Treble Clef
We douse and down little fish on a clip,
"you know your bait fish is doing
what it is supposed to do
when it breaks the water
getting away from predator fish"
He is full of wisdom and I wonder if
he is still holding my keys in his pocket.
Out fishing and I cannot understand
how many times I keep coming up with
"I" to end sentences. It is pain filled,
but we spark up a little
out of routine and routine will save your life
or shave it, but at least there is structure,
despite timely car accidents.
The night and the day
we got into what drives
a mother fucker away
and hit an impasse.
Picking up cans on faraway rocks
forgetting that my paws were there
with those rocks and moss
and tired of jumping from one to another
but how else am I supposed to get to still water?
A bobber? Nigga, please!
Trying to remember which fish have teeth
and which ones do not.
Forgetting is part of the fun.
Good geusing is part of the fun
too th and nail.
Sand In The Water
Drink to good health
and fuckable kids,
drink to yourself
and all that you id.
Drink to tomorrows
and toast to success
Drink to your sorrows
and your life a mess.
Take it on the chin,
its what Jesus would.
Take it as a win
the hangman's hood.
Drink until you die
enough to be alive.
Drink until the truth
turns out to be alright.
Drink for legacy,
toast to the moon.
Drink for Jesus's sake
I hear he's coming soon
Take it on the nines,
the tens, and the twelves.
Take it none in mind
let them pick up the pieces of your selves
There's sand in the water
there's sand in the water,
my baby was born still.
There's sand in the water
there's sand in the water,
on melancholy hill.
I Didn't Talk Her Down and I Never Wanted To
"A mirthless bastard"
was what she said
the night she fell asleep
and I killed her in her bed.
She slept and dreamed of everything
else we were not.
From her eyes night terrors streamed
even as they saw spots.
Fingers closed in prayer
behind her neck.
Teeth split her lips, bared
Her pulse thumb checked.
I strangled the life
right out of her veins.
No longer my wife,
us both in no pain.
Sand In The Water 2
Nothing tastes like coke anymore
at least since you stopped
talking to me. I miss you some
days go by when I am trying to feel
the minutes before you stopped
talking to me. It's crazy, right?
I know it is. Rhetorical. I know
I am not what I used to be,
but neither are you.
Everyone says hello
sometimes. Then again,
sometimes
no one does.
Dumb
The good old fashioned straight on take down
went the way of the rotary phone.
I've been checking your mail
to see if you still live there.
Chimney Swifts have been roosting
in your brick chimney
and I've been watching them loop
while popping sunflower seeds.
I can't remember the last we
didn't have to talk about stalking, meeting up faces to.
"...do you not have hobbies..."
yes. "..that's a one word answer."
Yes. I don't need to be a piece of anything
reel; I want to watch.
You're welcome.
Milk saucer please.
Film Study
I've been drinking way too much.
I know, baby.
I know, baby.
I've been drinking way too much.
I've been drinking way too much.
I've been drinking way too much.
Who am I apologizing too,
baby? "The God damned angels
not me." Okay.
As long as you're good. In my house I do not
give a shit.
Her lighter, sport skinned, hailing from New York,
what are you doing here in the sticks,
questions punted for later, is sticking out of her hip
pocket like a time pieced pocket watch unchained.
Easy to lose
yourself staring awestruck at a jean seam
and a rivet.
I do give a shit because I've been
drinking way too much
drinking way too much
drinking way too much
Did you see the leopard skin coating
on the slug clinging to the flower basket outside
on your way up to my place?
It has a big ol' hole in the side of it
to suck in air. My heart stopped
looking at it and I got all
classroom workshoppy sad. Before I coughed
up blood. I like you. A lot Let me give you
disclaimers.
We have a lot in common and I respect
fresh fruit from my garden picked off the stems
so thick you could measure them with a thumb.
I respect bad conversations with neighbors who know
nothing about me and tell stories about their children
my age and it makes me feel okay
because at least I didn't fuck my grandma over.
You know what?
I know what weapons I was given,
lets talk about good grips and good finger protectors
for flesh cleaving metal because I
make up words for tools and
time is short. The garden is gorgeous by the way.
We should take a walk some time
said the head to the fist.
Fingernails are nothing
until they eat up skin.
Frosty
after Cannibal Ox
Are you violent?
I know you. I'm getting a little frosty myself.
Combustion is great
when does not wash away when the river is high.
Keep your eye up, heads up, dive
hard to rooftops and be glad
there is shelter.
Are those textbooks? Usually.
Pick your battles and your addles and your nerves.
Put away what makes you dark and remember
life started with just a fucking spark,
an idea, and from there everything blew clear
out of hand
demand forcing a whole lot of whatevers
and when it actually gets cold
everyone shivers
like
bad bugs on skin
while everything gets thin enough that bones
come to surface, the same way that a blade
can be purposed.
I get a little frosty
but family brings me back.
I get a little frosty
but friends bring me back. Stop.
Rage. Stop again.
Cut Wrist
Have you ever had the bends? Nitrogen poisoning?
I caught up with my ghosts and there was a stand off.
We talked about dinosaurs and grass that grows on the shoals
the same way grass will grow on dunes.
We talked about the man in the hat.
What it means to be inside a hat instead of wearing it.
What wearing it is. I spat tears because my eyes were too dry.
We talked about the mission and how shitty the water tastes.
We went over the battle plans for taking down
the water processing plant and how to make bombs
with kettle barrels from the home improvement store
selling fertilizer like it was the only thing it could be
used for. How good is that garden by the way?
There's sand in the water. There's sand in the water!
It tastes magnificent. Sea weed and all! I held on to
a piece of sea glass for years,
because it had some of the Atlantic trapped inside it,
I used to tuck it under my pillow and dream
about nor' easters bringing me more. Have you ever
had a bath so good
you fell asleep against
the porcelain and
woke up
surprised, sand in your mouth. Another day
in your eyes?
