A Dark Wood

Eye the woods

see you, the prince.

eye the branches

see you, the robe. 

Eye the twigs

see you, the skin. 

Eye the buds

see you, the pours. 

Eye the thirst,

drink you, the blood.

Eye the god,

be you, the I.

Booking It

Normal

Nothing new. 

Twisted broken back

Drizzling goo to asphalt. 

Opposite eyes chapped

and lacking desire. 

Flies carry to and from. 

Scoundrel's call twitches 

what sinews remain. 

Normal. 

Footsteps wander 

in shimmered armor. 

Peel decrepit foe. 

Slowly straightened arms.

Mind fills with truth, 

veins with blood, 

heart with hope. 

"You need a new normal."

Midnight Conversation Haikus

Crackled streets scrap denim
Cracked smiles lead lips to jokes
Creaked laughter holds bonds

Stars waft silent above
Jealous of spark between souls
Dim versus her eyes

Legs tire before words
Companied letters and sound
Never tired teeth

Against car we leaned
Squatted closer to pavement
We have gravel butts

Hours converse time
Could not leave a song so strong
Time will have to wait

A Psalm

Draw me up again, O God,

from the pit in which I dwell. 

I have fallen deep in this well

and have been found empty. 

Restore me from this desolate place,

My King, Foundation of my soul,

and bring me to the still waters 

of Your steadfast arms 

and the shadow of Your wings. 

Breathe life again into my bones

and prepare me for Your courts

that I may love you more. 

Sing over my misery

and save me from my iniquity. 

I have longed after idols

and sought the gods of foreign kings,

but Your faithfulness never failed;

not once have I been abandoned. 

Strengthen me with my wounds

and build my hands with Your discipline. 

Cause my soul to praise Your name;

sift me into Your halls

and requite my heart to Your will. 

Glory to Your name, Lord of all creation!

Surprise Music

Pennies saved, earned, stacked.
Urns stored precious records
of chords and lyrics
racked on souls
and swoons of melodies.

An envelope envelopes
the surprise smiles surreptitiously.
A shriek of  joy emanates
a song that recorded its moment
as my mind spun round.







Thanks to Danielle for this Saturday's inspiration, "Tickets for my mom to a concert."

Firing Fire

Firefighters bring fire

to free houses from a slow burn. 

The best way to quell an infidel 

is to stoke them until they turn. 

After all everyone else 

is the cause of all the flames. 

So lets give them dry wood

and friction to spark again. 

Throw mud at politicians

for slinging at each other. 

Flip our flops to break toes

and glob at one another. 

Every word is a puppet 

when wrung out of context. 

Every shieldless sword

means only to vex. 

Instead of lefts and rights

and rights and wrongs,

Lets look into broken hearts

and see what's really going on. 

When Time Left

Time will never come back. 

I spent his soul on food 

that decays before digestion. 

I burned his wick 

from both ends

pretending he was in a coma. 

I made bad investments in his name

on checks well etched in the book. 

He poured into me

and I drank to vomit. 

I became thin waisted

because I wasted him. 

And now he can't get back. 

I set up mental blocks 

and built an empty empire. 

Tall towers no one knows about,

a great invisible furnace, 

A fleeting fleet,

servants without quarters

and other lonely listlessness'

of pretend accomplishments. 

There is always Time I can't get back. 

Always Time I will never use. 

Always Times I lose. 

Always Times I bruise. 

Hopefully Time to make me new. 

When Time left. . . 

I emptied. 

The Process of Knowing

Hold your eyes closed

and watch the world melt. 

See the dripping lava

of everything you felt. 

Paradigms earthquake 

and rock worlds to sleep. 

Hold still despite the fear,

try not to peep. 

Smell the earth expanding

around your bones. 

Taste your whole body

shrink in the unknown.

Let the little things 

fuel your unblinding mind. 

Crumbs boulder down,

sparks flicker and shine.

Feel carpets change

between your toes. 

Touch the cool wood

and know you don't know. 

A Stage Moment Made

Someone impatient is stubbed by a finger.

All wait for your breathe as the moment lingers. 

The piano tunes and thrums the first chord. 

You consume the stage and shift your eyes forward. 

The melody pours your throat and fills your lips.

Audience omits distraction and no one fidgets.

A breathless wonder bleeds to oooos and awwws.

The crowd twists into rounds of applause. 

An end must come and the eyes fill with wet. 

You birthed a moment none can forget. 

All the lights fade but your face still beams. 

The star born this night basks and gleams. 

For Lyndsay and her performance at Taste of the Season at the Alliance Theatre. 

Audition Haikus 2

Five hours of drive
For two minute audition
Actor's life for me

"We know it's a hike"
"Thank you so much for coming"
Thanks really does help

My bread and butter
Money cannot be the goal
Artists must starve well

Nerves fade with fatigue
Only everything will do
Good I have that left

Last minute hoping
Serves a night's sleep full reprise
Wake to try again

Printer, Printer

Printer, Printer, on my desk,

Why do you act so grotesque?

You slide and scream and play along

but you always make my pages wrong. 

They are green and not red

and the tiniest bit smudged. 

You fell to many pieces

when I gave you a nudge. 

You chew paper into weird shapes

like mutated origami. 

And sometimes the pages are greasy

like fresh peeled salami. 

You scream and holler bloody murder

as if you don;t get enough attention. 

You are guilty of worse nightmares

that I can't bring myself to mention. 

So Printer, Printer, o so near,

I won't shed another tear. 

You can no longer cause me misery. 

Because next semester I'm taking calligraphy. 

Laundry Day

Nostrils glide 

through a puff of happy

and slide a sigh

across the table. 

I smile and my teeth

dance on a giggle. 

All the rain is gone

and the fog fades. 

Hum drum the drums

twirls and waft their air

into lavender specks

that make the world glow. 

I close my eyes

and dance in lost wind,

and tumble until 

my tears are dry. 

Thanks to Meg for this Saturday's inspiration, "Smell of Laundry Detergent."

Hand in the Clouds

A sweet summer breeze

and a sip of cool tea. 

Plans lay resting,

rocking on knees. 

A cold thunderbolt 

sets everything aflame. 

Sideswiped fortune,

screaming of names. 

To what foreign land

has the Hand retreated?

Thought sleeping in palm,

to wake, cover fleeted. 

Song lifts to feared clouds

and praise is washed away. 

Hand hears and comforts all

though the rain long-term stays. 

Cleared Head Haikus

Last dawn sank my soul

Underwater swim lets go

Breath comes in again

Rains stops crying fast

Glasses cleaned revives new scents

Joy in old made new

Stars had whirled so fast

Twilight breaks horizon's grip

Sun did not forget

Clouds fall to wash clean

Haze has found a new homeland

Sky smiles bright newness

Mind resumes head home

Thoughts unfiltered roam freely

Funnel has fallen

What I Learned at School Today

I learned that my eyes can crisscross 

like applesauce

but it's something fingers shouldn't do. 

I found out Indian food is hot

but it's called Native American food

according to the PC's rules. 

I learned there are different colors

for people

then there are for crayons. 

I learned that cleverness

is really bad

and words should not be played on. 

I learned girls are gross

and pretty

and their lips will give you cooties. 

I learned boys are mean 

and gritty

and that tears give them boobies. 

I learned that Santa

gives me more gifts

then my parents do. 

I learned that tests

will always matter most

but bad grades still let me go through. 

I learned that I'm 

a special snowflake

mix up with kids just like me. 

I learned that no pets die,

they run away,

just wanting to be free. 

I learned so many things

all at once

that everything must be true. 

That's what I learned 

at school today

and that's why I told it to you. 

Sicketh

In the nightlark's hour I was trechard

and bitten a with daggered fangs.

First a subtle rebellion came 

in faint wavering waves

yet passing as such a careless mention

that it seemed no depth for query. 

The devils did deceive me greatly

and pulled such veils from mine eyes

so that I might suffer more fully 

from their surprise bombardments. 

Now in such bitter agony hast this war

surpassed in such battles in decades hence

that I am left crippled to my own brothers,

who most often have been my greatest ally,

who yet proves to know my weaknesses best. 

What good is it you with this protrusion into my soul?

Do you not know that you also speak and ache 

from the same vessel that you endeavor to destroy?

Alas, poor follows, do reside me ne'er again

after you hath riden thine course. 

My rebbled body, worn and sicketh through,

What did I ever do to you?

Art Happening

Let the night sleep you still. 

Bend in art to be your will. 

The shiver starts and nerves chill. 

Letting go fits the bill. 

Attempts are the only way fly. 

Every waver feeds goodbyes. 

Soak in the revelry until it's dry. 

Not all tears come from cries. 

Sing the wave of each new song. 

Grow a breath inside the throng. 

Feel the resonance of the gong. 

And soon your art will be strong. 

A Mom Is

Mom:

Portable roadside assistant. 

Hospital al la carte. 

Top secrets confident. 

Supporter of cliff descents. 

Holder of wings. 

Bearer of confidence. 

Warden.

Candy sneaker. 

Back patter. 

Tear wiper. 

Seed planter. 

Farmer.

Sunlight. 

Scope.

Bullet. 

Rudder.

Wave. 

Chicken.

Egg. 

Welcome sign.

Field medic. 

Family's grip. 

Old friend.

Best friend. 

Mom.




For my mom. She's the best. :)

Little Sun

Bask in the wakeful wear

of the indefatigable dance. 

The prancing Sun's screams

are bated a little drunkenly from his source. 

Memories burn in his long soaked gaze

as he was the first to see. 

But yet his blink covers the vast field

as though eons past are yesterday's daydream. 

And what a speck it is!

Never outknown his humble demeanor,

seeing larger brothers and fathers

though none outdate him. 

He has long glimpsed the dull blue dot

that intrigued to make herself known. 

But aside from simple metals sneezed out her pours,

she has never touched the universe. 

And what a song it was at first chord!

The first harmony in its elation!

So small the Sun knows itelf to be

and what sad deception do live

all who strive for impact and size.





Thanks to Barbara for this Saturday's inspiration "Wondrous Views."

The Pursuit Manifesto

Slather black ink on a blue page
and ask it why it's sad.
An art keeps arting and fuming
and copying and learning
and smithing and shifting
and fills every notebook
with love and despair.

Every pair of morsels churned
keeps an artist from starving.
Especially when the greatest tries
are eaten alive.

The only dead art is the one that stops.

Practice poems everyday.
Cramp hands in rubber bands
and fill all the pages
of all the books
of every moment.

The only atonement for art
is the pursuit of it.

Soak deep the tear filled rage
until all the cages are unlocked
and you are exposed,
naked,
expo-ed for all the world to see.
Eat shame from the handmade basket/casket
and watch the world laugh at you
with a bitter sorrow.
See their trembling lips
and feel your shoulders lift.

True Opinion

I reasoned my doubt to the wall. 

Logic tipped its hat and I watched it fall. 

A segue, a sinew of synapsis streamed. 

A knowing of why but not what I mean. 

A drop of truth in a desert dry. 

Filled with tears and sweat of I. 

Gaps I seek, find, and connect.

But backers I neglect to inspect. 

I want to believe its true. 

Different fro me, for you. 

But it truth a matter so soft?

or is it bigger, taller, aloft? 

Magicians Know

Always something up the sleeve. 

Magic fingers chisel a cold breath

and a disgruntled wind cries deep. 

What's empty is full

and slight hands

mix nimble swings

and make rabbits into slippers. 

What disappears right

smiles on the left. 

Magic is no lie.

Magic is truth we cannot see. 

Truth we do not know. 

No obstacle but our own assumptions. 

Trust a magician to make beautiful 

His assumed folly. 

To right what mistakes

and injustices He seems to spin. 

All will be righted

through love shaped gloves

and a dear departed sightline. 

Unchoiced

Handlebars and tug of war. 

Grip tight the reins. 

The axe comes down wanting more. 

The polar loves strain. 

A minute of fitful consumption. 

Brittle bindings allure. 

A wretched center presumption. 

All pain is to endure. 

The jousting ropes occur in force. 

The art versus the heart's disdain. 

The fear of a body divorced. 

When the soul attacks the brain. 

The seconds passed the first rip. 

The sternum's will has ceased. 

The pull prepares the spirits crypt. 

When when one body becomes two, released. 

Moment

A silted silhouette
Drifts the corner by.
Her silk smooth hair
Runs my fingers soft.

My mouth runs dry
To hold in her picture.
She slinks a soft mist
Around the room.

My filled arms swoon
to her patent melody.
A curious wonder
Fills my eyes.

I swirl in my mind
a draft of cool words
and pleasured songs.
Soft fingers fill mine. 

And the dance begins.

Mourning a Work of Play

The door closes

and latches in a cough behind you. 

The gentle breeze 

draws a breath 

from your lungs. 

You walk a little slower down the walk

because the sun is bright,

the clouds slowly waltz,

and the moment is gone; 

You are mourning a work of play. 

The piss scent of the garage isn't noticed. 

Your skin tingles gently as a nap. 

The key turns without effort. 

You save your last receipt

and sift onto the one way street. 

A smile finds the sunlit stop light. 

Each lane is carefully chosen

as the clock shifts forward. 

You drive a little slower

because you're not quite ready 

to go back.

Tears threaten 

but can't make up their minds. 

Your chest feels permanent sigh. 

Eyes alert but thoughts askew. 

A long time coming was a short time went.

The clock keeps easing on.

The drift feels cool and easy. 

What was has ceased 

and what will keeps its distance. 

But right now, 

the memory sings you home.









Dedicated to everyone who worked on "A Wrinkle Time" at Theatrical Outfit.

The Last Drink

A simple sip and I roll. 

Relaxed eyelids fold hand across my chest. 

The bottle's stronger now. 

Another sip and a surge of strength. 

Ignorance isn't bravery, though I test it. 

More swills and I swirl. 

Acid's bite and a lover's charm. 

Boisterous melancholy boasts my face. 

A twisted glass shows my features awry. 

I never meant to take the devil the place. 

And that is why I said goodbye. 

Thanks to Laurel for this Saturday's inspiration, "Alcohol is Poison."

Sour Stomach

A burning attic and and elevator stuck
Gaskets pressurize and gasp in the muck.
Nothing better for the empire amassed.
Everyone died because no one would ask.
A breathe baked in bread found the runner drowned.
The tilted basket broken beneath the weight of frowns.
Mire molded to a stomach's first form.
Burned out the exit and left it torn.
Craft your packages with caring love
Or fall a first flight and breathe the dove.

Starred

I float gently above the blue-faced giant I call home. 

Paper thick suit and a lifeline I've never left. 

All my air pulls to me and I look away. 

I see them glisten across the vacuum. 

A wash of sunsets without horizons. 

The shine in a lovers smile. 

Eternal pinprick glints of eternity. 

I hear their beck and call. 

My stomach cools and sticks to my spine. 

A tear rips my face and I wonder. 

A tremor shifts my fingers. 

My grip convulses, yearns. 

My belly wretches a yell from my lips. 

My gloves run to mask and lift. 

The bright stars glean my words. 

Silence as I watch the breath leave my lungs. 

Frozen specks I no longer need dangling. 

Silly imitations of life. 

No spirit in those drops. 

No feeling in my body. 

Only laughter in my soul. 

Evaporate

You melt me down, lady. 

Like ice under a heat lamp

like a heat lamp in a furnace

like a furnace in a volcano

like a volcano in the sun. 

like the sun in a bigger sun. 

I swoon at the thought of your smile

drip at the inkling of your lips

cascade at the breath of your hair

puddle at my grip on your fingers

pour down at the sound of your voice

liquify at the sparkle in your eye. 

I am a rendered fat heart attack

because you're bacon me to sizzle. 

I am steamed turnips when you go

because you leave me in a vegetative state. 

I am weak kneed water starting to boil.

Be careful, you'll make me evaporate. 

Decision Haikus

Two paths deeply worn

Dark grey left and light grey right

Which one leads me home?

Swoon of sweet flowers

Simple gesture of welcome

Allure crosses eyes

Shoulder angles speak

Neither makes a case for good

Confusing wings flap

Prayerful hands hold tight

Wind's sweet hand cups the chilled heart

Need is not easy

Variables fight

Warriors wield love and thought

A victor rifts soul