The copious shambles of rocks
waylaid the roadside,
by the time we saw the  Beaufort castle walls
it was easy to see it as a mirror
of its surroundings,
a cannonade of angry words
miscued with shots of Peace.
This belated excursion
was like an erstwhile  trumpet
for phosphorus clouds
and driven rain shrapnel
had attempted to ebonize the landscape,
our luggage with best intent was smoking
by the derelict Vichy bolt hole.

Swept off my feet by merely a broom
I sought romance
only to find a mess miscued
As I lay there in the dust of ruined dreams
I pondered all the little bunnies that went unseen

Nodding at the daylight
I'm beginning to see
That everything in this world
Comes down to a simple choice

Moonlight on the terrace
Stars in the sky
The apples in the barrel
Oh' lady, why you gotta' cry?
It's just you and me here tonight
Everything's gonna' be alright

See that horizon blistering cherry red
What else can be said about beauty
That already hasn't been said?
Not enough of this world sees the simple
Your perry winkle eyes
Your dawn lit dimples
Scootch over here a little

These streets are nameless
The roads are dark
This soul of mine is feeling bare
Feeling downright stark
Can it be that I'm growing old
Or am I just beginning to see
A different kinda' light?
So many questions
So little time...
Don't know if I'm every gonna' make it
Out of this God awful town
I feel a hand reach out
But I've already drowned

Money is the devil
And love are our angels
Little sister
Little brother
Come on down and
Visit dear old mother
There ain't nobody else
You'll never find another

Take my hand
By the river
The moon hangs in the sky
Little a silver sliver
Toads are chirping
The birds have all gone to sleep
Walk soft through the reeds, you said,
Don't make a peep

I've attended all the banquets
I've seen all the scenes
I've burned all the trinkets
I've gone where all have been
Don't take my word for it
There's many things to see
But make sure you know
That nothing is truly make believe

The truth is a cheshire
Grinning in the shadows
Being there
As well as not
All construction goes asway
As Shakespeare once said
Make your bed
Watch the sun
Remember to laugh
And hold the hand of the daff

The heart attack machine
Is tinted yellow
Like the teeth of a thousand old
A cradled cat meows on the fence post
All ridicule in asides
When we were sending letters
And you read them upside down
I thought you said you were smiling
But you were actually wearing  a frown
At least we've got our lies
And our truths we whispered
Sitting on the bedside

Out of this chaos comes
No solution
Look at all of this
Thick tangled up pollution
We've got men
With guns
Sisters dressed in costumes,
But who knows
If they aim to be nuns?
I've got no present
I've got no past
All that can be forgotten,
Can.
Let yourself go
Soar where the wind
Tears you to bits and the cold
Forces you to forget
Everything you've ever been told
Little sister watch my palm
Read the songs
Past the music

All is not tragic

Chilly blade used on the foray
All stories
Have their
Ending.
Take no advice.
Record no spending.
All friends
Lost in death
Are the ones
That will
Forever last.

Butterflies on the edge of pen.
All your letters
Are sent away.
The trees outside are on fire,
The sky is too.
When you said you were one of them,
Your skin turned a deep blue.
All the bank men have my number
While I'm laying in my bed in slumber.
"How much?" he asks, "For one of your
Famous hummers?"
"Two-twenty-five," licked the lips,
"Aren't you a swell smelling stunner."

Nail in the wall
That holds no frame
Love in the stall
She doesn't have a name
Can it be baby
That our love ain't any different
That we're all just
The same?
Door opens wide
And I'm filled with pride
Can't believe my luck
That I don't
Have to choose a side.

Wicked car ride through the Appalachian trails
Most men I know
Have little or no luck.
The dead end is glaring.
We all plan our weekend trips.
Where are our spoils?
I'm beginning to toil
On the empty hopelessness of it all.
Wipe my eyes clean of this dirt
I want to see through them
One last time
You've made my dreams come true
You've let me see through
Give me my pen
Give me my paper
I've got one last ride in the rhyme

Heavy metal bars around my mind
All appetizers are served on the side
Bar down the street is closed - batter down the hatches
Every witch that was burned
Every son that was hung
Has a memory to bright to fade away
They take the place of stars
And the rifling engines of muscle cars.

Oh' courage
Lion's eye
Turtle's will
A favorite sonnet
For the blonde eyed bonnet
This grass under my feet is wet
With the dew of you
Tears were never your
Strong suit
Am I talking to you
Or the man behind?
The cracks in the sidewalk
Are breathing, winking, tingling
With the thought of you
And you only.

Praise the one walking alone
At 5 am
They walk alone
With all their bones
Revealing themselves
Like a hidden Sun
The winter comb
Hasn't yet made their tomb
There's no home for the wicked
Or a time too soon

Alright...we've had enough
Of the chivalry. She removed
Her hand in a vicious kind of way.
There wasn't much else
Left to say. Take what you want from her,
But me, you're gonna have to bleed
For what I've made. Daring
Blade, sinister trade, forget all that was
Made before you were released as sane.
Write down the pain.
Memorize all that was writ'
About your
Dear disease.
Take the handkerchief son,
If you're going to sneeze.

All postage should be signed
And forged
By the gorge on the left-side
Of the
Forgotten hillside.
All presents forwarded to
Dr. Nine Glen Opposites.
He takes no calls.
Secretaries hold all wishes, grants,
And mishaps.
We are the internet age.

Get used to it and
Forget
The day before
Yesterday, as well as today.

Signing off.

Presentable Shades
Of the miscued Actor
Number Two.

She watches herself
As her fingers reach for the white ball
A miscued hit
Lends a hand to an ailing duchess
Its no mere coincidence
That now the ball sits at rest
On the palm of her hand.

"I need a closer look
This game has my attention
A shame to be stuck with inertia
Curse the pipe that took my legs
I ****** my hands
And cast the gesture of a lighter
Someone is watching
Stealing a glance
Shy
Of playing God with folly angels
This cigarette won't light itself
Find a peg and follow your gumption"

I observe
She goes for the settlement of doubt
Reaching gracefully to her companion
Beckoning the question
What to do next.
Gracious he was on hints
But cheap on specifics.
Such is the unwritten word
Absent in mind
Conscious in the experience and interdependent of reality.

For the woman had it in her grasp
And need not focus on her fear
But rather knowing what you know
Because the unknown will illuminate
In the getting to know
What you already know.

Outside my
Window a hovering reverberation
Sounds
Like the last great gongs
Of
China.

A fan
Spins overhead
Allowing me
To think of
Passions spent in rooms
Before this moment.

Life
Is the
Past
Skewed
Dismembered
Obliterated
Miscued
Victor-less.

All history has their winners
For
The moment.
Time passes,
Someone
Better eventually
Comes along
And creates a new
Pedestal.

Are we nothing but the foot holes
For the future?
Are we only the next's motivation
For the better?
Are we merely life repeating but in a
Slightly different way?

I hold on in this
Tipping chair
I feel my temples
Begin
To sweat from the thought.
I grind my teeth
And close
My eyes and realize
That no man
Ever
Fully strips his
Disguise.

Light blue water
Forgetful mangos
Dreams of
Shameful embarrassment
And betrayal.
A noose around the neck
Fits better
When you're
Smiling.

Last days gone
Born again
A step into that
Soft light.
The beach sighs.
She says something.
Everyone listens in.
The last days
Are gone,
Yet I still hear
The Siren's Song.

Because no advice
Can be listened to
If not first
Acted upon - Act.
Words between
Minds
Are like volleys of gun fire
Across the battlefield, yet
They shed
No blood.

We strive, we stir, we thrive on our ideas,
Yet we turn them
Into conquering tactics
And mechanisms.
What if excitement took the place
Of violence?
What if awe took the place
Of hate?
What if wonder took the place
Of racism?
What if what if had never
Came to be and it was it will be?

Magic died
When the first
Bullet
Flied. We are bent
Like hangers
Thrown away
In the trash reflecting a dead
Sun waiting
To
Burn
Out.

At night, I peel away my skin
From my fingertips and let
The voices come and go as they please.
A dog barks as strangers pilfer through my trash cans,
Five cents a bottle.

Understanding
Please take the place
Of judgement.
Wise men who never
Hold a nickel
Are the richest
Of them all.

Exempt of ego
I see that the world
Is not for me.

I am tired oh' my eyes
They are heavy.
My body is weary
I'm having trouble
Seeing clearly.
I've got you and
Of course, you've got me.

The future
Is not
For us
To foresee.

for many
Christmas is a time of traditions
tree decorating
lights
gift exchanges
caroling
candles
family dinners
where planning all the above
is half the fun
and caring for one another
is proof of the pudding
(razzleberry dressing)

for some
traditions go on
skewed and miscued
existence shattered
heartbeats shuttered
life just holding on
but the world keeps spinning
albeit upside down

inconsequential, random memories
trigger teardrops
bird sightings and dragonflies
stir yearnings
both measures of comfort
and reminders of unbearable loss
proverbial double edged swords

time doesn't heal
but it moves on
doors close
windows open
and dreams show the way
for new beginnings
every year lights a new candle
of hope

so
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
and Happy New Year!
'Tis the season of change


Del Maximo
©12/22/2019

Letters were mad hat interlopers
I couldnt decipher them
Eeties at Hoppies
was my diction for
Sweets at Shops
when i was four
Its hard being a dyslexic
Oh boy I feel so out of it
with my younger sisters
picking it up so easily
I eagerly learnt new words by sound alone
but sometimes I miscued
like my Surname
I felt half baked
but my love of History became my bastion
****** laid down by my Father
I had something to boast
to my peers about