In a moment of defeat and despair,
we begged, “What will you eat?!”
"Noodles!" She declared.
"Noodles," we agreed, "noodles are fine."

And so noodles upon noodles upon
noodles we’ve tried: noodles boiled,
steamed and fried; strings, tubes and
swirls; noodles shaped like bunnies,
unicorns and dinosaurs; in sauces
and soups, in cheesious goops;

noodles with veggies (until veggies
were banned); noodles with
mushrooms (only from a can);
noodles made of wheat, lentils, rice or
corn - noodles made of everything
noodles could suborn.

Noodles for lunch and for dinner -
noodles again and again and again
- and what then? How many times
can one noodle? How many noodles
until brains begin to spill onto plates
in a braineous-noodle-ous state?

Noodles for breakfast - can’t do it.
Noodles for lunch - can’t get thru it.
Noodles are banned! Noodles are
not welcome near here - never again!
At least not today anyway.

Ok, fine...


NCL August 2019

make mouths
pull on the muscles under the face
express self at the world we present to you
(straining it all in
through your finking eyes)

make return actions
and make us understand
that you are pleased
and that we are not just
madly flailing at this ‘parent’ business.

mothers and fathers
do not wish
upon your children
a life free of pain
that would be impossible
rather wish upon them
strength and learning
from the pain in life

I love you, my sweet, little bug
We lazed this morning, cuddly snug
Hiding from a drizzly day
Warm and giggling as we lay
Hearting art, space and cats
Asking questions, having chats
Watching mag lev trains on screen
Learning magnetism for the keen
A picture couldn’t hold this bliss
Nor any words fully reminisce
The two of us, affectionately enspooned
Love, peace, curiousity, cocooned

NCL April 2019

He wants me
He says.

Don't they all?

I am tired of being wanted.
I am tired of being needed.

You have yourself a passel of kids
Out your own wahoo --
You wouldn't want to be wanted neither.

Don't want me.
Don't need me.

Bring me flowers and roses
And mix tapes
And doughnuts
On Sunday morning.

Kiss me.
Sweep me up in your arms.
Look me in the eyes.

That would send me.

Bring me.
Send me.

Don't want me.
Don't need me.

The want and the need make me tired.
The bring and the send makes me free!

But.
Maybe.

He, too, is tired of being wanted and needed.

Well.
Then.
What are we to do?

Want and need one another?

No.
Too many competing demands.

Take my hand.
Please.
Just tell me you love me.

Don't want me.

Don't need me.

Just love me.

And I will just love you.

What does your daddy do?
He got rid of his working shoes
When he does not snooze
He listens to old tunes
While his tea brews
He reads the news
He likes to cruise and take in the views
My daddy is cool.

What about your mommy?
She's busy, busy making money
Take a break honey, says daddy.
I'm still young, she gets cocky.
Give her a ***, she'll make a curry
Ask her for a penny, she'll buy you a pony
Witty, sassy, finicky, pretty and many
More to add to her personality.
Let me end her story
Before you say I love her more than daddy.

your thoughts and values
are they really yours
or were they inherited
from your mother or father
or your friends or teachers
perhaps your thoughts and values
developed from your past pain
what if you let go of your
inherited thought patterns
what if you let yourself have
a blank slate of thoughts and values
to invent a new you
the real you

we love our parents
but we must not be our parents
we honor our parents
by having our own identity
better to be the apple
that falls far from the tree
better to live your life
your way

what did i ever do
to deserve a woman
as cruel and heartless
as you?