The wind is strong trouble is me nothing can break the bond in me

The other day in a bar
a young man threw down,
called me out, and Said,

"How do you
become a poet,
oldtimer?"

I sat my bourbon down,
looked him dead in the eye,
thought I might fling
an impossible koan
to take him out,
but instead I answered.

"Listen close and I'll tell you true.
It's all in the Muse, kid.
Not a muse; The Muse.
The only Muse for you.
And you'd better start looking now
because it can take your whole life."

I finished my drink.

"Next time," I said," ask me why
the bridge flows, but the water
is motionless."

He sat stunned,
philosophically
out-gunned.

I sat my empty glass down
and slowly walked away.

Another notch on the handle
of my Karma pistol.

No matter how good you are,
they just keep coming.

  ~mce

Sorry, I'm giving up poetry
to become a full-time thief
and spend all my time
stealing your kisses...

  ~mce

When I look into her eyes,
I see my face before I was born.

Ha! Take that Zen Master.

Throw me a hard one next time.

   ~mce

Somehow, Sweet Lady

(how is a mystery yet)

I want to know you

beyond the confines of words

in a setting

(perhaps a magical bower)

where we can escape
the compromise of language,

(a magical bower does sound nice);

where we communicate
like trees in the wind
or tulips touching
on a breezy day in spring.

A place where a glance,
a touch or a smile says it all.

Where words do not
confound understanding.

(Definitely a magical bower!)

I am going to pursue this
(though it's an odd task
for a poet to undertake).

I'll post an ad on Craigslist:

Seeking magical bower for two:
must be a circle of silence
where gesture and touch reign.

And we will go there and live

(in that magical bower)

in our own quiet knowing
with nothing more to say
than what can be said
by the enchanted music of bodies,

(in a magical bower)

where I can love you
as hushed and completely
as those trees, those tulips.

   ~mce

Love Poem**  

It's so nice
to wake up in the morning
   all alone
and not have to tell somebody
   you love them
when you don't love them
   any more.

What if the cost
of machines that think
is people who don’t?
Think about it,
before your phone does.
   ~mce

That's how it is lately.
Not getting any time off.
Grabbing each elusive line.
Searching out the exact word.
Images swamping my head,
so many and so fast that
soon I'll need an image sifter.
Barely time to eat.
Sleep at a premium.
Exercise neglected.
Shack becoming a sty.
Cat neglected and angry.
Never get outside anymore.
I love it, but
can I outsource any of this?
  ~mce

So many young, lovely girls.
So much heartbreak and suffering.
They won't believe this but
men are like airplanes:
if you miss one; there will be
another one for you to catch,
or to catch you, soon.
  ~mce