out and bite,
venom sinks in if you fight.

Rotting a hole
into your soul,
that rarely can be fixed,
super glue and blood, just don't mix.

So count the days you are given,
all you can do is just keep livin'
doing the best that you can,
in the end, all you are is human.

December night, as it falls
burying colored lights,
a surreal landscape,
lit from underneath.

A strange land imagined
under the windblown drifts,
red and green and silver *****
encased in a sea of white.

Asynchronous chaos,
as flakes stick to windows,
lost in their pattern,
a maze to be solved.

Gathered in bowls
from outside,
maple syrup or vanilla,
make winters treat.

Hot chocolate steams
from mugs in hands,
we sit watching out the window,
covered in blankets.

Marshmallows floating,
matching world, outside,
falling and falling,
live snow globe, shaken.

Swirling waters silver blue,
crimson cardinals flying through,
flashes of gold and of green,
the bowfin swims down the stream.

The sound of cattails as they sway,
rock thrown splashes as children play,
across the water, the croak of bullfrogs,
and in the distance the sound of dogs.

Honeysuckle tasting sweet,
wild strawberries what a treat,
tastebuds tickled with sheep shower,
and puckered faces with dock that's sour.

The springtime sun burns my skin,
then was stuck by a catfish fin,
its sticky slime, hard to get off,
finally used a rough cotton cloth.

Prowling neon shadows,
between the bass lines,
amongst the ******* clad,
multicolored glowsticks shine.

Twisting bodies on the move,
covered in ultraviolet paint,
on an ecstatic trip,
that no one possibly could taint.

Laser lights and bubbles too,
float throughout the air,
lost in the psychedelic,
most don't even care.

DJ on the stage,
like a conductor with baton,
conducts the human orchestra,
all the way till dawn.

Screams and woos excited,
as the songs never stop,
dancing till exhaustion,
till they all start to drop.

Music starts to fade,
as the sun comes up,
the balloons come down,
and coffee cups fill up.

when the ease of childhood
is replaced by reality
like a hammer to the forehead

Searching eyes shine blue,
looking through the sea
of never ending humanity
for the only you.

Luscious lips lick lasciviously,
salivating suddenly, sun shines
upon her glorious find,
she will fight tenaciously.

Holding her love close,
defending her righteous claim,
marking her territory visually,
so all others know.

With gripping soft hands,
and little kisses placed
upon lips and cheeks
in sight of others.

Lost in a thought,
triggered by a stare,
I look at you,
and sink into a pool of destiny.

Diaphanous gossamer lace,
outlines your margins,
pulling my eyes deeper,
arousing my inquisitive side.

Your pernicious smile,
excites and saddens me,
vexing my ambitions,
and confusing my vivication.

Slowly, it melts into something,
so simmeringly hot,
that there is no question,
that wrappings will be scattered.

The libidinous winds begin to blow,
engrossing and exhausting rapture,
infiltrating gratification,
reaching a zenith of perfection.

Love and pain,
the ouroboros,
upon my finger,
worth every laugh,
worth every tear.

Shadows of the storm,
rage above icy waters,
last breaths of men,
long lost above.

Water and steel collide,
the harder doesn't always win,
and the fears are smothered
to blackness in pressured depths.

No last meal,
goodbyes are lost,
perhaps one day to be found,
scratched into bulkheads.

So sink into sadness,
weighed down with ore,
along with 29 men,
lost but not forgotten.

In the end, you must be your own person.
expectations of the future
are hopes and dreams
sometimes achievable
but rarely
if they are not
your own

From 9 to 5 the bilboes tighten,
a range of cacoethes spin my mind,
but to pay the bills, I work,
not just to fill the time.

The clepsydra has gone dry,
even as time passes it stands still,
at the end of the day the shackles open,
but I go home with no thrill.

A vidiot at home,
my thoughts spaghettified,
****** into the nothingness,
all of them undignified.

I long for something different,
to degust the spice of life,
but trapped inside the blandness,
nothing here but rife.

Ancient artifacts warehoused,
dilapidated memories of yore,
unsealed time capsules scattered,
as cardboard and tape give way.

Dusty tchotchke avalanches,
spill remembrances haphazard,
photos curl as chemicals expire,
recollected thoughts stored in pencil.

Edges of old diaries eaten,
rodents and roaches survive,
on forgotten verse and rhyme,
and feelings of love and loss.

Pages scatter like leaves
blown about by the wind,
as it passes through gaps
in roofs and plaster and lath.

Needed no more, exhaust rises,
excavation equipment and bulldozers,
push it all in a hole, under urban renewal.
sealing it forgotten, in a concrete topped grave.

My fire burns
In love and words
Never to be quenched
Until at last
I am consumed

Sitting here sand in my crack,
in my RTIC coke and black jack,
rod and reel bounces in pvc,
waiting on tides to change the sea.

Flip flops, with bottle opener underneath,
you know the ones made by Reef,
yee yee cap shading the sun,
days on the beach are loaded with fun.

Costa lenses tinted green,
polarized to cut the sheen,
sun rays reflected off tanned tone skin,
I wish this is the place I was in.

Alas, I'm here at home, daydream,
COVID 19 has me quarantined,
I sit and sit, all projects complete,
hoping for the virus to retreat.

The fog rolls in,
as mallards swim,
drip, drip drip,
condensing fog off the house.

Quack, quack, quack,
in the distance,
echoing again,
across the lake.

Jet skis and boats,
hang lifeless,
in the winter,
December 23rd.

American flag,
sag limp and lifeless,
on the boat house,
as the squirrel climbs the oak.

An occasional leaf,
pirouettes from on high,
spinning and spinning,
to the brown grass below.

The taste of forty creek,
and seven up
on ice, with lime
in my yellow plastic cup.

Bbq smoke smell,
as brisket cooks,
waiting for family
to arrive.

the boat that floats
icebergs

bullets fly fast and straight
butterflies glide

radioactive nuclear blast
new plants grow

volcanic islands form in the ocean
sinkholes in the city

lost in the deep dark woods
found in loves bed

diamonds form from coal under pressure
plums bloom on a tree

The fog arrived,
not on the feet of cats,
but as a beast of burden,
swallowing the port and the ships.

The croak of horns
scared it not,
the flash of lights
would not distract.

Stubbornly it sat,
refusing to budge,
in the early morning,
waiting for the sun.

My emotions slowly sink,
drowning in the muck.

Gasping for breaths,
searching for footholds.

Slowly succumbing to truths
realizing, the fault is mine.

I own it as my heart breaks,
yet the clock still keeps time.

Chasing delerium
white rabbits run,
pink flamingos dance,
under closed eye lids,
in the darkness of night,
in my bed.

Rise women rise,
realize you are a prize,
doff your covers and oppression,
use your creativity and expression.

Flaunt your beauty and your mind,
grow beyond religious binds,
you need no one to give permission,
search and strive it's your decision.

Drive to new locations,
pick and work vocations,
climb the ladder to new heights,
with a smile show them your might.

You're the ones in control,
break out of paternal molds,
arm yourselves with knowledge and power,
under no one's thumb should you cower.

Wield your *** like a sword,
swing it and tame the horde,
never let them get to you,
it's your life do what you want to do.

Ocean breezes uplifted by
salty sandy dunes,
creeping vines hold it all together,
little girl foot prints and crab holes indent.

Her balloons whip wildly in the onshore flow,
tiny fingers white knuckle grip the string,
multi-tailed kites fly nearby, her grip begins to slip,
the string burns as it is ripped from hand.

Balloons fall, as do tears to the ground,
rolling to the bottom of the dune,
all but one abruptly pop,
it begins to float up into blue skies.

Crying and bawling heard, change
into giggles, as one dream gains height,
it surpasses the kites and the clouds,
a single red balloon disappears from sight.

She broke my heart,
in the McDonald's parking lot,
she got in her truck and left,
I was standing in shock and bereft

I looked up and across the street,
looks like I was in for a treat,
Fat Dog's store for beer and liquor,
I needed something, a quick heart fixer.

Bottle of Jack to dry the tears,
it works faster than a beer,
Maybe I should feed the pain,
so I walked back across main.

I need a cheeseburger and a shot of Jack,
so I take a swig and eat a Big Mac,
I'll forget her with this grease,
my hearts just not in one piece.

Maybe I should have ordered double of both.

The marks left upon us,
draw a map of life,
contours left by others,
changes in elevation
from our own choices.

Still under your casted spell,
years and miles have not broken,
the rosined bow glides heartstrings,
a melody from yesterday plays.

It's funny how painted lips
seen across the room,
stirs a passioned cauldron
I thought emptied.

But those lips once pressed to mine,
branded and injected and scarred,
with witchcraft skill outshining Mab,
a lust that cannot be rend asunder.

The reunion cut short,
I hurry and leave,
lest she see me,
whereupon I shall turn to clay.

Too malleable in her hands,
and too open to suggestion,
my will wants this,
but my mind must overcome.

Days of the new
are one and a few,
while days of yore
will open the door.

The future is built
upon solid stilts,
of the past's foundation,
tested by duration.

Knowledge combined
from yesterday and refined,
with ideas from today
will pave the way.

Never lose sight,
though some might,
of what worked before
to reopen closed doors.

Billowing smoke,
creeps across the ceiling,
like frosting whipped and spread.

Gray-blue particles drift,
into volcanic snow drifts,
skin, stained in pattern.

Pixelated camouflage imprinted,
subcutaneous chromatophores injected,
chameleonic components supplied.

Skin *****, webbing,
triggered at a notion,
finger and toes transmogrified.

Nictitating membranes grown,
intrinsic goggles unfurl,
rods and cons added, eyesight enhanced.

Human, yet not exactly,
enhanced for performance,
evolution forced.