John Destalo

John Destalo Aug 2020

I asked her
where she
was going

I asked her
where she
was from

John Destalo Aug 2020

couldn’t sit still

made many nests
out of the discarded

was startled
by the sudden

and scared of
being held

created sounds
so pure

they made me cry

I could watch her
listen to her
name her

that’s all she
let me do

John Destalo Aug 2020

just saying

the night is late
the liquid is rich
the smoke is thick
the lights are low
the sounds are deep

the words are
soft and smooth

and she is…

a slow dance
a last chance

John Destalo Aug 2020

sad clown

onstage

I paint
a smile
create
a mask
it is
my gift
to you
to make
you laugh

offstage

each
moment
I live
ends in
tiny
deaths
tiny
pieces of
me
disappear
when you laugh

John Destalo Aug 2020

the final battle

I rode a
nightmare

into the
mountains

to meet my maker

a creature
calling my name

I followed
the deep bellow

an echo of
the ancient past

I knew I
would find

life or death

either way
our war will

finally be settled

John Destalo Aug 2020

metamorphosis

she absorbs and emits

creates atmosphere
and odors

changes the world
at the micro level

we sense something
we cannot name

we feel needs
and desires

we move in
a frenzy

escaping
emerging

we dance and
transform

John Destalo Aug 2020

my art

asks questions
without

question marks
you do not

understand
that is the start

shed your first
layer of knowing

scratch yourself
pink and raw

do not let it
scab or heal

there are so
many layers

to go

it is more
painful the

longer you wait