Wiggle Room

I send my words
to wiggle their way
into your mind
into your body
Feel my hands
my breath
Squirm a little
and I know
I’ve reached you
It’s not so much a poem
as it is a seduction

Me, the Trees, and the Sky

In my hammock I lie
Just me, the trees, and the sky
I swing in my sling and I try
To salve the sting of goodbye
To halve the us into I
I feel what I feel and I cry
And deal until tears are dry
Bereaved, I heave a sigh
The leaves all whisper, “Why?”
She leaves just me, and I
Am alone with the trees and the sky

RRR: I’m a Have-Been

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
This was previously posted on 19 November 2008.

I have been on a mountain.
I have been under an ocean.
I have been on the other side of the planet.
I have been out of my mind.
I have been chatted up.
I have been talked about.
I have been the last to know.
I have been the first to admit it.
I have been alone.
I have been lonely.
I have been on the fringe.
I have been on the outside looking in.
I have been faithful.
I have been a believer.
I have been cheated on.
I have been a fool.
I have been a cabbage-patch uncle.
I have been a best man.
I have been childish.
I have been childlike.
I have been nearly near death.
I have been depressed.
I have been shy.
I have been a wallflower.
I have been smart.
I have been stupid.
I have been better.
I have been worse.

I have been drunk now for over two weeks. [No, wait. That was Jimmy Buffet, not me.]

I, Teach

“I am a teacher
and a repeat offender,”
I said with conviction.
Tried, convicted, sentenced.
I serve my sentence
[grammatically correct, of course]
within these walls
painted institutional green
and ply my trade
from the inside.
And I count the days
until June.

The Elephant in the Room

There’s a series being published over on Vox Poetica called “Aspects of the Elephant.” It’s a poetic look at various viewpoints on love. You really should be reading it. And not just because one of my poems, Words on a Wire, is scheduled to be up there today. [But, if you want to use that as an excuse to check it out, who am I to complain?] It will be on the Today’s Words page today and then moves to the Poemblog page.

Vox Publishes Me Too

Well, I didn’t expect to have these announcements on two consecutive days. My poem “Reach” is now on Vox Poetica. It will be on the Today’s Words page today and then moves to the Poemblog page. I’m in such good company there too so make sure you take time to read some of the other great work when you visit.

Less is More

Less is more
when, like love,
it is

limitless
boundless
countless
shapeless
formless
harmless
breathless
nameless
shameless

Reach

You reach, this time… it’s three
Touch the key, that’s touching me
The key, the type, the touch, the tone
We are sitting all alone
A thousand miles in between
Far too far to be seen
You are there, I am here
But we are closer than we appear

By the Frozen Foods

I saw a ghost today
in the grocery store
by the frozen foods –
that figures… cold as ice –
you stood there
staring at me
in that tone of voice
But you can’t haunt me
any more
the next aisle is fresh produce
I have moved on

A Walk in the Park

With my nose toward my toes
I walk in the park after dark
To exorcise my demons
Until they run
out of me
out of energy
And I play on my way
With my eyes toward the skies