The long walk home.

We are moving on, looking for those happy days again
Leaving with less than what we brought
You look so beautiful, that smile on your face

These fragile moments recalled within your photographs
Reborn again with wings, unfaded by the days

As seasons pass will you remember dazzled burning seas
These passing nights of faintly blue dancing snowflakes

Whenever I felt alone or was scared
Turned around and there you were

We are moving on, looking for those happy days again
Leaving with less than what we brought
Everyone moves on, hefting their own never-healing wounds
These frames which we never could forget
You look so beautiful, that smile on your face

Remind me once again, how many times have I been lost?
How every time, I was adrift until the one who lended a
Warm hand was you - oh, lovely you
Bringing me in from the night

When we reach the end of this road tell me, where will we be?
Leaving with less than what we brought
Everyone moves on aimless, always searching for their heart
Take my hand, and wander on with me
You look so beautiful, that smile on your face.

It's all, miss understood.

She can't know how
(Not knowhow, nor no-way, no-how)

That is to say,
She couldn't possibly know how
Her words incite me,
Stumble me,
Leave me wretched, gasping... gaping...

Wondering.

Left me happybutunkempt
Because I want the best for her -
- but am egotistic: believing the best
To be myself.

In my dreams, she is ever leaving me, which left me... sobbing?
I pause to catch my breath, to tearwipe away, smileforced.

Now I am:
Firestomached. Damned displeased,
Buried amongst mechanical antiques.
In love with the man who traded me for them
Unhappy with myself for not being more careful.
Parting with dead men (who are not as friendly as they might look).

Remarks upon feelings:
Emotions are slipshod, fleeting, irrational, unable to be contained with
Merewords laugh. They say, "We can't do that. You can't force
Our square pegs into those star-shaped holes."

Still, I try; as if I have no mouth but I must scream.

I think I need help.

Into: mindswept.
And I am reminded, always, of In So Many Words,
Which were written to remind me
Of how careless I can be.

You think I would learn from my mistakes!
But no: everonward.

As expected.

Gentle now: we wander through this
Downtown made for friends:
You with yours, and myself, now
Inducted (temporarily, at least)
In-to the circle.

But ever so careful, I: shy
Away from these things
Perhaps at fault; don't take
Action, chances,
Let things simmer.

Can't help yourself: bored, you wandering
Wondering. Suddenly, at the cut-off, meander,
Choicemade, in-to this room with one exit only:
Letting someone else (not I, I aside) stand
Within the doorway (hingeshadow paints his back)

Hands
Clasp
Oneanother
Kisses
Contact

And I: laughingboy
You: unhappy with your choice (was it really yours?)
Browkist, Nuzzlecheek
Might've been happier had you sat
Next to the young gentleman in the green shirt.

But then again, perhaps
Not. I didn't come here to play that game
After all. See you to-morrow?

To-morrow, waiting eye.

Angel.

In those days, we were coffered
With memories, like snowflakes
That drove in from out of town
Floraling out of clouds
Drifted, floated down and
Veiled our minds with passion.

Gazing at our frozen feet,
Murmured softly, said we had
No need for sneakers -
Samewise, wanted no shoelaces
Except to tie our shirtsleeves
Up so we could show off
The spiderwebs on our wrists
And our pointy, jointy elbows.

Cowering, crawling crassly beneath
Trees which long ago had lost
What foliage they once boasted
Of green, sunny days, now
Supplanted with an icy winter blaze
Moments pass; we are:
Camp-making between snow
Drifts in and out and in, making
Igloos out of turtleskins.

Treebranch snapping sounds
Like sapping on a winter day
Dulled by walls within which
We (shiverback and I) alone
Mimic arbors outside, our shoulders
Turn aside, the skin splits
Leaving gaping, gurgling
Gasping chasms.

Sinew, muscle, blood and bone
Wanfeather down and up again,
Shiverback looses her wings
And I mine: holding hands
We fly away from winter.

Your eyes.

Once upon a midnight clear
I counted kliks tween there and here
Remarked how far away you were
Then missing you (and missing her)

Recalled a Once upon a dream
When you were much more than you seemed
With bright colors about your head
And eyes that peered into my bed

The eyes of any beast or man
Could be assumed part of your plan
To keep me watched, so I'd stay true
To all the stories told to you

Oh! Suspicious looks had I
For drawn shades and the unseen eye
My cat, padding across the bed
Over my legs, which prickled red

Recieved from me a hurtful glare
And stared right back - were you in there
Were you watching as I watched you
Eyes of green behind yellow-blue?

At last I declared myself undone
Were this a contest, girl, you won
Opened the door, tween earth and sky
And noticed one reflecting eye

This ravenfeather, peaceful ken
His head turned towards me - you again
Peering out from behind black eyes
Waiting to catch me in my lies

And I smiled, looked into you
From kliks away as the crow flew
Though you unnerved me - yes, you do
I loved how you could keep me true

And so,

Caring more than I otherwise would
Slipped outside, and strolled the wood
Making sure when you looked you'de see
The one you wanted me to be.

Fields of Heather, and the American Artist.

I can't help but find it true
As daylight draws to close
That the moonlight paints so blue
Tween cracks amidst my clothes
I've been wondering where you are
Have you lit up our cigars?

She stood warm among the flowers
That were knitted to her skin
She was counting down the hours
As she wore her patience thin
So I offered her a smile
And she asked to stay a while.

And we could have it, don't I know
If We were tempted to just let go
I'd tell you no, but you'de just laugh
And ask me for those photographs
Because I want the girl I cannot have

She was waiting just inside
Sitting on the highest stair
Feeling angst inside subside
I strode to meet her there
Stilling words behind her hand
And her unspoken demands

We repaired into her bed
In a semidarkened room
Spinning flowers off her head
Watching skin begin to bloom
But in that instant, pulled away
I'll be back again someday

And I could have you, oh, I know
If you just happened to let go
Explain away, and you'll just laugh
Why I can't be your better half
I just want the girl I cannot have.

Tell me do I lack your trust
Were you startled by my kiss
Drawn in by one smooth thrust
Finding yourself all amiss
Pushed away in a reprieve
Hinting I should stand and leave

Oh you could have me, don't you know
If you'de just lift your shield, and let it go.
I'd ask a why, but you'de just laugh
The explanation I'll never have
Because you're the girl I cannot have.

Kitten crying.

Apologies linger on the seaways
Sandwiches which crumb up all the plates
I wish I could erase all these days
Diving off and digging into dates

We'll wish these memories would last
But good ones all fall far too fast
And the bad ones -collected in your pocket once more

We linger green and red suspicions
Letting go of our unopened gifts
Paying off our oversold positions
Burning off the bridge across the rifts

We'll wish these memories would last
But good ones all fall far too fast
And the sad ones - coming back together once more

There we see a seabird swimming homeward
With a cry regarded once as crass
Driving home reversed, I feel so backward
These times were set unfortunately fast

We'll wish these memories would last
But good ones all fall far too fast
And the last ones - falling out together once more

I should be...

...darksome, morningtanned, melanomawrought.

Shadow sunblock skitteredeye,
Grinstill wishend smiledie
Johntold yonder michaelexed
Treasure meleft dreamingvexed
Stillanon unto thisday
Dreamlong anon slideaway
Givenfree but takenhard
Pushcry dewdawn ambercard
Boxcross timelove essaywall
Bylaw fairkiss newsomefall

Pantstep avoid aftermad
Goodbye the insensate cad.

Phantom.

Girl, You can remind me of winter
As you light up dark and cold
When you're curled up by the fire
And the drink is taking hold

I have seen the young man waiting
By your window in the snow
Wishing he were dressed up in Pink
Or that he knew a colored crow

Girl, I will admit that you scare me
Make me stammer all my words
But I'm working shaking fingers
And my fretting's all a blur

Don't open up your door for him
He would never walk right in
Because life is somewhat boring
When your wrists are worried thin

Girl, You make me want to run off
In the most opposing way
It's the same amount of miles
It would only take a day

So just open up your window
If you wouldn't mind the draft
'Cause he's got his best Pink suit on
And the color's made him daft

Girl, I wish that it were snowing out
So I couldn't walk away
And I wouldn't be much bothered
Were I trapped here one more day

But the sun has played its entrance
And it's melting off the dunes
There's a Pink suit in a puddle
With a pocketfull of tunes.

And again at sea.

A little bird
Which came from you
And brought your gift out of the blue

When I awoke
She's perched up there
With ink which I must now review

So a star course
And the shore end
Gulls baptize me new again

And I alive
So rig the sails
We're out of breath but 'round the bend.

Then sinking ship
Into her sea
Were capsized by a gentle breeze

The pounding wave
The swim to shore
So warm, so wet, but still we breathe

A gentle sleep

A sunburn bare

They melt into your angry stare

The rushing surf

Is only still

When I awake and still you're there

And I again
All locked away
So that they would not all decay

Or sacrificed
To one false step
A match, a flame, a rainy day

You've lost your boat
Marooned at sea
An island that I cannot leave

Go build your raft
Or swim astray
The tides will bring you back to me.

wee bit confused.

Her rhymes have been written so painfully
That after reading, I'm left quite bemused
She thinks of herself as a raveler
But I believe her a wee bit confused.

I wonder when idle: why the contempt
Of meter, the chutzpah which she displays
While she speeds through her grande poeming process
With rhyme in mind, but no other delays

So unlike myself: I carefully write
And then revise with the knife and my pen
Until the lines flow washing together
Until all is perfect, and only then

And then, only then will I hit 'send'.
Though I am busy, you may depend
On it.
On me.

An apology to Adrienne.

Careless then, as he is now
He went about not asking how
As he is now - perhaps a change
For now he's left once more ashamed

Of things he's said, and things he's done
He might ascribe it all to fun
But if he did, t'would be a lie
He's just a 'hat, as I'll describe

Some hurt is not - but some is meant
Some words were said to leave a dent
A bruise, a scar, a wanton slur
If you agree, I shall concur

That he cannot be trusted now
With social grace - oh, he can bow
And praise with such astounding skill
But 'neath it all, the power thrill

Of hurting. God, I must confess
That it pains me, and I am stressed
To know these were most unneeded
Yet this warning left unheeded

I'll offer you apologies
And dress them up in autumn's breeze
But I have rendered these before
And then came back to slur some more

So bless your heart: so good, so true
With all these reperations due
I cannot think of facing you
Again, so lean once more and laugh
For life is not a paragraph

And sixty-four birthdays will not close the parenthesis.

Wanderlust

I find it queer, so odd and strange
That I so carefully arrange
My words so that if one should peek
Inside this book, perhaps to seek
A heart that isn't there at all
But seems to be - since words do fall
Often from my uncareful pen.

So I will carefully revise
And annotating, will devise
A way so if the reader's you
There's no way you could misconstrue
The meaning from my turn of phrase
Which never strays far from the praise
That you will find here once again.

The ninja, and the pirate.

A ninja and a pir-ate passed by one day
A look was all it took, and they stopped to say
Now tell me how's your wife, how's the holiday
Guess one of us should leave on a silver tray

They drew aboard a sword and a pistol out
The neighbors all awayed, how they scream and shout
And with the best of grins, they began the bout
Though no one understood what it was all about

The ninja scored a chord in the pirate's chest
The pirate's pistol punc-tured the ninja's vest
And as they fell they cried they had passed the test
"I guess we both could say that we did our best"

A ninja and a pir-ate laid down to sleep
Two boxes in a hole dug out six feet deep
But worry not my friend, don't you dare to weep
In death they found a com-rade, now ain't that sweet?