I'm 75
still alive
beat the odds
defied the gods.
My libido dead
wet the bed
depends instead
Keep your head.

Hold the present now
it will be precious.
Hug it, and taste it.
Remember it delicious.

Falling in love is easy.
Riding a carousel in
the bed together until
full moon and fireworks
a wedding and a baby
and bills and we get fat
and forget how to laugh.
We want to make love or
just *** but these tired
beasts of burdens forget.
I need Aphrodite.
You need Hercules.

What kind of dust
will my remains be?
What worms taste
in my funeral waste.
Humorous and kind
angry and cruel blind.
Hedonist pleasure
my ultimate treasure.

Please just make
Hello Poetry
kid friendly.
Better for you
and for me.
The heck with
Chuck Bukowski,
Ginsberg's Howl.

Can we pour tears on the page?
  Paint war's horrors in poetry?
  Draw portraits with words?
  Make you feel love? First kiss?
  Broken heart? Pet's death?
  Parent's divorce split in two?
  Anguish of love in back seats?
  Can we poets make you feel it?
Life's butchers pacing beats
always end up eating ****.

I'm a blind man without a sun.
We live in different mirrors.
You have light for everyone.
I live life that never appears.

Stalling is my only move.
We'll really live tomorrow.
One more chance to prove
one more chance to borrow.
Promise to pay my bar tab
with an IOU of pure sorrow.

The thirst never leaves
feed me sate me please.
You brought temptation
a paper bag invitation.
My throat is dry dust
promises die in trust.

Keep laughing
you never cried
at my dancing
all I did was died.
My soul is prancing
pearly gates pride.

It was an antiseptic space. The doctor said
   something I couldn't quite hear because loud
   seconds echoed from recent life I lived instead
   and the waiting room had an infested crowd.

   I heard stage 4, in your blood, invading your
   entire body, maybe 3 months. The noise shone
   louder. Each tick became a bomb in a war zone.
   Deafening. I thanked her and shuffled home.

   My girl just turned 2. Collateral damage.
   What god does this to my wife and our baby?
   I'm smaller each day disappearing in young age
   I smile air kisses goodbye to my fading family.

My libido was off the charts
with Striptease dancer's arts.
15, last row tiny women dance
tempting with teased romance
sweating in worn broken row
they pop balloons and I know
I swear I saw her tattoo thigh,
one more drink staying high,
one more pull from my flask.
Just one last question to ask.

Strip our beds
of all the sheets.
Wash wet dreams
off the ***** streets.
Sleep on warm grates
wrapped in old news
sleep in a needle waits
dream death's blues.

We haven't spoken
since one of us died,
old bonds broken.
The other one cried.

You weren't seen
in my blind spot
too old so young
perfect ink blot
no trouble at all
self absorbed dad
in and out of love
edge of mind mad.
I forgot to care
for the tattered
broken Daughter
always mattered.

I am kind.
  I am cruel.
  I am loved
  and a fool.
  I am guilty.
  I am free.
  You'll find me
  suffering in
Cincinnati,
Ohio.

Spring

We fall in love
fist in glove
a God above
birthing dove.

Summer

Build our nest
for our blessed
birth a ****** mess
she survives distress.

Autumn

Princess on a carousel
Loves knight foretell
parts heaven and hell
down the wishing well.

    Winter

Old bones always ache
cold as hell, a snake
as I die my soul take
to hell, no mistake.

She made me a scarf.
It was Ireland green
France Fleur de lis blue
Germany's sunset red.
She worries about me like
a treasure in her heart
where I feel most at home,
that will be lost someday.

Hospice room's machines
a healthy noise harmony
song of the Opera queens
perfect pitch is the irony.

The end is always near
morphine drip constants
dreams of lovers so dear
death gets what it wants.

The final absolute end
with her infinity reach.
Flowers mourners send
Hymn a buzzard screech.

I stare into my bloodshot eyes.
I count the stains of long goodbyes.
Forgive my sins rosary bead lies.
Let her sleep or the baby cries.

Adolf ****** loved the Jew
Charlie Chaplain. Who knew?
His mustache proudly wore,
he woke the sleeping world.
Allies bombed his bed
suicide with Eva dead.

Somewhere in space time
inside couplets and rhyme.
Naked inside Georgine
New Jersey *** machine
another angel from hell
helps me break a spell.

Mommy works a waitress
I quit my job proud protest.
We walk barefoot to dive bar
a gallon jug to fill with beer.
We watch The Point on TV.
We three just wander free.
Mommy cries real tears
frightened by real fears.

I was 5
insecure
living
not sure
dad was
war torn
bomber
reborn
in flak
no way back.
PTSD
what it be
a misery
die me free
if only
it'd be.

Just leaking sin
my broken skin
a hundred *****
a couple of stunts.
Saturday confession
I never learn a lesson.
I'll try again Saturday
in hayloft get my way.
Linda Hotze  please,
give me your cheese.

You'd never believe what I saw.
Staring into the gaping maw
I saw Rusty's puppy paw
took him in my heart raw.
He died on the 4th of July
bombs exploding in the sky
I held him tight and knew,
it broke our hearts in two.

Eugene O'Neill


  Haunted stern looking playwright.
  Should've married Zelda Fitzgerald.
  Ghosts on the sands of Province town
  looking beautiful in black and white.

  Snapshots define them for generations.
  Always slim and bashful for cameras.
  I have always been the iceman in cold
  shadows of my earthly greedy nations.

At 6 feet apart
mask no kisses
love has no heart
only near misses.

My old hands are crooked flaws
tear our flesh accidental claws
we make hungry clumsy love
when a push becomes a shove.

I wish I knew you then.
I wish we'd start again.
I wish we've grown thin.
I wish I remembered then.

I'm sun you're rain,
    Pleasure to the pain.
    Cracked heart sustain.
    Join in Love's refrain.

A million laughs
and bubble baths,
loud 1812 Overture
drugs open aperture.
Both mutes *******
broncos are bucking.
Watch silent movies
Garbo on her knees.

2 lost souls met at Rugby's and
  crawled into each others heart.
  We loved 3 days and rose again
  into Southern light's fresh start.

Santa Ana winds
angry fire maker
arsonist unbends
pizza oven baker.

Everything came apart
shattered my heart
splinters always bring
paper cut pain unseen.

I can't regret
what I forget.

The petting
the kissing
the getting
just missing

That night we came together
into the sacred secret Eden
my Adam your Eve forever
forbidden fruit not eaten.

The blue pill promises hard times
marriages revived in bed crimes.
Beware your old weak hearts
at love's sudden restarts.

We finally dare
to question you
pretend to care?
Nothing is true.

Heart, courage,brain
Snake oil bromide
rob us blind again,
jab into genocide.

I'm lost into pieces
we share starry night
hearts ignite flames
look for love or flight.
Absinthe madness
troubled tongue
ending in sadness
no longer young.
Beauty cracks
old wax mask
wrinkled witch
taken to task.

I want to
and have
apply you
magic salve.
Stop the clocks.
Turn off time
no more tocks
froze in rhyme.
Famous painting
hangs in France
with crooked smile
and one more dance.

The sun that keeps us alive
steals our souls to survive.

Lover's fingers on ivory keys
play moving music all about
broken vows on bent knees.
Sowing Love's forever doubt.

I have no fear or hate,
just a shadow of a fate.
Never too early or late,
nothing I can anticipate.

D.C. Addicted ******

Civilization crumbles with laws
made of DC lies from the jaws
of mindless government ******
barter dignity at Dollar Stores
buy the fish on Motel 6 floors
commies finally won the wars.

The minute hand crawls to 10
wonders what might have been
permission given to finally sleep
pray to god my soul to keep.

It hasn't happened for years.
I tell my wife it's dream tears.
Bought Adult Depends at last
try holding the currents fast.
Sadly there is no more dignity
when you lose control of ***.

I'm a worn out old man.
I want to go back to Alcott
where our world was in a jar
we were collected bugs in the
woods. We knew the creeks and
lake and swung on vines Tarzan
like and ran home to supper and
homework and TV and slumber.
Dad off to work at 5am hacking
in the bushes and off he went in
a flesh colored rocket ship bare
as birth his '57 Chevrolet Bel Air.

How to move from here to there?
With our entire life in tiny boxes.
Million rocks to move somewhere
Sisyphus calls the Uhaul  bosses.

I woke up cold
in summer heat
just feeling old
weak heartbeat.

Our *** kills me
smile on my face
love sets me free
in rebirth grace.