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mark john junor Nov 2013
hall pacers dominate the morning
sandle feet shuffle back and forth
eyes cast down travel the floor seeking the droppings
of the pacer before
the riches are in the mind
baubles of plastic and paint
the remains form a graveyard
bone thin white shards baking in an
imaginary summer sun
the unshaven huddle in the corner
watching with avid eyes
watching for the silence that follows
like a shadow... like a sad memory
weaving rhyme spoken at first attempt
he stands perfectly still in the midst of
all this random wandering
staring out into the distance of his mind
eye on the devolving thoughts
of her turning to go
turning to go
to go
go
mark john junor Jul 2013
twelve days in july
and i carry tokens of each of them
in the pocket of my filthy jeans
each has a face
each has a story and its own trail
of rages or tears

she danced alone in the room
of the redhouse bodega
a spanish tune twisting slowly from the player
its sound thin but the song robust
spinning spinning round and round
she was shadow and light
flashes of rich color
in her best dress and boots of leather
hear them still hitting the hardpack floor
like thunder
she was a goddess that night
she was the worlds that night
let her stay there forever in the limelight
happy in the moment

he waited dressed in his finest clothes
pressed and neat from head to toe
with a single rose
in the moonlight a mile down from the redhouse
in his heart he sings that song to her
in his heart he holds her in his arms
theres nothing that will stop us he says
theres nothing that will ever stand in our way
and his heart dances thru all the days with her
that he will love her
that they will share
there in the moonlight a mile down from the redhouse
singing a song in his heart for her
let him abide there forever
happy in the moment

i see dawn sneaking in the window
pull the blanket from my shoulder
shake off the chill
cough the sickhouse regret and
feel my lungs fill with  slow death
twelve days in july
but i keep dreamin of one night in febuary
a shopping cart and smiles
hope
i could use some
all the places i could have ended
did not see this one
alone in an empty broken room
an empty broken man
dont leave me here alone
in this moment

she lay in the grass
public park just before dawn
looking up at the stars fade
holding a small budda
rubbing the belly
smile on her face
but thoughts run deep and swift
with one finger she traces the edges of clouds
in her heart she paints masterpieces
she illustrates the world with a carefree hand
and is loved by all who behold
in her heart
the last sliver of moonlight is hers alone
on the road from the redhouse
an ambulance ride to saving
a quick journey to hope
on the road from the redhouse
she just wants to stay here where its safe
where nothing dangerous can get at her
in this moment of moonlight
happiness

twelve days in july
seem like years to me
where am i bound
will i make it
i just want that night
shopping carts and smiles
hope
just a glimmer of hope
intent on the time
know it travels close at hand
it reduces all my empires
to brittle shards
i worry the clock with glances
rubbing it worn edge with my eyes
all hangs in the balance
of its small noise motions
tick tick tick
mark john junor Feb 2016
requiem for the immaterial man
his pauper pockets clean but empty
he stitches his threadbare life with a careful hand
this is the latter half of the twentieth century man
and his well spoken mind sees the writing on the wall
knows the disease of market minded wall street dreamers
and the throw away class of the poor stranded in jails

he watches with dismay the evening news
the tale told of hard times to come
he embraces his family unit with
courage and trepidation
this wife and child are his universe
love for them wells up from the center of his soul

requiem for the immaterial man
he is spread thin and feeling the pressure
but its for his loved ones so he will hang on
but its for the long haul so he will make due

will you please spare him some thought
when you go to the hallowed halls
when the republic calls you to cast your vote
for the fool who will sit in the oval office
for the king billionaire who holds our fate in his lunatic hands

the latter half of the twentieth century man
carrying his lunch in a pale
walks slowly home from his busy workaholic day
the burden on his shoulders plain
but he is a strong man after all
a better man
spare him a thought
for his loved ones
mark john junor Apr 2013
twenty years ago

her loose strand of hair lingers over her face
i brush it back gently
and a tear slips free
i can see in her eye
that she wishes that somebody would stop her
that she could escape this charade
i can see its bitter on her lips
i can see it makes her feel so small

so we escaped together
and found ourselfs a happy home to build
a future she told me, a future she promised me

the soft hand slips in
and the next line writes itself
its her that im living for

its her smile that that makes it bearable
its her her loving words that make it understandable
its her eyes that see me
its the future that she promised me was coming
its the future that she promised me was coming

why isn't she saying anything
why are her eyes dark and distant

short lived in this half-light serenade
the tide has withdrawn
leaving me in the cold spray of a winter rain
silence in her eyes
silence on her lips
its so cold here...why wont she speak
why do we linger here

i wish someone would stop me
wish that i could escape this charade

and she died there twenty years this day
at the spring tide just at dawn
she will never speak the world to me
will never smile the day for me
never whisper the love with me
LOL...relationships...she keeps deleting this poem, i keep putting it back up...Babe, i write em, you read em...not i write em, you delete em... :-)
mark john junor May 2014
a hurricane was treading on the world around us
sounded like it was gonna come apart at the seams
but all i could see or hear was you
as you held my hand laughing at the silly world
as you captured me and
held with tender embrace
your more than some mere force of nature

to look at you seem just like a girl
but iv climbed into the furnace of your heart
iv lost myself on the milk white sea of your warm gaze
iv wandered the echo of an endless summer night in your voice
your all the lost days found once more
your all the hopes
wrapped up in a tender kiss
more than some mere force of nature
you are natural to my heart

let your hair down my lover
breath easy tonight
as the sea rolls out the moonshine just for you
let your twilight eyes close to dream
cause ill have you safe here in my heart and arms
cause i know at long last that i'm home
with a woman who is more than a mere force of nature
you are natural in my heart like you always belonged there
my sweet lover
mark john junor Oct 2021
It isn't the quality of the words that measure truth
it's the men we all see with such clear eyes
Two brothers trapped in a pitched battle
echoes of their roots displayed in a contest of wills
two brothers follow the same dream
two brothers dance the same songs
We can never stop being who we are
we can grow thriving under a perfect sun
but our roots forever spread from the single source
our birthplace and home
Two brothers trapped in a pitched battle
find peace at last in each others truth
we are the same inside the dream
we are fellow travelers
whose nature it is to find hope and love
in the cloudiest of days
mark john junor May 2013
bobby's mind wanders
his momma said hes a good boy
but he has grown to be an old man now
and there is nobody left to gauge if hes still good or not
he gathers himself in the bus stop corner
out of the rain

he scans the ground for dropped coins
and his gaze falls
on a crumpled bright paper
one corner shows a crinkled face
its a sinister face
he unfolds it
and unfolds the paper too

all the years fall away from his eyes
troubles slip away into the darkness
all the things that
he should have, could have, disappear

the paper leads him to the tower
and the wretched machine spins slowly back to life
he takes his place
in the dusty room slowly turning the hand crank
unfolding two hundred sinister faces
unleashing two thousand bare feet knuckling
the threadbare carpet leading to sunshine

it isnt what you think that traps you
its what you feel
its the past you have not faced and defeated
its the things you fear
its what they make you feel

unfolding two hundred sinister faces
and they feed on his weakness
by making him feel strong
eats at the scarred surface of his soul
part two of "100 sinister faces" which i wrote 5 days ago...but the poems dont really have much in common..about two very different subjects... they are, if you will pardon the pun, two faces of the same words.
mark john junor May 2014
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
mark john junor Apr 2015
the two women sit in
absolute silence
worlds apart in the small room
they look at the polished wooden floor
and wait
she shifts in her seat
nervously looking at her watch
while the other woman plays on her phone
each had taken time to be here
each had a role to play in this daydream
she gets up
and like an obscene gesture walks to the door
a thousand eyes film her as she leaves the silent room
a thousand wishes embrace her as she leaves the silent room
the other woman flinches back into
the confines of her chair
and puts away her phone
she glares at the door
wishing for the courage to escape
knowing nothing would try to stop her
except her own fear
two women sat in absolute silence
only the younger fled
the older woman trapped by her own mind
waits for rescue that may never come
the mind is a dangerous place to wander
too easy to become lost in its maze of reality
she waits there
mark john junor Feb 2014
the unattainable girl in cotton dress with her untouched hands
her perfections body and soul are store purchased at trending boutiques
she illustrates the room into vivid colour with her casual presence
she becomes the motion in the still life drawing you live
she is the utterance of everything to be attained by dreaming
by hope
for you
the unattainable

she leads you through the broken gate
a backyard overgrown and
past the rusting skeleton of a child's swing set
night has rendered it life
and it looms large in the minds eye with terrible
wrath for its cheated years
inside the bare room
streetlight filtered by the boarded up window
sound is muffled in here
her voice strangely stagnant and heavy
as she clumsily removes her shirt
laughing a small embarrassed laugh
so unlike her cool and convincing hardcase appearance
the two of you rest a few hours cupped in eachothers arms
till daylight leeches your sleepyheads of dreams

but the tattered cover of your romance novel
is by no means a feat of strung out fairy's on a mission to condemn
they only want recompense for the time they spent wrapped in the
soiled leather sheets entertaining some middle aged naked man
and his sole desire to be pretty
she sees all this
she sits in the dry corner
eyes wide but unseeing
a song of terrors paused on her lips
the reality's of reality has not yet sunk in
but its soft spoken voice is whispering to her now
it sets its christmas card well wishes on her mantle
it lays its warm gifts on her bed
careworn toys of her bitter embraces
sit in the grey snow abandoned like her lovers
now that she found her nirvana

she will spend her days
in hard red leather and fishnet
plying the flesh pots and the mystery's exposed of naughty naughty
the unattainable girl is just a photograph now
one dimensional image of a four dimensional demon girl
mark john junor Sep 2013
fingers unchained by her frame of mind
do little dances on her skin
the soft hair
the thin scatter of line
slows me to ******
and it becomes honey to the mind
thick and sweet
slow and hot
and i cannot withhold
my heart thunders in my chest
my head is full of noises nasty and swift
full of things that overtake all my senses
and she smiles so wicked
she knows that without having to even lift a single delicate finger
she is the only picture in my gallery
she is the only sculpture in the hot garden
in the long night of
the beginning
she melts onto the bed
flowing out over me
golden dreadlocks
patchouli
and the musty perfume of her lust
i am hers
she is mine
unchained by her frame of mind
we sweat the sheets
bounce the kitchen table across the room
get the bathroom soaked
and laugh carefree
its a reason to
stay
stay
stay
just a moment longer
before you go back to your day
before somebody calls you away
nurse your man back
from the edge
strip off all that gear
come here
you are mine
i am yours
mark john junor Nov 2013
a fire breaks out in his pants
whenever she walks into the room
but she just laughs
at how quaint he is
she has eyes only for the old man at
the end of the bar
his beat era leather socks are just up her alley
his pocket protector lifestyle is just
the thing for her wedding plans
she could always see herself
with his type of narrow shoe smart fella

he leaves her and her lover
at the dark bar
and wanders the lobster cages
looking to trap the feelings
that made him feel like
unconquerable king john
with his magna carta series pen
but this night is too full of babe sweet
and her pocket protector cowboy
so he goes home
to lay on his bed on imaginary nails
and suffer all the trials that good men should
wants to be worthy for the pay off
wants to be in line for the pearly gates

babe sweet and her man
live up the coast now
they own a bed an breakfast catering to the insane
who write great novels
on the walls in crayon
and spend their nights
hanging out on the roof singing ballads
to babe sweet
and her cowboy who lasso's the moon
its a wonderful life plays on the tv
every night year round
cause thats the dream they are sellin
that if you work hard
someday itll pay off

jerry garcia's picture hangs
in the lobby
he looks out at the changed world
with the shocked expression
of how did all these people miss the point
as they just go on beating eachother up
and crashing the gates
he is in the back room of babe sweets place
hiding from all the gretchens
and trying to redraw the lines of reality
we all got lost out there
gotta reinvent yourself
before the gretchens and the hangers on tear it all down
gotta bend the road before it bends you
just like unconquerable king john
mark john junor Oct 2017
A single page of her
fills her lover's world
ardent appetite to be cradled like the  
adoration of a mortal unexceptional goddess
who sometimes has high-heeled shoes of clay
leaves her and her lover to waver among
joys shared blissfully diffused by tears shed quietly
A single page of her is written
with the fundamental spirit of a lust for love
an ambition to live loves dream
which is central to every man and woman's heart
A single page of her is provender for the soul
with a common language of immortal romantic notions

A single page of her
just a human being
a lover of another human being
just an exceptional love within an uncomplicated heart
a softly written cage open to lights of loving warmth

A single word of her
fills the canvas with brilliant colors
takes on the shapes of this feverish love affair
takes on the hue's of these hearts at ease
that wrestle each other's naked souls
then cleave to each other with a dire thirst
A single word of her statuesque illustration
histories and futures softly spoken in the animated night
expressions of this average celestial throne
this world of exceptionally average simple beauties
A single word of hers
that I have never actually heard
but knowing its there unspoken in her eyes
just a human being

A single picture of her
fills a poet's hands with rich verse
words laden with potent essence within their expression
as wild as the wind in the deepest part of the rain
as enriched as breathing exaltation and splendor
her photograph pasted to the mirror's edge
as if she were a reflection of dreams
as if perfection had a name
A single picture of her
embroidered by a light that shines
only from some souls
a warmth that greets every passing stranger
an intensity that verges on fire

A single moment of her time
leaves impressions upon you that will breathe within you
growing in the remembrance
like roses upon the vine
interwoven and lovely in the warm light
just a human being
but she will always be
just Kristen
© 2017 mark john junor all rights reserved
mark john junor Jul 2014
sweet summer thick with late day sun
all the the children running with laughter's an joys
the men plowing in the rich soil
the women hands to hips all the washin to be done
hear em singing as each stitch laid to cloth
hear em laughing under the beautiful sun
aint no living to be done till you lived
natural on the land....
sweet summer thick with late day sun
walking back now to gather for supper
hear em singing with joys bounty
aint no living to be done till
ya come live under a sweet summer sun
all the children sleepin under the night sky
all the folks dreamin wonderful lives
aint no living like under the natural sun
mark john junor Sep 2014
my hungry heart came looking
but my foolish head had me thinkin'
so round and round i did flow
trying to hide my heart from my head
playin hide and seek with my soul
trying to find a way to have both these loves
trying to give all the love my heart dreams
trying to be the best man i can be cause you deserve nothing less
round and round shadows play
light is a grace that she would grant me
forgiving my hearts infidelity
because i did not cheat...did not stray
so i stand here with tears a-flowin
trying to let go of such a lovely
trying to make my heart unfeel true beauty's smile
never wanted to give anything so beautiful away
my heart wants to be greedy
my heart hungers
but my heads thinkin'
mark john junor Aug 2014
forgiveness
the empires silk wraps the parchment
blue and gold ribbon of such regal device
but this neat folded apparel
tangles in my mind
with fog of memories frame
door table tray
the parchment bears the blessings
but the ink is as black as his heart
cold as his intent
child i was
child no more
forged instrument misshapen
blunt
a single paper cup of jungle juice spilled
haphazardly on the clean lines
the parchment adorned with the
phrase and emblems of republic
stained with my child's mind
child i was
child no more
mark john junor Aug 2013
the center of my passing moment
her face profiled into the corner shadow
pale and delightful

her beach sand picker outfit
gives an upscale look of leisure
but her eyes
shout her intense inner demons
nervous energy dance her fingers
on the kitchen table

a fine sheen of sweat
covers her cleavage
which she opens further to cool off
oh my....

her wrist sparkles
with bands of silver and jewels
and makes small metallic sounds
as she reaches up to brush away a strand of hair
with a swift soft movement
that is almost ******
as her perfumed and lithe form leans toward me  
as i in one sweeping moment get a glimpse
of what it must be like to be in her arms
and that intense and absolute beautiful moment
in the near presence of this goddess
leaves me without the ability to speak for several moments
she asks if i am allright and becomes alarmed
when i do not respond
i manage to assure her

i adore women
i love being with them
i love just being around them
they make the world a beautiful place
my girlfriend says that im a typical male pig....i disagree...i am a hedonist to be certain, at least to an extent...but beyond that, women are without any doubt one the universes most wonderful and mysterious creations...and i am in love with certain specific women (like my girlfriend) but i am also in love with womanhood (which is a universe and a temple,  a deep wood filled with dark mystery, a wonderouse land of delight and joy....) i love being in love with women and everything about them. (the woman i wrote this about had a good but embarrassed laugh upon reading it...she wishes to remain anonymous...so i dedicate this poem to an anonymous goddess)
mark john junor Sep 2013
her bare feet touch the cool surface
of the kitchen linoleum floor
soft sticky sound
a pattern set upon itself
with her one wrist wrapped gently round
the hard coarse thin metal
engaging its tension with a tender grasp
bending it
to the form she dreamed

carnival horse and wire wood fence
separate her from the thing she hears
she watches it with her minds eye
as she leans nervous into the encircling frame
leans with one bare foot in the dusty gravel
the broken weeds a thin line in the rocky soil
mirror her stance darkly
in miniature echoes of the intense soft lines
of her delicate face
her sorrow etched clearly in the unnatural sunlight

her voice echoes soft and trembling
a voice ethereal but rich with meanings
that she endures but
that she is alone in the false dawn
so to save herself she has bent the
convex of the lens
bent the pattern into her figure alone
and as she wraps herself in the thin metal
gauze of shallow breathing
she seeks to behold not be beheld
to mask her feelings
to leave the thoughts treading shallow waters
to leave the intense moment
in the open ocean of the linoleum
where her footprint leads to my gasping eyes
the swirls of sand with slight breeze
mask her passing
and leave little trace of her presence

but her presence remains
in this image
powerful and sublime
full of the imagery dark musics
filled with the scents of burning
this sharp clean image narrowed focus
like a shutters thick sound
in the silence of a lone fan's endless drone
which reveals a thick sadness
in the shadow slivers in her hair
in the soft line of her lips
in the casual line of her arm draped over the hoop
i sense her assuage her hot tears in the starlight
in the backwoods of a small town
from the edge of wooden bridge
her sounds echo in the kitchen
with soft edges to their thought

the archway door
its hard bricks lean into the wind strewn alley
into the the narrow gaps
between the perception of
what is and what she creates
with crafted line
with slow depth exploration
the wire wood fence hides all matter of beasts
their rabid shadows are narrowly seen underneath its edge
but their faces are only in my perception
are only in my vision of the images edge
mark john junor May 2015
out of season rain
falls steady on my roof
its pattern on the slate walkway is a confusion of circles
birds continue to sing
cars continue to speed by
it is only i that has ground to a halt by this
gentle downpour
rainy season isnt supposed to be here yet
so why have you clogged my day
with your wet bedraggled deluge
away with you rain
away with you
mark john junor Sep 2013
his untutored mind
struggles to grasp the issues
he masturbates the thought process
while events unfold around him
he wings through the darkly lens
showing images of all matter of
profane beast imaginary
while a real one gnaws slowly upon his chest
and he relishes displaying their crude natures in ink
while the real one bleeds the marrow of his soul

a figurehead
his ability to reason is fundamentally flawed
its cracked surface
displays the madness rampant below
the grinning madman
is yourself reflecting yourself reflecting yourself

the headaches are worse today
there's the sound of thundering hoofs
like a hundred strong horse bearing down out of
the darkness
a sickness grips him
repugnant man
the ***** within
puts his sour and rotting mouth upon
his thoughts
kissing each one
with a deep light giggle of unbounded power

rumor leeches sap his strength
their constant words whispered
in his aching ear
leave nothing but the entrails of troubled thoughts
stinking and rotting in the minds eye
between the devils within and the devilish around
how is he to find a safe way
and still there is that awful thundering of hoofs
like a thousand strong horse bearing down on
naked and defenseless him

his minds eye
stripped of its pretensions
peers around the dim place
finding neither familiar nor comfort
only the strange shape of feeding things
and the feel of dirt
and filth
he masters his fear
and tentative step upon
tentative step can only release him
from this

grasping his sword he blindly strikes
at the shadows fleeting and quick
the dashing little that bite and gnaw
but they are just the dancing leaves in the summer wind
time will tell
if the untutored mind shall escape this place intact
or forfeit his future
for penny's on the pound
mark john junor Dec 2013
the shadows are long on the wooden floor
i can see the etchings of every weary foot
that has sought rest in this place at worlds end
there's a mist forming where the sun is burning off the rainwater
and the light is getting golden
that kind of glow that romances every face
that makes even the darkest night
seem comforting
her dress clings to her shoulder with a fine sweat
and her eyes cast down till i cup her chin
and she looks up at me
and thats all iv ever needed
the shadows are making inroads to making me sleep
so we step outside
and i gently pass my hand over her face
and her whisper clings to me
like a softly spoken hurricane
she leads me to the bed
and pulls me down into her scented arms
down into the sweet darkness of her love affair
and i am filled with the sounds of my
triumph and submission all at once
a sound like a hard race car engine
with the sigh of an old man
like the sound of a mid summer moon
high up in a warm forgiving sky
far above all the toil and mud
up here in her bed
in her arms
watching the shadows of the sun make
inroads to darkness
in a south florida motel room
a rain storm is comin
mark john junor Oct 2014
fragile heart she lay ruptured in my lounge chair
grey faced i mumble a few parting words over her
before i lay out the finest bone china
all the makings of tea and biscuits
all the fixings of ******
with the sounds of the snapping of necks
sharp wet sound fresh on the air
she was here to mourn her lover-boy
gone astray
i was here to see the deed done

i was the grey faced hangman
come to get his pennys
in my song you can hear the rope snap
in my heart you can feel the fall from the gallows
and my hangman's noose swinging in breeze
has its own peculiar creaking sound that sounds
like love to me
i was the grey faced hangman
that knows no sympathy
come now you wicked ones
sing my song with me

grey faced i lead the procession
up the graveyard road
the overgrown and thick summer feel to it
claws at the senses
but i keep walking stiffly
with the sound
of snapping necks ringing in my ears
its my song

he had cried like a child as they carried him to the gallows
he had begged and wailed
but my hangman's noose had claimed him
cold comfort awaits
to the tomb they cried out with joy
to the tomb with the scoundrel
while she lay weeping her lost lover-boy
and while grey faced i cleansed the world
of scoundrels like him
while grey faced i silently mourned
for i had run out of rope
(a little halloween for you)
mark john junor Feb 2014
to all of my readers, i wish you a very happy valentines day...with all of my love and some patchouli scented hippy hugs for you...((((((HIPPY HUGS))))))
mark john junor Nov 2014
she lay in the vanishing sunlight
vulnerable and beautiful
she was as lovely as dreams
she gave herself to me with her heart full of desire's dark romance
with her heart full of the magic of love's tenderness
it was then i knew at long last what it was to be loved
she played a fragment of her song
its beauty like a setting sun on a deep blue sea
and then i knew what it was like to breath once more
like i never knew what it meant to be alive
until her song played
until all my sorrows had vanished in her arms
so she played her song for me all night
it was sweet as a tropical night wind
full of promise and beauty
like this daydream of her soft hand in mine
warms my heart
till her song vanishes
mark john junor Jul 2013
a coin harlot he showers the day
with his turn of phrase that would sell
a sunken city to a floating fat man

the floating man
isnt really fat
but he belives himself to be
after all they wouldnt lie on tv would they
so he spends his lackluster days
become a deeper shade of golden tan and thinner by
shouting phrases of strangers arguments at
the passing clouds
nawing on the bone of contentious verbal meat

he floats in a life peserver
from the Lusitania
and its well peserved sanitys sealed in a jar
which he grips with a fevered hand they
are both his bane and plastic fantastic lover doll
all rolled into one evil mocking grin rubber ducky smelling henchwoman

she languishes in her sand and shell embrace of her lips
her rubber ducky superglue scent
is her own chinese man trap
after all dosnt every man secretly desire a love affair with
his rubber duck
they wouldnt lie about that on tv now would they
course not, dont be silly

i wait for first my ride home
but failing that
i will swim
goodnight and sleep tight
least you find yourself a rubber ducky
you can f@%ky
be very afraid of crossing pathes of the evil mocking grin rubber ducky smelling henchwoman...
and yes i am very deeply and madly in lust with my rubber duckie..her name duckie...she loves me too..(ok...no more drinks with umbrellas..ever)
mark john junor Oct 2013
nonsense plays in the background of my thoughts
lackluster little patterns of thought
that gather round and batter at the door
of my perception hoping to make enough noise
to get free out into the real world
but the denied little monsters are thrown back
into the darkness

i reason with myself
try bribery
try threats
but i ignore the dire consequence
and proceed to groom the
versions of what will be and letting them
run through my head
repeating the worst versions
and the better ones become mocking
like making love to sandpaper

dance for me
do the logic shuffle
find a fitting little balance if that suits ya
find a symphony to play the grand design of your scheme
but its a heavy line you gotta tow this rowboat with
on wheels would work better
but whatever is sleezy...i mean easy
we can paint waves on the sidewalk
you can row that puppy all the way home

whatever reasonable rationalization
gets ya thru the night
don't matter much if its occupy something/anything
if you think mocking me is gonna fix you
its gonna be a long long night sweetcheeks
cause i dont depend on what anyone thinks

so i jump in that rowboat with ya
and we can row that puppy home
toast the town with champagne
celebrate our diversity
mark john junor Aug 2013
the version of night shifts as each person
unfolds within mind what they see
it mutates as time proceeds
a contagion of the eye
makes her sad face regal with its pure and true
beauty clean line and side cast gnawing fear
makes her soft skin a sandpaper of insecurity's
and her sexuality a landmine filled no mans land
she moves restlessly in her seated position
spreading and folding herself
like a spastic lotus flower
like a wasp confused by butterfly's

the version of night shifts once again
and the two of you stand in the
narrow shadows at the edge of a vast
pitted concrete slab
the air is thick and greasy with tropical heat
she is ****
you cannot help but to reach over and touch
she only watches your hand
thin smile on her thin lips
inside your your separate minds
you each hold separate conversations silently
imagine the dreamlike responses
the version of night strains as she slowly
dresses and you silently walk
side by side into the the darkness
back to the noise room
back to the chair she cried in
back to the floor you feared

the version of night is fluid
like a infected river
it flows thru her veins as she
injects another dose of crying and coughs
breathing heavy
you sit cross legged at her feet
an apostle to the teaching that
beauty is no measure of destiny its only a means
a student of the humanities isolated and afraid
by a spastic lotus flower
a wasp confused by butterfly's

she batters down the defenses
contagion of perceive then process
that becomes reality governs her motive
it mutates as time proceeds
lies repeated become fact because they were spoken
so much they defied truths razor
fact becomes fiction
as truth is distorted in the crucible of
think think think think think
as truth is hammered clean of impuritys
and worked by the hands of the mind
into a better package
a more palatable lie

help me
help her
the night is unsympathetic
as she injects
cough
touch
sweat panting for abundant air
this is a killing cycle
i did not, she did. we are fine.
mark john junor Jul 2024
I sit bedside
and listen to the stirrings of his mind
snake their way through reason and folly
see the flashes of the rational come and go
watch the man I had come to call brother and friend
as he wanders the borderlands
between the light of awareness
and the dark of the illness that laid him low

He has not died
but lingers in half-life
like a man tied to a heavy stone
trying to drag it back to the light
while darkness creeps behind robbing him of the notion
he is a Sisyphus of the modern-day
treading the same steps over and over
while I sit in vigil bedside
hoping to catch him aware and awake
a chance to fare thee well
rest now brother
brave brave brother

I stand here by your side in dark or light
vigil for the man who is not gone
who wrestles with the darkness
in favor of light
mark john junor Jan 2016
these pale lips that so
swiftly rob me of my strength
these honey sweet lips
from which such soft words like butterfly logic
do so entangle me
and tie such aching around my very soul
with such a tight gentleness
these pale lips
that i reach over and with one finger
drawn slowly across them
i do shudder from head to toe with desires
these blue eyes
so adorned with paints
so shadowed behind lock of hair
such deep pools of hunger and light
her dream is a village road she has walked
her entire life
strewn upon its scoured bricks are
the romance notions written in french
because its a beautiful language when spoken softly
her paris clothes discarded in the dream
her skin reflecting moonlight
her lips glisten
as she walks the village road
mark john junor Apr 2013
time
no timid creature
its  leathery skin
its unseeing eye
moves thru the dark
between our worlds
a shattered place of promises we had
thought to keep
things we had gathered thinking to
build a world with
loves we had vowed
to keep or a avenge

time is making a new man of me
time is making new roads of your future
time is our lover and our nemesis
time is the jackal that feeds on
our hopes'
time is the farmer who sows the seed
of the growing hope you have in your cold cold eye

time is the reason i am now
so afraid
in this dim light motel room
with paper winged nightmares spreading across
the landscape of my dreams
time is the reason i hope
that we can flee

time is a viper
that is in the dust and dark
your grasping fingers
and your weeping
your educated whispers in denial
are just invitation
to the vipers kiss

release me from your side
release me fool
i dont share your wish to die
time is drawing near
i must flee
i must flee
mark john junor Mar 2013
beautiful viper
her soft shine hides
the sharp edges in her eyes

she is my perfect intent
my moment sought
my hope

her lean form in the shadows
is covered in a thin sheen of sweat
her fingers streach out grasping at the air pleading
but her cold thoughts show
her pale hunched anger at the sidewalks edge

she emptys her lust on the table
her broken eyes bright
and pumps her blown veins for poisons breeding
its her avaid hope to spread taint and sour

her body the midnight oil of twisted ruin
her mind the meat of the apothocarys to the souless
her drug the sleepless dreamland between dusk and dawn

i would surrender to kiss her
i would die to feel her heat next to me
touch that soft memory

to suckle on her disease like mothersmilk
and languish in the slow death of pale monster
her taste and words on each moment
her cold lips caress and thin fingers fumble
would be the heaven iv hoped for all this torn life

she is my perfect intent
my perfect moment
my hope
my love
mark john junor Mar 2015
his rustic way
the easy as they come grin
the soft shine in a hard land
had a gift in his brotherly manner
it was vulture's way
the name didn't fit the man but few do
he was a kind soul
always had time to mend fences
had time to build bridges
and the boy could dance
look at him go in the firelight
while the music sang softly
always thought he was most at home
sharing a meal and the comforts of conversation
few knew him as well as I
spent years chasing dawns early light with my friend
laughing and carrying on like two kids
it was vulture's way
last time ever laid eyes on him
he was laughing and talking with some fine young girl
just as natural as can be
a true hippie
relaxed and at ease with the world
he died later that spring
but to me he will always be alive
in summer breeze and moonlight
watch him dance and shake thous old bones
my good friend will always be there
in every smile i ever see
mark john junor Mar 2014
the words only come
as she turns and walks barefaced
into the deluge of night
but they fail to turn her path from
this motorway travesty
the traffic gives no appeasement
and so i retreat alone back to the civility of light
the waitress from the dinner
in her crisp black uniform is a soft vision of
transient beauty in this dark world display
her sharp step on the tiles is made clear by
the click of high heels
with genuine concerns painted vividly
on young face hovers over me
with instruments of refreshment
and implements of less casual soul meats
she gives comforts and care
to my wearied thought
she defines the end of her entertainments
with her sharp pencils pendulum scratchings
with bill in hand
i am loosed upon the night once more
now alone to roads delights
homeward bound
mark john junor Jul 2016
midnight lived in her eye
shadows of which graced her words
with a tale of yearning to be told
one of the heat of her passions self-denied
one of heartfelt awe of the power love could hold
traveling this dark evening with naught but starlight to behold
with naught but the souls secrets to keep you warm
wrapped in the threadbare veil of the lies you tell yourself
fluttering in the ever present cutting wind
with great care unwrap the bandages of hurt you hold to your heart
with great pity unleash your hope for tomorrows dawn
it will begin with the glimmer in her dark
every soul must walk alone with midnight
before they can understand the breaking of daylight
feel its warmth with their soul
know the truth
you need never walk alone
mark john junor Mar 2014
the carve of morning light
is hard against the grain
but i navigate its demure maiden
and her demands of devotion
and set out alone for the beach to find the
goddess of night

there along the boston post road
laying in the thick miami sun
with her scented petals and potions in small containers
she lingers her wet lips behind the crisp cold glass and watches
the vivid colours of the flowers and regalia
backdrop her thoughts as she waits for a setting sun

languishing in the ****** tropical night
adorned with only moonlights kiss
she reclines on soft warm sand
with her attentive lovers caress
and give sweet voice to their wanton carnal dreams

her lovers
both man and woman speak to her with
gentle kisses from such tender loves
and with such burning naked lusts
that it feels like they are feasting upon her with
their lips and hands
a deep longing and powerful tide of ecstasy's warmth
washes over her
she releases herself to its pleasures

afterwards with a lingering hand
she bids her lovers farewell
and wistfully walks barefoot up the sandy shore
carrying her sandals and basket of rhymes
she will flee north only to return
like a changing of seasons
to this empty stretch of beach this time next year
to find her lovers once again
and know once more the carefree loves and wanton desires
mark john junor Jun 2014
as day is gently washed away
on the sounds of her voice whispered sweetly
the tangle of words slip quiet into the
slumber of my heart
waking the dreams always near
the true ones of loves under cloudless stars spinning
the beautiful thunder of hot passions tender kiss
the one where its just two lovers forevermore
waking my eyes to you
as day is gently washed away
mark john junor Aug 2023
I lay in the shroud of shadows
while the steady rain soaks my bones
the liquid becomes my eyes
the sound becomes my soul

I lay on a bed of last falls leaves
they crumble at the touch
but give a sense of comfort from the hard ground
and cling to me like dreams and wishes unfulfilled

I lay under the scant cover of this ancient tree
and watch for signs of sunrise in the cloud-locked sky
and whisper invocations of some deity unnamed

I lay in a shroud of shadows
waiting to see
what cannot be seen
waiting to feel what I have never felt
take this misery from my eye
mark john junor Oct 2013
she was given to tragic speechs
at a whisper in the rainswept night
at the top of the cliff
overlooking the bay
the same place she sat and watched his
ship set off to sea
she still remembers seeing him
there high in the rigging
unfurling the sail
and recalls that he may have waved fare thee well
that the last time she would ever see him
the last voyage
of that schooner
which lay broken at the bottom
of some distant sea
with all hands forever to stand at the rail
looking for homecoming
forever seek familiar shore
for a wave dancers last waltz
and there they shall lay
brothers of the sea keeping eternal watch
while pulling line
and singing songs handed down
generation of seafarer to the next
she dreams of him tonight
as she lay thirty year distant
from that stormy night
thirty years waiting to go join him
in the halls of the Almighty's kingdom
mark john junor Jan 2014
the lights from the street below
shine weakly into the silent room
she lay in the tangled sheets
staring off into the night
a television set oddly turned to face the wall flickers while
its low volume garbles its incessant whispered babbling
like some deranged man talking to himself
the scents of ******* thick in the air
there is a tray of food gathering dust
a bottle of wine untouched
she is motionless
the **** skin of her face glistens in the
shifting shadows of her silent thoughts

i sit in the hardback chair
with difficult breathing apparatus trailing my mental footsteps
i tread carefully through the narrow dark wood
of her languid eye with small talk
laying out a feast of interesting topics
she is not hungry

a storm flashes lightening far out to sea
images come to the mind of a ship chasing the dawn
desperate to break free of the natures fury
and the captain at the helm
heroic figure standing fast against the odds
holding to the wheel and shouting to all hands
the rain falling in tangled sheets
focus returns to the room
she is falling motionless entangled in the beds sheets
i am the brave helmsman standing fast
this ship has already sunk

daylight appeases the minds of the
littered minefield of broken and bent on the bedroom floor
so they now allow begrudging paths safely to be seen
her eyes have closed
sleep
the dust encrusted food and the stale wine
make a feast for the birds who's small wing fluttering
are the only sound
the sun's heavy light falls in a narrow shaft
that glows against the dark wood background
i slowly ease my hand into its warmth
like a swimmer testing the waters
i dive in
and my soul swims the shaft of light
up to the bright world
leaving this place of shadows
and this woman of darker dreams

she awakens hours later
to find me laying on the floor with one hand extended out to
where the sun once held sway
laying there wrapped in my dreams of liquid light
dreaming of the day just past
and the days to come
she lay next to me
and cups me in her arms
while weak lights from the street below
shine up into our quiet room
mark john junor Jan 2014
his heavy face drags his head down her shirt
pleads innocence but the grin on his
face calls him a liar liar pants on fire
she just nods knowingly and unbuttons the next one down
cause she has been through the catalogue of this fools parade
and knows a good catch when she has her hooks in him
he starts flapping his arms like a fish outa water
we all just laugh we all been there
we all been a bird in the air

i make coffee but they are intent on the the sideshow
taking place on the couch
i turn to find the girls choir locked in dire straights
with the ****** circus clowns
they will be singing the blues soon enough
cause we all got a price to pay
when the penny comes to a pound
when the carpet bagger comes to call
and the price you pay equal
to the tears you lay

i sit back and light up the room with my handy dandy
nightwatchman flashlight
but soon realize that there are things here id rather not see
as the girls choir gets down and ***** with the clowns
they would rather have a warm bed now
than the cold promise of better kitchens two car garage tomorrow
and im not one to say they are wrong
iv swallowed enough swords
iv seen enough of the bitter bread
so make some room sweetheart
cause you look like you could use some company down there
in your dark corner of the strange parade...
is that a horse head you have on?

this room gets real wild at a quarter to three
the old man has come down
and is talking up the future to some young honey
who knows better but has an eye on his wallet
we all got a price to pay
he gonna give up his riches
shes gonna give up her dreams
all got a price to pay
when  the carpet bagger comes to call

i shake off the dawn
and stumble out to the street
look back to find the whole circus waving goodbye
they all look so happy and content
even the ones with the bloodstains
but that's the price i gotta pay
looks so pretty from this far down the road
looks so warm and inviting with their smiles and lollipops
the circus clowns and the pregnant girls choir
even she seems friendly
in the heat haze of the long hours away
but something reminds me of all her warts
all her filthy fingers grabbing at the shirt-tail
he eyes pleading a different case before the high court
of her own self doubts

when the carpet bagger comes to call
he opens his bag of tricks
and shows you a world of wonder
all glitter and lights
but it isnt till the bill is due
that you remember we all got a price to pay
we all are fish out of water
mark john junor Jul 2024
He wrestles with the blanket
trying by sheer strength of will
to swim out of the deepening tide waters
that overwhelm him
as unseen hands hold him back

no longer am I a brother
I am a stranger tugging at him
as he tries to flee
some unseen danger that troubles his mind

Difficult to stand and watch
difficult to write

He wrestles with the blanket
and curses his accusers
slanders the mediocracy of such an end
to a life lived unapologetically
I never knew that you were so strong
till that strength was gone
fare the well longliner
a son of the sea
may the waves rock you gentle to sleep
long blissful sleep
mark john junor Jun 2014
me and juilet went a walking
in the late day summer sun hand in hand
waving our hello's to neighbor and a few
we lived our smiles
and it did let our souls breath
breath it in deep breath in the worlds beauties
and her hand in mine felt so natural so real
just set the rising sun to the sea of my dreams
felt so natural so real

she lead me into the old town
to this little place where the old woman welcomes
you to her table an feed you a feast
sit and tell the worlds tale
and we lived her smile too
felt so natural so real
the hour grew late
and she passed us the keys to the worlds dream
so we went wanderin under a sea of stars
hand in hand with my true love
just so as they say we lived our smiles
set the rising sun to my sea of dreams

we walked all the way to the beach and back again
so my love lead me once more
this time to our safe harbor of our bed
and we lay entwined and deep with eachother
we lived our smiles once more
felt so natural so real
and just as i drifted to slumbers
i kissed each trinket and bauble woven in her hair
one for her one for me
we lived our smiles on a sea of dreams
so natural so real
mark john junor Sep 2013
capture the falling moment
catch the feeling of being free
as you plunge
the spike in

she crouches in the corner and laments
so forlorn of your passing
so bereft of your soul
she had played her soft hand
had promised all warm things
as you slip in and out of consciousness
as you slip in and out existence

she smiles wide
she knows death when she sees it
she senses it as lovers know each other
she caresses its cold cheek
she takes him inside her
a blackness that consumes and feeds her
a needle point of sharp pain
that spreads her lips in a deep gasp
of pleasures that she cannot contain

darkness forever
with him
entwined in cold sleep

she stares
while you slip benith the surface never to return
saying only that she always wanted to see
someone die
she always wanted to be that close to
her lover death
and she swears that she could feel him in the room
she could feel him plunging into her soft ****
as he pulled you into the next world
death is a doorway
from which there is no return
mark john junor Jul 2013
wet. ambition of her silken hair
scatter my moral compass
but after terse words
we set out on the road
her tale carries us for miles
and leads to many thoughts
but I'm easily distracted and distraught
by soapbox celebritys and their
rabid claims to fame
and am left to letting her choose our path
she pens regrets to me and mails them
to the wrong address so ill never know her love for me
has grown cold

I befriend the postman
putting the letters of my words
carefully on his face with a fine line pen
but he keeps whispering that I should be
so sad because love has been rejected
and my heart was returned marked postage due
the description sours when
the ink hits the page
never quite suits the thought
as we trundle along the stony path
the bone rattling pace lends misgivings

find my way home in the song of her heart
find my weary way to her door
turning the door inward
and see the vault of her hearts fortress
reduced to rubble ans she has
now gone

she has fled eastward
wagon laden with tales and trinkets
her blue dress flowing over the side and fluttering in the breeze
wet ambition is no mercy
wet ambition is cold
written on and spell grammer checked by kindle fire.
mark john junor Nov 2014
for that moment
in the rush and heat of the crowd
under the television cameras and brilliant lights
there was camaraderie and purpose
there was the beauty of belonging to something bigger than
something grand and bright with promise
stood shoulder to shoulder against the powers that be
made the man back down
comrades in arms shouted the chants
held the line
for that moment we were heroes
we were heroes
but now a swift year has flown by
and the struggle no longer makes the five o'clock news
the cameras and crowd is gone
but you linger
because you want it all back
want to hold the line shoulder to shoulder one more time
chant and raise hell for the cause one more time
we were heroes
heroes
but its all faded
down to loud rebels in quiet coffee shops
down to the faded glory of 'remember when's'
and old photographs
(november the fifth)
mark john junor Apr 2016
we danced like we were in paris
danced like lovers under a summer moon
everyone saw us
everyone loved us
the beautiful songs played
while we breathed the romantic night air
wrapped in each others arms
entwined in each others hearts
we were the center of the beautiful world
we were swept away on a sea of love
forever in each heartbeat
forever in each others eyes
we danced like we were in paris
we danced like lovers do
we were the center of the beautiful world
the light shined all around us
everyone saw us
everyone loved us
a warm rain of smiles
a hot long kiss of tenderness
we danced like we were in paris
till the song faded away
we were the center of the beautiful world
till the song faded away
mark john junor Oct 2014
we skipped stones into steel boxes
we sheltered pretty songs from dark nights
we were strong as the sun
we were men of the concrete woods
hammer in hand we smashed stone
hearts in mystery we broke natural laws
gave voice to the unspeakable
made us stronger men
stood on the boulevard and saw the world fall
we brushed back the lace curtain
stood in the pitch black and watched moonrise
with younger eyes and it made us men
wills entwined striving to conquer
striving to find
we were men of shadows
we were men of light
as we skipped stones into steel boxes
and struggled with our demons
we were men of shadows
stronger than the sun
(for stuttering phil and all my other old friends)
mark john junor Nov 2018
we danced like we were in paris
danced like lovers under a summer moon
everyone saw us
everyone loved us
the beautiful songs played
while we breathed the romantic night air
wrapped in each others arms
entwined in each others hearts
we were the center of the beautiful world
we were swept away on a sea of love
forever in each heartbeat
forever in each others eyes
we danced like we were in paris
we danced like lovers do
we were the center of the beautiful world
the light shined all around us
everyone saw us
everyone loved us
they all whispered how lovely we were
marveled at how we danced so beautifully
we were beautiful
we danced like we were in paris
till the song faded away
we were the center of the beautiful world
we were paris
till the song faded away
mark john junor Feb 2017
Quixotes is a dream,
It's a fireplace and songs
Its strong friendship and
beautiful moments shared
It's a thought that guides souls
to a peaceful way
It's wood and brick paint and posters
built with gentle care and loving soul
Quixotes is a world away from the world
where dance is freedom
Laughter and joy are the air we breath
Song a rich tapestry that tells the tale
of how we came to be
Song a river that has flowed thru our lives
in this palace, in this beautiful dream
Quixotes is a sweet jem
sparkling in the sun
forever home for our hearts
Quixotes is a music venue i used to work at, i was the nightwatchmen
mark john junor May 2013
my lover wrapped in white linens
with the small breezes stirring
the curtains
with the first rays of summer morning breaking on her brow
like wild horses scatter full of the power of beauty and purity
with the power of my desire for her
my lover
she lay in my arms
warm and breathing softly
and i tenderly kiss her lips
and tell her that she is my temple
she is a epic adventure that i open each day
to find what wondrous vista she will teach me
what deep mystery she will unlock before me
to find the wonder and beauty i find exploring her and her sweet form
to know her
to be with her
in her
to see the world thru the hope i find in her bright eyes
to see each-other in the everyday of our lives
isn't so hard
when its with someone like her
this poem isnt about bullying...but it is about love and thats somthing we all need.. if your being bullied, and you need sombody...my door is allways open, you are never alone...there are alot of people out there who want to help you....reach out.
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