outside its full-on night
and in its depths toil closer
the mad rough beast
its thin pale fingers
play  on your forearm
leaving a trail of blood

a single tear escapes the cage  of her eye
like a shadow of consience
like a memory of the girl she once was
the caked mask of ruined makeup
frames her wicked smile
as her eyes intently
watch you sweat the moments passing

with yesterdays spoon in hand
she will come pleading for tomorrows riches
and borrow todays scraps with a theifs hand
asked she will tale of the deeds she has done
by the kindness of her heart
which shows blackened and burnt
from her secret hates

my woman lets it enter our safe place
and leaves me to watch it hover
over our table with its greedy seeking eyes

its my woman's sister
and i really dont like the *****.

without reservation,
such beauty radiates within the eye,
such dreams of softly spoken passions fire,
that once ignited burns within & gives
desires so lustful and hot that
they stream into the minds of men,
washing away all but the sole wanton
pleasures found within, and this lust like
a beast carries her away enfolded in his strength and power,
thrusting to find that one moment over and over when all but the pleasure deep and wide is known, that moment when worlds fade away, there is only her, there is only him....

She was fairytale pretty
in a sky blue chiffon
bare footed and soul on display
both deep blue sea
and wild young day

She gazed at you with inquisitive
but never said a word
leaving it to your own heart to read the lines unwritten
in the pale beauty of her lips

She seems painted there
a portrait of intensities
on the hardwood floor
where sunlight carves its path
across it's worn wooden heart

She is forever there in sunlight

the absurd
and the cynical
the elegant
and the beautiful
have all spoken here
voices raised in secretive hope
of being the one heard above all the rest
being the one to rise and soar
unfettered and unleashed
the night is filled with these
thousand fold whispers
these untold tales
clothed in the fine silks
and filthy rags
a ballroom dance of silent partners

the grand opera house
its silent hall so strange to tread
where hours before was filled with
the rushing stream of chatter
now echoes the hard shoes of the nightwatchman
the empty seats mute witnesses to the
loneliness of this passage of hours
the passages backstage
filled with absent bustling labours of
the arts lovers and
children of the arts lurid steamy affairs

the art itself
lingers all around this hallowed ground
it is more than the lines and scenes
of thouse who nobly take the stage
more than the curtains and lights
of the labours of its love
the art itself is a grand and
beautiful creature
a dignified and noble creature
hard taskmaster and passionate lover
for which time itself has no meaning
it is here in the wood of the stage
it is here in the bones of the world

the nightwatchman
treads this quiet place
and sees a face of the art few get to see
her quiet home while she rests
her repose before the curtain of
tomorrow is raised
before once again they all gather
for the art of live performance

he rubs his fingers slowly
over the smooth surface
chewing his lip
her vacant eyes consume him from across the small room
her naked sweat glistening and pulsating in the harsh
industrial light
there is only the low mechanical sound
of the machine as it slowly digests her mind
piece by inglorious piece
absent chewing sound he thought might have made this bearable
her lips are slack
and a single string of drool flows down onto her chest
her face is a livid smile caught in
the midst of unspeakable *******
and her fingers trace out the words
more...i want more, ***** gimmie more
but her plea is unseen by him
he just wants this to end
leaning over he wipes away the drool
and kisses her
she spits in his face
and digs her nails into his hand
placing it on the textbook
that teaches about pavlov's dog
she mutters 'woof woof baby'
she wants to have her mind
that has troubled her for far too long
to be castrated
she wants to be without the
thoughts
the terrible thoughts
that something could change
if the right sequence could be hit upon
if the right person could walk through the door
he sighs
and pry's loose her weak grasp
the machine has finished
she awakens
'is it over?'
'no'
'woof woof baby'

sitting here in the late summer daylight
watching her tending to the line
see all her strength and beauty
know her complexity's and her easy smiles
know the girl kicking off her jeans backseat in the cool night
know the woman standing here by her man
everything iv ever wanted
no half measures...no lies

and i gather her up in my arms
gather up our wondrous dreamin
and we weave us a blanket of sun and stars
wrap it round us like a hearts lovin arms
we walk it on down by the old cathedral
sit hand in hand on the steps of forevermore
kissing our hellos and smile to eachother
no one will tread on our sacred stones
no one can stop the sweet love that shines in us
no half measures...no lies

my dreadlock honey asks me
to speak to all of you
weave you a poem
tell you the tale
how we had been two very lost souls
crashed into eachother in deepest dark places
of the world
saved eachothers lives
ran for the border and survived
now madly in love
no half measures...no lies
into the forevermore

these hours are split
laughter in a circumstance shelter from the rain
with two strangers and the inner hungers
that brought them to this place
both would deny
but both look to me testing the waters
and the waiting for the silence to be breached
i lay back in the shadows
breathing the gaps between words
looking for scents of trouble or profit
ill-will or devious plot
dopegame logic would have me leap
but trust your gut is singing loud and clear
i make hot feet for a safer trail
this is not where i wanted this poem to go
but here it is
on my spoon cooking up
a jumble of words boiling away the impurity's
dawn is here and time i must be going

this long hour that she's
refusing to speak to me
we sit in the bedroom
opposite sides
the tv goes unheard in the corner
softly whispering nonsense to itself
like a madman
she is sitting with her perfumes and paints
looking distantly into the mirror
i study her face from across the room
grasping for words i dare not speak
trying for a thought that could resolve
remembering that sometimes its better to let anger alone
but from here she doesn't look angry
she plays with her hair
applies lip gloss
fiddles with things
waiting
i let loose with a softly spoken 'sorry'
she tells me she loves me
what did it all mean
why had there been such angry words
i look for the meanings but left puzzled
sometimes its better to let anger walk its own path
out of its dark woods
her sunshine returns in the coming hours
and we are once again
hand in hand
a glance away from a smile
a kiss away from each other
we make love in the afternoon sunlight
and drift into sleep entangled in each-others arms
lover sweet lover

these saltwater jewels spill from my heart
there are no words she is silent
just soft memory of a kinder girl
she cant hold me in the night
cant aspire the tender notions of her heart
cant trace the new born day on her breast
there is no sunlight here
only cold memory
only distant tears

it is the small tempest
that is the most fierce
within her small hand
contained more than the might of all armies combined
for in a woman
one may find the most soothing caress
the healing and giving embrace
or the most vengeful hand of anger
i lay next to to these two women that night
and as the sheen of sweat from ******* cooled
from their brows
as the hot desires fade to smiles
i lay entwined with their soft skin
entangled in their passions
i can see only the dark boot of the past
leave its stealthy prints on the moment
for as the naysayers would so glibly point out
no matter how much changes things always remain the same
i know that life is never that black and white
i rouse my woman with a gentle kiss
and grieve my parting with her in my arms
but i know i must go
this other woman in our bed is known
and i know i  need to leave
before the past arrives

a spanish rose, she lingers in the corner
with some french sailor who is
just a breathing caricature
illustrated in ink and animated by alcohol
his four letter word vocabulary with deluxe cardboard delivery
but its his eyes that capture you
swimming in hundred proof they are
wise with miles of years
and wicked in a smoky dark room way
but she is too busy to notice
flirting with the stranger across the room
a traveling salesman with boxes
of rusty trinkets for crafty sale

meanwhile old jack is swinging on the gibbet
talking away the hours with his old flame and friends
he is a threadbare imitation of me
and that suits you fine
long as its three meals and a slice of pie
the essentials of easy living wrapped up in a lace hanky
its a little ***** and on the down low
but the whole digging in some
rich kids ***** laundry for loose change
never appealed to you all that much
so attached to old jack come to make your stand
both barrels smoking hot and ready to let loose
should any fool step to the line

we all watched with amusements
as the magician open his show with a shock and awe
that sputtered and fell
but we all loved his punch lines so much that we
cheered him on all night
the chorus girls got us all up and dancing little past three
and the suave singer had us cheek to cheek by dawn
it was another night to remember to be sure
memorable as stumpy swimming with the gators
we all shuffle barefoot in the sand
to our dusty beds
and dream sweetly of fiveash romance novella endings
and the beauties of dawn
we will be up to no good once more
all loud and proud
young and full'a *****
as a spring moon crests over seaside town

a storm rode up slow on the sea's horizon
filling our senses with its wild winds
we spent that night passing a bottle of crisp wine
by candlelight while the sea rocked us
like children in the cradle
but our laughter and words were
so alive with long roads
so rich with our full years

morning found us taking on water
so we turned to make haste
for some near uncharted island haven
and we beached her on untainted sands
with its stretch of palms and gentle *****
while sailing master worked mend sail, patch hull
we walked far up the shore and found a secluded spot
and there i lay with you
drinking in your taste and body
feasting with you on the sweetbreads of our love
till we were full and were left with only soft smiles

we sailed once again as dawn overtook the sky
sound once more and making good time
with a beautiful salt breeze in our sail
beating to windward
with a loving song to our hearts
these the days that my heart will cherish
these are the living dreams that
my worlds foundations are built upon
i knew i would marry you
you knew i would always be yours
from this day till time cease

falling falling
the balconies **** by as im falling
the lights of the city spread out below me
getting closer
getting closer to an answer
falling
the balconies with startled faces watching me
falling
the air is so still im moving so fast
its like a dream
its like flying
spread my wings
lung full of bright hot air
falling
let loose a cry
like a warrior
screaming out loud at the ground i will now defeat
eyes wide open
falling
falling
getting closer to an answer
lights of the world blurry in my closing eyes
falling
here comes the ground to greet me
soft grass to land on
green and wonderful full of summer scents
falling
failing
falling

pickin and singin with my good ole boys
what laughing we got we share
a song of the peaceful way
a song of the beautiful day
rich tapestry of song to be taken with such tender care
history behind each note'
a smile behind every lyric
listen to it dance in your heart
listen to it do its dance in your dreams
you know i got me a tune for every brother and sister
you know i got me a hippie song for everyone
let me share it with you
a song of the peaceful way
a song of the beautiful day
lets dance together with care in our hearts
lets find what a living thing this peaceful way is
what a wonderful way it should be
its a beautiful life this hippie thing
its a giving thing
its the only way to live
let me share it with all you now
let me sing you my little song
let me strike up a tune that you will see with your heart
a song of the peaceful way
a song of the beautiful day

the heavy winter air lingers
into the night
starlight drifts slowly like snowflakes
in my heartfelt dreams
a displaced man in the sea of wet snow
her eyes cast at me devilish ideals
her lips painted pink wet allure
disheveled hair falls limply over her face
obscuring the expression there
muffling the words that have slipped out

the snow filled air entangles the night
falling all around like leaves in the height of autumn
her warm hand runs along the edge of my jawline
fingertips like voices speaking treasured gifts
touching nimble and quick
along the mask of my years
grey has seeped into the story
has painted its own landscape on my visage

she withholds her thought
trembling
waiting for my heart to speak to her
waiting for my hand to guide
i coax her phrase like drawing a lost child to its home
i draw her near
and in her bedroom sweat i trace my own line of thought
i breath in her soft silken taste
her soft line perfections etched against the cool fabric of sleep
she has drifted off to dreamland
leaving me to whisper thoughts
leaving me with her love utterances clearly spoken
the snow hits the window
slowly building at that edge of our existence
silently compounding its presence in my mind
a dog of war leashed by the absolute solitude of night

in the spanish quarter
her eyes fixed on the dim light passage
as she awaits the coming hand of deceptions
with her recital of whispers like a prayer
she sweats openly
to her its a pressure point at the breaking
its a devils delight in the black heart of evil men
so as the wick of her flame clings to its purpose
as it burns true to pure
as you knew it would
you sit by her side
wait out the hours
forsake the dawn it never comes to this desolate place
forsake all trust love hope
they fled this desolate place
stand for who you are
stand for rights victory over wrong
truth even if it means your death

his careful face
turned to the sky
pleading the waking of winter
his summer burned eye seeking
the solace of cold
but he only finds
the ribbon of pavement
stretched out before him
from his steel shod foot
to the limits of imagination
like some dazzling promise of tomorrow
every day he snuck quietly
to the hallway of open air
where the sunlight filtered down
thru the broken overhead leaves
and fell on the fertile soil
he turned his head and let the sun soak into his soul
feeling its warmth with his heart
feeling the freedom it implies with every yearning fiber of his being
for that sunshine speaks to him of open road
of no boundaries and no lies
lifts his chained hands in silent supplication
lifts his ensnared heart in silent prayer
release me from this place
free me from this fate
but the sun drifts forward on its silent mission
moves through its daily tale
without pause or ponder
and soon slips to the edge of the great open airs vaulted ceiling
its life giving rays slip to the edge and without a word slip away
he watches them go with a tear
this creature of darkness
he pleads the waking of winter
that will blanket the world in snow
to be renewed come spring
perhaps then he will be renewed also

far out to sea
deep in wild woods
in the crisp dawn on the high desert
there are still places it can be heard
but it takes a heart to hear
it takes a labor of love

countless miles hand to the tiller
to find that brief moment
on the crest of a twenty foot breaking wave
as a nor'easter wilds the sea
when you glimpse it
in the stillness between heaven and earth

under the bewitching stars
in the anvil of desolation's wasteland
of high desert
on the cusp of the suns imminent rise
you can see it in the broiling fire
as the edge of the world itself burns

the words had been carved into the wood
long ago summer day
in unsteady hand
but concentrating got the whole thing
on that tiny scrap of heart shaped space
her name put with such care
with love
and the word forevermore
only you can heat me up babe he had whispered
these years later and a dozen coats of paint
you can still make out the heart
but time has all but wiped away the feelings
where is she now
what long windswept road claimed her
she had turned to look back trying for one last time
but the fire had faded
and now it seemed she only thought of him
from time to time
in the fall after a pouring rain
in the depths of a sleepless night
that childhood ago
her name carved with such love
in the wood bench by the riverside
in that town she was born so long ago
she imagined it was still there
forevermore

on the banks of the
mighty south platte river
he lay prostrate to the twin gods
with his dogeared copy of deadbase open to his first show
and the touch sensitive sky full of magic colour
raise your arms and think that madness is only as
deep as your devotion
dances barefoot on the empty road to the crickets song
ain't it sweet ain't it strong

our friends lived in lean to and
city's of cardboard
at the rivers edge
in the cool of the railroad breezeway
but he lived in the brambles
and on the sandy beach
listened to the vastness of night
dances barefoot on the empty road to the crickets song
ain't it sweet ain't it strong

his voice still echoes in my mind
as he introduced fast fingers to the skin of sky
trace out the silhouette
of her form
near as he can remember
which ain't too near at all
but his words
resembles free form skull and roses
looks like habitat for the shady
but it rolls clean
and has a kind hand for the friendly face

he was  always up for a trek through the city sleeping
dumpster diving and sky laughing
always had little extra warm gear for a cold brother
always had something to chew on for
a hungry sister
always had tunes a flutter
ready to roll on the deck

one day came to the rivers edge
and brother was gone
we searched high and low
but time pass
and river flow
he never did come back
picture him somewhere
dancing barefoot on the empty road to the crickets song
ain't it sweet ain't it strong

inside my head smile
because shes my bus-stop girl
she has sunshine in mind
and clouds on her walls
she sleeps with rainbows and laughs rain
her heart are velvet sands of paradise's shore
shes bus-stop girl
with a pack of strawberry gum
and a cherry coke
shes here in my head with a smile
shes here in my heart with two times the love
bus-stop girl

the asphalt solution bears no fruit
and it wears on my already threadbare sneakers
i hobble a shifting house out of the rubble
but its paint is chipped and its metal worn
so there's little doubt that it'll never last
there's no roadmap and doubts are abundant
but no there's nothing to go back to
lets lets plunder on into the wild blue
so we three poor-boys set out to see the kingdom

the asphalt asphyxiation
and somewhere near at hand
a mechanical voice mutters an anthology of misgivings
the door is ajar...the door is ajar.....
we can do little but count blessings
and covet the coin another man carries
cause they are morally bankrupt and socially diseased
the asphalt solution near at hand
i step sore foot to road
but am stopped by the rolling of thunder
crashing of wave or was it of naive

somebody gotta save poor-boys like me from ourselfs
the knightess in shining armour rides in on her trusty steed
her quick wit makes short work of dragons and trolls
to save the kingdom and the poor-boys alike
for the world needs more women superhero's like her
a knightess in shining armour
with sensible shoes
wicked ways no more she says
go home to your woman and be at peace sillyhead

so put sore foot to road and tread my way
back on to safe and sound
the asphalt solution get put away
after all the only road i wish to see
leads me right back to my happy little florida home
my woman and my cat waiting on me
a hobbled home knitted by a midnight thief's slippery hand
a knitted life stitched by the memory foam of bad dreams
cup your head to your woman's soft features
your gonna be all right kiddo
i swear on a stack of comic books
about women superhero's

her paris dreams had become jersey jaded
but she held onto the romance at heart
after all you can take the dreams out of the girl
but you'll never stop the girl from being a dreamer
and its the beautiful things in the world
that were close to her heart
and it was the beauty inside her that counted
and she was a field of stars in the night
she was a dreamer and a lover
she was summer and joy
she had paris dreams that were as big as the sky
she had paris dreams as warm as her heart
alive with every breath her dreams lived for her
and she for them
her paris dreams will never really die
they are sunshine
even jaded they are beautiful

he hungers for the fruit of the vine
he thirsts for the supper of the earth
his blue skies face crumbles
when he sees the dead field
fragments of his bravery litter the sand
while he sits in the harvest field
moaning in the tilled earth
fingers entwined in the roots of dead growth
the bounty of the earth is gone
leaving only this desolate dirt
his lament loud and wild
reaches her
and she is compelled to join him there
naked to the whip of the sun
leashed to the soil with thin golden chains
where they both lay mourning
like two insane birds
prisoners of the open sky
longing for the freedom of dirt