Poetry harvest January 2025
2025.1.1 – New year first day
2025.1.2 – Our dying dog is scheduled dead
2025.1.4 – Kneel down
2025.1.7 – Eyes fuzzy, mind mud
2025.1.7 – Some poems so slo-mo go
2025.1.12 – Picked up Marlowe’s ashes
2025.1.13 – Welcome to the Side Show
2025.1.14 – Do I have words
2025.1.15 – New day old sun
2025.1.15 – I fill dead dog’s dish
2025.1.17 – Woke dark before dawn
2025.1.18 – In my own isolation chamber
2025.1.20 – Here we go
2025.1.20 – I been thinking
2025.1.24 – I watch the cat clean herself
2025.1.25 – Gotta dance the razor
2025.1.25 – Cool jazz melting my poor head
2025.1.25 – I rant my rave and misbehave
2025.1.27 – Perilous times
2025.1.27 – Long after sunrise
2025.1.29 – Sum folk know
2025.1.30 – You can pause
~ ~ ~
New year first day
old sins swim free
new sins swarm
Sin is sin
day is day
depends how they’re played
~ ~ ~
Our dying dog is scheduled dead
paying money to kill a friend
Been my honor to know you
~ ~ ~
Kneel down
look friend in eye
I say thank you
he says goodbye
wet eye wife
eye wet me
set dog free
mystery train
running down track
taking dog
ain’t coming back
guess Elvis is dead
our Marlowe too
two true flames
fine final fuels
both overweight
both on drugs
both knew how to cut a rug
one I knew
one I didn’t
one here
one hidden
I slog on
they fly ahead
perhaps we’ll meet
when my meat dead
which’ll be awhile
since I’m high flying
been promised remembrance
if only for trying
myth mist magic unmatched
and of course
one more free trial in tragic
~ ~ ~
Eyes fuzzy, mind mud
ask my mirror “who was me?”
mirror answers “nothing good”
~ ~ ~
Some poems so slo-mo go
but what do I know
I loved my youth
the what
the when
the where
the late 1940’s
the entire 1950’s
and we all know the 60’s
still have marvelous memories
monumental moments
even though I never fit in
being the less to their more
thought it me
now know
was merely social slow grow
from thick book rule
which made me low
but that was then
a flow no go
now forgive all ruse and role
though
I forget nothing
and glad to say in heart and play
some of it was . . . quite something
~ ~ ~
Things change
I know
but does change change
like some fantasy duet
by Aretha Franklin and David Bowie
backing vocals by the poor
in a dark cold alley
empty hands out
hungry mouths haunted
I mean
don’t need no mean average
to know this is mean
go back to day 1
life consumes
something eaten
for eater’s creation
strong-eat-weak
fast-eat-slow
high-step-on-low
low-is-go-go-go
or else one big no
not now
all or nothing
sometimes something
depends where you are
who or were in food chain
how big your brain
how strong your chain
how long you’re willing
to do it again
and again
and again
and again
what can I say
don’t know the words
and nobody’s listening anyway
ahhhh, I know this
the fun’s in the play
you can be here
or there
but how you flare
defines your way
miss or bliss
your yay or nay
*too bad the smart don’t eat the dumb
cuz there’s major dumb going on
and way too little heart
~ ~ ~
Picked up Marlowe’s ashes
our rescue dog
for final 4 yrs of his 13
large dog
got him down to 109 from 149
now in small container
ash bone fragments
first dog
have first cat’s ashes
somewhere in garage
Mandy
she’d sit atop my folded arms
as we went from 3rd floor window
to 3rd floor window
after Lady went to bed
me describing what I saw
she considering my perception
had my brother’s ashes
in studio 18 years
ask visitors
“Want to meet my brother?”
hand them box
used him in 2 art installations
finally dumped him
on Lake Erie’s south shore
with mom’s
dead brother Cat 1987
dead father Pappy 1989 (no ashes)
dead mom Mother Dwarf 2005
live sister
who told me to fuck off years ago
which is fine
reduces the noise
of her speaking-in-tongues clan
dead dog
wet eyes
kept me mobile
walking 8 block morning
4 block night
whatever weather
whether or not
so many fotos
poems
deer
possum
coyote
skunk
cold so cold
snow surface sparkles
eye to eye
soul to soul
heart to heart
leash from harness to hand
and sometimes
two legs fighting four for food
he broke my arm
thought it muscle pull
let it go
healed wrong
couldn’t use it 10 months
until tripped and shattered arm
running for dog-poo bag
X-ray lead to CATscan
lead to MRI
lead to PETscan
lead to large rare tumor
eating my innards being removed
be dead not found
so goodbye friend and savior
we hung
we chilled
we filled
wife and I cry
~ ~ ~
Welcome to the Side Show
where broken freaks go
and as you probably know
not willingly
I’m freak from long streak past
when life might be fun
drugs a gas
dizzy days in the sun
Then folk found there’s real money
in hawking wacky tobacky
things got unfunny
kinda tacky
But that’s all cool
life runs in rounds
this time I’m fool
next rhyme clown
What’s lovely strange
wife & I’s treehouse corner
where listening reigns
each other’s porter
So big being bad out there
here quite good
there don’t care
I think they should
Here we try
if it don’t fly
refigure
weigh comply
I & I rather than lie
~ ~ ~
Can’t stop the train
but stuck on track
it’s me they’ll blame
when I splatter act
and that’s a fact
run fast
catch bone
cover ass
fake moan
you’re unalone
can’t hide head
can’t close eyes
the walking dead
live on lies
why?
~ ~ ~
Do I have words
most definitely
does anyone listen
not really
and that’s good
cuz I know little
other than outlasting bad
do I have a plan
yes
get through day
don’t hurt others
don’t prove myself fool
help wife
pet cats
mourn dead dog
rely on luck
love
and laughter
world’s a mess
we’re eating it and each other
my own treehouse corner however
is double bubble happy
all the way down
laugh when you can
love whom you will
listen as you look about
don’t shout
in spite of spate of those without
it’s going to get worse
but we can do better
~ ~ ~
New day old sun
same play scum sum
somewhere down the facts truth grows
but right now
I’m running downhill after faster
fronting rocks rushed to top
in wrong roll disaster
Looks to me
good time to see
just how much coffee
how many gummies
can one day free?
~ ~ ~
I fill dead dog’s dish
with water for two live cats
Life goes on
love lingers
~ ~ ~
Woke dark before dawn
still alive
nothing chewing on me
no viruses dissolving my flesh
my sweetie lying next to me
still liking me
two cats waiting feeding
faint ghost dog bark in dark
warm in art-infested tree house
safe in circle of friends
fine family
and I guess we stop here
in shade of shine
cuz out there
o boy
out there is a fine madness
fascinating
facilitating fast fall down
future fail
flail
main town run by clowns
cloning phony
and a lot of lonely
so
have a nice day in every inner way
for out there
it’s warfare
one big hone of lizard brain bone
except of course they ain’t right
gotta keep on fight
(“Just when I thought I was out,
they pull me back in”)
~ ~ ~
In my own isolation chamber
two hours sitting in cold car
big snow slow falling
wet run window through which I watch
flesh and metal come and go
in need and flow
bit and byte and pit and price
inserting pieces past lie
I don’t know what I know
but I know
I know more than I know
Heavy slow snow
tap-tap-tapping metal roof
like small ravens
whispering Poe, Poe, Poe
I must go
miles left call my flow
of win and woe
outer gloom inner glow
sees truths grow:
heed your lizard, feed your fly
live the life or die in try
You is you
why is why
how reply, I & I?
~ ~ ~
Here we go
in fairy tale woe
turd in charge of toilet
~ ~ ~
I been thinking
and it seems to me
“Be here now”
must be a typo
Sposed to be
‘Be here. Know’
I know
seem similar
but ‘you in now’
don’t mean ‘you know’
while in the know
includes the now
somehow
Know now be here
beware false there
I find that fair
~ ~ ~
I watch the cat clean herself
in my black denim lap
red tongue licking black fur
green eyes glowing in dusk
she’s at one
in the now
no fear
no hunger
no shame
in love
of love
with love
were I her
and also me
sitting petting myself
safe in my own lap
purring mine to me
ahhhh, that’d be something
me liking me
me licking me
clean
finally
inside and out
~ ~ ~
Gotta dance the razor
needle the thread
seed rides to never
feed our heads
prime our pleasure
that’s how we’re bred
raised
fed
lead
but we can be we
for a price
it ain’t nice
but works for me
gotta get to the do it
outwalk the chalk
screw the excuse it
ban the balk
be reality
relish the red
makes no sense
to please the bled
you pay for your living
best prance till you’re dead
~ ~ ~
Cool jazz melting my poor head
in well-meaning malevolence
be-bop drop-naming Druids
demanding to be fed
horror shows
body fluids
those things over there
that nobody knows
nobody says
nobody mentions
moonwalk mountain
dropkick valley
see you and your mama
out in the alley
you bring the knives
we’ll have bread and jam
until the cops come
and then wham bam Sam
we scram
what a sorry shame we are
or is that sham
as for me
I am my am
don’t make no difference
free will
or forced-march way
we all have to make penance
due our do
pay our say
rent lease buy trend
tend
pretend
life’s a riff
beat the eater
eat the eaten
the diff seems to me
to be backbone
if
limp
or stiff
~ ~ ~
I rant my rave and misbehave
but fuss doesn’t glisten
at my listen
Frog water frog water
we’re all cooking in frog water
and maybe we oughter
do something about it
turn down the stove
get better glove
How you like your sons and daughters
Mister Master
well done, medium, or rare?
Or do you even care
outside wallet
TV schedule
and gullet
Fools fool fools
forgetting it’s choose or lose
old bills come due
and new dues cue rue
(true true true)
Being used
mentally
physically
financially
emotionally
confused
Large portion bottom blood
feeding folk at top
Gotta stop
(and reason why is simple, folk
if you don’t, we ALL die
~ ~ ~
Perilous times
dolorous rhymes
delirious chimes of warning
What a nasty national morning
The rich ascend
the poor make amends
in their dwindling empty
While top scarfs plenty
Hmmmm, seems a bit unbalanced
since we provide the talent
while they loaf in palace
O well, shite flows downhill
but smite awaits the upscale
once our fear fails
Gonna be a’hurtin’
put the rich to workin’
end their trough of slurpin’
Of this I’m certain
~ ~ ~
Long after sunrise
hidden rooster crows
3 seconds later
distant rooster answers
3 seconds pause
close rooster replies
This continues
They obey their why
keep sun in sky
~ ~ ~
Sum folk know
no safe place
here there down the line
What is is
small pockets of plus
in large plops of puss
That makes us
tummy thumper or flesh filler
grab ‘n snatch down the hatch
So much gloom
in poem and room
bill coming due after
But earth goes on
some stay some gpne
me? I offer Gods laughter
And they slow soften
my slaughter
~ ~ ~
You can pause
but you can’t stop
sharks know this
Flounder abounder
flubber a’do
I can run much slower than you
Things may be happening
we may be here
I’m not entirely clear
Until resolution
you can keep your absolution
continuing is my only solution
Keep up hope
maybe smoke some rope
dance about in the Holy Smoke
~ ~ ~