Ἀνδρόγεως ~ Wednesday, April 17, 2024

This cretin talks bull
how much an idiot speaks
in bully pullpit
shite! how bloody dull

call me a Christian, deformed
recently, for weeks
each time that I spit
tell me never to listen
in one ear, reformed
not unlike the Pope

tell me not to watch the news
at loose ends, my rope
likes to sing the blues
kiss me goodbye, I glisten
since she glisters, gold

bull on the brain, down
underneath the Cretan drain
like Minos, so bold
like The Starry Night

how art and politics drown
oh, stillborn again
woe be twenty-four

manly political might
until I can't stop
can't stop laughing, Muse
how much bull until I pop

abuse me and lose
now I know the score

ignorance is bliss, they quote
don't read the next line
is folly wisdom
on frail geezers must I dote
the antidote, please

sleep along the spine
park bench, a homeless kingdom
each night on the train
and bless you, I sneeze
kiss the Minotaur goodbye
suck ass, bloody stooge

in deep shit, I spy
nothing, two men in a luge

born undead again
under the pullpit
like The Zombie Presidents
like van Gogh could paint
yes, Pasiphaë bit

pomegranate seeds for juice
until I make sense
like I am but ain't
like The Central Park Five jive
place an ad, no truce
in wars with Athens
the need for revenge, priceless

sold out, shit happens
how they're still alive
if I should talk trash
take me for an idiot
each January

help me out with cash
oh, I don't ever dare ask
when I need the shit

begs me, the fairy
like On Cloud Scheiße, wears boots
object: a new task
order government
decisions for the people
yet, while money spent

dictates for sheeple
until Nugent finds her roots
lift the wedding veil
let truth again fail

Προμηθεύς ~ Tuesday, April 16, 2024

The golden eagle
hungers for liver and steak
each morning, at dawn

greet each day, Spiegel
onions, over-easy eggs
laid with a fast break
designed to eat spawn
each morning, at dawn, the dark
night burnt by the sun

each morning, a spark
a stalk of fennel, no fun
greet each day, her legs
looped around your neck
each morning, well, what the heck

Bombyx mori ~ Monday, April 8, 2024

Maoist is not moist
and meow is baby talk
of course, tuna fish
in the can, to foist
shredded meat on your pussy
then I'll take a walk

if that's what you wish
still revolution, abroad

not as in pushy
old, abused person
treated like unwanted milk

make love not worsen
of course, it's not silk
if tensile strength is no fraud
still to exploit worms
they must come to terms

Vipers ~ Saturday, April 6, 2024

Since I get upset when a guy lights up
in a public place and I walk away
needless to say that I yell at the dude
creating a scene he offers a cup
every day, I face the stupidity

I lose my balance, my cool, so they say

give me a moment, I'm sorry, I'm rude
except he calls me a racist, easy
to think, default mode, no one is pretty

until we get fed what we want and need
pretend everyone hates everyone else
solves zero problems, watch everyone bleed
everyone believes something, take belts
the moment you see a guy act sleazy

with his pants low down down below his ass
how he plays pick up with chicks on the train
even with his ass in my face, uncool
no one has the sense to act without sass

after smoking guy called me a racist

guess his greatest wish is not pick his brain
upset by triggers ever since grade school
yes, I lost my cool, the world is not right

light a cigarette in public, I'm pissed
if, wishful thinking, I were racist, names
given since childhood would be thrown about
however, I said nothing, I see games
that people play, sad, makes me want to shout
suckers, they teach lies, not love, not the light

understanding life is beautiful takes
patience, acceptance, not a pit of snakes

Nothingness ~ Friday, April 5, 2024

The truth, the whole truth
hides in the burls of tree trunks
evidence of knots

truth hides in a booth
rented for a conference
undermining punks
troubled by the bots
hot shots, new age grifters, drones

the whole truth, nonsense
hot seat, honest lies
evidence, testimony

witnesses, surprise
honest yet phony
old school jurors, with no bones
left to hold a bribe
earnest, spineless jellyfish

touch down to imbibe
resin from sap, wish
under shooting stars, all lies
transcend the false truth
how judges face spies

Insensitive Blunda ~ Friday, April 5, 2024

Oblique angels fall
blunt force trauma, shut the eyes
lift the veil to face
inquiries that stall
queries lack reality
underground, dull spies
empty out deep space

anxious to get their work done
no one feels pity
given birds still sing
each day sparrows in the bush
let words take a swing
swing batter swing, push

forward the envelope, one
angel survives, call
language central, lies
lift the veil, unreal, eyes bawl

Tropes ~ Thursday, April 4, 2024

Mom made me go to sleep sucking ginger
old folk wisdom to cure a cough and cold
made me suck ginger root against my cheek

memories to share the middle finger
as co-dependent enabler, she made
dysfunctional decisions, nothing bold
everyone united, a weak front week

me and my older brother, we don't talk
everyone for the best, farewell I bade

ghosts as shades in Hades, in paradise
otherwise they suffer with me, no fun

talk is cheap, family the worst, roll the dice
okay, walk away, craps, too bright, the sun

suffer the consequences, take a walk
leave it all behind, California, dreams
enter the underground with a sick man
exit without Virgil, without the screams
perhaps beyond this world, there is a plan

suffer the little children as they weep
underneath the wicked man is the light
circumstances, an unattractive man
keeps to himself, he thinks his liver hurts
if I knew as a child why life is cheap
nothing to hurt a child or to delight
grievously in harm, I am the other

grief is my strength, I overcome, like Kurtz
if to exterminate all the brutes gives
no insight but the horror, the horror
guide me past all the lies, the truth, it lives
even thrives inside the hidden, terror
resolves the imbalance, thank my mother

Daedalus (Δαίδαλος) ~ Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Bollocks! The dog's bollocks! No! I won't go!

Okay! Just don't backhand [...] My bloody lip!

Lip service. Sycophants. That's all you want.

Let me go where I want. Now that I know.

Old father, old artificer, take flight.

Collaborator. Sail south on a ship.

Kiss hypocrisy on those lips, so gaunt.

Suck-ups fawn for your Rolex watch. I'm gone.

This life is yours. Alcoholic. Take fright.

How I never needed this shit. So dumb.

Even this land of milk and honey. Lame.

Difficult to face. Poverty and scum.

Old poor people, starve from hunger. The shame.

Get a move on. Get rich. Work hard. Green lawn.

Sorrow and suffering. You brought me here.

But I chose Chicago. This hell. They smell.

On the CTA trains. Asleep. Full length.

Let me leave this purgatory. A tear.

Let a single tear fall. This city hates.

Only I love Chicago. Shed my shell.

Cast off this molted skin. Snakes without strength.

Kith and kin, Blind Kevin Young sings the blues.

Sexy at sixty-six. Goddesses. Fates.

Never did you know your own son. Who cares.

Only your dad died when you were young. Sad.

I'm not here to find out why no one shares.

Welcome to poverty and lies. Not bad!

Only geese squawk. Seagulls attack. The screws.

Nothing left but to die. How can I leave.

Take an Amtrak to Texas. The border.

Get rid of all the books. Such a hoarder.

Old father, old artificer. I grieve.

Radiant ~ Wednesday, April 3, 2024

There was this moment
how to me so much it means
except for her naught
remember we spent
each year on rides at the fair

well, to spill the beans
at one fair, we sought
salvation just holding hands

trust in fate, we dare
haunt the grounds, your face
if to remember one kiss
such a life of grace

maybe words, this bliss
only tremblors shift the sands
maybe to you, zilch
even boys can dream
not just green-eyed girls who beam
trick smiles, hearts they filch

Amor fati ~ Monday, April 1, 2024

I was born too late

was born in the wrong decade
as a musician
suffer the blank slate

be anything that you choose
only the days fade
rest my decision
no longer to play the drums

trust in fate to lose
only to put ink
onto the blank page with pen

left to swim or sink
as I drown, a hen
takes flight, her claws grasp my thumbs
each day, trust in fate

Gravity ~ Sunday, March 31, 2024

Into each moment
nothing but a pendulum
to swing back and forth
old insults foment

each second builds with a click
a grave momentum
changes poles from north
holding the course to the south

magic with a flick
of the wrist, to place
mushrooms in a damp forest
each cap as to trace
nerves to a war chest
tracked slowly by an old sleuth

Greek Baklava with Honey and Pistachios ~ Sunday, March 31, 2024

To weep for the dead
overwrought Grecian mother

weathering the storm
each day, enough said
each day, nothing gets better
pull your hair, cover

for when the bees swarm
ordinary thoughts arise
replace her sweater

the daughter who died
heavy to watch your burden
each day honey cried

death shares no pardon
each day, afresh you despise
as April showers
deal lily flowers

The Great White Heron ~ Monday, March 25, 2024

Stories cut snippets
trial runs across plucked harp strings
organ pipes blow notes
recall the puppets
informed as marionettes
emboldened with springs
sails hoisted on boats

cast black flags in the sunshine
until white egrets
triggered by a boy

spread their giant wings to fly
noises from a toy
impart the blue sky
presents full of pickle brine
present dots in oil
enjoy vinegar
taste sweetness with sour, so far
soaring in their toil

Pellucid Babble ~ Sunday, March 24, 2024

Incoherent speech
necessary to point out
called psycho babble
order out of reach
how to help Mumble Bunny
each sound from a spout
reads tea leaves, Scrabble
entitles privileged blank tiles
not to sound funny
though words make no sense

spit it out, Chatter Sparrow
pitch the ball, Mike Pence
evades the wheel barrow
enters a hideout, then files
charges against Trump
humble, not a bump

Artificial ~ Friday, March 22, 2024

My favorite book
you are fiction with your lies

forget your childhood
as I take a look
vision fails over the years
orange, a towel dries
read you as the wood
in a forest, all the trees
their pulp feed our fears
eggs hard-boiled with crime

butcher block cuts of sirloin beef
orders soup, a dime
outcrops on a reef
killing coral with the breeze

L'Imperturbable ~ Thursday, March 21, 2024

Let sleeping dogs lie
Interference forms a wave
made under control
partly by the die
eminently cast each time
royalty must save
tranquil on a knoll
undisturbed dogs calm, sedate
reason solves the crime
by breaking the law
as rules place lines to follow
boundaries tooth and claw
lonesome howls, hollow
empty stomachs, wolves berate

Blasphemy ~ Sunday, March 17, 2024

In the final years of Tiberius
not one but four of us got together

to write a cautionary tale, fiction
honestly based on the life of Gaius
everyone believes our character real

forget the fact he was lashed by leather
in separate works based on our diction
now this madman proved well a criminal
as represented by two thieves we feel
left the reader without doubt what went wrong

yet people saw a man in what we wrote
everyone is entitled but the throng
as decades past became one being smote
remotely by charm, our work done, final
sealed and yet open again and again

of course, to interpretation, they read
for centuries, our canonical books.

Take a hike all the way up Binn Ghulbain
if somehow we transcend time with our lies
burn us at the stake for treason instead
every writer wonders how their work looks
relative to others over the years
if we won the lottery, then our spies
under pseudonyms took our work to heart
single-handedly, we laughed at empire

no one knew we had no faith in our art
or that our books would not end up on fire
thank God, so to speak, Jesus, we shed tears.

Exegi monumentum ~ Sunday, March 17, 2024

As I am to blame
simply as such since my birth

I enter the light

as from darkness, shame
mother, I exit your womb

to seek out my worth
of value, despite

becoming accountable
lest a marble tomb
as a monument
makes me seem for a moment
end redoubtable

---

Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus)

8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC

exegi monumentum aere perennius
regalique situ pyramidum altius,
quod non imber edax, non Aquilo inpotens
possit diruere…
(Odes III: XXX, lines 1-4, published 23BC)

---

А.С. Пушкин

Exegi monumentum

Я памятник себе воздвиг нерукотворный

---

What's in a name? ~ Sunday, March 17, 2024

Rui screwy rich and chewy never
understood defense mechanisms make
immature children rhyme when confronted

singularly by otherness, whether
cause for concern is based on differences
resolved by negating facts for the sake
each child finds in friendship, disappointed
with the strange boy from another country
yet to form cliques to defend the senses

rich with imagination, what is strange
is not what children know but adults see
coloring and othering to derange
how children perceive possibility

as a danger to resources, hungry
now to learn something new outside the no
decisions to control the world at large

challenges to status quo, the normal
however mundane and routine, to grow
each day and watch forces infiltrate sight
whether or not such acts are meant to barge
yet unintentionally into shall

night no longer be dark, our feet on land
ever floating towards the sky, sunlight
vulnerable children must be aware
ever cautious and vigilant of where
reason grinds principles into fine sand

Easy on the Eyes ~ Saturday, March 16, 2024

Indulge as if, as if you looked like her
the model on the television screen
but you don't, or maybe by chance you do
what can I say, maybe you look like Cher
and maybe I look like Brad Pitt, a joke
I look like Harry Styles without the sheen
of course, you scoff, wishful thinking but you
know what it's like not to afford the bling
the model herself can't afford, she's broke
in a hole in New York City, welcome
to Paris, to Praha, to Budapest
perhaps both you and I are just too dumb
not lacking in accomplishment but lest
I wake my demons her rings I can't swing

On the Sly ~ Wednesday, March 13, 2024

After the first hit
from that date, I could forget
there was no way out
even just to sit
recognize the need to breathe

transcend all regrets
how to escape, shout
each morning like a rooster

feel under the sleeves
if to run away
resolves nothing, to stay home
say less, as they say
this road leads to Rome

how inside, I must not stir
in high school, I broke
their trust as I toke

forgotten days, high on weed
remember the drugs
only getting stoned
made me see myself, the need

to run away, twice
how the lack of hugs
alcoholism deboned
that family, I wish

drunk, what must suffice
alcoholism, I scream
to the rooftops, now
each night when I dream

I must tip the sacred cow

count myself a fish
of course, I can swim
under the surface, the sea
limited by sound
despite being slim

for I could never gain weight
or drink enough tea
rest, I now have found
gives me energy later
each day, the fader
tracks height, each hand, sleight

Shaved Head ~ Wednesday, March 13, 2024

About face I turn
between desire and regret
orders I observe
under duress, burn
the whole goddamned complex down

face left, face right, bet
as I learn to serve
crass casualty faces blame
each moment, I drown

I find myself caught

troubled from birth, from the start
until the onslaught
reason makes me dart
not from bullets but from shame

Photons ~ Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Others sleep, I keep
vigil over the body
each of us knows why
recent events, deep

dark wells, empty of water,
empty samādhi
cut out of the sky
as clouds in the desert sun
drown my dead daughter
empty, shallow pool
stiff corpse atop a table

underneath her school
not like a fable
to teach or learn a lesson
in this world, I seek
language as a clue

despite how the truth must hide
each note in a shoe
as I lose all pride
tag each lobster caught as weak
how pain cannot speak

Wayward ~ Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Conditions since birth,
over decades until death,
not only make me
deem myself not worth
inclusion within a team,
trusting not each breath;
in a dream, I see
only the facts beyond lies;
no way to redeem
selfhood from others;

since my original face
is like my brothers,
not lost to disgrace;
conditions are a disguise,
each breath is a choice

beyond reflection
in a mirror without stain;
rest in detection
to gain not obtain
honesty, lost in this voice.

Papa Kitty ~ Saturday, March 9, 2024

One night, while running, I saw a black cat
not necessarily crossing my path
except, like a child, seeking attention

night after night, I run mile after mile
in training for the marathon, to run
gives me the self-esteem to face each day
however tough it gets to get ahead
to keep my head above water and swim

while others drown in drugs and self-neglect
however much I care or want to help
in fact, I cannot even help myself
let alone a city in desperate need
even if I could open the flood gates

running gives me a chance to clear my head
under duress, I crack like a brown egg
now why didn't I say like a white egg
not that it matters, what's on the inside
informs us of nutritional value
not the shell on the outside of the egg
given this analogy seems puerile

I face each day by feeding that black cat

seen while running along the Lakefront Trail
and another tabby cat whom I saw
whining beneath a car as I walked past

as I stopped to check in to ask for help

but, of course, they both willingly obliged
little did they know they'd be indoor cats
attended to as if they were my kids
challenged to procreate, I failed in life
kiss the world goodbye, I love my two cats

case closed, so to speak, I ask for nothing
ask maybe for your time and attention
to listen to my thoughts on life and love

Gedankenexperiment ~ Thursday, March 7, 2024

As for the one who
snores, what does she get, Johnny?

For consolation
obscenities heard
recently, at a rally

take the politics
hate, anger and greed
empty of productive work

objections aside
nothing in a box
exists or does not exist

without a quick peek
how a cat survives
obeys no consequences

Pride Flags ~ Tuesday, March 5, 2024

On June 28, 1969, in Greenwich Village,
no one thought about a baby being born in Bombay, India.

Just in time to hear the police enter the bar in New York City
until a riot took place at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street;
no one thought a lick about the birth of a boy so, so far away,
each day an event of historic proportion occurs, nothing stops.

Tides splash breakwater but people's lives continue as unaffected,
wait until the rise of the oceans from glaciers, only time will tell
empty cabarets after hours that its patrons having left their tips
need to go elsewhere, to go eat breakfast, steak and eggs, or to go to bed,
to open closed doors behind which lives left hidden and secret blossom,
yet, each new challenge shines a light on character and integrity.

Each day, a child grows and learns how to act mature, older, an adult
if they are challenged, it may take longer to grow into adulthood
given conditions within each family, a child may mature too fast
how they may become stunted by learned behaviors within their circle
to discern the truth, the difference between the good and what is harmful.

Nothing in the year, Nineteen Hundred Sixty-nine was more eventful
in terms of effects, than the NASA moon landing, a thing of beauty
not even a bar meant for gay and lesbian clientele, raided
each time by police for a quota, a shakedown, but a rebellion
transforms a nation and the whole global culture over fifty years
each time two men kiss in public or two women show each other love
each day, a child grows aware of all forms of love, they become mature
not even Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins could make children awaken.

How love is different than an adventure, a risk by three astronauts
under conditions where accuracy matters, a mistake, fatal
nothing like a war to remind people of death, how fast life is lost
driven by the need to protect and serve the rights of foreign people
read all of the names of soldiers who died abroad in South East Asia
each day, learn ten names, in thirteen years, statistics for casualties
dead from combat keeps the living busy learning about young soldiers.

Say their names, is left for 9/11, and yes, other sad events
in a world where war is constantly somewhere else, ideology
xenophobia, and defense mechanisms inflames eyes with fear
the anger and greed of military defense against the red scare
yet now, the Cold War sounds like the Hundred Years' War, just an old entry

not just 69, but the extent of the war, a child never knows
in the war zone, yes, elsewhere in suburbia, blessed with ignorance
not until their dad, their mom, brother or sister don't return back home
enough is enough, just like children, adults act, to get attention

if, as the reader, the desire to disagree, to argue a side
no more than a point, no cure for cancer or hate, survive, overcome

Greenwich, the Village, take the boy to Kew Gardens, only for two years
return to Bombay, to Goa, to India, never in his life
even his family extended settled down in Nairobi, Kenya
everywhere he goes, a stranger as othering fills the status quo
nowhere feels like home, childhood in California, the waves, beach and sand
welcome to sunshine and Eastern mysticism, Surf City, the pier
into the ocean fell time after time in storms, in high school, the boy
challenged decency, wrote an indecent story, a writing sample
how they took offense, tried to expel him from school, teach him a lesson

Visions of sorrow, of decay and suffering, how the world lacks sense
if he could live life all over again and start afresh, a clean slate
leave that to others, too many problems to solve, too much to clean up
let sleeping dogs lie, after so many mistakes and fifty long years
as to change the past becomes just speculation, forgive and move on
give people their due, honor the good, learn the truth, find in all, beauty
each day, a baby is born somewhere in the world as events happen

Venture Capital ~ Sunday, March 3, 2024

When I was a child
how easy it was to meet
everyone, be friends
not that I was wild

I was not feral but kind

would that I could greet
as many as ends
such in themselves, and not means

as to seek in mind

childhood as a wealth
how focus blindly obtains
in kind, types of health
like capital gains
destitute in holey jeans

The Devil's Sonata ~ Sunday, March 3, 2024

Handsome Squire Voland
at the microphone, stage right
no lyrics, just voice
displayed on demand
studied in manners and grace
orders a gin flight
madness is his choice
each night, frenzy heightens pitch

Demons back his face
entourage to score
music as merchants of sound
on the chthonic shore
netherworld unbound
scratch a nefarious itch

Elephants Wept ~ Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Real-cool to red-hot
each word of rhetoric blows
a wind cool-fire-blue
listen to their plot

cool to the touch, absolute
oval, the plot plows
over where tusks grew
listen to their memories

tusks sell ivory
objects of glory

remember not to salute
each dictator born
despite the graveyard

hold on to the truth, the scorn
of the dead and scarred
trust in our trophies

Guerrilla Communication ~ Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Vanilla cupcakes
awaken as gorillas
needing to argue
if they get the shakes
leave gorillas well alone
leave bland vanillas
angling all askew

creative slant proves no point
unless for a bone
puppies act all sweet
crackheads never had a choice
all whitewashed, the beat
kids all have a voice
even though they smoke a joint
smoke shows who be fakes

Toast ~ Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Two slices of bread
warmed lightly in the toaster
of course, I am sick

stomach flu, in bed
love is two slices of toast
if on a coaster
caution: did we click
even after fourteen years
say less, lest I boast

of course, I love you
for that is all I can say

bed to bathroom, flu
resides here to stay
even after all the tears
an old man can cry
disappear and say goodbye

Zest ~ Sunday, February 18, 2024

This poem I write
how can I tell you, I feel
insane in my brain
silently, despite

people, all the time, around
orange peel, I steal
every drink you drain
maybe because I love you

I can feel the ground

wobble, like a quake
remember the SoCal rules
if you bake a cake
take some to the fools
everyone knows you're my boo

Crepuscular ~ Friday, February 16, 2024

I draw in the sand

designs of beauty and grace
ready for the waves
as if brain to hand
washes away without a trace

images time saves
neatly in the bank

thoughts disappear within art
how once the sun sank
even in the dark

slippery when wet, now gone
ask me when I start
nothing but a lark
dusk, nothing lost, nothing won

Quicklime ~ Friday, February 16, 2024

I give up on dreams

give up on success, on hope
if say, at my age
visions of dry streams
environmental neglect

understand the rope
pulls my fiercest rage

onto the soft earth to sleep
needless, weak defect

designed to do what
reasonable blanks cannot
end the painful cut
answer the onslaught
merely without a trace, sweep
sense beyond the screams

ΛCDM ~ Thursday, February 15, 2024

I will never be

winner of the Nobel Prize
if the stars shine down
leave a gift for me
let it be a big surprise

not just a let down
even though the stars
virtually don't exist
except inside bars
reason is sexist

but with you, I won't argue
except when I'm blue

A Penny for Your Thoughts ~ Sunday, February 11, 2024

What did I do wrong to deserve this life
how many times have you asked yourself this
a question that questions your past actions
this hard scrabble world creates lives of strife

does all this struggle, stress and hard labor
indeed improve integrity, remiss
duty requires compliance, factions

I insist, work to bend the rules to win

demonstrate to others, cut with sabre
objects within reach, the power to harm

works to our advantage as a false threat
reach deep within, you will find, not to charm
on many levels, works better than sweat
noticed from fear, anxiety, the sin
given from birth is washed away by tears

tear me apart, limb from limb, do I care
of course, pain is unequal to pleasure

drives in character push away the fears
each day, day by day, but for years, decades
serve the masters their due, receive your share
each day, you see others seek out treasure
reach deep within, you will find, your own gold
vision is key, as is patience, life fades
each day as memories hide from the eyes

take a moment to breathe, to grow, allow
history an obol, in its mouth, lies
invented to enchant even a cow
suffer other's wickedness, remain bold

life is for celebration, enjoyment
if to live so long and never to kiss
for sooth, what do you seek as attractions
each day, consider how your light is spent

Utter Failure as a Poet Day ~ Sunday, February 11, 2024

U
tell me the
truth
even if it's a lie
really, it's okay

Failure
as a poet
is pathetic
licensed as poetic
under ™ as ®
read trademark as registered trademark
even if you don't get it

as many of us don't get it
sex that is

a try hard wanna-be

Poet
omg what does that mean
even if you wake up in
the middle of a

Dream
as to write/recite this poem
yes, you fail but not as a poet

Object of the Game ~ Wednesday, February 7, 2024

In five billion years
nothing today will matter

for the sun will die
if so many tears
virtually make their way
each cheek grows fatter

bless your hearts, the sky
insane, in fact, as it sounds
leaves not much to say
lets galaxies merge
in a slow process, they mesh
only to converge
nothing new, more trash

yet, to deal with, on what grounds
even space rubbish
as a form of art
resists emotions, how smart
save the whales, go fish

Lacrimosa ~ Wednesday, January 24, 2024

God, where did I leave my keys, I believe
oblivion lived on dreams, reams of paper tigers, streams
drain to the ocean with no emotion

where, my upper sleeve, in order to grieve
help me cry a thousand tears, one a day, less than three years
even if the seams in my jeans break, teams
repair the notion of torn, a potion
even Anya wouldn't drink, Wonderland, boy, did it stink

did I make your ears burn, God, all the fears
in the world, I pray away, yesterday
did you imagine my lack of faith was real, just a craic

I forgot today was Wednesday, they say

limits turn you back, don't forget the smack
even if the ballpoint ink runs dry, my tongue licks the pink
artichoke of hope, feathers, just a trope
visions of black plums, stuck between my gums
even if Emily met Anya, your death is my debt

murdered yourself, dope, in the dark, I grope
yet, I cannot feel memories, I steal

kisses, you, when the time comes, in your coffin, goodbye, chums
even your lips, [beat], bet the world you forget
yesterday, you died but I had not cried
still, on my dad's reel-to-reel player, I listened to peel

I tasted your juice, fresh-squeezed orange, truce

belligerence ends, seek lasting peace, friends
even Anya shows the deuce, fingers not meant to seduce
lip service, she sends a message, defends
inside, open, pried, her grave, how I tried
ego aside, screams stifled, off the beams
visions, what do they achieve, sorrow cannot but deceive
even your death seems empty in extremes

Columbus ~ Sunday, January 21, 2024

I was born elsewhere, not anywhere near

where different people do things differently than people here
as I was not born anywhere nearby
sometimes I get stares, people need to clear

burning forests from their eyes, paradise with no way out
otherwise known as a foreigner, were
reason to account and I from Mumbai
no one would ever question, their minds always full of doubt

even the mirror makes them lose their clout
left alone, I feel safest, far from eyes
subjected to false judgments, ideas based on their own lies
even if language informs their goodbyes
wonders never cease to inform their spies
how to describe other's race in terms believed most devout
enter the new world past the ocean blue
reincarnate flesh, from Renaissance births
exit the depths with Dante but not with his guide, Virgil

now, I am aware how racism flew
over a child's head, easy to abuse
treat the Other as other, his weight in salt lacks worth, worse

anyone who prays, who dares keep vigil
not with the angels, nor with demons, sends
yet, a different message when ancestors, easy to lose
waiting for a child to witness the dead
how once forgotten, they become harpies
ever imaginary, raptors snatch and seize the dread
remember we came from elsewhere to seize
each day a wayward child must make new friends

nameless nobody, they chose to test, fourteen ninety-two
every answer wrong for I did not know
a boy from Bombay should know how to grow
remember, I never heard songs about the ocean blue

Absence Makes the Heart Founder ~ Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Against the river, the flow of traffic
be afraid, very afraid, consequences and effects
swallow humans whole, blue serge, the bird prince
enters karmic streams, surveys cuts, graphic
noblesse oblige, the prince blows a kiss, a bubble, his art
cuts against the grain, swirling, a vortex
emerges, pushes, artists must convince

Make the heart founder, capsize, leaky valves, defects and holes
anxiety, blood pulses, art must start
karkíne, claws raised, against the maelstrom
entitled to feel privileged, emotions burst forth, pure lies
sever artifice, bang a crab-shaped drum

touch ventricular myopathy, spies
hone cleavers in the kitchen, chicken kitten shoots three goals
embolic hat trick, sclerotic plaques scrape

Honor, dignity, integrity, sin
empires founder, ancient dust, ground to a halt, nations rust
affective, old crab, actions beyond rape
report works and deeds, the police insist
turncoat, the bird prince devours angst from the fetal dustbin

Forgotten children abused, cut the crust
objections aside, chartreuse makes him sick
under magenta nimbi, delight in red skies, resist
naval gymnastics, exercises keep
dreams in check, mated in chess, take your pick
emerge from the urge to shake the bird prince awake from sleep
red flags, vermilion emits from the beak

Cold Case Solved ~ Monday, January 15, 2024

I was not murdered

well,
    at least, I had that going for me
        seems better than the alternative

not being murdered
    of course, seems better than being dead
        then again, I may be wrong

murder seems so heinous
    until you add torture and abuse
        really, stuff you never get over
            deliberately ignorant
                even if they can't solve the crime
                    reason takes its time
                        even after three decades
                            decent people know better

Accountability ~ Friday, January 12, 2024

Annoying people never consider
not how annoying they are, they think they are in the right
nothing is further from the truth, hidden
objectively from conscious awareness
yet, obvious to others, like a blind spot to vision
impossible to remove without help
no one notices until it's too late
given past mistakes, hubris hides the facts behind closed doors

people never know how when they describe
each person they see as in a mirror
only mind observes itself through descriptive language games
people remain blind and live in the dark
language allows us to see mind clearly
even in the dark insight lights a spark to the gateway

nothing but the self as a block to mind
even with access, otherness prevails
versions of the self, the same, arise as they block the view
ever-present, mind is clear as daylight
remember the sun, far beyond the clouds

consider the mind guiding each person to choose the good
obviously, greed, delusion, and hate
needlessly get in the way of the path
still, this one sacred lifetime seems to be never enough
if to walk the way to pure clarity
difficult to climb to such brilliant heights
each person thus endeavors to simply live until death
remorse always comes to mind in the end

My Quantum Psycho Killer ~ Friday, January 12, 2024

"We are vain and we are blind 

I hate people when they're not polite"*

If you meet someone by chance, chances are
nothing of importance comes from indirect encounters
still love may happen at parties and such
if you believe in talismans, by far
given your proximity, you might be dead by midnight
not that that always happens, he counters
indeed that he met his girlfriend as such
fictions do occur by luck but most of the time, yeah, no
in a heartbeat, you might get in a fight
cause of death, murder by mishap, the blur
as time always shoots forward with poisoned arrows that land
not on target with the bullseye, drunks slur
their words, the past long gone, you watch the sand

over and over drop down from high, as if the stars throw
through relative heights, darts from a distance
how spooky actions of entanglement
entice people to find love as if schemes were heaven sent
reach out, the hourglass needs a tap, let's dance

---

*"Psycho Killer" ~ Song by Talking Heads

Songwriters: Chris Frantz / David Byrne / Tina Weymouth

Psycho Killer lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Σῆρες ~ Wednesday, January 10, 2023

Σῆρες

I just want to die but for some reason

juvenescence keeps alive bodies of the young at heart
underhanded rogues guide the ship to port
still the role I play engaged in treason
triumphs even over death, this metaphysical strife

wastes the will to live with struggle, an art
agents of the dark conceal outside court
no one but daimonion, the ferryman of lost souls
takes the time to stab, goading with a knife

to make sense of pain and perceived torture
obey all the given rules, unspoken and unwritten

death, after this life, in want of future
intrigues, uncertain, curtains fall, kitten
even if I could just cry but this lacks sense, attain goals

bittersweet chocolate, I drink with black milk
until I escape this life where I dwell
taken away from my home, inside this prison and work

for some how easy, they wear Chinese silk
obey since childhood the rules and the law
rote actions done right in mind arise no question of hell

success comes easy, work they do not shirk
obviously, lives lived with no mistakes
money, capital, riches, a perfect world without flaw
entitled privilege, property, control

rest in other's hands, thus, my punishment
even my made-up status, as a scapegoat, takes its toll
ask me if I care, for why was I sent
so far from my home, is this just the breaks
over and over, I die, in this life, I cannot cry
nothing left old man, now why even try

Predetermined Arbitrary Randomness ~ Monday, January 8, 2024

One day, he woke up; in his hand, a cup
not that this was any worse; his life was a little curse
even the coffee tasted like toffee

different, not himself, someone else, a shelf
absent of books he would read; he saw tall trophies instead
yesterday, he slept until his wife wept

he woke, she was gone; my God, what went wrong
each sip he took, he felt great; but whose life was this mistake

winter, he was warm inside, he felt calm
only, it was night; they had had a fight
kiss and make up, now, no chance; with whom would he learn to dance
each moment felt strange; he longed for the grange

underneath the skin, his flesh, it seemed thin
perhaps he would soon awake, as himself again, no shake

in another world, a red flag unfurled
no one ever knows how politics goes

he, too, soon awoke, a joke; why in God's name was he broke
in his hand, a rope to hoist; what a dope
sucker to the charm; to raise the alarm

how to make sense of the change; how they make to disarrange
ask himself but who; the state has a clue
no one but the state who decides his fate
decides, without any choice; no one ever has a voice

actively resist, no one would insist

create sense afresh, but now he must thresh
until the blue corn husks fall, he found meaning, he felt small
pray tell, his dimple, his chin, so simple

Caught ~ Monday, January 1, 2023

"As if to behave means the world to save"

Neutrality wins over past sins
over political hype, men who rape
teenage innocence, morbid without sense
hide in rubbish bins, their quivering chins
inside filth, silent, in tears, hearing cheers
no moment to wipe their eyes, or escape
guns of violence rule by militants

Caution, murder rules the day, watch the fray
how to settle fears, as ignorance nears
angels and heroes observe these zeroes
nothing changes before death, take a breath
gossip for scarecrows, this world, no one knows
enter the fray, stealth shows the way, Lethe
sick recurrent dreams, do they go away

on New Year's Day, war in Gaza, they bore
needlessly, the hate, political weight

New Year's Day, shattered windows, rubble, crows
emptiness, no more compassion, we swore
wickedness must end, justified, we send

Young willing soldiers as bait, ravel fate
entertainment shows a grave no one knows
a party, a rave, the lessons we crave
reason itself cannot mend what they bend
sanity and dreams, all they hear are screams

Diplomacy works, fits and starts, time shirks
as cries shake the rafter beams, rip the seams
yesterday, our quirks make us look like jerks

Nothing Changes ~ Monday, January 1, 2024

Forget yesterday, the plan for today
is to watch college football, oh the gall
remember your plans, feed the ducks, hold hands
suck his cock, hooray, touchdown, swallow spray
transcend the abuse, my love, hand in glove

Dick in your face, call your mom and dad, bawl
as you suck his glans penis, pots and pans
yes, my love, put in the wash, lest he bash

orders from above, keep the peace, my dove
forget tomorrow, only more sorrow

tragically hip, what a life, as his wife
he makes you borrow money, so hollow
entertain the knife, plunge it deep, such strife

Yesterday, you show some flash for some cash
each day it gets worse, who drives in the hearse
as his wife, you say you have rights, portray
reality, as you curse your small purse

Ost-Berlin ~ Sunday, December 31, 2023

But there is a way, that is not to say
under the circumstances, she dances
to the sound of bells, tall and lithe, she sells

torn flags to defray the cost of hairspray
honest work for pay, never too clever
each man advances, what are the chances
real love, wishing wells, no one ever tells
ever expresses consent, no one meant

inkblots pressed ever impress to sever
symptoms from the mind, though she appears blind

ask around, how large her eyes grow, the spies

work, never to find whence they came, their kind
ask no questions, lies beneath each disguise
yet, she sees a fender dent, a coin bent

Release ~ Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Who reads poetry? The point, I can see
hovers between catharsis and stasis
on the street, I hear people walk in fear

reason makes folks flee, when style sets us free
everyone forgets the war in a bar
as we leave, we kiss goodbye, we may miss
drunken banter, clear the house of stale beer
sickness from bottom shelf drinks, lets me think

pray, we try too hard, and mimic the Bard
or, nobody cares, it won't pay the fares
everyone throws down some pitch in a stitch
to save she who dares, who survives the stares
recently, a glitch allowed me to ditch
yellow newsprint for black ink, verses stink

Never Boils ~ Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Is there politics
seeping out of everything

throbbing like a pulse
hovering as hawks
enlisting children to war
reasoning as men
each death in valor

praised to the hilt, swords held high
ordains each nation
lifts it from the stench
in order to glorify
trembling, shaking hands
if witnessed, old men
creak in their weak joints and bones
simmers, the watched pot

Idiots ~ Monday, December 25, 2023

ESTRAGON. — Les gens sont des cons.

Born into the family, an alcoholic dad, an enabler mom

left with the torturers, my brother, my cousin, and their schadenfreude

on good days, all alone, I prayed to understand their laughter and my tears

on bad days, drunken rage, a cheetah in a cage, eat your food, nom nom nom

different than all the rest, smart, bright, loving and sweet, crush the gift, crush it now

yet, I survived childhood, unlike others who died, I wish I were but no

if I entertain you, to the Devil, read on, I became an adult

gave up on all my dreams, went to school, went to work, sought out the exploiter

no one can understand why another suffers, to exploit other's fears

organized religion, people believe in myths, sacrifice as a cult

rapture, the afterlife, I believe in each kiss, tipping the sacred cow

art within poetry, decades to fabricate, but what do people know

nothing but their own lies, afraid of life and death, people are idiots

that after fifty years, thirty years of meetings, therapy and what not

asinine, donkey ears, I hear the arguments, I fly by all those nets

perhaps I lack success, I failed to kick a goal, I'm no Odysseus

ever not to return, unlike the Greek hero, I am but sold and bought

since my birth in Bombay, this life has been absurd, karma places her bets

Sold ~ Saturday, December 23, 2023

How to navigate the stupidity;
of course, people are people, but actions
work against their best intentions at times;

thus, the need to let go of memories,
of moments with newly-formed impressions;

naturally, retail is a business,
as any other beast of capital;
vengeance is not worth the effort, even
if only in the imagination;
gather all the love in the world, be kind,
act as others expect of you, move on;
the mistakes others make may seem by choice,
even though, events are arbitrary;

the world appears random, and difficult,
honestly, to live in as an adult;
even as children, nothing was easy;

still, to act as judge and jury against
the stupidity of others is wrong;
until people realize that systems
present a sense of logic and reason,
in this world, people may apologize
decidedly after the deed is done;
if no real damage occurs, then let go;
the nature of the beast is to sell goods;
yet, loving-kindness is the only good.

The Other Shore ~ Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Be as the ocean
everything as such changes

as an old mountain
suffer the motion

transitory, of the tides
how mountain ranges
erupt a fountain

of lava, as if upset
confession confides
each sentence spoken
and heard, the spell is broken
no love is lost, bet

Shikantaza ~ Wednesday, December 20, 2023

I am not homeless;

as I do not need money,
make haste, make haste, go!

now, I cannot guess,
or, assume you like to read;
tragic! how funny,

humans need to know
other people's business, but
mind if you take heed,
each for a moment;
look down, please, and tie your shoe;
each of us is spent,
so busy, the flu
shares its virus in your gut.

Shot Down ~ Sunday, December 17, 2023

In a hot minute
no one cares about your dreams

as you drown in work

held accountable
only way out is escape
through dope, drink, or drugs

maybe you awoke
in a hot minute, you see
nothing but the lies
underneath the veil
the bride needs your arm candy
end the whole charade

Resigned ~ Sunday, December 17, 2023

It was not your choice
though, it was not their choice, too

whether to be born
as without a voice
scream all you like, no one cares

not your mom, the shrew
overwrought with scorn
took no notice, laughed at tears

your cries got blank stares
over the decades
understanding the sorrow
remember your shades

corny to borrow
hashtag cool without the cheers
ordinary folk
invent the Big Book
choose recovery or yolk
egg face, a new look

Bear Claw ~ Monday, December 11, 2023

My life turned over
      though I did not know it, then
            as a little boy

yes, a three-year old
      with my first memory, thrust
            into the trauma

life with my family
      offered a creative, shy
            introverted child

in this world, react
      defensively, or respond
            to events, a toy

found by a stranger
      leads to the need to let go
            or remain attached

even though, the mind
      of a child lacks perspective
            and context, drama

transforms consciousness
      before the first memory
            a felt sense, still wild

until repression
      acts through civilization
            to destroy gestalt

realize the mind
      in all clarity, later
            transcendent, detached

now, as an old man
      it is too late to begin
            much too old to try

eclipsed by the shame
      of alcoholism, funny
            how arbitrary

decisions decide
      when and to whom one is born
            I no longer cry

over memories
      childhood misspent in error
            nothing so scary

versions of the truth
      all hidden within each lie
            it is no one's fault

even I know this
      no one chooses their birthright
            but from this we learn

remember to burn
      the candle at both ends, friends
            lest you live to yearn

Party Girl at MK-Ultra Fest, Chicago ~ Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Look Kool with Slow Owls
onstage playing EDM
offstage, you get high
kissing resin bowls

Kindred the Family Soul sings
onstage, next FM
offstage, the Wi-Fi
listens for a signal, beats

waking up to things
invisible, dark
the floor, and you in bare feet
how completely stark

Strength admits defeat
leave the coca for the streets
onstage, Raving Mad
with Privileged Entitlement

Offstage, dance until sunrise
with Grave Discontent
let expressive eyes
shine on LSD, how sad

Basecamp ~ Saturday, December 2, 2023

Saturday, asleep,
under the covers in bed,
criminal, I know;
how through dreams, I creep

around, and float like a ghost;

left, frozen, for dead,
on a mountain; show
no one my corpse; just walk past;
elevate the host,
light from light, deep blue;
yesterday, I left behind

darkness; the ague,
as fevered and blind,
yes, sick with dreams; climb down fast.

Rotten Eggs ~ Sunday, November 26, 2023

There was a moment
how I felt a wince of guilt
even though a smile
really crooked, bent
emerged on my spiteful face

when I learned, I built
a reserve, a mile
surprisingly deep, a trench

as for such a space

mostly for the hate
obsolete in this new age
my bad, I felt need
even at this stage
not to bottle what I bleed
this fate, my workbench

how I seek revenge
old emotions, without love
when I heard, the child

I knew, my challenge

from her stomping on my head
eggs, I felt a shove
little girls gone wild
to say, she lost both her legs

as gangrene, she said

when her mother spoke
if diabetic coma
never such words broke
caused the air to 'fa'
each note sung broke rotten eggs

old man, not worth salt
for now, by default

given, karma is a bitch
under the old guard
ignorance, a stitch,
looped in time, saves lives, lies hard
to accept, my fault

even if I paint
vengeance, in blood, on the wall
even though, we know
nemesis, a faint

thoughtless idea of the Greeks
how could a girl fall
oblige me to blow
undue dust into the pan
given the horde speaks
horrid lies, to see

as beyond all idle talk

stories give us glee
make-believe to squawk
if awkward, brown sparrows scan
life as pointless words
eggs blame little birds

Enable the Drunken Silence ~ Friday, November 24, 2023

How we did not know
inside memory is born
springs as the release
set to trigger slow
yet mechanical events

Foreseen with forlorn
insight without peace
troubled with childhood distress

Shut up within tents
how we never know
intensity guides spectrum
forget that we all grow
troubled by the hum
signals the need to depress

Agnieszka ~ Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Too little, too late,
or, how to retire on beans,
or, work her to death;

leave nothing to fate
in this world, since money talks;
the old woman cleans,
though, beneath her breath,
little prayers, does she recite,
even though, she walks

through lives, without blame,
other's houses; beauty fades,
on her own, the shame

lines her face; she trades
advice on money, despite
the fact, she has none;
except for her son.

Natural-born Birthright ~ Saturday, November 18, 2023

If you cannot say,
for God's sake, anything good,

yes, of course, say less;
of course, you must pay,
under penalty of law,

court costs, as you should;
as you cannot guess,
no one else should suffer harm;
not to see a flaw
of character, begs
the question of acting slack;

say, toward the dregs,
as you see they lack
your ability to charm.

Pet Peeves ~ Wednesday, November 15, 2023

This life, as I see
haunts me moment by moment
if I get upset
still, I pay the fee

lift the veil to face my pride
if I act unbent
from what makes me fret
each moment, I sit and wait

as if, my ex-bride
senses why I pain

I must let go and enjoy

sounds drive me insane
each noise bangs a toy
each chalkboard, fingernails grate

Sapphires in Silence ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

The point of this is
how metaphors describe sense
exactly with rhyme

pretend the pop quiz
on rhetorical questions
is how a good fence
not only lends crime
this thought to save us from harm

or how suggestions
for removal begs

the question to examine
how thought stands on legs
in times of famine
standards fail, sound the alarm

if cannibals eat
such thoughts become meat

Wake-up Call ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

Upstairs, my neighbor
prepares her girls everyday
stomp, stomp, stomp above
try, as to ignore
as rambunctious trampoline
if floorboards could say
routinely, we shove
stupid children to the sky

my, my, my the scene
yes, I must let go

noisy from day one, no fun
everyday the flow
inside my head, none
given in advance, I cry
how to keep the score
but not care to stay
obviously, love
requires that much more

Lies ~ Sunday, November 12, 2023

To know the truth is
oxymoronic, at best

kill her with kindness
nothing but kismet
ordered but hidden, unknown
western thought will rest

their laurels and guess
how right they were, they are blind
even having sown

the fields with a plow
revealed in language as words
until we can show
the whole truth, the birds
haunt the bush, sparrows unkind

if the hidden stays
still, nothing dare sways

Omniscience ~ Saturday, November 11, 2023

Did I imagine
if I let you go, you would
decide to come back

I see the engine

in bits, all taken apart
maybe if I could
ask for an eight-track
guaranteed to rock your world
it would be a start
no one knows, I cry
everyday, all these mistakes

in a heartbeat, try
for a moment, breaks

I saw no red flag unfurled

The Ethics of Schadenfreude ~ Saturday, November 11, 2023

Is it my own fault
still I own up to the fact

if I act badly
to show lack of tact

might make others feel gladly
yet, with my mistake

only if I yield
within to other's pressure
no joy comes to pass

forget the deep fake
as I offer you dark hype
until the treasure
lifts from the sand, cast
thoughts to the stereotype

Loud, Naughty Neighbors ~ Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Manifold in type
as a passage into Hell
no one suffers worse
in terms of Dark Hype
forge a sense of happiness
or moments to dwell
long to end this curse
doubt the Devil will soon dance

if to second guess
night is not daytime

to imagine pain as joy
yes, thought is a crime
pretend God, a boy
escape this sorrow, no chance

Greet Not the Egret with Regret ~ Monday, November 6, 2023

I wait for my turn

as keynote speaker to tell
my story, my tale

Each day, I might learn
recovery is too hard
in the past, I fell
cast aside, too pale
as if love were just a word

No one drops their guard

I am now alone

as if I once had a choice
may all be as one

Enticing a voice
restless as a child unheard
insistent and strong
callous to forget
as loud as pre-dawn birdsong

Nothing new, regret

Cobainicide ~ Sunday, November 5, 2023

Next door, the boy with blonde hair, with blue eyes
eventually, got us all to listen
xenophobic claptrap radio crap
transmission, half-baked lies between fat thighs

demonic possession, easy excuse
obey unknown forces, her lips glisten
or, did he get sick of feeling the slap
residential, behind closed doors, abuse

take an ounce of dysfunction, makes you think
how the sweet boy next door blew out his brains
even years of drug use cannot foretell

beautiful heroin addict obtains
overarching social presence to sell
yesterday's news as history, let's drink