an indifferent lifting of the shoulders (20170427)

crow

i shrug out of you like

an ill-fitting suit

an old man’s funeral jacket

a mummy’s dusty wrappings

the cracked, dry skin of a pudding
left too long uncovered in the fridge

a plate of overcooked liver and onions
the liver my own pulled from my guts
and cooked over the fire in my bowels

the bruised peel of a banana
the exact size, shape, and consistency
of a healthy adult shit

i shrug out of you
and you don’t even know it

——

National Poetry Writing Month–almost over!
Day 26

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peas and gravy (20170426)

crow11 Comments

they tell you
to settle down
when you’re a kid
and you’ve eaten all
the halloween candy
that has been inspected
before bedtime

they tell you
one day you’ll settle down
make yourself a little
place in the world
build a life

they tell you
things will settle down
when chaos has erupted
like a 4th grade science fair
volcano

but what
they’re telling you
is to settle
because we’re all down
here
and why should you
see things
from an elevated height

——

National Poetry Writing Month Winds Down!
Day 26

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the art and science of subduing spirits (20170424)

crow18 Comments

i have tied you up
and you have forgotten
the safety word

the knots keep you subdued

the ropes are of my own weaving
regret mixed with despair
a few threads left of honest desire

the knots keep you still

but you are just a shade
easy driven out by a strong light
easily chased into dusty corners

my silence keeps you silent

——

for
dVerse ~ Poets Pub
Quadrille #31: still

It’s National Poetry Writing Month!
Day 24

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sunken eyes (20170423)

crow12 Comments

the bird sings the night sky
fading blues to pinks to
the solitary color of its heart

three trills, short
one cry, long
a heartbeat separated by chambers
struck out of order
a solitary sound of night

listen
the rustle of feathers
listen
the quiet of parting leaves
the river of the freeway
the black heart beating

——

It’s National Poetry Writing Month!
Day 23

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consideration of impatience (20170422)

crow5 Comments

go ahead and make me wait
i’ve got the patience of job
tied up in a bindle stick
over my shoulder

i can bust it out whenever
but i know you like me
impatient, eager
like ice melting off
a fingertip

my jaw clenches shut
and i breathe through
my nose because
if i open my mouth
there’s no telling
what part of your body
i will target first

——

It’s National Poetry Writing Month!
Day 22

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shadows stretching (20170420)

crow12 Comments

the fat sun
lolls low in the morning sky

pine trees line the street
casting long shadows
across the asphalt

a runner hunched half over
speeds through a gap
in traffic
following
silent train tracks

i wait for the crows
who have found something
unknowable but edible
in the grass

i taste the dust
of the field behind my
childhood home
chickens, horses
beyond the field
a neighbor of sorts
whose peacock
is crying

——

It’s STILL National Poetry Writing Month!
Day 20

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first itch (20170419)

crow3 Comments

at first there was an itch
an itch that wasn’t there before
and no hand to scratch it
so a fire had to do
to contain the itch
but the fire grew out of control
it burned without oxygen to consume
and its ashes became a fine mist
and the drops coalesced into diamonds
the first stars
and they sang with voice
but there was no air
and there was no one to hear

——

It’s National Poetry Writing Month!
Day 19

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