We Could Have Been
I could have been a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist, an architect. I could have been respected, well off, helpful. I could have been somebody, elected, official. I could have been religious, well traveled, well dressed. I could have been a lot of things I was told to be. I chose to make art. Not […]
Empty Shoes
In the footsteps where
buildings once stood.
The graves of where
the dead mixed in
with concrete and sand.
Deceptively Simple
a chess board is laid out new. so many options. each piece must conform to its role. to know empathy play the pawn. they are strong and many. hear their voices. each one, a choice. when on the line what will they do to realign the board. will they stay put. will they cross into […]
Certainly Uncertain
what do we have to draw from? can we see reality for what it is. a chance. a mistake. an enumeration of choices that lead to this point. to these words. to my reaching out to you. out of twelve billions years of evolution. of natural selection. from single celled organisms. to here. to now. […]
Dragon’s Breath
We are all in passing trains. Date of birth. Time of death. Time stamped on the tracks As subway cars zig-zag through the underground. Feel the stale air bellow debris and sand like a coming storm. As the metal brakes the ground, squealing through the round, corners of our lives. I look across the tracks […]
Casting Spells
I quit watching the news but it continues to seep into my consciousness like a virus getting a grip it makes my stomach sick I often found myself rushing to stand between the television and my children as the newscaster cast spells of school shootings rapes wars mass graves, of water logged dead bodies hanging […]
Call and Response
I took centuries from you as you waited patiently knowing I would not return. Years, became months between the day, I began to prepare again, sharpening knives for distant lands, then the day came when, my letter and body returned by horseback. It seemed like that happened again, and again and then, once I came […]
Rounding the Corner
As we bike to school this morning, passing the park, the sun rising, the morning light shining off of pastel clouds, my eight year old asks to look at the faces of the men posted on the public restroom. I say, let’s don’t because, they are monsters. Pedophiles to be exact but I don’t repeat […]
Fix Bayonets
That sunset over there Watch it….. Watch it disappear As the colors transform As the clouds dance Overhead Did they put you in a trance What did you see Shapes making patterns Did you see a future Did you hear your ancestors “Fix bayonets” Jumping over twisted wire Razor sharp Can you hear their war […]
Never Turn Away
They say meditate Breathe deeply Listen intently I listen As my thoughts dance From fire to flood Asking me to ignore, the now To be somehow Ignorant Of the world’s pain Seems insane For I am no hermit I am no Thoreau Living in the woods I am living here and now In the world […]
One Would Think
One would think a poet has memory The ability to not only write but recite Birth words into the world and unite The zeitgeist’s voice With little choice Of not doing so The mission of the bard One would think a poet a master of words Planning out the cogency of propositions In order to […]
BB Guns, Zelda, Drive-In Theaters
We used to hide in your backyard dressed in camouflage all day. BB guns pumped up twenty times. That’s nearly .22 caliber we’d say. What might we kill today. Ready to shoot anything that moved. Birds, squirrels, a rabbit. Little boys without a clue. Just mirroring what we thought we knew, what men are. Playing […]
Defeating Strangers
I think of my own neighborhood, how people do not know each other. How quickly we go out to get our garbage can. As we nod our heads briefly so that we might understand, that there is something more important going on inside, than to chat. Maybe a pot of something boiling for a recipe. […]
Neighbor
If you listen, you will hear cries Of a world becoming desensitized To the tragedy of tomorrow Bombs blowing up Buildings falling down Shootings in schools Children stolen and abused The slaughter of innocents In another country prevents Us from taking any stand How can we make a difference When the world watches it all […]
Waiting to be Led
It is the phone that dehumanizes. Through distance. The one who answers. Their lack of empathy The voice message menu. The voice recognition. The wanting to talk to a human. To not be delayed. To feel that you are important enough to answer. That you are not a number. That your records can be reviewed. […]
My Cyclone
Toxins in the food. In the water. In the air. Genes modified to adapt to this fair. Born in to me a mental exhaustion. Creating in me a major depression. I have had it for years. And all the thoughts that go with it. On the rollercoaster of life I ride. A continuous dwelling machine […]
Byron King Plays Souls and Gold
Some people speak softly and suppress their opinions. Poet Byron King is not one of those people. “We have to quit screwing around. We have to get back to basics, back to spiritual investments and dreaming big-really big. Great countries invest in creativity and in collective consciousness, both byproducts of the human soul,” he says. In […]
