Building 87
Deafening
In my brain
Right here
Right now
Such a loud
Screaming silence
I fear
I may never
Hear again
Not a stirring
Or the whirring
Of a mind
On full create
Or the dreaming
Strategic scheming
Of the music man’s parade
And if there’s time
To save them all
Or only time
To lyric a song
Neither can be born
Neither can be formed
Without sound

Thatch for the weeping
Gauze for the punched
There are none

Padding for the landing
Net for the haul
There are none

That treason will soldier on
That madness will land
That unkindness will caw
That shrewdness will circle

Chemistry for the verdict
Ramps for broken stops
There are none

Medics for the ricochet
Islands for the lost
There are none

That treason will soldier on
That madness will land
That unkindness will caw
That shrewdness will circle

Medals for the lynched
Appointments for the bees
There are none

Vindication for the reacher
Admissions for the maligned
There are none

That treason will soldier on
That madness will land
That unkindness will caw
That shrewdness will circle

Paradise for the drummed up
Praises for the crew
There are none

Awareness for the spoiled
Erasers for the small
There are none

That treason will soldier on
That madness will land
That unkindness will caw
That shrewdness will circle

Six weeks
That was the last
Pushed and passed
And I knew
It wasn’t held
And I knew
It wasn’t resisted
But more clearly
Than ever before
No one stood with me
Not completely
Enough to work hard
But not enough
To keep working hard
Or endure
To the count of three
It was my fault
I required too much
While knowing
There were holes
In the boat
And so
Something died
Inside of me
I feel like
I can no longer
Lead out front
I lost something there
And I may never
Get it back
My willingness
To trail blaze
And my eagerness
To discern and match
The need with the cure
Has just settled down
For a long winter’s nap
And I fear
This sleep
Is really only
A type of death

Nose in the corner
Not the slightest notion
Wrapped in a Judas embrace
Affirmed and lifted high
Medal around the neck
The first hint of dismay
Then a burst of primal fight
Mixed with an alleluia
And a quiet wait
Thirty seconds to swing
Then thirty more for good measure
A few drops on the floor
And that is that

What explains it
When walls of river
Stand motionless
Even after
The dam breaks
Completely

Nothing is moving
Nothing at all
What once was living
Living and lively
Doesn’t inch
At all

What explains it
When time passing
Is the only comfort
And only slight at that
Where is spring
What explains it

Tap tap tap
Wait without feeling
Wait and wait
Sleep is the promise
Sleep is the prison
And the mom
She, the lioness of lonely
Is a prowler
And a mistress
She will bite you
At the tail end
Of a deep breath
She’ll press
Like a vice
And all you will know to do
Is apologize
For everything
And apologize
Forever
And apologize
As your lungs
Hurt and splinter
You can’t even wish

It’ll take 48 more
Like I’ve never forgiven you
I’ve broken plates
But I’ve never forgiven you
I’ve given birth on the altar
Yet I’ve never forgiven you
I’ve screamed, “I forgive you”
But apparently have never forgiven you
How can it be
What must I do
Where can I go
Why can’t I push through
When will I finally
Be able to
Wrap you in sweet amnesty

That moment
Is time-stamped
Gets two poems
And a pause
For the wildness
For the romance
For the child
For the call
For the quaintness
For the swamp-noises
For the promise
For the gift and laugh of it all

Good boy
Good girl
So reward
Everyone seems to think so
But belief
But confession
But repentance
Doesn’t seem to matter much
So raise a glass
To wishful thinking
Tip one back
To pissing in the wind
Forget every single bit
Of your book learnin’
And spit out the body
And spit out the blood
Of your atonement
But know what you know
You can’t go home
Just because you’re special

3 through the door
So funny
Dead bat on the floor

3 chums in a boat
So funny
They smirk and gloat

3 walking smug
So funny
A lift and a tug

3 hiding in a garden
So funny
Sparks more as a pardon

3 jolly and home
So funny
It’s warm and sown