Lost Boys

I called for respite and saving,
a bangarang at midnight swooped in,
my lost boys who all played pretend.
If you give a homeless musician
a place to sleep in your garage
he will bring the bike rider of the country to rest,
and he will ask for an amp while you lay on his chest.
If you give him an amp, another will appear
with duffle bag and musical gear.
Funtaker, played horn all day and all night,
soon two more showed up at the back door.
Senior Senior and a boy named Sue
with vintage ties and sad puppy dog eyes
singing out of tune melodies on updated children’s toys
of days in the Valley and escaping just in time.
If you allow them to stay
and of course why wouldn’t they,
a merriment will ensue, along will come two
or three who sneak in the backdoor to shower
and pour your finest wine or more.
One last mouse came to the nest
desperate for a dry place to rest
and snuggled as one on top of the steps,
waiting for his place amongst the nest.
A full house emerged
while I purged over toilet bowl in the morning
I heard rumblings of men all through my head
wondered exactly what had happened.
By this time, the musician had become mine
a baby was on time to add to the lost boy enclave.
Boys who do heavy lifting saved me from stress in duress
although some lived like rats;
others cooked nightly feasts,
scrubbed the ceilings and fed the beasts.
Ducks who would bite, bunnies who might
and a dog who just wanted his bone.
All of this and more is the story untold.

 

Night Owls

You, old coot, the devil in disguise,
with grey clouds at your temples
sadness in your eyes
hide in your hovel
try to step forward from your demise
continually stuck in whatever gets you through the night.
One flesh, spirit licked to a polish shine
spit-thick pearl upon pearl, pushed flesh to the front
folded upon itself for this time.
Trickster, fantasy supreme
we should go out and scream in the streets
but instead I sit here in my comfortable abode and write.
What kind of weakened spirit chooses words over friends?
The type of depravity for making up stories instead of new dead ends.
Step back with the magic black I drew the spell tonight.
Let there be lace and a face to frame mine
a slip of a boy not quite a man.
I know this story told and told around the edges,
skirting fetish, wrapped in possibility of kisses
near misses back to square one.
On our feet on our knees, these keys never undone
never unlock having spun the prisoner of vanity and fun.

Drowning Sorrow

Words of personality disorder whispered over my shoulder
crowns of raven curls and thorny horns on the sidelines
what am I doing here? Trying to find
a brother in arms, a lover with charms
only children as far as the eye can see.
Raven haired angel, skirted boy, poison arrow
drowning our sorrows
trying to pretend the world is not burning
down to the end, sweet cherubian devil
piercing eyes and a grin
how I would love nothing more than
to run down dark alleys with you,
pretend we are caught in a painting
some long forgotten day
Paris or Berlin,
instead of the now
with black people burning the streets
mothers crying - dead children at their feet.

Sinew

Bring thin membrane spirit
the body is ill and needs healing
Find it in finery find it in finesse.
Feathered stroke through lake light
lied dormant with fleeting scars
see the tight opalescent skin,
roped sinew wrapped story tucked under
spun around to reveal torture,
vile adults, spit filth, noise starved
curse spawns curse
and then she crawled forth
dirt filling mouth
canals trenched by wooden plows
rudimentary in creation.

A Gift and A Curse

A gift and a curse I see each flicker of eye lash
each dart of vision, twitch of fingers
and look boy listen, I am not a game to be toyed with
something to tease on a whim, I am a full-fledged woman
who sees your game as it begins.
I have been down a road or two and unlike you,
I reflect on where I have come and when it is all done
I will not make the same mistake twice.

When I see you on the street I may make nice,
but that does not mean I forgive or forget
when all is said and done what did you really get
a twist of your hand and wrist to resist
ever having to look in the eyes and kiss
a woman who might expect for you
to step back and reflect,
a moment by moment tool
caught in your own demise, fool.

I wish for you peace and freedom
to look at your pain and begin
to decipher what manifests in your life
to realize you create your own strife
of broken hearts and lonely beds
of anger and choices to defend
your darting eyes as you pretend
that girl is not your unrequited love,
but your friend.

I will go on, I always do
dust myself off, take a moment or two
walk on down the road to greener views
appreciate having known you
for no relationship is a mistake
this one was a momentary escape
from life’s heavy burdens
sometimes it’s easier to pull back the curtain,
hide from the light, stand on the cliff
imagine the flight.

Greater in Blanket Than the Sum of Its Parts

A mist of clarity covers my skin,
opalescent dewdrops and rainbow prisms
upon the hair of my arms
millions of molecules create rows and canyons
not visible to your eyes.
I feel this layer, the wet sheen
greater in blanket than the sum of its part.
Silver, copper ribbon - I glow,
look into your eyes and I know
you see it all through rain and the fall,
only a moment in our lives,
it won’t be like this all the time.
You have the grace to love me through any insanity
that might smear away our nature,
turns rainbow dew drops to muddy fingerprints
and I give you my torrential rain shower
of tears and laughter, we grow this life together.

Take the Deep Breath Curled

Everyone wants a piece of me
the love and tits of me
to feed and nurture insecurity
everyone wants the mother and peace of me
no one has the decency
to lean in, take the deep breath curled
pain and softness unfurled in me.
Take the meat of me
the marrow, sweet spirit,
sour and divine of me
with tears, see bravery
the blood and sweat to see
where this insanity leads, just me.

Going Another Way

Sit down, a moment’s peace
God is outside lighting up
her frown erased by silver shadows
cast from clouds above
set-down in this place
fantastical reality in the window,
distracts, drawing my breath in quivering
blooming fire breath caught
erase the past transgressions.

Lunacy, Transparent From Above

Sweat glistens, a sheen blankets
dew upon a meadow spreading
luminescent shimmer
and the stillness is deafening
a calm settles, forms a rise and fall
as rhythm emerges, breath quakes.

Cosmos fragments basted,
limbs asunder become
lightning manifesting thunder
a deluge decants vibrations
fragrant and languid vapor
as sonorous stirring settles.

Shudder, scarcely exchange
visions on the brink
lunacy, transparent from above
carved haze, a channel
tongues unspoken for an eternity
held aflame on spears of destiny.