Tag: write

sunset with insect (20161016)

crow3 Comments

the mantis
caught in my flashlight beam
gold and long as a finger

always our habit
to move everything to safety
–worms after the rain
or a leaking sprinkler
–spiders in the tub
–even yelling at the squirrels
/my mortal enemies/
tarrying in the street

i put my hand down
on the swidewalk
he needs a nudge but crawls onto
the meaty part of my index finger

this elicits a response
from a walker
heading in the other direction
they’re good luck, he says
and i’ve heard it’s illegal to kill them

i find a bush
hard to tell what it is
in the dark
and offer him his escape

he wraps himself around me
like a promise ring
maybe he likes the warmth
or he’s tired of all that walking
or maybe he’s just lonely

but i coax him off
onto the relative safety of the plant

come and go (20161014)

crow10 Comments

watch them come and go
eavesdrop on their conversations
no one is talking about
renaissance masters
but the emptiness
of the crowded room
goes down rough
like swallowing a
desiccated peach pit

what would they listen to
what conversation would you offer

the slow and slowing beat
of that pump in your chest
that peach pit of an organ
that withered on the limb
lovesong

the message (20161013)

crow6 Comments

ironed so flat
cut so thin
you could read
the paper through me
were there a strong
light shining

fold me up
origami style
into an envelope
make sure
i have enough postage

or roll me up
into a child’s
telescope
drop me in a bottle
and set me adrift

i am the message
and my own medium
rap thrice on the table
mr. splitfoot
let me know
you’re listening

lung/lung breath/breathe (20161011)

crow7 Comments

rattle in the pipes
mystical blood flowing
through dragon veins
or
just the dishwasher
sucking hot water
from the heater
flushing food particles
too small to keep
as leftovers

your voices in the other
room where light
is brighter
music louder
though nothing recognizable

so much breathing
hopefully enough air
to go round

remember
lung is the word
for dragon

the cost of a plane ticket in american dollars no longer based on the gold standard (20161009)

crow4 Comments

sew on smiles with
threads of disenchantment
pulling up the corners tight

pin the grin on the donkey
in place
with sickly yellow pushpins
of dread

show your best have a great day
thank you for coming face
fingers trembling over the
cash register buttons
and behind your eyes
the sound of dentist drills
and chalkboard screeches

remember your time in the forest
with hawks big enough to
carry you off
you get to fly
if only for a moment

was it a fair trade