growing, pains. (for joshua with punctuation)

punctuation marks pains
growing inside like roots
of a foreign tree, seeded deep
within your gut

darkness beckons (for kam del toro)

the canvas is carved
with black paint
across a vast scape

trimmed with flakes
of luminous gold
and hope

in the shape of eyes
longing and desperate
for little touches

the emerging self (for Nikki)

the planet is made of bubbles
we call them cells

easily smashed or torn apart
these bubbles are fragile

yet their beauty is so powerful
we cannot help but reach out

and each one is popped
until the end of the world

one bubble at a time
one life, blown up and thrown down

burst into vapor
that holds a little bit of our shape

as it disintegrates
into the ether

cackling beast (for the staring man)

chu maki, staring hamachi and
tempura kaibashira

with avocado and kappa

topped with unagi, dragon sauce,
orange and black tobiko, and spicy mayo

I Like This (for Beth)

quite Wednesday morning
warmed by a cup of tea

My Deepest Fear (for Jeff)

it rests there, deep, down
in the gut of my existence
penetrating every thought
perpetrating every inaction
lurking in the darkness
of a single person, stood
alone in the kitchen
barely dressed, bare feet
on the cold linoleum
at 2:37am on a Thursday
in a colder month
of any year
my deepest fear
is getting caught
drinking the last sip
of milk
from the jug

The Recurring Bout (for Jenni)

it only happened once
to me
but others suffered the same
soft symptoms
in succession of age
from oldest
to youngest
where no other factors
played a part in the chance
we all died
one after another
of nothing other
than willingness
to make space
for the next one
over
and over
recurring
repeating
renaming
replaying
remaining


 

it could go either way (5/100)

some days have a talent for bringing you down.  others are better at lifting you up.  and it's not all to do with the weather. 

 

it might be determined by the health of your cat.  if he gets sick in the hall way or curls up on your lap. 

 

if a show you like is cancelled or confirmed for another season.  or you find out that little dog you like is in another episode.

 

maybe someone you like ignores you.  maybe they don't.  bets are they don't know how important they are to you, at least not on that day.

 

for two (4/100)

there are two fine English tea bags in the floral-decorated pot.  there are two china cups already splashed with skinny milk perched on the two matching saucers.  there are two little, silver spoons.  there are two lumps of sugar waiting to be dropped into hot breakfast tea.  there are two eggs in the frying pan.  there are two pieces of slightly over-done toast on two little white plates.  there are two forks and two butter knives resting on two napkins on the table in front of two chairs.  there is one salt shaker and one pepper mill between them all.