Wind up the top

Set it down

And watch

Drip through the streets

Of Hollywood

Four men up to no good

Climbers – every last one

Bullets and brandy

Silversmiths and wordsmiths

Henchmen and werewolves

Thieves and kites

All married in a thunderstorm

And pregnant with glee

The fountain pen’s waste

Won’t write a song today

You carry on

Like a fool at church

With a box

Of your front door wine

Arm out – hand up

Twirlin’ in your princess dress

Warning the crowds

To keep away from you

Cause you laid with the devil

And had a back row gawk

Yellin’ and demandin’

“Put me on display”

“Display me”

And “Put more polish on my crown”

But better bite the barrel

If you’re expected to pony up

In any way

Cause you’ll be feeling faint again

And again and again and again

And it’s everyone’s fault

But yours

You leaving me

Was me shedding you

And it hurt me not at all

Like the sticky skin

Of tomatillos

Your effect on me

Just washed away

And now my satellites

Don’t circle round

Don’t care no more

And now the moon above

Doesn’t illuminate

Any part of what once was

Your simple tragedy

That I don’t think about at all

Why does the absence

Of a next big thing

Keep me pinned down so

I never knew

That big tops were such

An intricate part

Of my self-concept

Time I suppose

Will need to heal my heart

Like time heals all hearts

Like time sends ships out to sea

To leave and return

Or to stay

Dark around the ankles

On a gravel and mud pit

Lowered into smooth territory

By lose-flying cables

And dropped the last two feet

Flitting in and out of the melody

Flipping in and out of the fight

Where is the wayward daughter

Where does the singer kneel

That piece is thick with honey

And the lace around the curtain

Will always make the right noose

Flitting in and out of the melody

Flipping in and out of the fight

I will never

Know just what

Keeps my future

From blushing brilliant

Can’t pinpoint

Any one bad decision

Or jagged road

And I may never know

Such a hard day

Tears and pain

Feel like failure

From near or far now

So dreary

And it’s almost midnight

May never sleep

And still may never know

Near ground zero

Near a fall

Around the bend

There was a north star

So sad that

I don’t live near timberland

No spark no fire

And so I’ll never know

I ate my heart out

On nickels and dimes

Now rain don’t rust me much

I itched the scales off

Of red swollen eyes

And found the shallow plunge

Lord, if I ever yearn again

I don’t give a noble care

I think it’s dead and gone again

I don’t give a noble care

You know it’s broken

The engine won’t whine

Oats have all lost their crunch

And the bowl will sit

In the sick-sauced sink

Can’t feel enough to touch

Lord, if I ever yearn again

I don’t give a noble care

I think it’s dead and gone again

I don’t give a noble care

There’s no paint that black

So they’ll never see

The pages of the stains

From cross-eyed twits

From goat-faced dreamers

From the had and the held

Lord, if I ever year again

I don’t give a noble care

I think it’s dead and done again

I don’t give a noble care

This one is about you

I want to keep you in the boat

I’m tired of pushing and pushing

I’m tired of being harsh

Remember when we went canoeing

And we flipped it

Cause I was reaching

For a runaway oar

That was fun

And we laughed

But the past bit

Has not been fun

And I’m ready

As I know you are

For hope

Hope

And more hope

The chisel is the marriage

Who knew?

Tapestry of stuff

Beautiful

Appreciated

But not needed

I don’t need it

And my vote

Won’t be used

To protect my stuff

‘Cause

People over stuff

Hearts over trash

What is or will be

Thrown out and away

Too many lovely souls

Have trauma and pain

And I value

People with triggers

More than “stuff” with triggers

I won’t demand my own rights

When the rights of others

Are compromised or ignored

People over stuff

Hearts over trash

Ultimately trash

To most

This seems critical

Like it was all blown away

And I can’t get

Voices near or far

To concur on inklings

Of hope or sunrise

And I’m bewildered

In it all and knee deep

And baffled and befuddled

And I can’t trust myself

To pray or even moan

So just put me

Just put me where I

Can see again and again

That You are the God

Of dismal odds

I will cooperate

Cause You are the God

Of dismal odds