28.02.01
clever disguise
plaid skirts, blue ties
wrapped in catholicism
tied with a bow
for some its a way of life, for others, show
28.02.01
27.02.01
the words were rocks rolling around in my mouth
put there by someone else who found them comfortable
they weighed heavy on every word I spoke
my eyes alight with a frustration not of this world
i turned them over, and over, and over, and over
forcing and rehearsing them into their place
i almost swallowed, i could have choked, i should have known
01.02.01
when the girl next door's no longer princess
and the guy down the street has a piece
when drugs are easier to get than a good education
and its youth that are on the streets
angry parents of the world unite
asking "what is wrong with these kids?"
if you have to ask and you don't know
i tell you the answer is this
the problem is you
21.01.01
this has been but a glimpse
20.01.01
the color of night is falling
dripping down the wall-like skyline
fading from green to blue to deepest nothingness
a cozy blanket of cloud is tightly drawn
serving as the unwilling curtain of an all too glorious stage
the encore will be dawn as the players bow their pink, shimmering guilded heads
30.12.00
magnetic poetry on a blue fridge with a chrome handle
the pancakes are burning like a hunk, a hunk of burning love
and the kitchen scene is barely seen for we do not have a table
therefore it is unseemly for two reason why we allow our company to eat off the floor
30.12.00
times like these i wish i could still pray
but the words have evaded me
like ashes thrown into the air
at an abandonned train station
on a stagnant grey day they scatter
and whirl about on their way to elsewhere
briefly beautiful, briefly mine
scattered to the wind, committed to a time
and place and space and a kind boy's face
who prays still, without words
and sways to music as others stand still
blankly staring out windows illuminated by
pale green lightbulbs
some are broken
some are pleasantly intact and surprisingly elegant
elegant as the kind boys hips, which he moves slowly
in time with the rhymic train car
things grind to a halt and blur as we reach his stop
he walks like a believer, on his way to somewhere i will never know
calmly though, as if it can wait
as if it can all wait until the song is over
18.12.00
you and your sweater vests
they're laughable but sweet
and they catch my eye
as i prowl towards class
trying to keep the beat
but as distraction goes
i suppose that you succeed
i see a raging 'sweater vest'
but they only hear their creed
amens and halleluias
tightly held by the weave
oh glorious glorious sweater vest
my new favorite pet peeve
18.12.00
i can love you from afar
bring you breakfast in bed
sweep you off your feet
and do it over again
i can raise our bouncing children
wake you for a sunrise
tell you that i love you
and look you in the eyes
i can be your rock and strength
catch you when you fall
allow you to catch me
and know that its my call
i can let you win at scabble
keep my cool when you're upset
pretend to like your cooking
and forgive and forget
i can flirt and really mean it
kiss your smiling lips
hold your hand gently
and put my arm around your hips
i can grow old beside you
never really feeling old
remain your childhood sweetheart
and have our story told
i can call you my life partner
my partner in this life
my friend, my hope, my love
and my wife
14.10.00
kiss me twice now
once for the way you never walk away angry
(you walk away angry)
once for the way you look back
(you looked back and smiled)
and winked
and kissed me twice from afar
14.10.00
wax drips on shaking fingers
warms the shivers
that she gets when she prays
canonized by the church that lives on bank st.
the homeless, the prostitutes, the drunks
raise their eyes to experience her
and her closed eyes crying in earnest for them
they lower their eyes to watch the wax harden
as it joins her in her vigil
14.10.00
the beautiful girl grabs my hand
pulling me across the dance floor
leaving the beautiful-boy-in-tow sitting making polite conversation
the old ladies chuckle, the men roll their eyes
the beautiful boy nods in approval
and she watches my eyes
i am mindful of all and i watch the glares and stares
from the twelve perfectly square tables directed at me
as she leads
as she leads a little too well
05.10.00
my t-shirt is on inside out
i don't know how this happened
things just sort of fell out of place
when you called like you said you would
my priorities, like my hair, were rearranged
gelled in place
and ordered to stand at attention
for inspection
by the commander of innocent innuendos
05.10.00
there is no war measures act in friendship
no binding contract in times of hardship
no guarantee of abstract concepts
no accepted solution or proven steps
there is nothing left to be said
no goodmornings or daily bread
no warning before the fact
no needed smiles or eye contact
there is no glory in this war
when you lose what you were fighting for
