That boy
Doesn’t pound a gavel
In the left lane
And yet by night
He is but a caitiff
To the loud pity
And he would indeed
Be boiled alive
And flayed
At once
If like reeds
He did bow
To whim wind
That would be
Sure ruin
That would indeed be
Sure daft folly

Hopefulness
Sweet rose of Jericho
Alive in the depths
And through the drought
And among the graves
Of dead and dark

That it dries yet blooms
That I never thought
That it brings to me
That which resurfaces much

Hopefulness
Life in umbrella trees
Light on the rabbit’s ear
And bent over
The jack-in-the-box
With a howl

That it dries yet blooms
That I never thought
That it brings to me
That which resurfaces much

Hopefulness
Sweet rose of Jericho

Strapped in
And launched
150 feet
Over and over
Round and round
In a thrill ride
Commonly held
To be thrilling
But you said
It’s just ok
Because
You had already decided
That you would
Spit in the eye
Of the sky
You had already decided
To wriggle your nose
At the napkin
You had already decided
That you would develop
An allergy to glee

There’s a million of ‘em
All angry angry
Cause she hurt so many
But hurt you the most
Or so you like to believe
So your face tellin’
Your body tellin’
Your voice tellin’
Your walk tellin’
Your walk-away low moanin’
So so obvious
Plain and ugly horn blasts
“I’m bitter”
But guess what
She knows
Cause she has eyes
She knows you’re raving mad
We all do
Cause you’ve allowed
Your heart to forget
How much
You yourself
Have been forgiven
And you’re an embarrassment
To that cross
As you walk there
With madness like a red bull
For the world to see
Like a skyscraper billboard

I got the waterfront
I got the waterfront
Inching by with kissing waves
I looked
And winced
As I realized
That all i could see
Was mine
I got the waterfront
I got the waterfront
While you got the sticks
You and the sticks
Building building building
Always building
But I, if I chose to
Could drink and rest
And sail and fish
I got the waterfront
I got the waterfront
Alone and deserted
But all mine
That’s something

Delay
And delay

A street sign
Of the facts
In the case
When puppets
Of men
Should expire
When coon dogs
Press into porches

Delay
And delay

Sky-written
And smoke-signaled
A wild topography
When dollars
And cents
Are winked
When frontlines
Look doe-eyed

Delay
And delay

Tattooed
And wrinkled
A numbering system
When propellers break
On schemers
When gentlemen
Whimper on

Delay
And delay

Fulfillment is narcissistic
Seeing the world is a chore
Thrill is overrated
And adventure is a lesser man’s game
Apparently
Doldrums are much more preferred
Oh how lovely it would be
To be that unkept
To be that overlooked
To be that unhappy
How much more robust
Their life would have been
If nothing was offered
If nothing was fought for
If only that allergy
Would have stayed
Out of the galley
And sat and grumped
With all the other
Crude thoughtless thumb suckers
Who knew the bar
Was so so low
Who knew the bar
Was held up only
By painted fingernails
How I wish I would have known
That it’s all as simple as
Virtue without honesty
Togetherness without authenticity
Judgment without empathy
And tales without reality
If I giggle as if I’m happy
Who cares if I actually am
But sing along
For aren’t we stupid glad
That we are not like all the others
But also true
Scared to death
That any one of us
Or all of us
Are just like them
Oh how hideous
Is the jealous scowl
If only I chose to provide
An insipid life

He’s afraid
Of failing
Not getting it right
Not turning it around
It’s very self-centered
And childish
And not very strong of him
But at 48
He’s realizing
That he never did have
The Midas touch
Not like he thought
Not like he was told
For a creative fellow
Is buried under every altar
And he never did
Move a mountain
Though the vision
Placed his shoes
On the stage
Though born for this
He is shaking
In his boots
Though less and less today
Because he knows it’s her
That one in the world
Who will fail with him
If they must
Will fail with him
If it is called for
Will fail with him
For the sake of glory

Under the water
Clearly in trouble
Looking to you
As you joked
At my expense
Did you know
I could hear you
Did you know
I needed you
Did you know
I was the one
You refused to save
I was the one
You refused to jump in for
Refused to get wet for
And did you know
That I discovered
The difference
That you make
In my life
In that moment
You should know now
That the math
Still works out
It’s simple subtraction
Necessary subtraction
It’s just easier this way
I almost drown now
Much less and less

Sign me up
Says the inner scurry
Like me
Need me
Use me
He is always ready
To be important
Always eager
To be teacher
Always smarter
Than the day before
And itchy
Itchy in the underbelly
Of the ego
Where compensation stretches
He thinks he is there
Fully and completely there
But alas
He’s been clubbed
He hobbles so
But alas
He’s been mixed up
For too long
But alas
He’s just a boy
A step behind