~



sagged jowls
     speckled with tinsel
             flop as raindrops
                 jump and fly  ~
after
     sad dark eyes
          seek my own
              momentarily joined
                   both of us sigh ~
his body is lumped with tumor
     his breathing ravaged by time
          I look down and well up
             soon I will lose my friend  ~
from a 10 week old fuzz ball
            unwilling to walk down stairs
    to a 13 year old lab-mastiff
             unwilling to go peacefully…
my heart breaks
my head swims
             at the thought
                    my old dog’s life
                          will soon end  /

meaningful conversation
                      gestures of compassion

a tribe of cohorts
fades back into the night ~

each on their path
                developing projects

as if we all pretend to be
                       Santa Claus

     lists are checked twice  ~

a swelling to the point
                        of burst
              fills my breastplate
                      

                          goodbye
                           farewell
until we meet
again /

~




twisted copper

                  adorns this utensil

the weapon of choice

                over a sword
  


                        or pick ~



a relic

nearly forgotten...



my pen /

~



mouths move
               gestures grant meaning

                            some smiles pass
                                   and
                          animated flailing follows ~

     one set of eyes
        does not register    
          my observation
   the droning facilitator
              ******* life and air
        from forced bodies ~

the second hand slips gears
                 time reverses

mounting stress and
         flipping pony tails
              an adjusted power tie
                                  tucked into a grey blazer ~

How long has that coffee cup
                    been floating?    /

slight wisps of frankincense
    traveled to the ceiling
looped and swirled
     before attempting to dissipate ~

within the smoke’s
                                 last throws
     his ghost
                arose
and our eyes met ~

locked in a spacial gaze
my emotion could not contain
      tears fell as my body
                       shook
fear overtook me as
etheric lips parted ~

a voice formed
           deep inside my skull
                 slow and steady
                    guttural mumbling
began to take shape
                    form words ~

a message of perfection
was imprinted on my mind
     complete with feelings
         surrounding order and place
I was exactly where I was
                 supposed to be
doing the very thing
       I was born to do~

inhale    exhale        blink
spongey texture filled the void
    off white and shabby
laughter found sound
and a smile beamed forth
          the ceiling
                    was perfect   /

there is a space
      far out at low tide
          near the mouth of a river
               where the sand is flat
                                                 and wet ~

one instantly remembers
why people thought the
     world had an edge

why they shook

        fists and sticks

ran clutching babe

         to safety of cave

when asteroids passed by ~

why when the goddess comet
               Venus
finally came to find her home

and Mars no longer suffered

when gravitational pull and
      magnetic fields
                   did     not     exist ~

when it could only
      be God
parted waters

and those
feet
in sand like this

saved them ~

global disaster destroyed
                  collective memory

so many have
       the tales

all of their gods
                  saved them ~

it’s easy to remember,
                all so innocent

when the moon
                 is new

when the season is summer

and toes, exposed

can follow a river

   to the sea

          at low tide ~

when stars reflect

                and the world
                       floats away

when it is at first
                       terrifying

to be so small

and simultaneously

invigorating to the
               point
of physical vibration

when recognizing oneself

as part of the all

made by the all

and therefore

yourself the all…………..


I see you Whitman

with your toes          in sand
                
                                                    like this    /

~




neon   flowers


                      b r e a t h e





         in



and

     out

~




attempting   to

                            abandon ego
    



forever on the           patio




my         nudityquakes





storm clouds
                                       pressurize     /

~




writhing
               reptilian bodies…….....


aren’t we    randy




                                                                                       maybe it’s me!   /

~



Can I   be

              the    Father


of modern
              
                        American

                       new           Haiku    (samku)




without          having
                          
                          unprotected        ***?   /

~


soft breeze    






              distant snowy peak





                                                        dreams  
                                                                      cas-
                                                                            ca-
                                                                                 de   /

~

            sea spray


                               casts thin shadow.......



-I'm hungry!

~



is it my white male entitlement

    being forty years old

               having a degree in sociology

                               and anthropology



is it a lifetime of observations

           twenty-five years of poetry

                  constantly seeking new information

                           critically thinking



I am not saying I know better

or

that I can live the black or female

experience



I can say with full confidence

***** and ******

only serve to hold you down ~



when any people identify with a derogatory term
the mental anguish brings self-loathing
it is the backbone of the racist and sexist system
that you will willingly keep yourself
less ~



IT’S ABOUT POWER

OWNERSHIP

HOW DARE YOU WHITE MAN!!!






at the end of the day

       I can’t really help

                 being tired of bitten hands

                              I don’t really care to try



this is just some friendly advice

from the devil

from the root of your suffering

from a white man

who thinks he knows /

~



soothing fragrance        wafts



                          blooming        lavender




- Lovely spring day !

~


hard breathing       long night
repeat    repeat

she holds on
and I wait ~

sponge moisture
     cracked tongue
              injected pain meds

still, her will maintains ~

tears stream as I beg
your non-responsive body
   please     let      go

gurgles rise and fall
with slow chest movement

                in the quiet night
                       soft beeping in the distance
I see the truth

fear keeps you ~

bone fingers, cold and veiny
rest in my own

softly, I begin to tell you
not to be afraid

brother will be fine
I will be fine
your pets will be fine
the house
the yard
the tribe….

it was only 10 minutes down the highway
when the phone call came

when you let go

when you were no longer afraid ~



that was the moment I realized

I was afraid


        of       losing      you /

he sits angry
peering at faces
safe behind glass ~


language of confusion spews
double talk cross examined
fact checked by Christians ~


a nation on the verge
looks east and holds collective breathe
troll goddess versus the masked machismo ~


clinched fists slam faux velvet
then reach for scotch, neat…
alcohol blurs party lines /

~



thick

                    hide trembles


sluffed ice falls





                    miniature avalanche

                                      miniature horse   /

words and images
slowly float     downwards

                        lighting gently
                               upon fleshy earlobes


seeking shelter
they dig      downwards

                      finding comfort
                             in squishy brain matter


tendrils elongate
stretching         downwards
    
                         inspiring memory
                               encouraging creativity



in the dark night eyes shoot open hands scramble visions scribbled scattered ideas surround the silhouette standing in the shadows



rest evades him
pages of poems fall




          downwards /

leaning bamboo


                raindrops make
                                   branches heavy



                                             ………..              also,     my      heart     sags /

also, I remember
sitting on
his knee

             one grey eye lost in youth
                     skin older than the dirt
                           I played in

telling me to gurgle my hard ‘K’ sound
let it roll and sustain ~



           it was a revelation
                the ability to talk to crows  /

wolf and hobo trapeze


              tightrope acrobatics


                        cold nights bring us in

~






holding






her breath                     lit a candle   /

light brush strokes



delicate    oranges and pinks

                 fresh blooms     of cloud



overlaid



breaking day    silent

happening upon

a small     brook
                       fully in babble

I rested on moss, inviting...


  let thoughts     drift


                        maple leaves passed   /

Will                      William                      willingly
  wish                          worn                          weary
weathered               wanton                        women
which                          will                          willingly
waste                           water                        when
washing              whiner's waists'          wintertime?
                wistful                             when

shoved neck twisted chin
                  stress ***** dissipate

vertical lines
above a bridge
       concentration wrinkle

slits peer
pupils dilate
redness
                       sleepless

dew gathers
             corners frown
                      gleaming white
                                shines /

thick sticky sweat rolled
     goose-fleshed back

afternoon swelter
         windowless cell

I broke loose the hypnosis
                    looked ‘round the mirage

      picked a perfect palm
                rested

thoughts melted with yesterday’s ice
cooler unhinged

              when will this end
                     when will it be cool again

summer lamenting blizzard precursor
unhappy humanity casting angry glances
               the sky
                    obliges /

inserting the curved blade
right next to the *******
of a downed doe
he made a smooth and easy slit
right to the base of the chest plate
the entire gut pile slid near into his lap /

surely my skin matched the grey eyes of death
as I watched him snip
a long green ******
from a steaming red liver…
the heart was next pulled and gently placed
into a hat holding a giant liver
his eyes twinkled with pride
as he looked up at me /

my first **** was a good one
317 yards
set the crosshairs
right at the backbone
bottom edge of the neck
223 bullet hit the front shoulder
and rolled into the armpit
sent bone fragments shooting
through the lungs and heart…..
I was a murderer /

the hollow carcass matched my heart
as I shouldered the load
and trudged back the 1.2 miles to camp
only stopping twice to re-adjust my doom
the smell of blood
the weight of killing
and a fat alfalfa fed doe
led me to a difficult conclusion /

at 15 I had spent 8 years tagging along to ever trap line
each fishing trip not during class hours
multiple poaching’s
and now my first legitimate ****, solo…
my head spun /

wrapping the body in a mesh bag
and hanging it in a Juniper
I looked up at my shame
and over into my father’s eyes…

it was the last time I killed…
outside of the occasional mosquito
or spider … /

trailing with head hanging
he loosely held a furry leg
dangling childhood
ear in the dirt
it was a popsicle
had him lagging
more specifically
not having a popsicle
had him lagging
our backwards glances
feeding young misery
the occasional grumble
and sigh
as smooth round stones
rolled past our dusty feet /

She exhaled spring,




                              a newness filled my senses…..





                  reborn in her eyes.

As one

                                                of SEVEN billion

I


   s
     u
        p
          p
             o
               r
                  t


random




                             population
                                         control.

Her hand recoiled,



                                        the deep chill was far too much...




his hands were winter.

soft scents of drying lavender send me reeling
                    my eyes close to an image
                                    her smile

delicate shoots of fresh spring green
                     hold our bodies
                                     we smile

geese speak to the shifting seasons
                       our laugher matches their song
                                        I smile

morning mist lays thick upon the valley floor
                        shortening days bring yellowed leaf
                                         she smiles

thin rays pass folded curtain
                        morning sunshine plays across her freckles
                                           I smile

t’were the fattest of heads
got lodged in the slats
poking through red faced
freckles seemingly expanding
from a cavernous face hole
came the moaning of despair
the wail of youthful embarrassment
followed by the sniffling sobs
of one who has given up ~

water balloons flew
open-handed slaps
visited the wedged bully
spittle rained from above
a child with yellow liquid
told everyone he peed in a cup
as it streamed around his forehead
and passed his cheek
we could all smell the lemonade ~

parents and police
firetrucks and tears
fat headed bully was finally freed
glowing face became soft pink
leaving only the freckles and hair
to show red in the evening sun ~

steaked cheeks flashed angry eyes
fists clinched and opened involuntarily
silent mutterings of vengeance played
across bloodied and bruised lip skin
he closed his eyes tight
picturing only his father’s pistol
and the lunchtime
or recess
that would change everyone’s life /

it caught the corner
             of my eye

Pavlovian neck twist
jarring synapsis
                  tears followed

was it a ghost
or flickering dust particulate
                   sent me
                             crashing into your picture

sitting crisscross
considering memory’s place
longing to touch your finger
              

                               soft sunlight played
                               dog dander and field burn
                               swirled in the long evening

the radio crackled
long forgotten songs
        played on vinyl

once again they fell
    
                  Is today your birthday?
                  Anniversary?

numbers blur
last year’s calendar
still hangs
         rectangle wall stain

emotions wipe away
mental images persist
a face through the years

               suddenly I stand alone /

what message do you bring
blue and gold dragonfly
taking my attention
as you dart and turn
where are we going
my eyes travel with you
over and under
around and through
we buzz flower tops
seeking feast or rest /

it is your quiet song that sooths me
on lonely cloud filled evenings
endlessly circumnavigating the pond’s edge
only ever stopping momentarily /

breathing deepens
your wings engulf me
sinking into a soft and inviting
exoskeleton
you transport me /

flashing neon laser architecture
silhouetted pyramids pass
increasing speed
as we careen
multidimensional beings
statuesque
gaze through me
looking deep into a subconscious
imprinting designs and rhythms
asking me to carry something back /

the alarm buzzes and I am reminded
on the windowsill
a perched dragonfly twitches a wing
dial turns twice to a 9 a.m. position
and fly’s off into the morning sun……

my mind reels trying to remember
fading dreams carry the
idea of a message into the ether

I sit on the edge
contemplating /

1 –
backlit hand drummer
perspiration flies
low cloud hangs
feet in rhythm

2-
jiggling flesh
paint smears
and runs
musky lust fills nostrils

3-
fat fingers pound
pressure variations
timeless chanting
congas and djembes howl

4-
shutters snap
cellphones extend
capturing images
leaving feeling to memory

5-
eyes sting
throats contract
dust and sweat mingle
rivulets of joy
delta

it were the combination
of monsoon deluge
and gale force hurricane
broke me free
sent me to spinning

twirled for what must’ve been a year
before touchdown
even this was turbulent
as I rapidly descended
the high mountain canyon

tossed over slick black rocks
drifting faster and faster
when all ahead was blue
clouds and birds flittered
time froze

unlike my previous freefall
this was abusive
streams pummeled my body
frayed my edges
left me soaked to the core

I washed, after a time, upon a sandy beach
barely conscious…
once I had served a great Oak
gathering sunlight
these memories swirled like the adjacent eddy

slowly, like daybreak for the farmer
a realization took shape
never again would I photosynthesize
never again would ladybugs crawl across my face
I had lost my home

It was near that same moment
when a new vision filled my senses
upon my decomposition
and death
I would feed the forest
my nutrients living in the soil forever –

swinging frayed rope
holds a rotten board
thin grain shows dark
between mold and grit
worn smooth imprints
     babe buttock

howling precursor
black horizon
fat droplets shift dust
pacing hound bays
rattle-trap ford
        crunching gravel

sizzle of fried flour
distracts mud pie designers
one less hen
late Saturday dinner
grandad’s pipe
       cherry tobacco smoke tendrils

low tones from behind a fire
pine burns hot and fast
sweat droplets fall
drink for dark earth
woodless floor, uneven
carries years of sweat
       and tears –

Tebow was a good



         college athlete........


this has not


                     translated  –

--each a world
unto themselves--curiously will also die,     -Butch Decatoria


one world breaks free
leaving behind inadequacies constructed
dark matter parting
like crowds for an EMT
the power of a siren
when colored with blood and fear

transient bellhops eagerly reach
calloused hands slick with Vaseline
attempting to alleviate any misunderstandings
through suggestive banter and rubbing of their crotch..
bile rises with fervor
tightly clasped hands only rainbow the spew

“is this really happening?”
swaying trees seems to whisper
sharpened chains rip away time
answers drift down polluted streams –

synchronistic wistfulness
as whiskered bliss seekers twist
in the mist - resisting fists
they insist on listing
that which might bring blistering
like a toxic ring – singing telemarketers
embarking journey, Skylark_Buick
truant Mister simplistically playing Twister
sister shifts the syncopate
and we wait
…………………..
grateful for the break and taking
glitter flake covered roller-skates to the frozen lake
mistakenly banking to sharply
frost bitten carp seems
too dark in the evening
like Marky Mark bringing fresh beats
to a Lou Reed jam on the mean streets
neither much enjoying to eat sweets
but seemingly twin-like between the ole bed sheets…….
……………………
spoke out of turn regarding their *** lives
pretty sure at least one of them had a fat wife
who lived off of bonbons and smoked a chipped crack pipe
…………………
unsure how to end I can’t help but still write
and because words do flow I consider this just right
can you guess my favorite whale? Obviously,

                            the Right

favorite airplane designers
                    
                             ...... also the Wright -

clad only in flannel sheet
her supple ***** partially exposed
gave me pause
as I gathered gear for the work day at hand
in the delicate pre-dawn glow
her pale skin seems a perfect hue
both enticing and entrancing
my eyes lingered ~

if only to be late
or play sick
options pass through my mind
as her steady breathing
and barely perceptible
falling and return of her chest
invoke a myriad of delights
none of which involve
going to work today ~

pulling shoestrings tight
and buckling a leather belt
I glance, once again, over my shoulder
longingly gazing at a her sleeping body
in the back of my mind I hear
the tell-tale words of strength,
“it is only a few hours…” ~

inaudible sigh slips my lips as I close the door
her slumbering undisturbed
my heart full of love
I am ready for another work day /

sharp granules jut forth
piecing skin wrinkled  
crimson droplets leave paths
across white stucco
and dingy linoleum

yellow dots
speckle the lid
peanut butter smear
dulls the shiny silver handle

pattering feet
isolated hurricane
towels acts as wind gusts
dripping shorts a deluge

flying crust lands in green grass
flying youth lands in cool blue
screams fill the sky
but only rushing bubbles does he hear /

raincloud absenteeism
the scorched earth tendrils heat
mirages of Arabian oasis melt
two tiny quail chicks
seemingly spontaneously combust

skink tongue stretches to the horizon
flowing outward along the contour
rising and falling
fading only to reappear

figment transforms
as silver edges harden
speeding Plymouth breaks the spell

seeing a chrome ******
float off to the east
my plight becomes tangible
red arm stretches out
awaiting the next passing chance