3/29/13

thin whine of sirens
horizon clouded with plumes
fat greasy black smoke
the shock of the blaze, the calm
hollow morning, good friday

3/28/19

peep of the sparrow
brevity perched on a branch
gone in an eyeblink
poems can balance on the pause
between the words omitted

3/27/13

still the diseased flesh
layer the blanket, wrap the cord
supine and silent
bless the battle waged within,
prayer in the sarcophagus

3/26/13

practice patience, child
walk carefully, speak kindly
daily sneer unstitched
unlock your heart to perceive
what the universe provides

3/25/13

unwanted snowfall
on the dead grass continues
our dying springtime
stuff my ears with screaming soul
bass thumps and I keep walking

3/24/13

ringed snakes nose blindly
lizards kick, the opossum snarls
toothy spitting hiss
fall asleep and dream about
the sprung ghosts of animals

3/23/13

build your own altar
count your teeth and hammer nails
show the universe
that your hands grasp what they need
and offerings flow backwards

3/22/13

an hour and ten
navigating crumbling rock
and street-lit gutters
bus doors open, pooling light
then vanish like meteors

3/21/13

thick-tongued brain half-drifts
beyond my tilted, hung head
swallowing horse pills;
nerves accelerate, lights flash
fingers tremble and weave tight

3/20/13

spring equinox snow
blows to the mouth of our den
we raise our noses
turn to curl our warm bodies
palms on skin, breathing stilled air

3/19/13

clouds bolt through the air
spit ice flakes while whirling winds
scream past my window
inside I am cut of stone
mired to earth, dumb-cut, untouched

3/18/13

a guttural growl
flash of teeth, ivory needles
and the fangs sink in
my gut lurches, I feel the
blossom of claws on my womb

3/17/13

diamond-eyed kittens
cartoon belles, pealing sirens
droning coin-drop clicks
stale casino air tastes like
cigarettes and diet coke

3/16/13

fog and damp pavement

lit by pools of kelly green

plastic beads, trinkets

women pass a flask, huddle

for warmth before the parade

3/15/13

blue eyes, mineral
and my own clumsy fingers
broadened to man-size
my brother walks beside me
grinning peter pan shadow

3/14/13

the sun, cloud-ridden
sulks slowly through the sky, late
to each hour's station
the lassitude of the day
weight of the stationary

3/13/13

a small dark morning
city still night-lit, omens
in the blue beacons
the sky begins to rain stones
prove to us her majesty

3/12/13

my skull has shattered
beaten by a restless mind
to a snapped-chalk pulp
my brain paces, a tiger
sniffing the same stained cement

3/11/13

one thousand mouths leak
diesel exhaust, great plumes of
dense carcinogens;
breathe in one thousand exhales
on this grimy city block

3/10/13

sun-warmed concrete steps
cut from cracked-glass gullies
to shining hill tops
a crumbling umbilicus
to our satellite bedrooms

3/9/13

sugar your coffee
in the afternoon shade, shoot
arrows, embrace tight;
in the brick-strewn backyard
the dog ran her foot bloody

3/8/13

a pint glass pixie
clockwork songbird singing for
long-nailed emperors
i open my throat, the crowd
behind me woozy and warm

3/7/13

standing by the sink
to wash a mug, steep mint tea
radio mumbling
the cat curls fox-wise, sleeping
I sip and dream of summer

3/6/13

spring cacophony
ankle-deep snow thaws into
streams of cold water;
eight-hour blizzard erased
in a sunny afternoon

3/5/13

swift change is coming
I can taste it in my mouth
salt, ammonia
clouds race across the sky, wet
with snow to cloak early spring

3/4/13

ring the broken chord
spark the spacewalk, spiral fills
claustrophobic drums
I'll walk this beat out downtown
my head hung in the ether

3/3/13

two-thousand green miles
a ribbon spooling over
creekbeds, mountain stones
my swift feet ache for the trail
my tongue, six months of silence

3/2/13

pile the bed with sheets
worn blankets, hope-chest quilts seed
the afternoon nap
our sleepy limbs tangle like
kudzu climbing phone pole wires

3/1/13

ring the tamborine
shake the room with bass and sweet
reedy harmonies
it's so dark and tonight we're
drunk in love and alive