Saturday, October 14, 2017








Among Us


what was less then
what was lost
what was found in
in our round table
was mostly future
among the cats and the wine
what we failed was the nurture
we traveled away
from the canvas the studio
we huddled too close
to the answer the obvious
I shed you
I did
for my own self worth
Sacrificed you for me
Still undecided
You touched the bottle
a reprimand to my flight
I understood
too late
too angry to fight
Amsterdam pulled the plug
Amsterdam was the flood
that lifted me over redeeming waters
I was young then and mostly drunk
I was young then
and mostly alone
you tracked how I flew
my singular path
Breakfast in Amsterdam
Breakfast was a drag
And I made a picture
of us in the round
Of us as artists underground
the basement the studio
I have never recovered
your sly criticisms
your tiny canvases of mirth
I am still here

That’s my singular birth

Wednesday, October 11, 2017


the spell

For Carole with reservations
before I knew it I’m roped
tied to a heart you call dope
until the wheels fall apart
on that nail driven road and
I shatter the mirror that
fails your rear view
before I know it shit happens
hot as the blast from my secret weapon
when the clues break away
from the you meant to stay
under spells I’ve forgiven
who I am to rattle your mission
before you know it’s that rope
tightens years on those lies
hands me a wasteland too heavy to fly
nothing to do but drive on
through a firestorm of redemption
from the me meant to stay
it’s going and coming from under the spell
it’s me with the age of the tarot that tells
it’s me in a crown of the victory wreath
it’s you who’s to grieve
the race never won
nothing gained in those lies
nothing to do now but salute
that road we’ve been on
paved with dying allude
nothing to do but delete and drive on
from you

Saturday, October 7, 2017


it’s the miraculous
in the normal, he said
she glanced up from
her reading
what she did before bed
what do you mean
she asked
her question loaded
these small things
between them
often exploded
these small things
between lovers
that came with warnings

it’s the miraculous
in the normal, he said
she turned round
from her stirring
a traveler returned
with small gifts
that unraveled
like a story retold
lentils with cumin
simmered on the stove
they were still human
she kept them fed

it’s the miraculous
in the normal, he said
she glanced up from
her reading
what she did before bed
like the darkness
in prisons she said
like gold in decay
when night becomes
the hard light of day
keep it simple, he said
straight forward
at home or abroad
take time for the tea
wear good shoes for the road

It’s the miraculous
in the normal, he said
gently insistent
she glanced up from 
her reading
what she did before bed
I know what you mean,
she whispered

it lives in my head