Episode

 I see her now again.
She roils, she grumbles:
Threatens.
Sinking, whirling depth of cold!
I shudder.
Time has been so good apart, she's been so far, 
So fair this weather, fine.

Bal-rog's bellow, hiccough-hiss and
Soul-fled, faint, that shrunken ache to shrivel life 
Through paltry corpse.
She beckons.
I daren't disobey. I know this darkness far too well.
I daren't walk away.
But oh, the light has been so kind!

Lost in the Woods

Beyond the walls of Tintagel, 

The air, the rain

Spur on thy horse

Lean, give head the rein.

Fly! As though a thousand demons

Flank thee, legion wolves 

Assail. Specks of sleet slap

Wetly cheeks and breast both

Chilling bones and flesh.

Good steed heaves, falters,

A hoof can bear so much only.

Dismount and lead, still quickly 

In the dark and dim. How to home 

Beating foot to sodden ground while

Heart in ribs caged, bounding.

What will become of this?

Why Would They Listen to a Woman?

 She said I hurt 
They said lose weight
She said I want tests
They said you're looking for drugs
She said my hair is falling out
They said go home and stop bothering us
She said I just passed a one inch kidney stone.
Here it is- I measured it. Help me!
They said take one ibuprofen and eat better
She said I can't breathe
They said well it isn't the plague so here is one round of antibiotics
Try to find your own oxygen during a pandemic
Now Go Away
And quietly she stopped breathing
And went
Away

Haunted

 I woke up in the grass.
So empty
Should have been terrified. 

Don't remember how I came to be there.
I woke up in a van. 
So cold
Unlocked on the roadside, snow on the ground.
Alone in the quiet and still.

I woke up looking at a face
I haven't seen in ages
Woke up aching, grief the only sinking thing
What other feelings?

I woke out of a fog, a trance
Some drawn out, dragging
Doomed dance of sleep and non, but never
Woke like when I weep.

Commute

Screaming through the night

Headlights - I think

The sound, the flash

I wasn't focused.

Should have been.

This car won't drive itself, will it?

Where have I been? 

Most of the way home, and

Until some adrenaline junkie flew by at ten thousand miles per hour

I was... somewhere. 

There's a space between "A game" and dinner

A lag in space-time

A strange encounter with ourselves

Our souls might belong here...

I don't know...

I can't remember

Everyone Deserves a Best Friend

When I bake that recipe
Nutmeg fills the kitchen, warm and safe
I miss her

I pretended to myself so many times 

that it was just a matter of time. 

She would find a doctor who listened. 

A better job. A better place to live, 

Where she could finally have a cat.

And it was sometimes so hard to pretend 

Past the sadness

When the Macy's Day Parade sparkles

Dancers spin, balloons fly and 

The tree is tall in Rockefeller Square

I feel the chill and I miss her

I wanted so much to make things better

But how can you fix what someone won't let you?

Why won't best friends let you?

And then suddenly there won't be another chance

To try to help fix the things that aren't right for her.

Someone gives me attitude about putting on their mask

Someone coughs too close

And I swallow hard 

And no words

Will express the depth of how 

Terribly much 

I miss her

Smoke

Busy, 

Move and fret and frazzle

So many things to worry

Try, oh try!

I miss them!

What could we have done?

No turning back,

Pile task 

On list, on pile,

Through haze of - is this tears?

Or time, 

Meanwhile, 

Tread water though I might,

London's burning, burning bright.

Christina

Oh,

Sweet sister, No!

You sparkled and you turned

And if memory it serves,

You were so funny!

We could laugh and it was over

Nothing.

That bastard darkness

Should have fled,

As easy as a bullet

Pulled from flesh.

If you, kind warrior

Couldn't fend the beast,

The Nothing,

What hope for those of us

You leave behind?

What hope have we?

Sweet sister?

No!

Driving Home

 Fragments in monochrome,
sparkles of darkness, highlights, 
each drop a frozen moment of madness - a 
windswept sparkle of space a cold belonging a 
beckoning of warmth and firelight inside each cabin of home in a droplet flung across the windshield
and wiped away

But not here,
not in this dashing noisy void;
In that place, that wild and thrashing storm,
that dizzying, blissful haven
As a drop of rain.

Save Us

Walk, you may.
Even ask us all on a special walk!
Sit on a feel-good council.
Tell us all that we should eat better and do yoga, 
And that we all are better off
With you on the council!
You even hung a paper on the wall
With a special phone number we can call
If we don't feel like we matter.
And then, as one at a time, we come to tell you that we need your help,
You say we are wrong. We don't know what real bullying feels like.
Maybe because we didn't feel it like you did?
Because nobody was ever bullied as hard as you were?
But you know what?
Your pain doesn't invalidate ours. Your bullying doesn't make ours not real.
And all the walks and posters and councils in the world won't save lives 
If the people we need to depend on
Don't believe us.

Hyde

 But, dare I miss thee, Demon?
Slither in and find me
Waiting, breathless,
torment
Aim, and fire!
Bereave me;
Leave! I need thee
Gone from me, tired
Wicked beastie, 
Mine, oh my own ether
Go.

Cemetery Tree

 Such is this sorrow
Blanketed like snowdrifts
Cold, Calm,
Soft and silent
Sobbing only in the dark

This fury rages
Deep beneath the mountain
Hot, Slow,
Melted stone itself
Waiting to explode

My grief, it dangles
Like so many crystal pieces
Bright, Light,
Barely there
Medicated all away

Not One More

They say our pets unlock the gates
Across the Rainbow Bridge.
The yips and purrs must just have been
Amazing as they readied things
For rainbows in the sky tonight!

Bridges of tremendous cannons
Exploding power and shining light:
Celebrating Independence from England 400 years ago,
And for you from a frame that denied who you are.

And as you fly on to your tomorrow,
all color fades here now tonight
and the soulless stillness is absolute.
The Bastards will lose their power.
The Hate must End.
Revolution is Today.
Because mowing down our Beauty
Does not make them strong.
Because taking our Warrior of Love
Can not give them peace
Because stealing our Summer
Will now make them Fall

Youngest martyr,
Sweetest soldier,
Our next move is for you.

The Kettle Talks Back

Had I been again
Un-fascinated,
And again forgot the sound
Of birdsong soft in muted mosses,
Hints of river chortles in the dawn?
Might a pall, a rigor
Overcome,
A thrall have been
Undone, just now
...and how?
And in this ashen air I heave,
a rushing, rash
Atomic spew:
A bitch's brew,
Karmaic stew of
Hormone, molecule, and that.
But all was still
And all is well inside
These walls of ice and charm
And dulcimer and dew.
A dash to not dash,
Ache but sleep not,
Wake, but wait not,
What? All ails rot
Into moonshine.
Ah, and linger dark thoughts
Diminish and demise
A drunken fool's rhyme!

Shrink

Demons writhe deep
In catacombs, in rotting
Scales and mottle, salient,
Sentient. And not.
Each rough breath, whistle,
Chortle, growl, ascends
Along their jagged route,
Tormenting wisps at ends
Reminding edges of their wits,
Reliving partly party to their
Fits of ranting, fits of sneaking,
Stealing bits of maybe joy.

And now, as mountain Morla lives,
Fresh breath a threat to dark and deep,
Each orc retreats, a caterwauling thing,
But sea's calm skein and sky's
Bright moon, and all the stars
Abounding in the beauty there!
Alms and arms enfolding, chemistry
Retraining, crystalize a blanket,
I can win this battle. Here,
Let's coax them out to play!

Comfort Food

Warm gratitude flows,
Mashed potato volcano walls undone,
My plate of love fills. I
Can't even eat, enjoy:
I want to carry, enfold you,
Keep you safe and say
In more than words (there are no words)
Your words, the way you made
My plate appeal,
Though not everyone wants
Volcano overflowed,
But instant mash and love
Is you and me,
And I am overwhelmed.
Overturned.
And hungry.

Some Say You May Fly

Oh, treasured mite!
That intervening, were I brave enough,
Could what accomplish? Safety?
First, a token. Thought's unraveling twist
Betrays our moment, tiny love; it's
Gone.

Through tears' mist I saw you after,
Hesitating, play. And brave, but
Damaged all the same!
What have I done, by just
Not doing?
Fearsome bitling, slay that crinkle!
Fang aloft, and howl for now,
defenses cornered have you
Locked.

Ah me, soft petal, had you a
Chance to learn, a time of
Understanding! Fain elected
By unknowing cuts and closure,
All apart they've rent us both:
My broken heart / your broken
Feet.

The Choice

I sighed; fear melted, 

Retreated far, to howl alone.

Because I owned what I would do:

My misery and blackness could not win, 

If I would take them in my arms, 

Embrace the dark, and go.

I was almost ready.

There were some loose ends

To tie up, and things to finish first.

But then, my end my own,

And I felt clean. Never more free.

I made a list.

Responsibilities, godparents,

Beneficiary. Impact I want to know and have,

And things to do before I'm gone.

I wandered: shivered under Drakul's gloom,

Lay atop Tikal's red stone. I climbed Zugspitz, 

Waded the Cays; I paused in Hiroshima, somber.

Danced Times Square on New Years' Day.

And I felt quick, the dark and fear receding,

Planned as I went on, the way 

I still would end the madness. 

I was almost ready, 

But I must grieve first, for a reason other than the dark.

And so, I gave hospice my heart and cried for losing

Bitten's toes, and then the list grew longer still.

I breathed the forests in, ran through a desert, 

Cursed at the moon, and sang again.

I made new friends, and tried the shrink, the meds

(What harm can come, this close to ending all?).

To see if there's a difference,

Then bigger goals, and more important 

Things, to do before I go.

I planned to act, and how, and when,

But every time, forgot just then.

I am almost ready,

The list, exciting now, a challenge,

Adds so many things to do

Before I go, but I can do them all,

Impact my field, make suffering end

For those I can affect, I'll fix the broken friends

And hold the bending. Write amazing words, 

Change minds, be heard by those in power!

I am almost ready, 

I will surely make my end,

After I change the world.

Love a Child

Tell them they are good at drawing dinosaurs.
Ask them, would they mind drawing a special dinosaur
For you? To keep?
Love that drawing.
Give them a simple, sincere
Thank you card.
"Dear you,
Thank you for my dinosaur. You are so talented.
I hope you never stop drawing."

So that someday,
When they are homeless,
Cold,
Muttering to imaginary Pete about the government,
And frenziedly re-counting a bundle of meager belongings,
That muttering will stop.
Fingers with layers of cracks and filth,
Will stop shaking to caress a grimy
Thank you card.
Eyes will soften.
Chapped lips mouth the words they have long memorized,
But forgotten how to read.
And your warmth will glow, like a little match girl,
And in that moment they will forget to be afraid
Because once a kind person told them
They were good at drawing dinosaurs.

Grumbles

Heavy-lidded, briefed for grieving,
Stand so strong, and
Trust that all is best.
"Please, help him!"
Please, I'm ready for
My tragedy.
The sobs are built.
Whispered farewells done,
Softly in the corner.
Ready for this grief.
And waiting.
Waiting.
Soon, my world will shatter,
Soon, this heart be broken,
Utter devastation, soon.
A stifled wail is ready to erupt.
And soon, the air is still and hot,
And horrible and stale.
And food is pasty.
Time is wasting.
Waiting, breathing,
Look at clocks and dedicate
A moment to the thought of passing,
Look: it's just one moment gone.
And waiting.
Grieving is no picnic,
Waiting. Even for this ending,
Waiting,
Cold, a shadow,
Waiting,
Even in the dawn.

Remote

I jumped.
I didn't understand
The fall would not consist
Of falling.
Space where pain was
Still exists,
Though someone warm waits,
Someone flies,
Someone, somewhere slowly dies and,
Mumbles, softly, bits of song,
So write the real words!
Write them! Long and angry, loud,
Or fuller than that storming,
Harder than that soaring, soring,
Storing war waged, sorrow stowed,
Leave them lonely, cold and empty.
Soar, defy that peak!
Defeat pressure rising beneath and
Pull! A jolt. A fling:
Simple aerodynamic thing.
And wait, and realize that
This won't be. This moment will not
Set me free of all my shackles:
Nor will any moment, any thing.
The wind lifts different
Somewhere else, but
Not as different as me.
I needn't earn it;
Just take peace. And rise.
Thoughts tumble as I realign, and
Re-examine. Re-design a space,
An open sky of ever on, but nothing comes
To open buckles, blame erase,
To take the nothing I embrace.

Analgesia

And as I struggled,
As I halted, medication's best surrender sated,
You and he you would have
Other situations hated. He,
You would have fought long since,
Allied, you stood. Beside
You gripped.
Lifted, carried me through,
That hand: I should remember you!
That shared pull, a single goal
A harnessed love,
Your strength, and You,
And all we ever should have
Been or done or said,
Or were,
But oh!
Blasted subconscious,
Neuron waste, a paltry gem,
A thieving arm of RNA erased
A haven known, a moment safe!
And some say mental ills are all a fake,
But even now, I cannot place
Your arms, your eyes,
Your warm embrace of calming hope,
Your sweetest voice, your heart,
Your face.

June's Song

How low?
To stoop, to bend, to fit into a
Mounded mold, to play a silly game,
To rend a beating hart in shards, to
Feast upon the venison and
Start to learn to
Live again?

How long?
To sit and wait and reinvent
A myriad reasons why a mountain
Went another year before deciding
Calm to blow, just smoke and
Twist a cap of
Cloud again?

How far?
To run in fear or run decided
Mile 13 hit stride, and sprint for
Finish line as I did. Fast delay the
Pain with medication, Bask
In massages and go to
Sleep again?

I know
I've been a sinner's side as you
She screamed, she wept, I flaunted
You, you kept her, held her, told her
I was just a flaw, imagined, rare
Embarrassing to note
And lied again.

Landing Dock

Cloud crosses, heavy,
Blackened underneath:
Too-long seared meat,
Mid trails of steaming sky
A ricochet of light cracks,
Bleeding out the bath,
And I've fallen to my side
At strike on Thor's behalf.
Watching man's face drawn,
Eyes wide - he gapes,
Ghost seen, perhaps?
Or just a tragically mishapped,
Un-finished bolt of
Would have,
Could have,
Should have been.
That missed its beating mark,
And left a flesh-shell whole,
Though smitten to the ground,
And rolled past.

Dawn Breaks in Moscow

And if I dream,
A life in other lives than this,
A glaring wit, a rage, a passing
Whistling by in leaves of ash and rot,
Or if I walk alone, or try, or cry,
or anything beyond the words
I dare to say in this, my time is
Otherwise well spent unless,
Like mist's cold fingers, Sandman's fry
Creep out of dreams into my life.
I shake my head, I doubt, I groan,
Resolve in betterment of duty go.
But dear, I've never til this moment known
The joyful peace of being home.

Awaken

Rusted rock, frames

School of thought and,

One who mocked once

Standing shocked as plunging down

To gore and grim, I'd fallen, 

Down to demon, Down and in. 

And on him, on those hands of harm lay

Spatters of regret and shame, and

To this day he stands a 

Little not the same.

But peering over settled dust,

I saw. I once had fallen

Up! He spoke. he held those

Spattered palms up, held them

Out as if they'd sun-bake dry

And stop, and stop me as I met my rusted

Rock and earth in downward flight, 

But time bore well her crown

And did not bow. I walked with her then.

Walked and saw where I had fallen

Long before.

Gateway

Scant few rebels met
A night of plunderous plans
Laid, drunk, and lay aside,
Inside another rebel's cave.
Revolting sect of enemy: an angered
Long-lost friend; memory denied, or
Faded more in some than most.
Led more by lust of unmet war or
New-discovered thrill of
Dishing garnished secrets out,
Perhaps a fancy, heart throb scorned,
Than of injustice, real or heard.

But we shall conquer, claim these
Ragged few, in shallow company
This night. Reason neither mind.
We shall stand or lie entwined,
Preserve the children, hide from
Truth or hint of change, but
Fight? Ah no, we hide curtains behind,
And sip our Absinthe. By and by,
We'll whisper ideals in the night,
While plotting next a fresh conquest
Of plotting body next to mine.

Grendel's Nursery Rhyme

Ate, that Kraken, many sailors.

Stole away from chasm, flashed a

Tale of wrath and scale and,

Drew them deep in lore and love

So loth to leave young valor.

Hail strength, Cthulhu! 

Hail and flee, then wrap this

Tail, as rub of harpoon's bitter barb

Small thanks for glory, hero's death, 

Rest in Valhalla or Elysium, in exchange

For just a moment facing demon's

Fang and rotten breath.

I said

But not aloud.
Made so much sense,
These phrases, wound about
A beanstalk's clever tongue
Of josh and jester, song of songs.
O wise man, heal my lack of
Wit's retort, or crushing doubt;
Flay all apart an argument
To make me hide, to
Bind me idle; keep me
Wild.

Parade

Merrily we roll
A tot's song, long ago
It seems we sang it all
Probably out of tune, but
Loved it all the same
And seventy-six trombones
Heralded our awe of
What we'd done and
Where we'd been
In song, long time
Forgot until a
Little new bird
Came along.

Class

Lifetime spent to earn this trust,
A workman's pretty pence or tup.
And here is handed fistfuls of
The golden oar, the endless love.
And here, the photo blurs,
Did she steal mine, or I took hers?
A timeline fails unraveling
And we shall go a wandering.

Slip

Scrape, ah, minor thing

A nuisance, really. 

Shake, downplay,

Escape...

But, oh, insidious,

A mark builds swiftly

Bulk amasses

Bursts!

Pain follows pain and riot,

Rage spins - I should have known,

Damned paper slice, 

What foolishness!

Dervish den of whisper drags

Down

And in

And all is still, save

listless, shallow gasps,

diminish

Quarrel

Be there gods, then
They must fly with him, and
Gilded wings sweep sorrow's
Own full grief 'neath mat of sky

If they be just gods, he is safe,
Though hell should wail and demons cry,
And naught I did or do, or might entice
Deny him place in Paradise.

Or be there no gods, this life all,
Then he is gone and been and done
And no more sentient, ashes flown,
Beyond a myth, love truly died.

But be there fool's gods, shabby, sly,
All hope is false, and naught I did or do
Might bring a peace to matter dark
And matters not to try.

Trust

Hear my words, new friend, 

But lightly, twist to sound like yours.

Your song, so eloquent and smooth,

Must be the way that I should croon.

No, lover, sing out strong your own!

I do not know you otherwise.

Show me you, or not at all,

A cracked door leaves no room.

Arrowroot

Cupid's toy, a silly herb,
A binding potion, skin to skin,
Morph she and he to them and then,
A combination meant to be, but
Cherub asked not he nor she.
Baked and cooled, on rack
Await, each cookie,
Critic's eager mouth or plate.

Hold the Broken

Had we more arms to gather,

Searchers, find, had we more

Room to shelter, care to fodder,

Palliative expression's hide: 

Oh, touch-starved lovelies,

I would hold you. I would

Bring you gently into night.

That good, good night of

Solace, lose my senses.

Tender losses, I would

Keep you, ever after,

Safe inside.

Harness

Feel out edges, 

Toe by heel, by harnessed Friend

In sightless night,

Invent a circumstance to pull in

Wonders, drive out shaky iron beam

Plug in the forces, wind the monster.

Unleash all divine and cater

Solely to this finding, to this

Molding, to this wall and chains.

But is this terror big enough

To drag in mortals, lives and all?

To rend, replace, reduce, revoke,

Repeal and tether, guard in 

Haste a poorly thought-out

Life of tame?

Closed To

I'll ask
Don't answer.
Don't quash what little lie I've led
Each moment in this storm
"We'll be ok," I swore
I moaned. A breath of
Warmth, of snowfalls, Home.
Denial, waif's keep, broken shake
Beneath, behind aforesaid question.
Please, for pity's sake, for peace,
Don't answer as I think you would,
Don't make me right, I beg, and
So by silence,
Answer, you will.

I dare not ask again.

Blink

A time seen, conquered!
Desperation drove to dance of
Driving force - it worked!
And thrall continued, all abuzz
Abounded, sounded vast and
Lifted high a warrior cry,
Fly on!
And onward flew, to
Place anew, and somewhat
Safe, and quieter, less
Rancid, raucous memory.
And in crept demon:
Doubt, and brought her cohorts,
Grief and Why? - her colors fly!
Reason meets no choice, but madness.
So it is and take the pill alone,
Sugar spoon be damned!
A Valkyrie grows tired.

Sound

Ah, the void enfolds,
Enrobes what I'd been told were lies
Ascribed to singers long forgot,
And all respect, reflect, and bow
Below what, sought, we'd find,
But now this warming fog, it pulls
Enticing, inviting - oh so calming,
Calling chants resounding, pounding,
Far-off battles, others purge the rain
Of terror that I never heard.

Forge

Child's play, burdens, only serve

To give excuse for drama, 

Tongue in cheek or bite in teeth

It's one and all, move on

None delay tick-tock or 

Flip of calendar, o what we'd give

To re-attach that page-a-day 

A time or two, and un, re-do

A momentary lapse of thought

Before a "do."

Dare

Decide, declare, and issue this,
It's not ok to do, to say, to
Be the way I was, I am, and will.
Love all I am, except
The things I really am,
The passion, flair, and failing.
Take and mold this being into
Someone now acceptable:
Declawed and trained,
For you, for your approval,
For fear of being broken,
I will sway and melt and change.

Conversation

Myriad moments rehearsed,

Complex: each avenue explored

In mind. He's there, and so

En route, each point's revised,

Re-made, re-emphasized, re-shared.

And on arrival's tripping feet, it

Withers. Where's the need? 

To stand on feet when bland

Half-smile holds so-called 

Peace intact, small

Talking hides turmoil of what

I never was:

Afraid

Cover

All is clear and all remote,
Glacier's sentient viscera:
Voiceless, Vice-less.
Telescopic lens reveals a tide
Evolving, reaching, raping,
In gulfing, gaping damp and
Distance, felt once strong and
Stalwart: safe and epic, fast and bold.
Yet far, so far away now, lost,
Almost in eon of revenge,
Resentment, scars and damage
Twisted deep enough to send
A soul inside this leaded frame of
Tori's tempered glass. Melted,
Mended, some would say. And
say, they'd see, soft covering of
Practiced shame, a rearranged reed,
Papyrus falling into Nile.

Give

White stains, skies fall;
Will withers every instant further,
Shrinks as looming threat of
Might Be hovers, hungry
At the edge of shadows.
Dressage's proud poll bent away,
Rehearsed report denied,
Decide to bend, to fold,
To mutilate.
Decide.

Disruption

Flaws in head cling tighter so,

The lie to lay beside instead;

Reasoning, to shrink, to anger none

And none to blame, would make

Each solitary night less sodden

Wrung-out pillowcase of pain.

Nor leave behind a replica of

Who she made in vain, 

As bitty-bite at once, she falters

Out of mold of could-have-been.

He's Gone

She breathes, and reaches out
As if to catch a soul
"Don't go!
I am a missing mortal fool
Without you: choke on air
Or splinter fragments of the
Sky to fall upon.
Don't leave me here alone!"
She crumples over steel and
Sympathetic white coat arms.
And that is all.

Media

Once quiet space abounds
In empty words, repeated tweets and
Chirrups uninformed, opinionated,
Misspelt wreck of information.
Don't verify, don't analyze, just
Post! It matters: share! Because
It's something said by soemone famous
On this meme, the laughing baby,
Most interesting Man - or share to show
Support, to say Amen, just Like if you
Love Bieber, Share for Spiderman.
Oh, heaven bless the interwebz - they offer a
Display mode for the world to
Witness egg foo young
On any instant, any face.

A Joyful Poet

Has one met a joyful poet
Dancing brightly on the moor,
Or wear we all a sash of sadness,
Cloaked in mist and mithering?
Mutts and mudstained lot we must be;
Lost word-weavers wending tales
And traipses we would fain all take,
If nothing but our sashes shed and
Moor mist shake, the trek
Would its own worth create.

Camel's Back

Whisker's length is all,
I fear, from devastating wrath and coals.
Mere moments, yet, between this
Field and hearth of flaming fuel that
Drives, in fury. Drives in thunder,
Drives to madness, empties, pulses,
Rapes and leaves a carcass: bleeding
Mind that twitched and turned a
Waking eye aside for feather's weight in
Maat, that path not far away.

Because We Do

This is why we
Pile life thusly. This
Is why my coffer's bare.
And this is why I taste
Of bitter herb and correlate
To daily bread a dab of fear.
This, dear heart, is why I cater
To each pall and whim and
Wail, to bring you farther,
If I could, from where you see
That I have failed.

Encircle

There was a wall

And brick by brick and

Mortar round, that

Wall thieved thought and

Will engulf until it

Crushes every ounce of

Otherwise assent

Into an atomy, a thread,

A whisper of what 

Used to be, and after

All accomplished, all

Surrounded, builder sees

In basic lay, that first encounter

Ever such a tiny flaw - that

Spark, now muffled from her breeze

Can't burn, can't hold this

Wall, this work of art becomes

Such burden, bound to crumble,

Meant for greatness, cold, enacted,

Great thereof, the fall.

Gentle Hypocrite, this Heart

You could not be so different
From he and he and he before;
Protestations, proclamations, all
Alike, but more adventurous
This time around seems, daring, safe, and
Righter than my eye for aye. A posh,
A down-to-earth extreme I glow
And go to sit with you and mourn
The wage demanded of each day, the
Call of Sirens, "Come and rest, yon weary sailor!
Bring your aching bones ashore!" A cry,
A call, to end all being self
And nothing more.

Ceremony

Ice in whimsy dull and
Deadened focus, decorate with care
So delicate a floury mess. But
Will they notice inner plain if
All delightful spun its lace surround,
This brick of center, fold this dress?

Composed

Leave on page an agony of
Chemical imbalance, fade over
Written verse to mere
Exhaustion and illusion of an
Eve well spent in birth of rhyme.

Comet

A pinpoint
Light erupts, we follow
Haley's tail of magic bop,
A pop refrain of spasming
Freedom, closed inside yon
Beam of night.

Cave

Beloved, O, we tarry

Here

We make our cavern own in

Here, we

Blaze in sheltered warmth in

Here and hide

So safe inside our home.

Episode

She walks inside
a facing plain, a mirrorglass
of iron wrought, she
bides and calculates each
speck of honesty, but
hate's a fleeting mistress, she
bares bone to prick
whatever on and gone and
emptiness to fill with
naught until I build
a second masking face.

Gather

While ye may, those
Blooms of golden hue,
A Friend's soft promise
Lost to years' long march
Forgot and done that
"I will never leave you"
Over and again, still
Gone.

and On

It wrestles, seeks, it
Comprehends and blends
In colors vast and devilish
And all encompassed knowledge
Breaks to bend a simple
Thought:
It will not end,
Though wish might hope
For final rest, it never
Goes or shapes to flat
Consolidate or notes in
Silence flit.
It will not end,
Though peace could scrape,
In grievance, arms to hold
A wailing form, it melts
And forms and re-defines
And on
It will not end.

Entry

Scuff, and wipe it off, that
Muck of work and worlds
On me. Don't stop, remove
Each day's frustration, pile
The gravel here and walk,
So lighter, clearer on inside,
But think a moment on the
Mat in beams embraced.

Busk and Slumber

Tile and mortar, cold
Inviting all too
Hotly flaming, swear to
Falter, fall, and curl.
Wedge in corner, hold
Splay akimbo
Baring secrets, soul to
any passers-by.
Pounding fortress
Stolen here
Deceive thy solace,
Make believe you dance.

Weep

Trickle
Empty fathoms' grief in
Salted shell of glass
Now turned away.
Molten, fallow swath
of agony oust
Uncontained.
A weltering, sweltering
Taste saline, relief
Sublime as all is
Washed away.

Challenge

Press on
Not to overcome
Per se,
But just endure and
Someday
It may all come right.

Zealot

If I am wrong, he cries, then
All around me lives and dies and,
Nothing is beyond and nothing
Carries on and all is lost to
Everyone.

But wait a moment, Brother,
See, that if you finish
All you start and courage follow
Where you lead and kindness fill
Your heart and just a speck of
Hope is all a man would
Ever need, all that would make you
Wrong? To heed words, not for
Glory, but for sake of what they mean?

Taut

Matter, solvent bit of space; a
Sinew's taunting whisper-snap, it
Groans and bent, attacks him.
Lashes angrily along and burns
Drops cuff-links jangling poetry,
A mess upon the ground.

Millionaire

Remove all tangled briar, flay demons
Slay them all and clear a path so
Bright it burns my eyes, then drop
To ice and fleetly slide aside. A
Dreamt-of place in safety left,
Made just for me, my own,
My precious castle tower and
Here I hide, remote from storms and
Latched securely, shackled in.

Orange

Alter
Fain to wager peace
On semblance of acceptance
Waver on a puff of steam and
Dance away.

Precious

Vow
At your miracle and
Wrestle ounces at a time of
Strength to keep that
Smile
And lie so
Fluid and so easily, excited
Ready, willing, eager even, bound
To go that other
Mile
And laugh so
Giddy, fair, and wild as I
Approach another boundary field,
Forget about your miracle, and think
For just a moment I am
Mine

Godiva

The secret to loving a madwoman is to believe as she believes.
The trick to seducing a madwoman is to be as wild and as lonesome as she.
The way to tame her?
Ah, but there is no taming a madwoman.

Air

It's different

Here, it moves a little

Strangely, sweet and 

Flies. A place to 

Own each molecule,

A breath of monster

Hiding underneath: 

A beast inviting, 

Standing, sighing

In-between

The night and day.

Epoch

Day on evening,
Wave on sea,
Tiny tongue of answer
Recommend, and
Flee

Diaz

Once woken, crave a gentle
Token, pass a motion
Of exchange to
Give, to grieve, to
Hope and ration all redemption
Save for he. But look!
Defied in sun of mourning,
Rent deepest, jetted coat in
Tatters, patterned solely after
Seeking this alone, to roam.
To find a sodden pathway
Home. It beckons, nay,
Demands a fellow follow,
Stray a little, vagabond.
Stay and wander, carry on in
Wonder. Lost that song, it
Haunts and chants and
Echoes on as little piggy
Finds him none.

Breath

That peace, that
Moment of Monet in madness,
Silence but for wind and
Wave and shimmering grass:
That echo of a
Second spent in solace
Filters through a dusty pane
And paints in sepia tone
A place to hide.

Bright

There is hope.
Sometimes the spark of it is small,
But there it is.
And there might be peace.
And there might be joy.
But there is always hope.

Terrarium

Encased in wide, wide world beyond,
And wilderness and wandering, mid
Fury of the mindful voice begs
Tact in whirlwind, rush to wait.
Lock deep within a wide-swept
Tundra, mountains, stream and sky,
Straitjacket us to wings and
Miracle, yet I, fool beast do
Sweetly moan, forego these
Feathers, bypass Rome, abandon
All society and pomp, but
Peace inside this paradise, a
Tentacle of home and I,
A dewdrop, fall, in secret space
and motion. Drip, a lilac scented
Moment, not replaced.

Post

Build up an emoticon
For locks reflecting pixel light
And toes curled late and chilled,
A kitten paw's expressive weight,
For sleep's elusive vapor sought, or
Writhing half-formed
Thought of mine and his.

Concept

As fight of fools we
Build this tree; we groan
Flow sap and spread to
See a chlorophyllic haze
Bedazzle threads of veiny
Sugar sand. Oh hand on
Hand to link to bough,
As ever then to grow
To be a mighty oak's
Tall shadow, free of
Worry, shackles clean,
Now stand alone inside
Of me.

She, this AE

Un-absolute we falter
Closer to an end of sorts of
Fame as fading fast the light
Falls soft on lost vignette of
Lovers, aught but drawn to
Tighter cling, insisting no,
I say this is the End of all
The Way, the One, my
Fall-back. Wait. My sweet
Ambrosia, angst befalls
And here we wait.

play

restless tatters hither swing
by breezes mindless and if
twister meeting falls
just like
another day i might
approve and
swing

make or break

and if
this time continues and
this situation stays and if
we all remain the same
and if
the daily grind goes on and
our minds made up are strong and if
we never lose control
then all remains intact and
i will never want for home
but if
our worries wear us in and
if decisions bring on pain and if
our courage isn't right
and if
emotions rule the fight and
hasty words are thrown and if
we just can't love for winning
then all will fade at last and
we will wander on our way

mustn't lose this

i glowed
but then i growed
and double-bent i stalked
my spark, cross continent and
more, i staged and rearranged and
left before, that brilliant thing
that dazzling flame, that burned
the heart of me, i stalked and
ate. it shone and then i showed and
we built a higher tower, raised
an effigy of what i should be, strong
and frail. adrenaline-fueled pacing
guided mountain passage, won a
marathon of roses, raced alone.
exhaustion crept, we never
slept or kept our shoulders straight
as posture taught, but oh, we played!
and finally that villain doubt, astounded
found us, rent us, light restrained, but
though it bled a migraine's savage pathway
broad, no, never more than fire damaged,
damned, my hale-spark i retain.

second wind

that place, time and utter

moment, racing, i am not

empowered, merely groan

move on for lack of option,

limping forward. grasp at air

and catch a wisp of faerie thread. a 

sliver, not enough to lift, but 

just a fraction lighter now, a

spider's breath to brace

a dromedary's frame, and step,

just one step more, a nearer 

specter to the end.

Torn by Glue

No reason to cause envy with your
Beauty, they just needn't see.
I'd hide you away forever, take such
Care of you, dear: keep you
Secret and safe and
Mine, and only for
My eyes to drink the joy of you,
My arms to hold and my shoulder to lean
And weep, if you need. The world is cold, and
I am warmth to hold you tight. You'll
Never want to venture, never
Sing but to me. And I will bring
The world to you will give you all you dream, all
Imaginary things, or real. And none can ever
Call you out, or drain your doubt, or
Drown your resonating spark,
but me.

Haiku Again

What is gone is gone
Fading into distance like
Sirens in the night

Crisp and shining fruit
Tart, sweet juiciness tempting
Downfall of mankind

If I fear pain and
Poverty, lonliness, death,
Am I wrong or wise?

Comfort when I cry
Do you want to understand?
Or just hurry by?

Is there a reason
For you to jeopardize me
With your shiny car?

Hillside covered with
Swaying grasses in the wind
Looks like a ballad

Ever my only
Sweetest and bitterest dream
How should I follow?

When truth only hurts
When there is no right answer
Don't ask the question

Prior

That she, that
ever-looming cloud of
used to be; that
scepter, fierce and
wandering:
she bides in wait and
pounces readily,
if ever i should stop
to dream.

hide and seek

when i find love,
or fate decides, she
calls all sorrowful, when
things go ways i wish,
i'll be happy then, i
swear it. i'll grin and
bear til then, but then
oh, then i'll sing, when
circumstances change, and
i have all i wish, i'll
finally feel i fit,
but ah sister,
i breathe,
we only can be happy
when engulfing
happiness

Replenish

Mid thunderous rolls and strikes
Of brightest scion, carried
On and brought on
Faith enough for both to race,
To fly, but then, a monster breached
That berth and scandalized, enough
To render rent that time. And so
Awash in tears I dried, and
Fled upon a face of stone, to
Castle of my own, and distance
Plays my scepter now as
Somehow, naught to be recalled,
You call, and beam to share, in
Detailed revelrie, how dancing
In the sun brings joy
I didn't see

Bread

Bought on discount, brought forever
Still a loyal, bright, believer
Gloved, assaulted, catered, sought
A waif or six inside provide a
Shelter, host, mindless travail,
Tears open walls once solid, thought
Unassailable, and drain, and now
Yet shrinking, sucklings bound to berth
Once proudly hailed, becomes
A stinking, stolid, squalid perch.

Pull

Withdraw to distance, faced and painted
Same, but cleaner, fainter, built to last, to
Either right be left alone or flaunt a newfound
Lover's spectrum, bright as flickers, last
As embers drown in ocean's wisps of
Foam, embellish metaphor of faith once
Given wholly, wrapped and ardent followed,
Fallen, bound to misapplied romance.

I Never

Disco flare spins dancing
Found wallflower face and
Placed her spotlit, wanted,
Bending fall to blend, to
Understand it all, to fit, to
Stand and glare, to steal a
Momentary glamour's part and
Start to finally believe.

Gap

a Vault a
Catacomb surrounded
Chortle, fraught in ever-resonating
Wealth to drown, succumb
And bleach and marrow scratch
Each crack and scar to
Contemplate each vessel bound
to Break and fill, evaluate
Statisticize and scrutinize, refer,
Reorganize and column down
Remember, slow, and
Now?
Default to moment
Touch to burn and realize
Feel, exhale. Ah, this. This
Docile, tranquil, faulted schism,
A mask of purest damask spun
To wither all within, and
Spoil

Wick

As often, wailing softly,
Sighs through budding vines approach,
Enrobe, enliven, briskly snap
Intention on each stretch of
Sunlight sketched upon the bough.

Comprende

Hand out, reach
Offered, not taken, given
Out and only
Home and haven brake
Wilt on meaning
Jovial solitude
Waits for thanks.

Assay

Out, ball's belle, she
Flaunts what easy had to
Youth is bound. Vigor and
Spite for spate of excess
Foliage, blended, bindless
Energizer, go and go, but
Waltz, she glistens, nary
A one to miss, envious,
That corpse-bound stream
Of fountain flame.

Burden

Crossing tease, that
Cursed saiyan, dots and
Jots in crowded filter,
weeper's sheen of mourning,
Blots a silken scarf beneath
Each lashed frame of
Reverence.

Choose

Fine line, tiptoe. Waver not
This way, that side, or off
Any beaten trail ride. Don't
Abuse the rights inherited, or
Take light all given for
Your place in time. Don't
Mock, don't miss or mesmerize
Because all of creation rests
In what you make of this.

sigh

and he smells
warm, and home
and healing. and a
pause, a warmth,
sends seething shining
outward on, and arms
surround and breath
let go.

Celebrate

Save this,
Every scrap of
Edible, each penny stash
And keep it tightly bound and
Watch to keep it safe.
But wait,
Give nothing? Wait
For what, a rainy day?
Alone and cold and
Fed in stringbean.
Where is joy in
Safe?

Mine

And this
Will never fall like
Those, this coveted and
Rescued soul, safe haven
Found will stay and hold.
Will never seek or lose
Like so many waifs
And fools. And this
Will always have a home
And never look for love
Nor question how
Amazing
Wonder how worth
Holding, how so very
lovely or belonged.

Recap

One embrace, or brief
Encounter, mid a room of
Celebration, soul's fire
Fix and shatter both again.

Words brought over, some to
Buffer, some to shame, to
Reawaken deadened loss, to
Unabashed love and lust and
Loss recall and tear away and
Render whirlwind uselessness
This post, this past, this
Felt again a groaning burn.

One conversation, meant
To bolster, shreds to
Gritty shards a mask, deception
Worn and given on a pillar, boulder
Strong, but not, not now as
Built and crushed are
Same and one, and
Shoulder to have bourne
Is gone.

Hallelu

Went wrong, but sung so well until
Synapse collapsed and tenor's
Tenure fell, discord accorded space
And so forgave. And gave,
Too much again, again, and spent
Relentless fall on falling: Halt! Observe
And see what failing fled rose-tinted
Vision, once was asked within enticement's
Wicked spin. Drawn in, redressed, re-Painted
Less, and less a simple, single thread
Or shred of poor, alone,
And actual; grieve, not for loss, nor
Fault nor fervor, nae, weep for
Meeting more than halfway, fleeting
Though it seemed, and mostly
Gone, anyway.

Nap

Dare, how dare this faulted heather
Soft and stabbing, rest and drain
Each blossom bearing dew, but
Dry, but try, but oh! What solemn
Falter, heat sought, julienned and
Thrash, soft kisses wake, but
Can't quite quaking sob abate.

Never Was

The Faeries, they have
Fooled us, brought to mind
Fine prince, fresh charger bold
And told us we were special, fast
On dreams to travel, fain a
Past repression let to ride, a
Friend once thought, a lonely
Night. Those winking demon-fry
Have bound us tight in mesh of
Lye and scrubbed to shine the
Lie about two hearts
Entwined.

Rough

Released, slow, and prowling 

Carnivorous wary, ought bright

Trinity to flee, but "niao" she 

Tarries, keeps and thanks in

Blinks of ardor. Safe, in 

Dark apartment, in

Side.

Lucid

Mitty's mite and mistress might
Coagulated, laced in fur, need
Doughy platform knead, massage
Twist, flour, and out! Out, spot of
Anger, flaw of sad, no! Give it
Back! Clutch kitty's complicated
Shoulder hold, to retch and
Reach and mislaid morning
Seek.

Back

I would! I'd give,
Most moments, this, already
Made of mine and every, fast!
I'd sell, abandon, re-create, oh
Damned, so overdrawn and
Undersold. To ever have undone
The waste. The arms, the ride in
Clearest vein of sky, the
Time and ages by, such
Clarity and soft accepted, no
Rejected, never stood at
Understanding, acted, aced,
Replaced now, damned to have
Anticipated off and
Been a fickle fancy's face.

Self

Arms wrapped, throw, ragged
Draped around and wisped
and whiskered, lakeside held,
Spellbound as Sol awakens, raises
Hell's inferno skyward, out, and
Shreds the mist of Xanadu, I see
I'm home again, I wander in,
and through.

Print

Someone tread

Here

Someone had a 

Reason, halted here and

Felt this frission, echoes of

Past wanton rations, passed

Elusive fragments, caught

And tossed what lived here,

Brought to flickered almost

Life, and

Gone

Stubble

Lumber bore and felled
Each callous' story, sage,
Recall and crackle, bits of
Security, flawed cedar bite or
Ash, to ashes scamper, snug
Secured in mud-wall's mortared
Hole of hull, ship's bounty
Raided, found therein and
Salty season bore, now
Tell the tale of Shanghai'd
Feller, Hoquiam's
Lore.

Tucomen

See,
Really, there the magic
Blossoms, fawns upon yon
Troubled water span to play.
Invigorates, a splash, a cloud-brought
Bath, such cleanse, to chill and thicken
Breach of bow's brow, hue defines and
Flees from silken sailing plane
Mid tremors, sky of roiling
Blast, hold fast to
Armrest, land approach
And stay, but See the magic
Here at play.

Nightcore

Posture so extravagantly
Placed, and lighting set just
So, platformed and corseted and
Ready to blow, to heave and sing
With all the manic rage to hiss,
Conveniently forgetting there's a
Sky outside the studio, a set of
Arms long waiting little star to
Hold, but light's addiction ravishes,
Leaves shell to gape, as
Character escapes.

Beat

Jungle's heart, each swath and
Vine traversed, in effort, grime and
Will, though no emergent safe zone
Flickers, Is. This compromise, to
Go, to pace, to groan. For
Halt's unknown; a growing
Terror fades as onward, on
Obsessive march and crawl
To goal of going goes along. But
Bear no ill, nor clutch, but share
And give, as if to stave karma's
Edged sword aside and wan, or
Purchase thy redemption, gracious,
Gravitate though wavering, some
Effigy-laced stonework shines
Imagined in exhausted eyes, and
Lashes lie, belie, and fall into
Welcoming Sandmans' company.

Disco

Grooves amass in space, retention
Gains affixed in convolution, staid and stoic
Hologram bereft of mention, shed a shred
Of glow, suspension, ace yon soporific dream
Augment each moment, dangled, thread worn
Thin, this ribbon lent to tangled tresses
Rent and shredded, worn
To lovely exhaustion, spate
And greater ages sang these tones
Among lost searchers, crossed
In dancing crowd,
Alone

Zone

Asked no answer, 

No reply creaked downy 

Coverlet aside or soft awakened

Muffled cry. No shoulder rub, nor clutches

Taken, stealthy glances gathered, no; no

Sigh for dream encountered found

Or hand on hand a morning cold

Abolished now as each

In amity must go.

File

Altogether paced, replaced
Oft worn and aft, or scarred
Rough blemished, brought to
Bearing, fought by tor, or boulder,
Cleft, bereft of fancy, trudging on
Upon a tundra fresh and
Sparing none.

Tuck

Some spaces feel like
Home, though not my own,
Or even close, but someone's
Refuge, curled and toasty,
Mild and wanted, someone
Loves here, comforts here, and finds
An impact, reason, justifies a
Word of worlds. Some
Places just embrace
And wait.

Flow

Honey, sail away with

Golden, starry glass in hand

And ride wild serpents, cling

To none, just slide and 

Hide, atomies behind by
Crudely rendered

Sideways lines.

Flinch

Asunder
We are over
Ribbon knot undone
And sober, salient, and
Weary, search for
Balance, search
For meaning, for
A reason, three, or
Twenty, I
Abandoned that impairment,
Fled in angered visage, after
Rant and wailing, failed to make you
See, that though your shoulders
Quaked and eyes afraid, I
Meant to render comprehension
Not to frighten, but
Awaken
You
Withdrew and shrank from
Fist of fury,
Villain I, but
Did I ever
Swing?

Siber

Roundhouse hefts of frozen flay

Awake, astonish iris bright as

Azure, open gaping crater steals,

Ravishes away breath puffs and mind

Leaves only moment, being.

This

and Here

and what is Now?

and I and All 

and nothing is the same.

13 point 1

...and on.

Drear, though I signed up

For this. Paid up

For this, I lag. A limp

A sip, another shade-wisp

Desert's winter chill a bliss

A stirring drum beat chorus,

Times with heart thuds, jars,

A friendly shoulder by, a flash

Did I smile? Did I make the fancy

Face to show, to keep a

False-laid memory enjoyed, 

Save pained intensity, what

Madness brought this anguish

Begged and traveled, cried to 

Pace, to place in pointless 

Phoenix race?

Quickening

What madness brings, what
Engineers waylaid energy
Directs and emphasizes
Magnitude of each damned thought
And borrows ashes of my eyes
As wondering how I
In rash moment of regret decide
To commandeer a shell of faulted flesh to drive
And call it "life".

Bevel

Vast, and brief this lifelong flicker,
Flick of dust abiding, finding thus an edge
To dredge soft meaning, pleasing, feast on
Tremors, salt, and spawn. To cry aloud
About excelling ardor ought, a maggot ground
Beside bedchamber, bought and brought for
Strength, asunder rent a flowerbed to molt
As goosedown space, Aurora splayed a-kilter
Prince ne'er finding, fain in tower cellar doomed
To pray, and play lute, lilting sorrows dream, and
Beam of moon-ray grasp to climb aside, outside
As lilacs bloom in dew again.

Might

Frission, spite, assumption spit and fitted

Ere any trembled plea assembles, begs

Audience to spare a few. Abated, alter

Egos, blasted fury's shield. It

Might not end in tragedy, may all 

Come right, could ransom trends,

Numeric flaws assuaging, soothe as 

Balm a tropic waft to sting in peace

Thy pieces, torn, preemptive

Rage a-fueled before the

Final feat was known.

Steam

Feed mechanic splendor, wipe a
Waxed terrapin sheen, a glossing
Over run amok to stabilize a brother's
Toppling tower, straw-built, sound.
To rectify theatrics not assembled in
Thy hand as birds lie calmly,
Fisted still, another's brazen fury
Soft abate. Grind to gravel Colosseum,
Looms above in marked hate, to
Rid of bower want by us, and vision creeps
Of error pending, wretched, worn, and pity
Marked in battle's honor, force demand we
Thus to Find Thyself, and ohm awaits, so
Haste to solace, haste nirvana,
Onward progress!
Rush to wait.

About It

Minor fort of ecstasy, cuff

And bloody, sport defined

By domination, bind in mind a mound:

Libations past reaction, crawl inside a

Torture chamber, 

Never mind, a missed synapse

Event collapse, evict, addict, another

Have. A hydra ride as wide and wise as

Mama's wooden scythe. As far

To terrorize wild eyes and tame

Cannabalize hot bhang to blast

Abolish, 

Culpable to lack of

Bliss, aye, victimize, despise

Conifer's pride and scent to

Yearn for depth of Crater space

Explorer's journey past, apace.

Relic

Couched applause, politic
Awful, un-restorable,
Politest greeting, given for
Peace own presence fearing
Flaws encased in costume
Flaunt through clenched gut
For fame and beaten beauty
Truth? Abandon solitary space
To clutch each straw-strewn
Stall amid this rubble, rake
Avoid of coals and colas,
Coda strain, melodic twist,
Return again, as could I wish.

Bravado

Thin, tin smile, tight
Reach after slender corseted
Stalker, crumple, face in
Hands out, held for
Helping. Plea in fogged
Machinated end, for
Meaning

sol, o solo

And he said, thank you for
Great story, shared, and I
Remembered crying alone.
And he said you are so
Special to me, and I felt
The loss of overcompromise. And
He said you are amazing,
And I said,
I know

Respite

That lift, those arms don't know or seek, just
Hold sweet and close. Wash soft love over
Brokenness. Over cataracted gaze, and muffled moan.
Bundle in sobs, clutch in wrath form coldening.
Let fly but grieve chance to love more, save
One more, but save, you did, save
Hope, faith; soul winked out with goodness
Waved on and swift, on highroad of your gift.

Show

Shriven, graded, packaged so;
Whalebones laced and lashes
Placed to win a crowd's acceptance;
Race to blocked and chorded rounds,
Abounding sounds roof-shattered raises
Pasted, wasted, groaning zip and lock
Lips to face the lights, and shine.

Solution

Heart's a fool's toy, falls
A silly thing, for eyes, for
Hands, for moments gone
Wrong, so blame, so rotten
Seared in ink and scar for
Time, remembered or forgot,
Lover's lot, this knotted cord
Gnawed by desperation through,
A name regained, a life revived,
A stringless song skipped stepping
Down from judges benches
Whistles as it flies.

Alarm

Grab, go, roust from deep
Frozen depths of slumber's
Sought embrace and pact to
Keep therein dreams' secrets,
Aye, so tight own memory fails
Recounting time again and now.

Another

Rolling wave crash asunder and over
And under and into oblivion
Dissipate singing fate brought
Soughing doubt crawling and
Rout kinder passions to spare
Roughage blessed and passed
For broken alms and swears
And never mores anew recanted
Deviant past eschew and fresh
Mount soggy tor to cry again.

Aside

Dare this itch assist desire?
A grand design? Or
Canterbury tale inspire? To
Waft and whistle aimless by?
Welt on dry ambition build
For space, to stop mad
Writhing in the sky or mind?
To burn a wicket soft and dry,
Bench, useless, flaunted,
Amazon's restless child.

Chance

Morn spent, dreary
Inhibitions gave
Away and warmth
Ensues and fog-breath
Spun to candyfloss and
Drips precipitate, and make
Insulated flare affair
Take flight. In drenching
Gale a spinning fool,
Finite-less, gaze up
Accepting calloused hand
Design thy own reformed delight.

Moment

Ill-advised as lightning fall,
Rash, forethought bereft, but
Sailing, trailing, waltz of dazed
Beam this sideways kick
Started so stranger a brand
A song to belt away in crowded
Room.

Solo

Array demolish, airtime spent.
Abolish evening's sapient core,
Expose to way of milky night
A soul, a sound, a friend,
In starry sky
Sublime

Establish

Fold, place gently, pile and close,
Expose, excise each pattern bold
Adhere to order, fit in space,
Adorn, admire as works artfully
Grace and complement bare
Chrysalis of arms, embrace
Bejeweled self within
Shy face.

Some Say Love

Embraces all, encumbers so,

Entwines in knots of folly, robs

Of wit and will to wander, holds

The key to happiness, excites, inspires,

Drives one to transient madness, sparks

A change, feeds a flame, sends

In pearly hardened gaits a soul who

Bought the rule, the thumb,

The Love that overpowers,

Gulfs in, hot, and presses one

To run.

Err so Tiny

Even so, a
Candle flame can
Bring the building burning
Crash about you, lash
And flare to embers all
Possessed and loved and
Worshiped in a lockbox, kept
In privy, cold, beyond old
Kelpers' reach and fishers'
Lure, and so secure until
That latch undone, that
Carpet corner torn, and tripping
Beat all safeties ends to
Meet, thy fascinating fibers
Face to floor.

Royals

King to wise men round,
What say you? stay?
But fools, oh, foolish rush
To bind another's will, another
Bluster, blind and swell to
Get her, gather specters, crowd
Of cheers, fanatic ravers, want
Adored. This wait, right here,
For you, love, maiden cast
Of ore and found, a mix, a
Sundry solace shard, a
Dance? Pandora's skelter
Haven built, Gerrard and sweet
Lorenna bring a piece of peace
In pace with bright Adonis. Shift
Aside yon palace, bring this
Beastie softly in.

Growth

Daren't wager sixpence,
Fathom hindrance,
Prior rout aside, for gain upon
This millstone, ground soon,
Chaff from pellet fled. My
Kingdom for a route to
Fly, fast-forward on to thyme
in relish fuse, akin to sigh,
to Know thyself, and
Learn to Die.
But saffron beacon beckons
Daren't wager lessons,
Audience,
Azalea's royals trill and
Thrills abound tonight, as
Whisked from 'fore,
Displacing last,
To dance at Stephan's
Crowded path.

En Route

writing desk, flys none,
raven no scholar, nor
a bit alike, but aye, some runes,
capricious chicken scratches ply
a simile a'tween, and grand
adventure, this, bears solvent
peace grasped in understanding
so, what light through yonder window,
fair, and sweet as roses
dawn to dusk and ponder brings,
among all twists and gallows' way
how found this imp, tonight
beleaguered soul, or lay?

Anastasia's

She left, she turned
venom spoken, gone,
and rift existed then.
Crumpled bauble cast
beside, but snatched
before forgotten, taken!
Held, adored, and doted,
alabaster neck adorned.
Can blame appear, can
envy rear a verdant arm
upon her peace? The
warmth of arms, those beads,
they never looked
so good on me.

Shift

Daily walked, same
Way, this path, same
Footsteps follow, falter now
It's different today. So
Hazy, tremble as I
Go. Same way, as
Every day, but this,
This ache makes all
A new thing, sharp against
Background of loss, of
Used to have, of didn't
Stand tall enough, hold strong
Enough, for long enough.
Or wrong enough to never
Make this last, oh, wasted?
Never, brought upon such
Joy, this pain worth any, all
To feel, again, a stranger foe
My friend.

Antici...

A gasp, await
further dropping soul, print
anon each other,
sprint in sand so firm and
sponge stain, smear on
gown grown pale,
await consequent drop in
line to live by, rule of
runes, long etched, long
hid, last drenched a
time long gone, but
new. await my
seething temper chill, my
pace subside, close eyes
and i...

Suffice

Dazzle? Not by half. Amaze?
A laugh! Any, all and magnetize
Makes for poor toy, far
So mediocre. Not
Impressive, not
Anybody's whirlwind,
Fire and Ice combined,
But somehow, finite,
Enough, yes
Good enough
At last

Alnaschar's War

Elusive affiance, union-bound ere
Trust befalls, entwined in mire
Brier thicket snared, Br'er Now,
Don't toss me, sweet, therein,
Envelop deep, baptize in
Bliss, hock-deep meat hooks as
Lance to drag, o'er waving
Dashboard, fess up, vindicate.
Whose skin tear I, to fight, to find
That love I fled, fought, lost,
Cowered long past reaching, told
Heart, this time No! in bold
Harmonics, hold to this
Quagmire, Hope, that
Glimmers on in awe.

Understudy

Dare surpass
Protected mentor? Aim
Displacement, chase
A dream un-owned, a
Claim elsewhere belonged?
Sweet victory, in proper sportsman's
Ungrudging defeat, surpass
All expectations, grab
A chance, for self,
One moment, lit
In someone else's
Place

Inkling

Snag
Jigsawed edge and
Snap into place
So rigid, right
Fit place, fit
Just so, oh, just
As you are told,
Complaisant, waxed
Legs and smile, nae
Melt, the Show!
The show must go
On

Crumple

Strong enough

For this?

Tide's thrash, unreal, 

Cacophony as gulls shear

Bawl, weep, sweep aloft

Wind-torn in peninsula

Sparse, so dear, 

My dear, but

Strong? Enough

For this? Enough

To bind unbound,

Fletch, featherless? Arch

Bow; fly songless? Watch

Winged gentry spall, 

Empathy-less to crushed

Feast? Save face

Bow away, encore-less,

On my former

Stage?

Vaya con Dios

Page turns and
I fade
Go/Stay, be
Strong, but cower
Afraid. Different every day
But farther, and farther
Away.

Sneetch

Some are born broken:
Already faulted, unfixable,
Strange.
Some fly with trailing
Clouds of pestilence
And grate
As chalky cry
En-cringes, infringes:
Violated space
Of they, with stars
Upon thars,
Who prey.

Bierce

a boorish swagger greets,
includes, inspires envelops
eviscerates and dessicates
leaves shell of once proud flyer,
waiting ever, railway bound
fraught with anger, hunger,
lust, sadistic hangings on,
imagine taste of
sweet ambrosia!

Scion

of serpentine, bereft
bilious Donii cleft, aloft
and proud, so long bourne
awaits new styling, fair
defining acts to be
and Isis smiles, upon
a spider-veined knee to
bounce and grin.

Pastel

Broad color sweep, define!
Smudge/swipe, find the sea,
The shore, a gull appears and
Dune grass wavers,
Taste the tang and feel the
Breeze, this peace
In wax and canvas wrought.

Prodigy

aged so young and sad,
so young!
childhood flung aside as
moulded coat, abhorred, i beg
don't race!
you'll face this soon enough,
rage, deceit, and passion, pain,
amazing, raw, alive and so,
that peace ne'er re-attained
you'll weep as all, bittersweet
remind us of the lost. why
won't you listen?
play!

Nude

stripped,
wide and own
proud temerity slinks
so sweetly into steam
flaws in focus, form
addressed in censure's eye,
but glint this eye and grin,
a shift and oh!
rare beauty stands
before me

Wake

too dear, beyond
my mind's eye, understanding!
want so, to hold,
imperfections, foibles all,
so dear, this mirror-image
in another life.

Trade

leave a piece
of soul with me, and
soldier on, take
handful of my life
and stride away
to seek evasive fortune,
pretty face. but never
no, never regret this
lock of heart tress, my
gaping wound of gone,
grow fonder night on day
and never as united stand
as after roaming, home.

Sport

just we two arrive
and so, play on! we
can sweat, create, and be
alone, or these, or three:
if any arrive to join
melee, and foam in wave
of welcome, stay! and
live this slice of time
this game!

Wisp

Feather spin, elude,
Escape tensed fingers' reach
Evade paws flailed at thee and
Race upon a breath of breeze.
Clarity reduce,
Refrain mind's soulful need
To aid, brawn's bear-hug
Deftly made, and leave, o
Misst, mein mist it clouds,
Resounding echoes pound
In fog: is thought of sideways
Error-bound expression: try
To find this feather's reason
Stay!

about_blank

Dizzy in motion so
Still a whirl of a thrill alight
A beam, delight, but
Why? Erupting
Damned endorphins' ploy
Chicanery and flay broad
Terra's atoms wide in
Glee! But I
Elapse, abstain and find
A-tingle, glimpse of vast
Endeavor, out beyond
This pasted revelry, and
All, now Cling! Daren't
Lose mania, clutch
Again at empty
...lost...
at what?

Renovate

Pillage, now in moderation
Ply and pry to fragment form:
All just to build, to brighten
Bring to life, to light, to space
Inside, and place in
Places planned each bit
Of memory displayed on
Shelf and tile, reflected
Burnt in aching arms and
Side, wide smile at chores
Attained!

Prior

waver, just
inhale, sip
faintest hint
at edge of...

Tryst

tantalize and taste in

air each dizzy breath and

sway, did i begin this? blink and

suddenly give in? to which pagan

fiend does writhe owe

fresh obeisance? lift

alms and arms to Asherah

or Bast? if any owed

beyond this smile, this face

and echo of a moan.

Pause

Alight, and
Sway, foliage drop and
Fling, loud, crackle
Flares of frustrate
Peaces torn,
But
All I did was
Land

can't

chassis, wick, and faulted, drag
suffer, strive to feed same failing form
and Jones compete. ache to build
as ample show as they, though
never here to see, so much
to do away, to make, create
and earn, in cavy dash, a
living wage, 'though worth
an hour weighed meant life
each moment whisked aside
to forge same features on.

sans elliott

who defined us? who
first tried us? who
defriended, soft, defied us?
when it ended, who supplied us
with a moment, with a song? who
enlarged our scope and spied us
recognized the love inside us, brought
our tension out and plied us with a
deeper, kinder bond? and when it
felt like we had lost us who stayed here
and who forgot us? who made eons fly
and echoes boom, brought out our
elephant in rooms of doubt from corner
bunnies dusted and who felt and shared
and loved us when we
thought we were alone?
o did any see who held us?
who cried over us and led us
over mountains in our minds and
brought us home to find our rest? did
karma, kismet meet and plot to place an
ally in our way or ways, a soldier's arm, a
hermit's bow, a waif to ply a bitter wave? did they
by once-lost lovers leave behind a stepping stone from
grief that might, if leapt upon, propel us on? did they
indeed align these mirror images of
freckles in our eyes? did i?

Thresh

Step on tread on beat beneath me sod and

Tramp down brickle, thorn, and vine, tamp

Into place trails, wending, wide, drag

Double-bitted bite around, swing 

Fell bent and broken branches, kindle

Pile to burn inside, to grill and laugh

This party planned so long advance to

Leer and sway in liquor's haze a

Long awaited song refrain hum now

As one foot follows, drips perspire

Expire in exhalation, drought on lips chapped

Lick to tame and shoulder on, lift

Arbor's arms asunder, toss on pile to 

Moulder, gain endorphin there inside

As I demolish what grew on

Alive

Graven

Promise, fraud of whitest perjur, 

Flower willingly deceived,

Jack's sudden lack of effort:

Then, orphaned listless, sing

To fly, and cry, to try...

Let go? 

Can one scar discard, or

Chasm,

Molten meld, to mend?

Will, would, wanted

If abandon to 

Abyss of time or

Was?

Unsay all spoken? Oh!

Possible, elapsed echoes scan

To press Undo? 

Un-forsake and 

Re-awake? Rebuild cold wall of safety?

Repair Scrat's etching, fault erase, 

Bring home such truth:

Unexplained and uncontained,

Re-do? Re-live excrutiating

Reinvention? Adaptation into

Chrysalis and wing?

Far be it fancy thus

To crawl, instead forge into

Distance, 

Dance!

Lover's Lot, this Knot

Flood of ocher,
Night enliven,
Flush awash, and
Render bantam skeptic flight
Of ever, solely Mine
Sanctioned moments at a time
In Focus, keen contrast,
But saline rinse to
Follow, kenned, soon, so
Mesmerize, meander thus
Entwined, for
Bait of Hera's blessing I am
Bound to covet,
Lost home, amnion,
Succor, hearth, and balm beseech.

And I

kissed, tasted
bliss
once and fell
and felt so strange
and flew

Serviette

wrinkle smoothed
as ink
swiftly jotted
melds, seeps in
steals and seals
heart to his,

barely brushed fingers
deft and done, sold
twined fates lit
in time, in light
in shining eyes

gentle flame

how decide
just bliss to find
in sips and wisps
of fortune, fame,
or each elusive gasp
of this?
how accept, unquestioned
drips and dribs or drabs of
keened, and keenly out-sought
adoration, care?
and how, or how again
magic find in
simple fact and faint
impression; gently, bright and
bended smile?

Spark

Rote, nor rhyme
Dare here intrude
Fancy's soaring race,
And stranger beasts
Ne'er hosted rave as this,
Atop fresh-bitter, breezy peak;
Or eye of catamount enchanted
Convulsion-plaited henna tresses
Float un-crimped, unhampered:
Jar assaulted, jolted, dropping down
Mine-shaft, mine unending,
Mine, oh mine for all time,
Grappled, tousled, twin-backed
Hydra, burn as slide, arch
Gasping, twining, flee this
Binding, rouse and burnish,
Banish, bearing bright aurora!
Sleep, my beauty, rest and
Conjure time again to rout
Suffuse away tepid, tormented
Torpor; douse, and scour
Perfidy scented eiderdown,
Anticipate less peace
Than ushered in.

The Art of Grace

Have I given, yet,
My all and everything?
Probe glimmers of taint,
Sleuth libations, 'thout
Thought of recompense, but ay,
Thirst for dregs of thy
Given,
Probe the depths
of offered.
Accept? Uneven
Compromise, but
Where the contact
Binding all to give?
Doubt allegiance,
Consort wanders;
Who begged whom
To stay?

Frival

Naught
It means to either, but
Cry! Side and skein
A battle 'sued, a thrall
Ball and chain smell
Twisted taut,
Leave, unthought, unnerve
But stay?
Ah, touch - just edge
of linger, crush'd evoked
To both alone.

Vestri Cupiditas?

Ever dreamed to be
My nightmare's villain?
Wake in cold sweat
Dread Sandman's beckon follow,
Sobbing swallow,
Drink to dim this,
Medicate away this
Past starvation, passed
Chance for resolution? Only
Cope and cope and cope again,
Or break with iron-will:
Fetal crumble, muffle,
Jerk in stifling, wail,
And finally, exhausted,
Sleep?
Ever dreamed to be
My darkest hollow?
Buried, best contained:
Strike wanton, only sometimes
Fresh and burn?
Scald, but cauterize,
Cast scar's neonate?
Just once more
Devastate?
Ever dreamed to
Full elicit Acheron,
Evoke, awake Gehenna's pit?
Banish, ransack hope as did
Neglect owned issue quake?

Rift

Sway, brought in by
Shiny smiles and
Promises:
A chain. You!
Place me here
Shame slathered - beautiful
Band-Aid in place,
Expect no repurcussive flight.
Shudder as I flee, emaciate,
Embrace the smog and rain,
Escape the Thumb of
Grace?

Cusp

At this juncture
Unify locale, or abrupt
Assunder sworn - a
Vocal tearing or
Manual mending
Touch, withdraw
Answer in shove or hold -
Become this day a
History of
Yea or Nae.

Eleven

Paralyze
This gout, o
Aragorn! Aloft unsheath
great Gilly's wrath and
Burn thy candle
Down in lemongrass
So sweet, such ache -
Toil on! Tho scars
Fade never, cut upon
This person rendered
Ever. Label made but,
Tom beseeching,
Undo this, my
Folly, on my way
Exposed by thy
Extended
Finger

Was I Really

Thus:
Fanatic to song, blight and shame?
Ridden, bound, and blamed
No contest?
Beg, kneel, weep to metamorphosize and
Fail, yet never hail to measure -
march, entreat, endeavor All to please,
Submit and be
Content with this?
Adept at this, accepting
This?
So broken, how
Re-rendered, set,
Kiln-fired to shine?
Selected nature theorized,
I crystallize, and wonder:
Trail satellite tails in
Spectacle, frame-bound
To terra, pine for sky, but none
So visible, ephemeral as this.
Symptomatic find, I am,
And was, and will, and on,
Yet somehow, days gone by
I was!

Cornucopia

And I have,
Juncture span - this breath,
A moment after each:
Breath of lily flower, shy
Gift of he I never
Would have deemed,
Have dared, align
My life beside.
And I have
Amity, awake,
Jowls' ivories
Away turn, flee.
And I have
Concord, both world and self
Applied, each taste the
Sweeter off my verdant
Vine, and I have
Mirth in élan;

As I reach and 

Take it, joy is

Mine!

Final Chapter

Try now, to rewrite
All pages gone, undo the done?
Alter feelings as, with effort bound,
These last few moments,
Gesture grand can take back
Stings, deceptions. Fault
Of mine,
It was! But wait until
Last call
To rectify, to purchase
Friendly drink;
Goodwill, going,
And gone.

Gift

To lift
Grasp
At straws, at all!
Frail motive find of
Will, or wit; oust
Clouded threads in thought
Of mind. Impulse so
Vague to bring, to wake. No!
Wait! Vertig now!
Los, las capsule break.
It's time. My greatest
Mystery to find,
Embrace! Float
Jagged-edge of conscious;
Flit.

Revisit

I ran away
Again
But not the same
Can mountain change,
Deepen hue and swell?
Glacial melt enable
Closing, distance,
Calm amid this flight
Un-terrified, despairing none?
Peace brought with,
Anon to be more
Found in canyon
There.

Approach

Catch
Deceitful breath, stands
Fast, no danger here,
But this, a step I've
Taken, not to be got back I
Quaver. Guessed right? Did I,
Or on moment's folly falter? Words
Spread wide, perhaps for
Scorn or anger wrought
Unjust response to mite's
Submission; waiting burns,
May answer, may or not,
As I resign. To know, perhaps in
Time, and maybe ever doubt,
And move regret, and ache
To have not.

Tuft

Sways, waving,
Verdant death, shore grasses,
Wildly, arctic-driven,
Crackle, flailed upon
With smattering tears
Of cumulus; drops rent by
Wailing, wanting,
Ever driving foehn;
Chinook by name, bends
Lashes pathway bare of
Breath or feather,
Smattering of sand.
Captured all,
Image bound in print:
Giclée adorns my wall;

A chill, a thrill, 

Smile wan for all

Entangled and enrapped therein,

A life begun and past.

What have I done?

Innocent weeps! Retract, rewind
Damn spot, upon my soul, upon
My life, blot, ebony-inked
And dried; erasure none and
Blame I heap. O wag on harpies,
Cranial conception, jeer and jar
Blameless injured and faulty, here
I cringe and wail, damaged none
Save how I and she see
Me

Gurge

In, in brought
Recorded, report it and
Share! This web,
World-wide butter spread
O'er not bread enough.
To take it all
In

You

One, many, all:

Follow, heed

Long, lonesome call

Oh, you! Don't leave me 

Stranded, soiled,

Speculating!

Adorn, enable, bear,

Make Desperate your 

Trophy, young and bold, and

Leave to polish silver,

Order, primp, design

To please you:

Own you/

Make you beg,

I beg

You!

Markham

escape from
form and
proper

Blast! Bite - tsetse masticate
cells of mine and
Firm, shared Crocuta serum too
I fly now, Beryl! Soar with thee
Kalahari's mote above and
Fall

fled from form
and proper
some escape

Past

Weighed and mired, baggage piled
Anon, aloft, in arms, I trail along, graft
Finds with ever, tight and bind securely,
Twine, meld, swing and smash!
At impasse, roads built round, as
Geisel showed, ever stalwart, bear
This burden, load I cling beneath,
Fain let one memory fall, though
Strain to carry, pain recalled. Yet
Would I, could I lighten, clean-sweep,
Posture aid and stride regain? Oh!
Might I? May I, Simon? Roll
These shoulders, loosen ties, and
Sigh. Sink, sweat and breathe. Deep
And long, and wide. Move on!

Discard

Filthy, flayed and gone,
Abhorent to phalanges now, as
Rendered droplets cluster, form,
Repugnant, cake, can't fathom,
Of squalor such, desire sated now.

Blemish

Earned in grime
Emblazoned for ages and
Swells offered brightly, been
Had and can't leave well alone, but
It's awful! Gristled, garish,
Ornament to bear and bare
Clean skin to Lancome, scrub,
Begging mark to fly.

Taken In

Grace, beyond measure or meld
Mind astounds mid this peace
Of tiny face. And feat
Beyond dreaming, finally safe
Surround in downy bliss and warm,
Cage, street, and lonetide,
Nuzzled and whispered away.

Stargazing

Do you
Ever gaze clear, find
Chill dread in distance of stars and
Fear in warm empty azure summer
Skies?
Has time
Ever brought you to knees
Paralyzed, jaw caught, to gasp
Internalize mortal weight, and
Cry?
And hope
Could it home in breast torn, in
Life atheized, abused to point
Of quake in clasp, inward bound,
Find?

Try

And I
Accelerate
Assume responsibility
Pursue connection, vault
Obstacle and gain, a
Measure of peace
And we
Deflect
Strange options met
Ensconced by solace
Frenetic bouts of self
In bond, in trust abide
And they
Illicit comprehension brew
Covet sans the chore,
Exertion laid apace beside
Can't have as you and I

Left

Err on side of
Judged rage, abashed
This quandary quakes,
Beneath and makes all rumpled
Covers fall aside, leave
Corpse, though wick, a chill,
A pall upon, for being gone.

Too Big

Absolve and find me! Wreak

vengeant rage a' they as wronged

Karmaic chrysalis I 

Dwell therein and seek

Fibers to sever, but nae!

A pouched cub, I writhe

But daylight sears 

Creased open keekers, 

Daren't face outside

Not yet - Allow space, 

But hold me, safe.

Superfluous

Done well, and finished
Packed away,
Sold! For farthing's twinkle
Gave o'er time, by rights
Given and un-poorly wrought
But not, by means of any
Perfect as I ought!
Good, enjoyed, admired - though
Less than compulsion requires,
And I, bereft of chances more,
Applauded, lauded, levy grace
To find a smile to paste this mouth
And face a night beyond
My imperfection.

Wage

Can, and do,
Will try so hard,
Beyond reason, past justice and judgement
Abandon scrutiny and fold, expand
Stage, unplanned redemption, flaw and flare
Completed, just to definition, this
Check-marked list longer by far
Than theirs, but Go, can, do! Fly and
Finish each thing, strong. Support,
Give effort and all, so amazing, the memories,
Achievements, things I'll make, heights
I'll ascend!
But I will be so tired...

Abridge

Tell me about yourself.

Ah, me: but who, which
Soul to bare and moments share
Shorn safety whip away and
Card so neatly, spin and
Weave which tale?
Give nickel-plated grin and gusto?
Depressed, success, misunderstood,
Convoluted, irrepressive, analytic,
Sweaty brow and heaving muscle?
Faithful, faithless, fearful, moody,
Careful, careless, caring, soporific,
Tidy, filthy, OCD, or wild and terror-stricken?
Bio of a million markers, scars
And meteors, now bound
To paragraph and page.

Turbulence

Weight bears,

Drowns drop on drop

Pounds, down and lee-side

Circling, flays.

Moan abreast, and find

each crystal flail a-splatter

Renders space invisible as I

Cup, sip, wish, watch, amazed

Want to fly in this, to ride

storm-astride to lift and foist

Tlaloc's fountain rage.

Anticlimax

Void.
Stride into
Should-be, strong
and tall, so slender wrought,
Ribbon-bound and breathless,
Painted, declaim! And ought
to feel more than this. Dreary
Pulse, sluggish though, and bright
Smile upon glamour.
Greet new devotees, embrace
Past love and gone way. Sway,
So slightly, grit and bear
Bravely dream of dreams today.

Fell

Hand
To face to feel to fold and
Hold, enfold in empathy and
Care, not jade nor turn, nor tear,
But bind, by merest touch
This beating core, for time,
With yours

Gaze

Met in fancy,
Swept by daylight's race
From view and notion fast,
So grieved unknown, retained not
Part nor partial to diurnal pace,
Pilot askew life's course, though
Inquiry begs to differ, no course
Suggested, direction ken by yearn alone;
Drive moonbeam's path to find
Envisaged, real, and face to face,
Passing fancy's reverie.

Bid

Glitz and lights
Number high!
Elect each item, found,
Tables, ticker tape aflow in
Sumptuous overfill and wine.
Cheers to this or other charity;
Pat back, each patron, clap,
applaud and laud and leave
Full-handed, piles of things
Unplanned and purse strings
Loosened much by wish
To far impress, digress, want
Luxury thing or that.
I found
A treasure or two
That night.

Kringla

Quilted warmth, stitch on stitch

Crackles grated in and POP!

Cocoon wrapped bliss 

Cocoa soothes, butter smooth

Absorb adventures out of pages

Hold, quiet, bluster out and drain

No need to face destiny today

Hidden from the rain.

Daguerrotype

Such color! Stain of amazing
Alive! Almost breathing, bleed
Saponin raw and abate.
Albeit, too late for this fancy
Bereft of romance, bright
Color, cool water, breath of breeze!
Rainier stands high - drive and climb,
Paradise beneath thee! And I
Scramble, little crab along,
Fire and ice carved canyon rim,
Abyss, fell water flees down, down
And in! Breath intake, glory and chagrin
Sob as all remembered falls,
Into undone past and fen, fain
Would I give searing ache away,
Should it render gone, one
Mystic, magic, mountain day!

Hebrides

Disarm eve's paramour, Clap in desperation
I do believe in faeries, Tink, I do!
Drunk the draught and I a flighty, fickle friend
I've run and flown and fairly lost and
Blizzard beat, I've swooned. Where's Nome?
Gritted fang and footpad spread, go
Onward - give greatly, count cheaply favors
Given; value high when got, receive them
Moved, as you are, altruist of self-deceit
So row, Michael, on, hallelujah!
Dock at Callanish's port, bow
And grieve again, in toil and heartache
Health and sickness, sorrow/joy
And crossed jots, Tesla's curse and cure
Written and done by Brynner's tone
Commands me there to sway.

Voice

Across space's gasping, grasping chasm

A reach, a reason dim spreads weakly

Petals strewn upon bald ground,

Beyond every damndest damn flung

Forth gone, bottle corked and tossed

Bobs beyond cleft coast, a missive

Lost! But time's betrayer, Fate, or

Luck, or guided Hand, or any

Reason brought away to spread

My word. You found it, broke,

Responded - oh, you heard!

Whelm

Beg each burden on

To climb, grip harder so as

Not to fall away. Pile on!

Lift and carry, Pilgrim!

Strain tendons, will, 

Credulity: can I

Do all this?

Clean ALL the things?

Be the best of me

Again? 

So tired, I beg

Overload to fall away, be

Gone! Leave me!

But then I find just

One more thing.

Honey-do list falls to me,

The list I wrote, to finish

Trails into oblivion!

Each hurdle daunts, derides:

Amelia flies and Orly shies and

Cornbread bakes and I've applied

Myself and won, directing Nana's 

Silly play and books are on their 

Way and I elect my own condition:

Never dull and never finished, but

Tired, oh so tired today!

Catch Up

Tread

In tor's shade,

Steady on.

Heather sweeps sweet scented,

Ruffled mountain's cape

Churn about my feet.

Craggy top bound,

Eye avert, focus

On each toe hold,

Hand to gravel,

Bring to purpose

Peak, 

Complete.