Vile viral

a simple breath

the invitation sent
and received
for I to play host
to a gaggle of goblins
and ghouls that drool
in my skull
and run amok behind
my eyes
the heat of their bonfires
burns in my brain
and their soiled levity
drains down my throat
to puddle and sour
my breath
and gives rise to phantoms
who howl through the night
to steal rest and sleep
from my wretched soul
the ghastly gang
spits their poison
with every hacking cough
with every sudden sneeze
to send out more invites
hooks for hosts

The wash

plunged into the scalding water

his hands knew not the heat

they were weathered leather

that tossed me about

agitating my fibers

in the suds adulterated 

with the soil and soot of my being

from those depths 

I was flung into the air

to smash against a rock

again and again and then

plunged into the clear rinse

the cold water of the earth

soaking my soul with its wet

his fingers the hooks to pull

at my flesh

and thresh the perfumed soap

out of me

to repeat the toss in the air

and plummet against stone

and the twisting clench

the wringing of my body 

to pour my condition 

out onto the thirsty grass

and thrown onto the sisal

where wooden teeth sink 

into my worn, aching skin

and I dripped into the wind...

will you cut me down 

when I hang to dry

Snow lights

orange of street lamps fades
among the dark tree-laden fissures
within the brightening gray sky above
hovering over the park below
Mesmer's envy is felt
in the show of floating flakes
within the last minutes of
the street lamp glory
no greater hypnotist exists
than these clippings of
the frozen clouds
in their journey in the breeze
and their pause in stillness
but journeys carry on
shaken awake by worn roads
in the waning winter morning

In windows

a man of glass
stained and jagged and smooth
you see through his colors
as many and brilliant they are
that glimmer through the day
and glow in the night
each segment of his light and hue
the man knows
and he paces the floor each day
from one wall to the opposite
very carefully and in thought
to return and do it over again
starting at the same place
the next morning
he's ethereal in falling
and sharp and focused in standing
and so very allergic
to baseballs and stones

Pieces

she is a puzzle
each piece needing the others
but earthquakes overlook
that one simple fact
and start to shake her apart
the wind scoffs
and flicks a piece away
here and there
to the amusement of itself
the pieces are so random
that she is left
not knowing if her legs
will hold her up
if her lungs
will fill with air
if her head
will stay on her shoulders
or if her heart
will beat a steady drum
she just waits
near the window glass
watching the pieces fly by
while she pieces together
a puzzle of her own

The couple at February's end

he holds his tricks
tucked up his white sleeves
those varied heady silken hues
he pulls forth when no one looks
and passes them to her
she who glows in the sun
waiting for glass to trickle
and flow away into the unseen
where her children play
and suckle from her breast
and wriggle from her bosom
to be plucked up by his own
to find themselves swimming
at the end of a string in bitter waters
while his own wait for a bite

their marriage is made in time
and is spoken over bottles of wine
by those who spied his tricks
and have witnessed her unseen
and speak of it as though they're old friends
who live just down the road
in the house no one visits anymore

Deserted dreams

desert falls behind his eyelids
a blessing from dream givers
something to soothe his soul
from his oceanic travelling

the ocean he sailed was forever
even when he fell overboard
and drifted towards the bottom
there was always another drop

the waves were shaken
not stirred in his realm
he would drown by night
and wash up on some stranger's shore

he needn't some star above his seas
to guide him to the strangers' shores
he was skilled and very well versed
to give into the draw to knock at those doors

it was in those blurry waters
that he never heard a no
it was only in the damn desert
that he learnt of limits

to find the desert behind his eyelids
that out of all he found to rely on
the leftovers of the dream givers
who apparently had holes in their sacks

Fall

the longer the fall
the more boredom sets in
that initial horror
when it's realized
the fall is taking place
or even the precursor of dread
of even entertaining the idea
that the fall might even occur
that all becomes melting butter
the longer the fall takes place
most falls are momentary
a ripping off of the band-aid
and BOOM!
destination is realized
be it the sidewalk pavement
a parking lot below
the 6th floor window
ground floor inside
an elevator shaft
the water's surface
waiting for the diver
whatever it may be
most are soon and quick
yet there are those stealthy ones
that have someone in their grasp
without them even knowing it
so there's not even the initial shock
or maybe there was
it was just ignored
and BOOM!
one is plummeting and detached from
the entire thing
and with that previously mentioned boredom
more of what caused the fall
is sought and bought at whatever price
because dammit
nobody wants to be bored
when they're falling

Nicks in echoes

crown me! crown me!

demands when he played

both colors of the checkerboard

unfair! unfair!

cries when he got his way

but it wasn't served on a silver platter

begone! begone!

barks when he thinks he can

but realizes there's more to it than that

mean! mean!

bawls when he looks in the mirror

daily and sees what's really looking back

it's fun! it's fun!

lies when he's not going to admit

his treading is quickly turning into sinking

I heard! I heard!

excuses when he speaks

but nothing of value is said

they'll do! they'll do!

dispenses when he has to pay

all the pipers who play him like a drum

fake! fake!

screams when the truth

is a pill he doesn't keep in his cabinet