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

you are a
beautiful bird
so colorful
and delicate
living a life of
sudden movements
chasing a breeze

I have no net
I have no cage

so I hold out
my hands

in the gentlest way

and hope
you land

in them
to rest

before you
have to leave

I am not an atheist
but it is not god that

interests me

what interests me most
is the humanity we all share

the pain we hold
the way we heal

the love we break
and mend to each other

the lies we tell to
protect each other

the truth we tell
to protect each other

what we remember
what we choose not

to forget

or what we do not forget
whether we choose it or not

and the ways we
express it all

as humans

the meaning
of a girl

to be all
she can be

in this world
and any other

when the moon

covers the sun
we call it

an eclipse
when she rises

to her peak
she doesn’t cover

anyone

life is not
really a

competition
everyone can

shine that is
the point of

being different

the wait for
an opening

seems like
we died

and this is
eternity

the city cries
it is so lonely

it could handle
the weight of

hustle and bustle

but it is feeling
crushed by all

this wait

neck stretched
to see

elongated
is one of
my favorite
words

curves hold
your tilted

head

are you
thinking

about
someone

or something

I hope it is
something

or me

time & space
are teachers

if we let them be

we need to see
each other

existing

in time & space
and know

we are constrained
we are flawed

we need to learn
to be better and

we really do
need to forgive

each other

I didn’t need
to say a word

she smelled
the pain on

my breath

the desire for
healing or death

she colored
my life

darker than blood
deeper than love

making me
take my

first breath
of violence

you gave into the
slow strangulation

of blood

passed from one
to the other

family is fate
seeds crack

and spread disease
one man after

another falls
look into the mirror

see the past
play the game

tag you’re it

ghost

she said
to me

I am a
magical

creature

I can
disappear

if I want to

I know
I can

because
I was

invisible
for most

of my
teenage

years

I saw her fold
it slowly

carefully

pressing her
thumb over

each fold
making sure

they were
perfect

lifting and
extending

her left arm

releasing the
plane into

the air and
walking away

she didn’t
know I

was watching
waiting for it

to land

the vulnerable
drip

blood
sweat &
tears

leave stains
saying I

was here
they dare

not speak
the words

that they
feel

but they
hear

all that
you say

and don’t
say

they have
been

trained to
listen

to space
and this

is a strength
that will

reveal itself
eventually

on the first day
we breathe
fresh air

our minds
come to life

we sense the
movement of
small things

inside and out
the connecting

of two neurons
the twitch of

an ant’s leg
before it moves

it is like the
beginning of

love when

we drop our
heavy weights

and hold hands

each step
I take is

a dance
without
a partner

everyday
is a practice

for a life
I never live

I too wish
I was special

the drumbeat
carries the
emotion

of desire

the thump of
growing pressure

that won’t let me up

pushing me deeper
into myself

so that I stand
close to you

smell you
feel the heat
leaving your

skin

but I can never
reach you

I don’t
belong here

I don’t
belong here

abstractions are chemicals

be careful when you
use them

they can be explosive
and only use them

if they are necessary
and if you

understand and can explain
the ingredients

their chemical composition

otherwise spend the
time learning them

before you express
them to others

and like scientists
engage in peer review

before you use them

make sure others
challenge you

to make your
points stronger

or leave it to
the professionals

which isn’t you
if you can’t clearly

explain yourself
or can’t handle being

challenged

was one of my
mom’s favorites

there was something
about it that disturbed me

so I didn’t like it and

she wouldn’t make me eat it
and sometimes she wouldn’t

make it at all
because of me

even though she loved it
maybe that is love


----



I would eat it if
she was still around

to make it


---



maybe that is love

is anything more
painful than

holding in
the pressure

building
in any part

it doesn’t
matter which

everything needs
to be released

is anything more
painful than

holding in

the clouds
know the answer

the demon
is named

power
look at

the faces
as they

speak

eyes widen
lips snarl

voices expand

words lose
meaning

in emotion

the only
antidote

to power

is to listen
closely

study

and think
for yourself

power only
grows when

it is unchecked

I walk amongst you
I want to say

I am you but you
never let me get

close to you

I want you to know
I am skittish

like you I am
afraid of being seen

I want to run to my hole
climb my tree
fly to another branch

when anyone gets
too close

but you never
let me get

close to you
to tell you

how I feel
close to you

silly is the
perfect word

it lightens my mind
and makes me

feel free to feel
another way

I can let go
of the weights

that hold me down

and for a moment
I can float

on a flat surface
her long stem

is singular
reaching up

to a deep cup
half-filled

or half-empty

either way
it’s not for long

I am a playful beast

and I love to play
with words

the pieces of
a language

the keys to
understanding

your secrets
the truth you

buried deep inside

I want us to create
a new language

to tell our secrets
to each other

the secrets that
only we can

understand and share

I had a monkey

he was yellow
and black

with a plastic face

he held a banana
I held him

he was soft

I carried him
everywhere

he helped me
sleep in the dark

he let me cry
and didn’t

shush me

the power of
bleeding knuckles

love/hate

a wail
a scream

almost
silence

a heart
beating

syncopation
restoration
revenge

a piece of the
beast lived in me

he didn’t know
if he defeated me

he became vulnerable
and I would live

a little longer
than him

entering a world

with words
without meaning

the poet is
without words

feelings becoming
a soul disease

a virus

for him or her
or whatever form

this creature takes

the poet knows
there is no point

to live in this world
poets do not write

words they dance
with meanings

and in a world
without meaning

the choose to
speak through

their silence

you didn’t
speak my name

out loud

you swept me
under the rug

I was that
bulge everyone

stepped over

I was not
a mystery

in fact
I was

quite famous

everyone
knew me

or wanted
to know me

but you made
sure I would

never be more
than a whisper

touch me

without
fingers

whisper
words

that reach
deep

inside

breathe life
into

my dead spots

resurrect my
soul

make me
feel

too much

overwhelm
me

make me
lose

my words

make me
blubber

and shed

went for
a walk

in these
dangerous
times

intending
on stopping

at Rite-Aid

hoping to find
some things

I need

and there
it was

one lonely eight
pack of

toilet paper

just waiting
for me

I picked it
up smiling

walking to
the register

feeling in
my empty

pockets

shiiiiit

went home
came back

it was gone

I guess

I have to drive
around tomorrow

looking for my
lost treasure

my mind at night

I reach for
the shiniest stars

wanting to burn bright
I notice details

the layers of everything
the connections

between light and dark

and when I
think like this

each word I conjure
is an ocean

wanting to drown me

I imagine I am a
rock star screaming

my wants are so deep

that I consume
everything

and I still feel empty

I remember
a boy who

could not swim
in water

so he would
escape into

a lake of ferns
he would crawl

silently and
imagine

becoming part
of the earth

he would lie
still for hours

no one could

see him in
the green

waves created
by the wind

they would
walk right

by him as if
he was just

another fern

I remember when
I first met you

in the Navy
on the carrier
in the office
on a cassette tape

new wave aaron
introduced me

he was odd with
a great big heart

and you were
deep and emotional

with a sound that
broke my soul

when it needed
to break

I think about the
people I met

through life and
the gifts they gave

exposing me to
music that stays

with me for life
I wonder where he is

I know he married a girl
named Paris

and moved to Hawaii
but that was long ago

maybe I’ll listen to
you tonight

I need to break

last night

she met the
place where

dreams stop
she woke up

crying
without tears

screaming in
the desert

the emptiness
an endless

echo asking

life has a way
of living

when left alone

it flows from
every angle

it senses
sensuality

in every movement
it leaps and lands

with the

beauty of
a ballet body

intelligent
gents

mastering
language

and sounds

perfectly
measured

mixing just
the right

ingredients
every time

I am so empty

I could drown in
shallow water

I need you
to save me

you know so much

tell me something
deep that

will fill me
for months

make it slow
make it drip

into me

let me savor
each point

like only you
know how

don’t move.  the pieces.  they were placed.  so perfectly.  each one.  has a purpose.  and if everything.  goes as planned.  I can’t lose.  if you just.  do as I.  think.  you will do.  it will all.  work out.  and I will win.

isn’t life grand.

I saw through her

her eyes
were clear

reflecting her life

she never tried
to hide

she was never
ashamed

I never asked
her to repeat

herself

she had one life
and she lived it

once

I was jealous
always wanting

a second chance

it was crawling down
my wall

a thin white strand
extended

it was escaping something
or breaking in

either way I didn’t ask
I just reacted

I thought I killed a spider

but when I went to
clean up the body

it was gone

now I am scratching
my skin

feeling bites
seeing red

checking my ears
for eggs

thinking about what
will happen when I sleep

experiencing every second
of its sweet revenge

words can link us
to each other

but your words are
not bridges

so please don’t fall

the cliffs are jagged
and you could

accidentally land
on a point

then what would
we do

raised in empathy
not to be your

enemy
why do you

hate me you
never even

met me
you call me

a name but
I already have

a name please
let me

introduce myself
you will see

we are blood
relatives

she dips her
head in a

puddle of his tears

breathing in
deeply she

holds her breath

waiting for
that dove with

the broken wing
to bring her hope

the single
soldier

I position
next to

his peers
I move them

about trying
to find the

perfect
formation

for this
attack

the enemy
is confusion

victory is
meaning

about those
things that

matter most

don’t hurt
my feelings

they are
so small

and fragile

they are
all I have

inside me
I don’t want

to be empty
so please

I am asking
nicely

your bones
do not exist

limbs of
an insect

you speak
through

movement
a language

too subtle
to hear

watching you
I am lost

watching you
I find

myself in
your movement

too subtle
to notice

loud enough
to feel

deeply

she is

a scratch in
the back of
my throat

I cannot
cough her
away

she is not

contagious
it seems

only I am
infected

the laughing cackles
from over there

lips of a pack
of perfectly
manicured hyenas

unable to control
their simple natures

they speak simple and
repeat each other

simply

they would choke
on three syllable

words and

I would laugh
but they don’t

deserve my
sense of humor

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

I am not alone
the past is

always with me
and memory is

never pure
or static

so I always
make new friends

or learn something
new about

old friends

I was not home
when you called

used to be enough
it gave us space

we could be apart
and survive on our

own
now

everyone has to
be connected

all the time
I feel wired
         weird

like

I’m part of
a machine

I’m always
close enough

to everyone so
they can touch me

but sometimes
I don’t want to

be reached