COUNT THE STEPS TO HELL
he was half way home to the halfway home
he’d never been tricked into anything
nearing the end of a fifty-year lease
while life isn’t ringing off the hook
ferrets cleaned the sidewalks
with personal bests hurled at them
imitating leashes, plagued winds, dead hope
smelling more, having less, losing more
sleeping on it, waking up with no idea
calling collect, not calling at all
human supported, monster driven
through a portal of dislocation
someone call an ambulance
I don’t think he’s gonna make it
he’s got that hospital smell
he doesn’t move, he is litter
he is lost
he is smothered with a pillow
he will not sign your papers
he is over.
..................................................................................
BROKEN LIGHTER FOR CHRISTMAS
caught in the insanity of the vibe
turning paintings upside down for a better view
beyond the point of mental equity
as the next day may be my last
if there was another way to put it
i would put it another way
swearing to go the distance
for neighbors never upset, never bored,never tired
done in by the emotional karaoke
cowardly come ons of the world were unrequited
covering half the moon a confusing shade of red
who doesn't love weakness?
we all understand that study
base needs fill it empty
make it real momentarily
giving us a line to stand in,a desert to escape
i lose my mind when i cant find you
i wish i could explain why i grind like teeth
hustling like draft dodgers
trying to buy some time
on a raft that falls apart
is beyond explanation
to save an ember
for the lungs and blood and stress of love
language of the letters,the pheromones
telepathic dreams,gestures,glances
failures of the split second, the triumph of the dusk
if that animal sings,it has a soul
the song is the way of
seeing the countenance becoming sun-like
when the sky finds an opening
...............................................................................
DIED IN HIS SLEEP, LIVED IN HIS
NIGHTMARES
he was under water
he couldn’t stop
he’s faded
faster
than he could say
with a mouth full of shovels
and a funnel full of toxic water
when you stop kicking
that’s it
they see it and know it
way before you do
when you stop kicking
they nail you shut
give you a ride
trade you for silver
take the fight out of you
try to explain
your imagination
cover your hallucination face
telling you
YOU SHOULD BE FUCKING SCARED
DON’T FUCK AROUND WITH YOUR LIFE
YOU’RE ALWAYS ONE STEP AWAY
AND YOU’RE ALWAYS A STEP BEHIND
................................................................................
COMING AND GOING
these are tragic sex lines, the worst to stand in
recite them in the moment of heat
drowned out collect call insults,... hopefully
lost at five a.m.
perverse police drive away
in search of sodomy
found at five a.m.
using sanitizer for lubrication
witness to an h.i.v. fight
fucked silly
and drunk stupid
ridiculed by nurses
you are a pile, a mound, a mountain
of rotten, fucked up ba-lo-nee
stifled by guilty orgasms
plenty of protection, plenty of affection
harder, harder, harder!!!!!!!
okay, I’ve gotta go now