Thursday, April 29, 2010

Initiation

He did not want to hold this gun
This metallic snake
Cold and slippery in his arms
Constricts him within another life
All the others move in stride
He thinks of suicide and love
One is quick the other fleeting
Both drain blood, always entreating
Blood and venom clog his brain
Coil, recoil, reload, and fire

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A Walk through the Memorial Garden

The other day I witnessed one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. Having nothing to do while my six-year old daughter was at dance practice, my three-year old little boy and I decided to take a walk. Turns out the only place to enjoy a leisurely walk near the dancing studio was a beautiful cemetery across the street. Rolling hills, quiet gardens, the whole deal. Tombstones and monuments mean nothing to Dylan, who was enjoying the walk with his dad through a quiet, pastoral place—a nice contrast for his fiery, fidgety mood. Not far into the grounds, a monument caught my eye because it had children’s toys, most new-looking, carefully laid around it. There was even a small snapshot of the person being memorialized, a boy whose dates were 2001 to 2006. The little chestnut-haired boy had an incredibly cute smile. He looked to be in perfect health. Flowers and toy tractors adorned his stone. I couldn’t imagine what could possibly have cut down a boy like this when he was only five years old. “Beloved son, grandson, and brother. We know you are enjoying your new friends in heaven.” Dylan, understanding nothing of this, of course, went up to take the toy tractor and stuffed animals. It was almost surreal, watching my buoyant, adorable son playing around the tomb of someone who had lived only a couple of years more than his three. It made me thankful and mournful at the same time. I patiently advised to Dylan that not only should he not be playing with any of these things, because they didn’t belong to him, but he shouldn’t be playing around this little wall at all. All the rest would have been too painful to even try to explain.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Aurora Borealis


When I arrived here in my youth
In search of truth and mystery
And everything in front of me
Lit my imagination on fire
Aurora borealis in flames around me
Aurora borealis ruled the day
Ever since another downer
Another downer every day
Another cloud obscures the sky
So blue one moment now so gray
I watch the charlatans’ sleek revue
The loud, the brash, the arrogant
All the peacocks have their say
All the color melting now
Aurora borealis fades away

Saturday, April 17, 2010

The 1960s


How I miss you time of grace
Look of love splashed on your face
Weapons, war, community
Hippies, gurus, big city
1970 rolls around
Consciousness goes underground
Beatles knew the time to go
One toke over the line in snow
This is how our days have gone
Drugging ourselves till the dawn
Gadgets, games, and trash TV
Cannot reclaim that harmony
And thought…..





Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Pistons Hum

Engine burning overturning
Life is streaming down
All my love in overdrive
Nothing comes around
And still the pistons hum

Fine machine in sad decline
Mile markers whizzing by
Leaks and spills and blood let loose
The ravages of time
And still the pistons hum

They would take me anywhere
Defy the chassis frame
Oil and water breath and fuel
Atomically the same
And still the pistons hum

Monday, April 5, 2010

Goodbye, Sun

As the years fly away toward the heavens
Where black sky meets white of the moon
I see silhouettes in the craters
Of the loves that I left far too soon
As my soul stirs and rises to join them
The stars and their colors all fade
A galaxy melting behind me
In the beautiful fire that I made