The telephone
on my right
has a cord
hanging limply down
and it reminds me
of the fact
that no one calls
or writes
but I then remember
that less is sometimes better
and know
that I have many friends
out there
who seem invisible
but feel present.

They didn't tell me about the artists who are on the bottom.
I thought all artists were famous.
I thought the art life was something to write home about.
I didn't know about the artists who lived with Mom
and hung out in the basement.
I didn't know about the artists who lived in the street.
There seem to be two or so people who are artists who are on the top.
They are the only ones that people know about.
There are millions of artists in between.
They have shows and readings and performances and stuff.
We don't seem to know about the ones who are on the bottom.
It's slow down here.

Mom and I
both live here
and I fixed her
bacon and eggs.

The mood lighting
of early morning
in the poetry office
shines its light
on the ***** ashtray
where two bent cigarette butts
are resting
waiting to be thrown away.

"If the river was whiskey and I was a diving duck, I'd swim to the bottom and drink my way back up" - unknown blues author

We shouldn't think too badly of *****
just because it is poison
and gives us a headache
and terrible nausea
Jack is not so bad
Mr. Whiskey talks in a fine way
to those who love him
but don't mistreat whiskey man
or he'll have you running around
naked
and the men in their uniforms
will come to get you.

After an afternoon nap
I awoke without any thoughts
an empty brain
and in Zen they say that's great
and everyone seems to think so
but it disturbed me
so I just sat in a chair
without a thought
for a few hours
doing nothing
then later I did some Zen practice
and the mind began talking again
so I felt much better.

The mind
picked up an idea
from reading
to just relax
and vibrate with it
so the mind
since it likes to add
thought just relax
and harmonize with it
and then
just relax
and resonate with it
and I am in favor
of all these techniques
but it strikes me
that this additive nature
of the mind
creates too much
so what I have been doing
is simplifying.
I just harmonize
with everything.