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that I ignored
stood out
like the crimson cape
of the matador. And every

sword
he flung -
I ignored the
barbed edge

that stung.  I charged
ahead as I bled. Was it
pomp and circumstance
that led me to

this deadly dance? Was it
brawn that made me
float just like a swan? And as he
took a bow, standing straight

for the crowd
of his fellow men
was it I that then
saw the flag
raised again?
 Jul 2022 Chuck Kean
Shamai
Bye Bye
 Jul 2022 Chuck Kean
Shamai
Did you walk the dog
Did you make some tea
I don’t know what’s
Come over me
I don’t want to do it
I’d rather rest
Watch some TV
Not take a quest
I’m just feeling lazy
Want to stay in bed
Covers are pulled
Right over my head
I’m hiding from others
I’m hiding from self
I’d much rather be sitting
Upon a shelf
It’s easier to do nothing
Than get involved
I’d rather be hiding
And be absolved
But I do peep out
And what do I see
A friendly smile
Coming at me
Maybe it’s not so bad
Maybe I can give it a try
I think I’ll go out now
Oh well, bye bye
I find soft asylum
When I lay beside you
And you give sanctuary
When my mind is askew

A place to go hide
From the evil that they do
And the peace I find here
Is our alone; just us two

-AJT
Little bits of you
drip into my brain
at 3 am
most nights
causing me to wake
and gasp
struggle for breath
but not
in a good way.
“where summer’s bronzes dull and sink”

the trees are like
wet coat hangers,
holding up the leaves,

my cat is frosty like
an october morn,
sleeping on the sill,

everything is dripping
like a wet pair of
jeans taken out of the wash,

the sky wears its greys
of cloud, dim and dramatic
it opens summer eyes.
I'm a part time atheist
praying to a 9 to 5 god
I fall in love with strangers
everywhere and always
I try to live outside my skin
until it drags me into rehab
I can't live in here and now
or then and there until I
find me inside a mirror
take a selfie with Alice.
Come closer into the light.
  I need to smell your beauty
  to quiet demons in my head.
  God's tears cleanse our souls.
  Come closer still, touch me,
  calm my tremors still my hands.
  Closer hold me closer and we'll
  transcend broken in our world.
  Dance closer, watch the stars.
  Hear death's music ever closer.
The days go by fast,
and even though we just met,
it's like a lifetime
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