1. the gentle rain rolled
down subtle cheeks in disguise--
quieting her sobs
2. picking up the phone
I listen to the dial tone
hello's are so hard
3. when the sun rose
he was absolutely gorgeous --
he wasn't awake
4. drops of dew reflect
grey skies on the bronzed roof roost--
the birds sing freely
5. beneath naked trees
the rain puddles into mud
masking dreams of spring
6. taking a deep breath
filling up on the 'what ifs'
she coughs violently
7. Blind Assumptions
nobody questions
my gender or my race -- HA!
I'm none of those things
8. battery charge drops
dead phone calls like a lost love
the silence screams sobs
9. December comes home
like a summer storm in May--
thinking about her...
10. there isn't a glue
that can fix a camel's back--
straw hats are flimsy
11. chills run up my spine
I can't stop thinking of you--
a horn on my knee
Jan 4, 2014
Dec 3, 2013
Skating Through the Holy Roller Rink
I made a few changes...
the pipe organ pulses
through the pews
on a rainy sunday,
hands raised in praise--
the preacher preaches
in his slicked back hair
sure as the devil
he's got somethin' special--
baptized as a baptist
dunking sins away
just like a slam dunk win
at the end--
no oscar for this actress
portraying not adam nor eve
somethin' kinda in between
at the ripe old age of nineteen--
she knew not a single thing
except to live in sin
in the closet hung with clothes
waiting to transpose--
the white double doors
outside the wood framed church
with stained glass windows,
forever in the shadows
of the old life biographer
writing a new history;
where the girl living in transition
finally, embraces religion
the pipe organ pulses
through the pews
on a rainy sunday,
hands raised in praise--
the preacher preaches
in his slicked back hair
sure as the devil
he's got somethin' special--
baptized as a baptist
dunking sins away
just like a slam dunk win
at the end--
no oscar for this actress
portraying not adam nor eve
somethin' kinda in between
at the ripe old age of nineteen--
she knew not a single thing
except to live in sin
in the closet hung with clothes
waiting to transpose--
the white double doors
outside the wood framed church
with stained glass windows,
forever in the shadows
of the old life biographer
writing a new history;
where the girl living in transition
finally, embraces religion
Nov 30, 2013
Skating Through the Holy Roller Rink
the pipe organ pulses
through the pews
on a rainy sunday,
hands raised in praise--
the preacher preaches
in his slicked back hair
sure as the devil
he's got somethin' special--
baptized as a baptist
dunking sins away
just like a slam dunk win
at the end--
no oscar for this actress
portraying not adam nor eve
somethin' kinda in between
at the ripe old age of nineteen--
she knew not a single thing
except to live in sin
in a closet full of clothes
waiting to transpose--
the white double doors
outside the wood framed church
with stained glass windows
forever in the shadows
of a new dream
for a new world
where the girl living in transition
finally, embraces religion
through the pews
on a rainy sunday,
hands raised in praise--
the preacher preaches
in his slicked back hair
sure as the devil
he's got somethin' special--
baptized as a baptist
dunking sins away
just like a slam dunk win
at the end--
no oscar for this actress
portraying not adam nor eve
somethin' kinda in between
at the ripe old age of nineteen--
she knew not a single thing
except to live in sin
in a closet full of clothes
waiting to transpose--
the white double doors
outside the wood framed church
with stained glass windows
forever in the shadows
of a new dream
for a new world
where the girl living in transition
finally, embraces religion
Nov 26, 2013
BeFall
The naked trees watch
the saturating rain
fall from dark skies
before dawn breaks.
Deep moisture rising
into puddles to be splashed
before evaporating
in the afternoon sun.
Nov 23, 2013
Three Strikes
the glass fills higher
while the bottle empties.
she becomes a liar--
the temps fall to the twenties.
my clock ticks louder;
the snores come sooner.
I've never been a doubter
but today, is so much closer
to the day after tomorrow.
while the bottle empties.
she becomes a liar--
the temps fall to the twenties.
my clock ticks louder;
the snores come sooner.
I've never been a doubter
but today, is so much closer
to the day after tomorrow.
Nov 16, 2013
I Love HaikU
Fall Out
the liquor soaked tongue
gushes from her every pore;
winter's reflection
----------------------------------
one tiny tear
a globe of life's reflection;
rain ponds in fallen leaves
-----------------------------------
clouds parted the moon's
light caressing the night sky--
mid-night dreams of you
the liquor soaked tongue
gushes from her every pore;
winter's reflection
----------------------------------
one tiny tear
a globe of life's reflection;
rain ponds in fallen leaves
-----------------------------------
clouds parted the moon's
light caressing the night sky--
mid-night dreams of you
-----------------------------------
Dearest Tomorrow,
Life sure is complicated,
send more chocolate!
-----------------------------------
she waits for midnight
to kick off the glass slippers--
fairy tale ending
-----------------------------------
chills run up my spine
I can't stop thinking of you--
a horn on my knee
-----------------------------------
the red rubber ball
bounces all around my head--
she plays lots of games
(this last one was inspired by Paul Simon's song
Red Rubber Ball; sung by both The Cyrkle and Neil Diamond)
Red Rubber Ball; sung by both The Cyrkle and Neil Diamond)
Oct 28, 2013
Three more...
parallel's
children screaming with
laughter catching waves--
summertime in Palestine
-----------------------------
Fall Out
the liquor soaked tongue
gushes from her every pore;
winter's reflection
--------------------------------
Hope In A Bottle
tonight, old movies
and a pint of beer-
tomorrow's forecast, no rain
children screaming with
laughter catching waves--
summertime in Palestine
-----------------------------
Fall Out
the liquor soaked tongue
gushes from her every pore;
winter's reflection
--------------------------------
Hope In A Bottle
tonight, old movies
and a pint of beer-
tomorrow's forecast, no rain
Oct 19, 2013
#13 and #14, Respectively
this morning I woke
sobbing from a dream,
the streets are soaked with puddles
--------------------------------
the willow tree weeps
with the wistful girl, waiting
secretly beneath
sobbing from a dream,
the streets are soaked with puddles
--------------------------------
the willow tree weeps
with the wistful girl, waiting
secretly beneath
Oct 15, 2013
Detachment
I took a memory
from a day in June
when we wrote
poetry in the sand
just before high tide--
I made it
an idol on the mantel
between two candles
smack dab in the middle
of the room. Last night
in a fit of sobs
I gave it back
to the earth
that birthed it,
with a mirror
in its place.
from a day in June
when we wrote
poetry in the sand
just before high tide--
I made it
an idol on the mantel
between two candles
smack dab in the middle
of the room. Last night
in a fit of sobs
I gave it back
to the earth
that birthed it,
with a mirror
in its place.
Oct 13, 2013
accept-shun
as dawn broke
the sun trekked
over what must have been
a million miles, or more
rapping upon her
window pane
day in-- and out;
the curtains, always drawn.
the sun trekked
over what must have been
a million miles, or more
rapping upon her
window pane
day in-- and out;
the curtains, always drawn.
Sep 29, 2013
Enter-Mission
in a made up mind
lies a handful
of made up beds
in the dark corners
with soft linens and pillows;
to lie our heads
in a made up land.
Sep 21, 2013
Sep 18, 2013
Sep 13, 2013
Two Lumps, No Sugar
falling in love at
the coffee table where the
coffee always runs out
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
the coffee table where the
coffee always runs out
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sep 8, 2013
What is Integrity?
For my PPS scholars class, I am being asked to write a script for a podcast defining integrity. Does this work?
Integrity in the Face of a Storm
Here in the Triad of North Carolina, our strongest storms blow in from the northwest. Strong cool winds shove the sticky hot air to the coast in a violent fury. The integrity of most structures stay intact, storm after storm, year after year. What makes some structures stand strong while others cave under the pressure? Having integrity means standing strong, even in the face of a storm aiming to corrupt everything in its path.
There is a quote that says everything I believe about integrity. It says, “Live in such a way that if anyone ever spoke badly about you, no one would believe it.” I have modeled my life after this quote. A few years ago I met a group of people that I thought shared a similar belief system as I do—but I quickly realized I was naïve and that this group of people quickly went into jealousy and gossip. When others tried to lure me into the gossip fury, spreading lies about others, I stood strong in the storm—my integrity stayed intact. Some followed my example and stopped gossiping, while others succumbed to the storm and their integrity faltered. To live with integrity means not buckling under the pressure of even a violent haboob. Sometimes to keep our integrity intact, we need to be flexible like a tall, strong tree in the midst of a storm. Trees bend and move with the storm, not against it—giving it resiliency against the storm.
Keeping our integrity is not always easy. The temptation to be dishonest or to take advantage of a person or a situation can be strong, especially when we are hurting or not getting our needs met. It is in this moment that we must stand strong in our convictions and with our feet firmly rooted—eventually, the storm will calm and we will be even stronger to weather the next storm, year after year!
Integrity in the Face of a Storm
Here in the Triad of North Carolina, our strongest storms blow in from the northwest. Strong cool winds shove the sticky hot air to the coast in a violent fury. The integrity of most structures stay intact, storm after storm, year after year. What makes some structures stand strong while others cave under the pressure? Having integrity means standing strong, even in the face of a storm aiming to corrupt everything in its path.
There is a quote that says everything I believe about integrity. It says, “Live in such a way that if anyone ever spoke badly about you, no one would believe it.” I have modeled my life after this quote. A few years ago I met a group of people that I thought shared a similar belief system as I do—but I quickly realized I was naïve and that this group of people quickly went into jealousy and gossip. When others tried to lure me into the gossip fury, spreading lies about others, I stood strong in the storm—my integrity stayed intact. Some followed my example and stopped gossiping, while others succumbed to the storm and their integrity faltered. To live with integrity means not buckling under the pressure of even a violent haboob. Sometimes to keep our integrity intact, we need to be flexible like a tall, strong tree in the midst of a storm. Trees bend and move with the storm, not against it—giving it resiliency against the storm.
Keeping our integrity is not always easy. The temptation to be dishonest or to take advantage of a person or a situation can be strong, especially when we are hurting or not getting our needs met. It is in this moment that we must stand strong in our convictions and with our feet firmly rooted—eventually, the storm will calm and we will be even stronger to weather the next storm, year after year!
Sep 6, 2013
2 reflections:
burnt out lovers lay
together for the last time;
until tomorrow
--------------------------------------------
Syria at war
lost in the gore of power
mirrors reflect truth
together for the last time;
until tomorrow
--------------------------------------------
Syria at war
lost in the gore of power
mirrors reflect truth
Sep 1, 2013
Aug 27, 2013
This morning, outside
running in the sun
earthy aroma offends--
hot horse flies flustered
----------------------------
nature sings loudly
on this late August morning
absentmindedly
earthy aroma offends--
hot horse flies flustered
----------------------------
nature sings loudly
on this late August morning
absentmindedly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)