Sunday, January 13, 2008


come crying to me
& tell me
what it is that's holding you back.
& i'll tell you to chuck it
right true da window.
cuz one of these days
you're gonna go
right true da window
if you don't.

suppose a snail said
he never truly lived
because his house
weighed him down.
it's quite a shame
that he never heard
you'll never truly live
until you're naked
& homeless.

a snail's no more
than a slug with a shell
& he'll never amount to anything
until he admits that.

out with the old/
in with the new.
sometimes it should be
"out with the new", too.
like new junk mail.

not a big advocate of
junk mail. new or old.
squares and ovals
might as well be
boxes of barnacles
covering your floor.
there's no way
better for wasting time.
life's better in big slices.
eat it up.
nay; devour it.

you'll never get another
chance like that again.
count your losses
while they're counting
our heads
going off in pairs
around the corner,
seduced by the neon lights.

but seduction is only
as effective
as the desire is strong.
that is why there are
slices of blank checks
laying in dashingly
random locations-
to intrigue you.

but is anything
more intriguing
than watching fireworks
in your pajamas?
you'll regret letting fireworks
wear your pajamas
when they're returned to you
drenched in the lonely stench of sulfur.

but is anything
more lonely
than playing both
sides of the board?
checkmate.
when you play alone
you have to lose to win.

you winner, you.
winners do make fine
subjects for art.
so, i'd like to paint you.

not a portrait of you.
i'd like to paint you,

personally.

head to toe.

i'd like to.

green blue
orange red
fuschia
or however the
hell you spell it.
nonetheless it's
a sizzling array of color!

my masterpiece.

but, maybe for now
a sketch of you
will have to do.
black & white only.
a mere pencil drawing.
because, (let's be real)
who of us
has time to paint?

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

i tried teaching him to whisper.
he never could get it right.

what is so difficult about it?
it's really nothing more than
a subtle conjunction of
subconsciously choreographed
jaw motions
& an exhale of the soul.

then again i suppose
it's not always easy
to breathe through your soul
in a place like this.

better to put yourself in a place
that tastes more like honey
& less like glue-
perhaps a place where
somebody loves somebody
& nobody leaves nobody.
& you can break the urge to
keep the light on a little longer
& your mind a little louder
to muffle "the thought of him."

if you will, trust me when i say this:

"the thought of him" makes a noise like
a really bad song
that finally grows on you-
only, one day you wake up
to realize
why you didn't like it at the start.

or
if you will, trust me again.

"the thought of him" made a noise like
a song you had never heard before.
but you knew it was your favorite
even before it finished playing.
only, one day you play it for the last time.
death by "one-too-many."

to conceive of the
melody between these two scenarios
seems futile
but it doesn't keep me
from wondering

if anyone ever taught him
the secret to a whisper.
i do admit, it pains me lightly
that i couldn't pull it off.

though, as a good sport
i can't go without noting:

he is the one who
taught me how to shout.





Thursday, June 2, 2005

If I wasn't this tall
I would have smaller feet
If I wasn't this green
I'd be wise
If I had better intentions
I'd get better results
If I wore different clothes
I would be in disguise

If I took shorter showers
I would be much less clean
If I took more control
I'd have tact
If I pushed myself further
I'd fall off the edge
If I laughed any less
I'd have lacked

If I wasn't this spastic
I would be rather dull
If I got to the top
I'd get down
If I learned how to cook
I'd appreciate take out
If I were any less shallow
I'd drown

If I could read my handwriting
I'd have nothing to solve
If I had nothing to fear
I'd lose sight
If I did everything perfect
I wouldn't gain from mistakes
If I counted my blessings
I'd be counting all night

If my memory was better
I'd recall rude remarks
If I kept out of puddles
I'd be dry
If I knew everything
I'd have nothing to learn
If I ever lost faith
I would cry

If I never took risks
I'd miss all the best things
If I paid more attention
I'd be broke
If I never felt pain
I would never know joy
If I swallowed my words
I would choke

If I slept any less
I would always get sick
If I kept my eyes open
I'd see
If I changed myself now
I'd have nothing to prove
If I don't have my flaws
I'm not me

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Timeless Heart

A sonnet

When young, they knew the word as something else
As times change, though, I know so do the words
Like water to ice, love becomes solid
A supernatural grip on the youth
The sun sets on romance hopelessly now
Love is not as solid as we had thought
Deep beneath the surface was a sliver
Of deceit that would not be recognized
Until much later when it hurt much more
Except, to them it was a quiet game
A symphony that declared honest love
An explosion of the eternal heart
Which, mind you, was fragile to begin with
Now old, they know the word as something else.