2032

that thing strapped to my leg
is an artificial heart
my digital liver fits nicely
in what looks like a backpack
peristaltic action for digestion:
a mini quantum dot siphon
kidneys are actually implanted
nano graphene filters in the blood

I am a bionic man because I can afford it
but I am losing my brain
there is no replacement
despite computing prowess that worries the gods
there is no substitute for a soul
the Tao of this universe is irony only
and now the immortality of my body
horrifies my every thought
as the fluids pump
and the heart moves
but cannot beat

the clear autumn morning
hides nothing from the crow
as the backlit sphere
of the milkweed spore
floats by
tumbling with purpose
take a look
at what fills the air
bird leaf tree debris dust smoke cloud sunbeam
invisible eddies
my intellect


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

life is a movie by David Lynch
with one armed women on the treadmill
deeply hidden intentions and motives
characters that walk just a smidgen slower
their heads turning to keep their eyes on you
as they pass from nowhere to nowhere
long shots of the worlds prevalent decay
and mystery by the truckfull
where the conspiracies
are secret but are strictly followed

the air feels damp

echoes of thunder claps

bounce from the wooded hills

and roll through the vale

sockets of blue pierce

through the disrupted

ceiling of cloud

the jackdaw voices

his displeasure

at the summer we’ve been given

but they find annoyance

in most everything

bypass the normal reaction to art very concrete
is usually how it relates very concrete
to the reality that surrounds us very concrete
in very concrete mannerisms
art is free of that announcing
it stands by itself in that brain wave search of nothing
this
for us on how to truly live
that’s where the effort comes in very concrete
the magnificent load of work
it takes to be abstraction sets an example alive
successful to none very concrete by itself
a strong feeling of self


Saturday, October 26, 2013

my father was ill, with uncertain breath
I’d travel and visit, talk of his wealth
five sons worth
his barrel laugh now gone
bounced through the years
has settled with permanence in my minds ear

but condolence is of little use
and words require more than a little juice

so with mushrooms and stock and buttermilk
I’d concoct some soup
and slice onion thin, with liver sausage
on mustard painted rye
a communion of sorts
it was sustenance, repaid.

checked out the tabloid headlines
in the local checkout line


if it didn’t work they wouldn’t do it
the suits with their charts
could act nicely but ***** it
for the ****** barometer
that is human desire
reveals plenty of room

at the lowest denominator

by the universe crooked
we contribute to what we disown
there is a silent discourse
that props imaginary
a list of ideals full of missteps
high thoughts, base intentions
the draw of the common
the acceptance
of anything popular
but pay a visit to the sum
of our invented truths
no comfort remains

The trouble with Buddhism ?-- in order to free oneself of all desire, one has to desire to do so.
Henry Miller




Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin


‘To think is to exaggerate.’ — Valéry

endurance is frequently a form of indecision.
princess elizabeth bibseco

there was a long trailer filled
with film reels the size of automobile tires
sitting in racks
it was my job to drive the truck pulling the trailer
through a convenience store parking lot
that was vaguely recognized
I felt confident that I could handle the job
and spoke to some other ghosts
concerning the details
abruptly shifted to changing my cloths
in an acquaintance’s home
in a wide open shower area that had fixtures of wood
that hung like closet hangers
on the tiled wall of the shower
there were sayings and quotes
written by other people using sharpie pens
that were stuck to the walls
I was carrying on a conversation
with the ghosts in the adjoining bedroom
one older, recognizable, sitting on the bed
two others, children, accepting a cynical lecture
from the older ghost
I felt the strong desire to add a quote to the walls
that sense of wanting to be heard
very similar to my desires in a awakened state
I thought and thought ******* the wisdom words
I should leave and came up with
‘’All thinking is exaggeration’’ but the sharpie pen
I chose, would not work on the tiled wall and I gave up
to enter the bedroom and listen to the lecture
with the other ghosts
there was a swirling understanding and then I awoke

with their great drooping wings
the ospreys returned yesterday
to scan the raging snowmelt for churned up meals
to set up nest in order to begin the process
of egg to chick to selfish fledgling to conspicuous adult
it is tempting to apply human traits to the natural world
[especially for a poet]
but in this case we will work on an unnatural premise
reaching the small point of contentment
in the form of a fish hawk being
putting aside our never ending need for understanding
and stop measuring beauty and form

proved as illusion since it does not last
and the years sail by ‘cause we talk too fast
from a spot of blood that grows to select
which peaks to move through sheer intellect
greatness as measure, sadness as tome
the soul appears to leave this earthy home
but I see not death, my being has timeless sway
it’s this crummy reality that crashes away

looking back
I really did not understand much
of what was delivered to me as my youth
either that or I didn’t listen hard enough
I did not understand the aim behind education and the painful interaction of other children caught as I was
I did not understand the point of religious studies; some of the paintings and statues in church scared the living lick out of me
I did not understand baseball or its plan
I did not understand money or business careers
I did not understand the ways of government; they just commanded everybody, right?
I did not understand the need for war and violence that a loud part of the culture made important and readily available
I did not understand history or the parade of people that came before me and surrounded me
one thing I did understand however
that my parents would accept any forfeit towards my comfort
and that my mother, in particular, would sacrifice her very life for my well being
in that regard I was a bear cub
and what does it mean for a bear cub to understand anything?


Sunday, November 3, 2013

overdosed on poetry
hearing, composing, reading
searching for meaning
in everything literal
what exactly does my breakfast indicate ?
how to contain the overwhelming exuberance
of the spring day before me ?
is there a consistent theme throughout
my handling of mundane chores ?
are my HP printer problems merely a suggestion of life’s turmoil ?
a long break is needed
my head is tired

this thing called distance
we got it beat
for now every instance
can not be complete
experienced bluebirds
the tuff, the pleat,
down Rues, sidewalk words  
…………………………………………
love walking with four feet

well, did everyone get what they wanted?
the human animal thrives on tragedy
where else to find courage, true altruism, compassion?
certainly not in any hum drum day
where else can we bend uncertain fact
to fit our biases?

******* up in this horrible media dripping wet society
man, it is horrible to hear one million takes
on a senseless bombing
it is numbing to hear such ooze

so here, as a self appointed talking head
the street of my opinion:
just as irrational as anything else

An email never sent

The Austrians practically invited the Germans to take over. Not a shot was fired, it was a political union. Changing names back and forth [salsbury steak instead of hamburgers] in this country is a childish spite that proves nothing, but still works; anybody have a french fry lately?

how to react
to an uncomfortable remark:
think yourself dressed
in stars and stripes crepe
red white and blue
with top hat and white beard

why, you are Uncle Sam !

you have two bright sparklers
in your hands and you high step
parade through the confetti
that floats in the air marching
to the tune of a brass
band that has suddenly appeared
you apply a Robert Preston grin

why, you are the Music Man !

happy forever to strut with purpose
in an endless carnival

that’s how you react
to an uncomfortable remark

I surely believe in ghosts
and not much more
they are ‘bout the realest
beings around
they scream the past
they are stubborn
how else to haunt ?
they are insistent in memory
constant reminders
full of tricks
spirits are as boring as they come

in darkness
in dream
collecting dead cats
hung from trees
from the branches
that grow
from the narrow hill
spied by the lioness
taking interest
in my assortment
of her cousins

all this stained my soul
warnings of a beast
on the loose
had to be made
a silent warning
a guess at redemption
the ripple of muscle
under feline fur
powerful stuff
before the night
my dream will be forgotten

sipping beer at zero degree
horribly bitter winter
my fingers ache
under gray washed sky
morning doves flitter
in and around a neighboring pine
preparing for the night
and I step inside the dream
of an earth
that sleeps

the ideas seem to flow
like a river ?
no
a river is headed somewhere

life is a journey
in that case it is merely
a literary mechanism
a very tired device

there once was a *** of chili
smooth as velvet
tangy, earthy spiced and pleasantly hot
it brought me great joy

touched in the head
to put his madness mildly
a clinical case
but it stood
and it grew
until 1982
spontaneous combusted
when his crate
could not be trusted
the doctors reacting wildly

an alter ego I’ll invent
a handsome know it all agent
to whim and parry the low event
and explain the thought I really meant
it was so here then there it went
settled under the Sheik of Arabia’s tent
in desert camp under the firmament



Saturday, October 26, 2013

practice the utmost care
form a vigilant style
peep around corners
be alert to possibilities

develop awareness
study what lurks in shadow
prepare for surprises
hone your senses

visualize potential scenarios
pay attention to the probable
spy through keyholes
listen through thin walls

dis-believe dormancy
list your suspicions
weigh all prospects
refine distrust

cross examine sincerity
swim in the sea of mistrust
suspend all gut feeling
deny altruism

question fact
support skepticism
increase misgivings
keep eyes wide open

bet on failure
indulge at peril
compile odds
rely on doubt

push a fuzzy brand of cynicism
label everything
marginalize what you don’t understand
be conscience of fraud

perceive through narrowness
downplay experience
recycle ancient lies
apply rhetorical loops

reduce all to the absurd
promote jealousy
revel at weak spots
blame impossibilities


design decision trees
ferment rebellion
create false alliances
initiate rumor

draft complex plans
generate half truths
produce unreachable ideals
fashion anger

establish favorable ground rules
start a corporation
coin a catch phrase
invent an argument

launch a promotional campaign
confirm nothing
invert the discussion
determine outcomes

verify the enormous
market greed
prove conflicting arguments
ascertain needless worth

uncover falsehoods
locate the correct word
detect limitations
counterattack always

deliver disadvantage
attack any and all flaws
educate with nonsense
promote vulnerability

assign bogus titles
fabricate counterfeits
rely on fictions
deceive the masses

compose a reason
construct pain
assemble wild games
dismantle the individual

move mountains
consume independent thought
cause penance
gestate chaos


nurse turmoil
outflank righteousness
muddle the message
confide in darkness

plant upheaval
nurture vanity
ignore any mayhem
misname disorder

cultivate hesitation
praise ambiguity
rejoice for indecision
celebrate vagueness

dance as a marionette
venerate a suckerpunch
insult pride
pay tribute to silence

bend any principle
admire baseness
respect behind closed doors
award deceit

erase distinction
cook up conspiracies
diagram secrets
format the unbelievable

lust over possession
outline an escape
draw excuses
strategize sin

parcel desires
aim toward the crass
object to feelings
target the sordid

commit to the improper
corrupt all souls
mock religion
root out the wise

increase loneliness
pigeonhole solidarity
rupture the will
insert schisms

shout down dissent
pound out inferiority
supply sadness
stand toward folly

seek out dependency
crush mild opposition
carve a new standard
delay action

the attraction must be difficult to resist
the distance comforting
advertised as virtual but falls short

body language, nervous ticks or the lack of them
are a big part of collective contact
you know, two or more eternal souls in a room

that sense of nervousness, self doubt,
not because of the people involved
but meeting other sufferers of modern times

the emperor has new clothes
loneliness, few degrees of separation
nothing social about society

man with wooden leg
unwrapping a gift of a stone of some kind
offering it to a man in a crushed felt hat
in a coffee shop
this circumstance beyond any comprehension
to this observer

the same kind of rainclouds
roll in from the springtime horizon, to spread life,
here, where you are reading this poem
and there, most every other place on this globe
imagine that: we all live under the same kind of sky

the wise man was asked:
“do we, as men, follow your words and reach nirvana?”
“but for the raw material, this would be so”, was his reply


there is a ghost hovering above me at all times
youth kept him at bay; old age increases his presence
he hangs like a jellyfish alight in the air
wide eyes dark spaces mystery
a span of some sort

if comfort is the end by which
we dedicate our means
then our collective conscience
is not at all what it seems
for warmth and full bellies
without altruism bared
is the source of days meaningless
if hidden, not shared


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

stop for a minute

that’s better
everything’s a bit clearer
count your breaths

acupuncture
does it really work ?
imbalances abound

life spent in dreams
the body needs rest
the brain won’t quit

please join my campaign
against loud noises
anywhere
it is so much easier
to think
minus the din

hey, wanna watch a movie ?
yeah….. ahhhhh…….. sure
anything ?
no, well…… ha abou’………….. anything with Vin Diesel,
‘cept his last movie
…………………………………………….
and i say that after every one of his movies
……………………………………………..
well, its a system anyway

the risks found in life are many
bargain with a dollar, settle for a penny

not a single rhyme was heard
a tight fit, first person stories feature one word

almost all wines are blended
sugar balanced acid, a grape comprehended

people actually perceive
they are unique models, thanks to mom, we believe

the gods and their stories

where as under neath the reality flows

a swirling un mass of possibilities

everything lies beneath everything else

there is sometime interferences

between the separate actualities

this reality, that reality, hardy har har har

the same questions would exist

Poe wrote of glory and grandeur of the antiques

they were a bunch of misfits

human hypocrisy makes the world go round
you see here I sit alone with whiskey
lightly pounding these keys
in the light of knowing our condition completely
but when confronted away from here
by the actuality
I am overwhelmed by the smallest of contact

under the gun on top of the world
the rhyme and the beat
there’s a stinger out there
there is no easier explanation
as a family of artists behaves
they forge a crystal bent light
as they sleep


Sunday, November 24, 2013

sophists got empire
under
an eternal shower
of frost ice
the tired centaurs
continue to opinion
and fear their instruct

useless, ineffective  

is near over




jimmy tee
Monday, October 21, 2013

the crowd mills around the rough wooden scaffold
each has a part in the show of the condemned
dour officials beneath hooded cowls, darkness
a display of the supreme power of the law
criminal death sends a very, very strong message
the procession to the block ministered
by clergy vestments murmuring coded prayers
valleys of shadows, power, light everlasting
all hinting at a justifiable vengeance
the prisoner resigned to his fate under the jeers
his situation outranks the screaming populace
they will return to empty existence full of threats
he to the near comfortable mystery of the beyond
the blade falls, the blood flows staining red over brown
the flies gather for their feast, the deed is complete
the damning flies that no one expected

there exists not one solid clue
an absolute zero of evidence
no white feathers floating by
no rising tables encircled
miles of words on the subject of faith, some of the logic very beautiful
the great mystery offers silence only
no hints, no measurements
a complete absence of the rising of the dial

it stems from human feelings alone
feelings that appear constant
throughout time, culture, geography
elaborate obsessions like the dynasties of Egypt
and the kingdoms of clouds, the Andes
to brute Calvinism, the softness of the Tao
the Diets of a thousand years
hammering out the corners of dogma

no philosophy rises above the other
they all result in a head on collision
with silent fact


listen, maybe non-existence isn’t so bad

a surprise from day one
this here world life
unsolicited
unexplained but for the few
the very few that got published

billions today
billions of yesterdays
within each one of them
cranium contemplation
babysteps toward reason
a soul only satisfied through creativity
of just ‘bout any demeanor
billions upon billions of thoughts
somewhere in there lies the answer
to all inquiry

we could teach our kids
for the better tomorrow to come
and fix some roads, clean up some water
help our brothers and sisters
who don't quite think or act correctly
[for a lot of reasons that affect us all]
there’s some leftover to cut taxes too
and you can never have too many clean parks

then the next year you could also not make one F - 35
and send us the two hundred fifty million instead
then next year do the same thing
we could teach our kids…….

the investigation is on going
it would be premature to comment
on how many shots were fired
although that is easily where the inquiry would start

they shoot mentally ill people in the USA
that includes Burlington, Vermont
they shoot mentally ill people in the USA
procedures are in place

the police chief hides behind condescending words
diverting attention from the basic facts
there is no need to shoot someone armed with a shovel
on a calm neighborhood street

the powers know that outrage cannot be sustained
in a world speeding to who knows where
no laws were broken, they shift regularly anyway
hidden on the 10 o’clock news



Friday, November 8, 2013

there is something
keeping me away
from walling through this door
it is like there is a line of standing arguments
that must be satisfied
before this simple action can be completed
and it stops me in my tracks
standing here at this very moment
writing these thoughts
within the world
as it passes by

all right now listen to this:

you all must stop composing
your thoughts and ideas
via poetry
by using the first person singular

does everybody hear this
on HELLO POETRY?

do ya’ got it?

avoid using the ‘’eye’’ word
especially at the start of your verse
it lays too much on the table
it’s ‘’we’’ people
‘’we’’
find the guy that promoted individualism first
and strangle ‘im dead
WE ARE ALL THE SAME
now write…….

the tallow smoke of long ago
adds depth to skies endowed
with cherub banners that softly flow
on balconies of cloud

heralds blow their horn of shell
o’er foamy crashing wave
greeting Venus, fresh from spell
of nature’s high conclave

the fish at sea, the wing that soars
stare at this creation, rapt
at beauties birth, on painted shores
such magnificence, unwrapped

hung on a wall in gilded frame
new found meaning in myth awoke
by gods that carry out their name
my philosophy now at the baroque

involvement with the scientific method requires an elaborate set of controls where actions and findings can be judged to deliver results in a probability driven system
I am nearly sixty years old
how am I doin’ ?


Friday, November 1, 2013

most folks notice when they’re on a roll
when the file and rank line up squarely
an easy downhill enchants the soul
with whispers that cover logic barely
to present a view of an easy street
while the dark fog curls at your feet
hiding the footed ground of years
while an empty counterbalance cheers


Saturday, October 26, 2013

preempt my tempt
smash the Doric temple
down
spare the others
notice the color of the sky
it is not as you remember
merged that’s what happened
finally influenced
by the sea
an ocean of wood
words fly
the only truth
available
no rhyme reason or snort
yeah
we suffer appointment
while fish
drift lazily
‘neath the sun
innocence returns for one more night
but a long one at that
it might be fun
becoming darkness
the void of being
laughter does have a knack, jack,
of drifting through time
it can be touched


Thursday, October 31, 2013

when a possibility becomes real in the fullest sense
potential goes out the window real fast
motion movement requires an explanation
there is a conflict within the meaning of most words
infinity exists in the figures awaiting sculpt in Carrara
perfection in meditation of myself contemplating
immaterial substance
done or not done, it is all that it seems

a great search for meaning is all I see in the world
from the handprints on sooty cave walls in France
to the gold foiled satellites that orbit above
but thoughts far out number deeds
accomplishment is very rare
seasons change all by themselves
I am very puny and immensely large
all at the same time
and understanding most certainly is met along the way
it must suffer from forgetfulness


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

avoid all direct references to self
too easy
choose simple phrases
that require no other explanation
but are ready for digestion
we all preach from a throne
but not everything is heavy
Miller said that every sentiment
is but an ‘amen’
to the thoughts that came before us
and those to come