torment and lament... drifting
stark disintegrating and sifting
leave now or stay....
either howl or pray

dust reclaims and hovers
the last pieces of broken lovers
you drew each other's air
now suffocating in lonely despair

unmatched... unmet glory
stilled and blind... a whole new story
he said it... you read... it's wrong
neither, now know where to belong

tattered and empty in disarray
deaf and dumb nothing left to say
last touch last breath... embrace
your final look up close... at her face

if asked say not what you really think or thought
for times come so quickly and knowledge fades so fast
all it takes is a head turn or gulp and it is all gone seems alien
what you gathered so carefully with great fuss and bother
drifts away without even a glimpse back or a simple wave...

goodbye...

love ones... lovers... great sounds... tastes... temptations
ways of thinking lusting finding groping sleeping dreaming
staying awake... dancing laughing... acting the fool... going silent
writing down... looking up... taking sides... letting out... taking in
fighting wanting, remembering and forgetting all so you can say

hello...

there are in this place so many words
of wonder, regret, unbounded faith and hope
resilience and surrender... so much piety
and lust.... forgiveness and grace

they all fall perilously to their fields of purity
and offer the readers eye a ballet of sumptuous
journeying to all places remembered not
yet known... some simply discarded

ever sure we may get tripped up we
scale these walls these monuments of
other worlds and ways of navigation
in plain anticipation of revelation

or confirmation... how did I do that
would I do that, can I say that
how rich and clever or demonically
unnerving or so delicate a palette of

consonants and vowels stringing
along our hearts our minds
our landscapes our escapes
our bodies... our homes our desires

park your dreams steady your
innards zip your pants
tidy your workplace... make ready
your smiles and screams are waiting...

clever is the fortuitous man to surmise
the ever-changing meaning and machinations
of life's tinsel and flagrant floppiness
flipping and bending about immeasurably
to whims and claims and vignettes of
times past and future just guessing
and murmuring assumptions and platitudes
irascible mendacities or sagacity ever plain
in your mind's eye to blink or close
perceive or persuade the idle viewer or
dedicated neophyte all matter is but
conjecture for sure it illuminates both the heavens
and darkens the pits of hell

on gray hard streets we pounded out our youth
amidst tightly knitted cobble stone pathways
and shining windows always kept clean
struggling strong immigrants far and wide
teemed fruitfully through long days
and playful front stoop games
ring a leeveo and johnny on a pony
stick ball, jax and my favorite skellzey
mostly happy but deadly too
many ways of speaking were spoken
cultures clashed but soon subsided
in quiet civility and tamed calm
that all efforts would bring ahead more
bright days and simple luxuries
a streetside chat... a day at Orchard Beach
breezy stroll through Crotona Park...
a picnic by water's edge and maybe a hooked flounder
pale afternoon sun would blaze firey red at sunset
then pink and purple painted effortlessly
across our sleeping skies
we longed just for friendly pushing around
flirting with the girls when the nerve came up
and smart challenges of who could do what
when and how
for then that time, our time it was
all just a dream a day and the glories
of growing up...

out of sight, out of mind, out of your mind
come across, come away, come to play, come and find
in the mix, in the groove, in step, inconclusive
thrown down, thrown across, thrown away, elusive

heir apparent, up in the air, air it out, air line, line up
fill in, fill it up, get your fill, fill your cup
talk alot, talk out loud, walk the talk, talk is cheap
cry baby, cry a tear, cry for me, cry or weep

can we humans be more like weeds
grow abundantly... with little needs
sprout boldly from the smallest crack
reach skyward always... never looking back
thrive miraculously where well cared friends wither
yet florish side by side with a hint to come hither
stand ruthlessly against mans' herbicides
or chopped to the root and cast aside

our petals and leaves we open wide to all
though not invited ours is... a grand sprawl
with fine frons and feathery wisps
our sturdyness does not engender idle quips
we bend and sway in the mightiest torrent
with roots so deep... some find us abhorrent
but all and all... in all of our landscapes
there is a just place for man, plants and apes