I pull the covers over my head to block the sound.
But it is deafening.
Tick, tock. The clock pounds his rhythm inside my head.
Taunting me as seconds of my life whirl by;
He parades my regrets around his circular face.
It drives me mad to hear myself die.
Tick, tock, ti---
I rip out the batteries before I count another lost minute.
It's the closest I can come to stopping time.
I pull the covers over my head.
Please dear God, let me sleep tonight.

Counting the chips in my nail polish
Scuffing my sandals against the pavement
Watching the hem of my dress blow in the night breeze

******* in breath for courage
Praying my words come out right
Hearing that final sentence thicken the air

I think this is goodbye.

Waiting for the world to stop its orbit
Marking the seconds of silence
Avoiding your empty eyes

Hugging the warmth of your skin
Wishing we could have belonged
Mourning the smallness of our love

I think I am alone.

I've got an idea, that's just too weird to be real
But, if we could get it to work, I'll let you in on the deal
It's a way to fix things, that's as easy as pie
When I say what it is, you'll just sit and cry
You won't need a mechanic when the car goes to ***
You won't need any makeup to cover that spot
The roof has a leak, don't call for repairs
The window is broke, act as though it's not there
Your tooth hurts like crazy, no dentist to call
Don't call a contractor for that crack in the wall
The baby's still crying, leave the doctor alone
The dog ate your homework, just throw him a bone
The bank just got robbed, don't call for the cops
Don't sit there just waiting for the next shoe to drop
The answer is simple, you won't believe it....I know
But if we could get it to work, our wealth sure would grow
It's a thing so **** simple, that we do in the loo
I know that we do it, and I'm sure you do too
It's a thing just as easy as lighting a candle
to make problems go ****....just jiggle the handle !
If we could apply something this simple to our problems each day
It would be so **** easy...and they'd go away
So before you go crazy, overwhelmed with the world
Just think of this answer that I have unfurled
Remember it now...just like lighting a candle
You can make them go ****...just jiggle the handle.

In plain sight, the Peacocks ply their wearisome
Colours.  Awkwardly swaying, pompously preening,
They cry to be seen, their voices are gurgling  
And gawking.  The direction of wind is their vane.

Overhead, in the secret sky fleet wings are truth.
In the sun the searing Falcon is seeing all;
His talons turn and steal away, they are mad,  
Playful fingers— they will have their say.


*— after W. B. Yeats

I sit cross legged in my rocking chair,
holding my balance as best I can.
I want you to wake,
but I don't want to wake you.

Filled with poison I stare down the hall,
I hear the silent cries of animals.
With my heart I listen to their sorrows,
but with my mind I refuse their requests.

I could save all the creatures inside of me,
but I just want them to leave.
I want to remember what they have done,
but I don't want to feel it any longer.

You stir in your sleep,
and I fear you can hear my thoughts forming.
That you will know what I am truly,
and the love will evaporate.

But your peaceful eyes stay shut,
and you will never know who I am.
Because I am the one who ignores the cries of children,
I am the one who should be forgotten.