nothing
not even dust
from the bones
obliterated
left on this wind
(May 22, 2014)
-
no martyrs
no one is freefrom the guiltof anger the guiltof consequenceand blameno saints hungfor examplefrom prison house wallsjust you and meshivering in the dark(May 22, 2014) -
elemental
I require silencefor momentsof clarity and thoughtto thickenlike ice from waterturns from itselfinto itselfthen back againyet unchangedby changestilla blur but notas motion rathera losslike fire in winda shape then shiftsagain beforea pattern formsin the ash fallinglike snow to the ground(May 20, 2014) -
We Cannot Care Enough For You
by
You ask questions of others,but never provide your answers:others’ stories, others’ lives, pried open,but what is your story – – your life?the psychically damaged mom,the patriarchal dad, the gay brother:where are you in this paradeof American middle-class clichés?Standing on the curb waving a flag,your lip trembling on the edge of tears,worried someone might discoverthe frightened secrets of your heart?You stand in the middle of lovedenying the possibility of its existence.(May 8, 2014) -
boxed
by
if I slide my tonguebetween the slatsit will be sliced offin silent precisionand I will drown inthe bloodied wordsI want to speakthere is no spacefor what I needto say to youa half-step righta walla half-step lefta wallin frontbehinda wallthe ends bendmy head to my feetas if in supplicationno sound escapes exceptthe slow grindingbetween my teethof any truthsI could say to youand my troubledheart’s desire(May 18, 2014) -
take care
by
of course I knownothing remainsof now or thennothing remainsbeyond memory’s blura loose threadshe flicksfrom my sleeve(May 15, 2014) -
Casual Conversation About Memory and Ash
It does not matter if what I sayis true. Each morning in the dark,fears sit scattered nonchalantlyabout the house eager to conversewith any who will stop and listento their gleeful whisperingsabout death, love, flowers, and bears.In this city of shadows, the moon’salways about to set; she sits fatlyon the horizon like a cat watchingfrom a window. Within these darkershades, beneath the murmuringtrees, I float, like fireflies, obliviousto the figures lurking tense alongmy edges. I shed memory, like artifacts,to be retold as a new man to a morejaded audience somewhere beyondthe fresh ash occluding the prescienthand grasping after air like beggars.No warning sounds soon enoughto pierce my ontic musingwith clarity to comprehendthe swiftness of an unforgiving end.(May 10 ,2014) -
Listen
Can you smile at your ownconversation, surprisedby the improvisation,rather than crushedbehind the stock phrase?Are you following the sentenceas it unfolds, each wordfalling neatly into place;or are you leaping ahead,dancing within your laughter,greeting the end as it arrives?I linger within your words,as if lost in your kiss,beyond the sound of our voices.(May 7, 2014) -
manifestation
do not markthe chainmouthed softlyas she speaksjust submitquitaccept futilityas your godthen vanishinto the earthbeneath her feetas you pray for lovein open-mouthedsilence(May 5, 2014) -
be not coy
The rose opens to his touch,the petal’s flesh moistbetween his fingers.(May 4, 2014) -
as the wolf bites down
it’s easy to saydon’t be afraidbut when the slaverdrips from the jawsyour fingers pry aparttruth becomes slipperyand fear and luckconspire to justifyall your panicked whispersthrough the solitary dark(May 2, 2014) -
Two Haiku on the Scaffold Steps
by
How soft can one goto deflect the killing blow?The wind flows through leaves.*Another chain’s forgedbending your head to the ground;the axe blade gleams near.(May 2, 2014)
subtext 