4/29/13

I know every inch
of this pale landscape, the scabs
and scars, vacant lots
the hollow by the river
where currants muddle and stray

4/28/13

a rain-drenched morning
I run to the bakery
wet shoes, open door
the air is moist with live yeast
gossip and fresh loaves of rye

4/27/13

stopped cars interlace
like stalled bricks, smoggy stonework
crumbling sun-baked clay
we wait like mummies, brain dead
in stuffy sarcophagi

4/26/13

rebar ribcage, flaked
with rust, and an I-beam spine
cut through my thin core
hang my flesh from these hooks
and see the strength of my smirk

4/25/13

gutter stutter-step
pigeons coo and bob, spin toes
and court in the trash
tires roll by, the birds scatter
feathers, breadcrumbs and shit

4/24/13

ionic cloudscape
ominous sea-shifts backlit
cracking claps of air
the wind whips grit and strange rain
onto braced cheeks, black sidewalks

4/23/13

I apologize
for my dead-weight broken tongue
the measured withdrawl
quiet evening in the dark
my beer slushy with ice chips

4/22/13

voices shout to claim
the fatal proximity
edge tight to the fire
but I want to know the space
between visits, glances, months

4/21/13

butter with your bread
in this old hidden farmhouse
we swore we were lost
until the vista opened
land and pink sky, sweet tandem

4/20/13

barroom handshakes and
rumors from the ratskeller
tongues creep around beers
catch my face in the mirror
wan consort boxed in walnut

4/19/13

this cold blue-black night
like the bottom of the sea
mariana trench
spine-straight, I carve my way home
ceaseless shark, my dagger jaw

4/18/13

summerwarm evening
and familiar street faces
appear everywhere
I want to touch each shoulder
celebrate our survival

4/17/13

branchtips dyed chartreuse
unfolding infant leafbuds
and dusty catkins
the air is pollen thick and
hums like a swarm of mayflies

4/16/13

roll in like a fog
blur my vision to greasestreaks
blackjack my temple
I waiver in a bus seat
blank behind my sunglasses

4/15/13

hang my heart within
a tangled nest of wires
snakes and octopi
scrub the suction-cup bruises
swollen collarbone kisses

4/14/13

halo of whiskers
trembling, charcoal fluff-cloud
back feet tense as wire
rodent heart ticking between
my laced fingers, soft-pressed palms

4/13/13

crimson el topo
against the messy landscape
purple swirling sky
bang the butt of your rifle
on your hip and start shooting

4/12/13

bachelor evenings
hot peppers and canned black beans
cheap beer, sliced lemon
lay with an open window
and parse the chants of songbirds

4/11/13

triangle tendons
nerves pull tight and knot like snakes
the spine, finned backbones
stretch my pale skin taut, reveal
the punch of blood, the ill node

4/10/13

thunderheads migrate
like lowing cattle into
the river valley
darkness drops, a black hide hung
and hooves spark distant rumbles

4/9/13

two pointed brown wings
harnessed by a scrap of bone
newsprint thin ribcage
sleek swoop of death hinged in flight
and pinned to the warming dirt

4/8/13

dodecahedron
microscopic gemstone grit
caustic white luster
sugar split on the counter
blown diamond mine, bad omen

4/7/13

confluence of wires
street corner trapeze knotted
with morning dove coos
spring touches every rowhouse
the throat of every sparrow

4/6/13

huddle in the cave
day-drinking light beer, folding
cards on wet bar top
sun-blind afternoon can wait
burn our backs on the walk home

4/5/13

my magnet blood pulls
and aligns, dark avenues
pheromones and beer
steetlight on my knotted neck
venus rules this house tonight

4/4/13

the era of thaw
falcons turn their rooftop eggs
and hunt, merciless
explosion of white feathers
in the tender newborn grass

4/3/13

he showed up again
hiking through my horoscope
a glacial presence
dark beard in forest shadows
blue-eyed Scot my dead double

4/2/13

bad-luck vaudeville boy
and his gamine pool pennies
for a boardwalk date:
empty pockets, shared hotdogs
and a swift daylight tumble

4/1/13

orion glitters
over our bare heads, dark streets
the hill-walk homeward
we pass from peak to plateau
sleepy tableland village

3/31/13

grey shadow crying
in the corner of the room
squat haunches, bared teeth
I fold the cat in my arms
her wounded purr, her heartbeat

3/30/13

gravel parking lot
tucked in the woods, dusty bricks
and the first sunshine
coatless in the spring breeze
beads of light on your shoulders